Category Archives: Sports
Armenian American Baseball Players Make a Big Impact on the Road to the College World Series
By Grant Pakhtigian
FLArmenians Sports Contributor
George Iskenderian
Last month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Baseball World Series (CWS) took place in Omaha, Nebraska with the country’s top teams competing for the title of national champion. This summertime tradition in America’s heartland caps off the season for the young athletes looking to make a name for themselves as they seek to go pro. In the run up to the CWS, two Armenian American baseball players undertook their mission for the early summer slate in a series of 3-game playoffs to mete out the NCAA crown.
Florida college teams are among the finest in the nation as Florida State University (FSU), University of Florida (UF), and University of Miami (UM) all ranked in the top 25 in the 2014-15 season.
This year, University of Miami second baseman George Iskenderian became only the second Miami player ever to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season batting title. He finished the regular season with a .391 batting average and started all 55 games. Iskenderian was recognized with first-team awards for another great year, originally playing short-stop before moving over to second base. Last year, he hit .373 with 23 RBIs in 40/55 games.
A junior college transfer and native of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Iskenderian helped make UM one of the most potent lineups in all of college baseball. During the CWS he hit .300 and went two for four in the season ending game against UF. UM took 6th place in the CWS, an admirable accomplishment.
Although the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him last year he decided to stay in Coral Gables to complete his senior year at the “U.” In the 2015 draft, Iskenderian was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round (211th overall).
James Kaprielian
In addition to our own college baseball star, another young Armenian American athlete made a name for himself this season. James Kaprielian, a pitcher for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), has shown his Bruins how pitching with numerous methods can bring his team victories along the path. He had one of the greatest pitching careers ever recorded by a Bruin. He recorded the fifth lowest ERA in program history, with sixth most strikeouts of all-time. Kaprielian was All-Pac-12 first team designee in this his last season.
Although UCLA didn’t make it to the CWS finals, Kaprielian received good news last month when he was the top pick of the New York Yankees (16th overall) in the 2015 MLB draft. The Yankees consider him very coachable and a good fit for their pitching roster, which is a big plus for teams who want someone they can trust for the betterment of the franchise. Kaprielian has had a challenging year and for him to work his way up to a top prospect in major league baseball is quite a feat.
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi: Spotlight Armenia
By Grant Pakhtigian
March 3, 2014
The year 2014 was in play for the last weekend at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. While much of the attention was on men’s ice hockey, many Armenian Americans followed the four-member Team Armenia. With thoughts of Gold, Silver and Bronze, each competitor hoped to capture and write his and her name in the record books.
Katya Galystyan (Getty Images)
As we think of the XXII Olympiad, we can point to a breakthrough competitor, Katya Galystyan who trail-blazed through this year’s cross-country event-the 10K. Born in 1993, on the first of January, Galystyan is the only woman to represent Armenia at the Sochi games. She placed 64th out of 76 competitors.
Arman Serabrakian
Another bright star is Armenian-American Arman Serabrakian. A dual citizen and second year medical student at Temple University in Pennsylvania, Serebrakian had the support of his fellow Armenian and American compatriots. “This is truly one of the best moments of my life, and I am happy to share it with my Temple family,” he said according to a university announcement. Arman is Armenia’s top ranked alpine skier. While an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, he achieved four top-10 NCAA finishes. But getting to Sochi wasn’t easy. Online fundraisers were held by his supporters through friends of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), to help cover his trip and other expenses. FLArmenians was proud to contribute a nominal sum to assist the young Serabrakian achieve his life-long dream of being an Olympian. He competed in men’s giant slalom, the high-speed roller coaster of skiing. Clocks have long held speeds of 70-90 MPH in the downhill. Arman’s placement of 54 and 42, combined for 46th place overall, and took 2-hour heats on three different runs, totaling approximately 6+/- hours in competition. Then, as the Olympics came to a close, Arman received some exciting news. “Holy moly…I will be FLAG BEARER for the closing ceremony tonight. Wow what an honor!” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Sergey Mikayelyan
Olympian Sergey Mikayelyan raced through the men’s skiathlon and wound up on the other end as the number 46 pacer. With his six-days-a-week training sessions and only 21 years old, he has shown these Winter Games that he is a skier to be reckoned with now and in years to come. Sochi was Mikayelyan’s second Olympic experience, as he participated in the last Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Colombia at the tender age of 17.
Artur Yeghoyan (Getty Images)
The fourth Olympian from Armenia is Artur Yeghoyan. At 23, he has a fruitful career ahead of him. Cross-country is one of the races he competes in, along with the 15K and men’s skiathlon.
