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Blazing New Trails For Armenia's Olympic Skiing

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  • Blazing New Trails For Armenia's Olympic Skiing

    BLAZING NEW TRAILS FOR ARMENIA'S OLYMPIC SKIING

    By Tom Vartabedian // Posted on May 30, 2013 in Featured, Headline, Mid-Atlantic

    PHILADELPHIA, Pa.-The road to Sochi may be high and mighty but Arman
    Serebrakian is prepared to take his leaps and bounds. His passion
    is skiing. His intent? To bring Armenia a skiing medal in the 2014
    World Olympic Games in Russia-or at the very least, some credibility
    in the sport.

    Arman Serebrakian is full speed ahead in his quest to bring Armenia
    a skiing medal in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

    One might think it's been all downhill for the 26-year-old aspirant.

    When you haven't competed for two years because of injuries, people
    get skeptical. But Serebrakian has the talent and the resume to fill
    the role.

    Over the past seven years, he's been the top-ranked Armenian alpine ski
    racer in the world, even during his lapse. As of April, he was listed
    at the summit. He's had 4 Top 10 NCAA finishes while competing for
    the University of Colorado, where he made the All-Academic Ski Team,
    served twice as captain, and one year as an assistant coach.

    A dual citizen, Serebrakian is currently a medical student at Temple
    University School of Medicine, having just completed his second year
    and waiting to go into surgery medicine.

    When his father took him down his first slope at the age of two,
    Serebrakian immediately fell in love with the sport. Growing up,
    his Armenian parents continuously took him and his sister Ani (2010
    Vancouver Olympian) to the mountains in Lake Tahoe, Calif., every
    weekend in high school.

    Arman decided to graduate early to focus solely on skiing with the
    goal of pursuing his lifelong dreams-making it into the World Cup
    circuit and eventually the Olympics.

    "My father was the biggest influence of my life," he says. "He's skied
    his entire life. My grandfather was one of the first to ever ski in
    Iran. Many role models inspired me along the way, including Italy's
    Alberto Tomba. My sister and I were always on the same club teams.

    Even though we'd never admit it, there was always an unspoken sibling
    rivalry there. We traveled together, stayed together, skied together."

    Ani did her collegiate skiing at the University of San Francisco
    and was one of four athletes to represent Armenia in Washington in
    2010, along with Sergei Mikaelian, Kristine Khachatryan, and Arsen
    Nersisyan. Don't be surprised to see her in Sochi.

    "Realistically, there's a very good chance," says Arman. "I need to
    be ranked among the top 500 in the world, which is where I was at the
    end of my collegiate career by Jan. 24. Many people have asked me
    why I'm doing this. I still have my deep passion for the sport and
    I've continued to train. I grew up as one of the top-ranked junior
    skiers in America and want to give it my best shot."

    He spends five to six days in the gym, while balancing a heavy academic
    curriculum to become a surgeon. Starting in mid-July, je needs to do
    a month-and-a-half in New Zealand where the best summer conditions
    are. Then comes the international race circuit with trips to Europe
    and North America in pursuit of a higher world rank.

    "I've been doing this my whole life," he says. "I'm so proud of my
    Armenian heritage and I cannot think of a better way to express myself
    than to go out there and compete at the highest level on the world's
    biggest stages. It's my dream and that of the Armenian Ski Federation
    to increase the popularity of winter sports in Armenia. They have
    incredible mountains there and a great resort in Tzaghkadzor. What's
    left is to build upon the culture and get athletes started at a young
    age. My goal is to put Armenian skiing on the map."

    If anyone can swing the pendulum Armenia's way, maybe he can.

    Serebrakian helped design the Armenia ski team uniforms a couple
    years ago. Through his connections and performances on the slope,
    he's made a noticeable mark.

    A great achievement was being awarded the Dr. Prentice Gautt
    Postgraduate Scholarship from the Big XII Conference, which is awarded
    to a student-athlete matriculating into graduate school at the end
    of their eligibility.

    Those younger moments carry their sentiments.

    "My mom would pack us gourmet Armenian-Persian lunches in Tupperware to
    eat while we were taking a break in the mountains skiing," Serebrakian
    recalled. "The other kids were all left to eat cold bologna sandwiches
    and boxed juices. It has not been difficult for me to keep my identity
    intact because I wholeheartedly embrace both worlds and believe I
    can learn from each of them, which makes me somewhat unique."

    Ask him who his Armenian role models are and he'll quickly tell you
    Joe Almasian and Kenny Topalian, who competed for Armenia in the
    bobsled during the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. Another happens to
    be tennis stalwart Andre Agassi, who's devoted much of his time these
    days to charity.

    The burning question is why anyone with aspirations of becoming a
    surgeon and who is dependent on his hands would risk everything to
    ski. It's never crossed his mind.

    "I'm a big proponent of living in the here and now," he admits. "If
    the doctor feels so passionately about stepping into a ring with a
    professional boxer, then I'm sure he has good reason and his patients
    will surely understand. I'm very lucky to have the family around me
    that I do."

    While at Colorado, Serebrakian made the decision to pursue his other
    quest in becoming a physician. He graduated with a master's degree in
    integrative physiology and was accepted to Temple University School
    of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he took out loans and began his
    studies in 2011.

    Even with demanding academic aspirations, he never relieved himself
    of his passion for skiing and physical activity, spending hours in
    the gym after classes, as well as biking and running in his new city.

    As his second year of medical school comes to an end, the intensity
    of his training program increases even more. He's committed to taking
    the year off from college and postponing his graduation to pursue
    this goal.

    Although the Armenia Ski Federation has guaranteed full support for
    Serebrakian, they are unable to financially assist him. With the high
    cost of ski racing and the increased demand for world class equipment,
    training, and coaching, he's seeking outside help.

    The fact his sister made the 2010 Olympic Team and he took a pass
    didn't set too well. In some ways, he's out to make amends. "Getting
    that call to say I wasn't going to Vancouver was one of the worst
    moments of my life," Serebrakian recalled. "I've learned from that.

    I'm trying everything in my power to avoid a situation like that
    again."

    To learn more or to donate, visit www.armanserebrakian.com.

    http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/05/30/blazing-new-trails-for-armenias-olympic-skiing/

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