The Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) of America sponsored it’s 42nd consecutive annual Zlet on May 26th and May 27th at the Oselia CYM in Ellenville, New York. Zlet is the annual spring festival for its youth members that presents the opportunity to engage in academic and athletic competitions and poetry recitals that demonstrate their knowledge about various aspects of Ukrainian history and cultural traditions and their use of the Ukrainian language, as well as the opportunity to perform with their dance, bandura, choral and drama ensembles within a talent contest type forum. The athletic competitions include individual and team sports competitions that include 40, 60, 100, 400 and 800 meter sprints and 1500 meters runs, relay races, broadjump, shot put throwing and obstacle course races as well as a volleyball tournament.

      At this year's Zlet the sports events were threatened by heavy rains which led to the cancellation of the volleyball tournament and the 400 meter, 1500 meter and relay race events. Thanks to the combined valiant efforts of members from all of the participating Oseredoks, the track and field was cleared of rain puddles daily and despite continuing threats of rain the CYM youth competed under adverse conditions in the spirit of the CYM rallying greeting “Hartuysh!”. The youth also had an opportunity to socialize at a zabava (dance) on Saturday night.

      This year the new point system drafted last year by Jurij and Ihor Stecko of the New York viddil was again implemented and invoked a corrective factor that allowed smaller viddily to compete on an equal level. Jurij Stecko helped the Hartford komanda to implement this system and again deserves credit for its success.

      On Sunday morning the participants took part in a Mass celebrated by a Father Bohdan Danylo. A formal review of the CYM ranks arranged as individual viddili (the individual branches from various cities) was also conducted.

      Although the Zlet held at the Ellenville U.A.Y.A. Oselia (camp) usually involves only the 12 CYM branches along the eastern seaboard, this year a contingent of participants from the viddil in Montreal also took part. There were 451 youth participants ranging from age 4 through 17. The continued growth of the organization is reflected by the participation of a continually growing number of sumeniata - ages 3-5.

      This year the responsibility for coordinating the colossal task of coordinating the various Zlet events was undertaken by members of the oseredok from Hartford. The responsibility of conducting the various individual events was divided among all of the participating oseredoks. The komandant was Ivan Kebalo who together with main coordinator Myron Kolinsky and the rest of the Hartford contingent successfully coordinated the multiple complex aspects of Zlet. Ivan Kebalo and Myron Kolinsky and their komanda deserve a special commendation for this success.

      The Whippany viddil took first place for overall points achieved. The Goshen viddil took second place and the Jersey City viddil took third place.

      Yurij Nakonechny closed the awards ceremonies by expressing his gratitude to Ivan Kebalo and Myron Kolinsky and their Hartford komanda contingent as well as to all of the sumivtsi for their participation in another successful Zlet.

Orest Kozicky M.D.
Press Secretary, U.A.Y.A. National Board