In addition, Yerevan got some extra attention during these Olympics. Given its proximity to Sochi, the Japanese women’s figure skating team apparently chose to practice in the Armenian capital, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Although team Armenian did not win any medals in the 2014 Winter Games they represented their country well. 1994 was the year Armenians popped the cork, realizing they were on the grand stage of the Olympics. History tells us that the Summer Games have been more productive than the Winter events for the tiny republic in the South Caucasus. Since 1996’s summer games in Atlanta, the colors of red, blue and orange have earned 12 medals; nine bronze, two silver and one gold.
Jets’ Bogosian Embraces Heritage
By Wayne Fish, Columnist
New York Hockey Journal
To be the best, you might as well learn from the best.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian subscribes to that theory, because one of his first coaches was one of the best to ever play the back line.
That would be Ray Bourque, the two-decade Hall of Famer who’s usually mentioned in the same sentence with the legendary Bobby Orr at Boston’s hockey watering holes.
Bogosian, a native of Massena, N.Y., hard by the St. Lawrence River, attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts starting at the age of 14. Bourque’s sons, Chris and Ryan, also attended Cushing, so Ray came on board as an assistant coach.
He knew early on he had stumbled on to something really good.
Winnipeg’s Zach Bogosian, 22, is the first player of Armenian heritage to play in the NHL. (Getty Images)
“Any time you’re around a Hall of Famer like that, he’s a real special person, on and off the ice,’’ Bogosian said after a Jets-Flyers game last month. He’d net his first goal of the season the next day in New Jersey. “He brought joy to the practices, always smiling — he would give us little tips, like coming into the zone late, getting point shots through. … He didn’t try to put too much on 10th-graders, but just his presence was the biggest thing.’’
Aside from his notoriety as one of Winnipeg’s prized home-grown products (drafted third in 2008 behind only Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty), the 22-year-old Bogosian is perhaps best known for being the first player of Armenian heritage to play in the National Hockey League.
Although Armenia is a mountainous country (a former republic in the defunct Soviet Union) and endures long, cold winters, the sport of hockey has been slow to develop there. It took an American-born player like Bogosian to break the barrier, so to speak.
Zach’s great-grandfather, Stephen, escaped Armenia in the early 1920s to get away from the genocide perpetrated on his countrymen. Some 1 million Armenians reportedly lost their lives during this holocaust.
The Bogosian family wound up in upstate New York, and Zach, a natural athlete at a young age, had a decision to make early on. He could follow his dad into American football (Ike was co-captain of the 1980-81 Syracuse University teams that featured future New York Giants running back and Super Bowl champ Joe Morris) or pursue a career in hockey.
Hockey won and Zach never looked back. And he’s proud of the fact that he’s a bit of a pioneer.
“Yeah, growing up with an Armenian heritage … you know, my grandparents are still pretty hardcore about it,’’ he said. “My great-grandfather came across when the genocide started.
“It’s just a hard-working family from a small town. I mean, if I can do it, anyone can do it. As far as being the first Armenian, obviously I’m very proud of it. But it’s not just on me; it’s on my parents and everyone who helped me throughout my whole career.
“It’s kind of fun to have that (first Armenian) next to your name.’’
As for not following his dad and older brother (Aaron, now playing for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL) into American collegiate sports, the Bogosians have cable TV to thank for that.
Zach grew up watching the Ottawa 67s junior team and that convinced him to eventually play youth hockey north of the border, joining the Peterborough Petes after graduating from Cushing Academy.
Massena is a town of about 12,000 in St. Lawrence County, which also includes former NHLer Mike Hurlbut (N.Y. Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres) among its native sons.
“I played a few tournaments with Nick Palmieri (Utica, N.Y.) for the Syracuse Stars, but Massena is pretty secluded,’’ said Bogosian. “I was never really around anyone (of high hockey caliber) growing up. When I go home, it’s just me and my brother skating together.
“It’s a unique little town; I enjoy going back there in the summertime. I’m just proud to be from there.’’
Like a number of players in the organization, there were some mixed feelings about leaving Atlanta for Winnipeg a couple years ago. On one hand, the Thrashers were moving to a more hockey-crazed environment. On the other, a lot of local ties to Atlanta — from friends to schools to favorite restaurants — had to be broken.
“I’m from upstate New York, so the climate is not too much different,’’ said Bogosian. “(Winnipeg) is a great hockey town and we have great support. Obviously, it’s never easy moving from city to city. But the city welcomed us with open arms. It’s been a great experience so far.’’
The Jets believe they’re on the right track toward contention, with young stars like Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Evander Kane and, of course, Bogosian, forming a strong nucleus. The team stood 8-9-1 in late February.
“We’ve been together for a few years,’’ he said. “We’ve been through the Atlanta phase and now we’re going through the Winnipeg phase.
“Our core group might seem young, but we have a good mix of veteran guys, too. Any time you’re one of the young guys on a young team, it’s always fun, bringing that energy to the room and learning from the older guys.’’
This article originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of New York Hockey Journal and is reprinted with the permission of the author.
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