
PRESS RELEASE – Thirteen-year-old GianCarlo Abril thoroughly enjoyed a rare opportunity to play in a mini-futsal tournament with visiting students from Japan at the University of Guam Fieldhouse and hopes to participate in future exchanges.
“It was a great event to interact with people from different cultures who play the same sport,” said Abril, an incoming freshman at Father Duenas Memorial School. “We don’t have many opportunities to play futsal, so this was a great experience for me, and for others on the team. I’d love to participate in future events like this one.”
Abril was one of a handful of Guam’s U14 and U16 national team training squad members who competed against visiting students from Japan’s Wasegaku High School system during their annual excursion to Guam.
A total of 158 students from 11 different campuses were represented in this year’s event, according to Mike Iwanaka, H.I.S. Guest Relations/Group Manager, who assisted with coordinating the event with UOG. The event also included a mini basketball tournament, as well as cultural demonstrations by organizations including Hurao Academy. In addition to learning about Guam’s culture and people, the visiting students also coordinated 11 stations featuring different aspects of Japanese culture to showcase to attendees at the event. Stations included a judo demonstration, bamboo helicopters, newspaper sword fighting, group jump rope, and others.
“This is the second year we’ve partnered with H.I.S. to provide these activities for this particular group of students from Japan through our English Adventure Program,” said Russell Ocampo, UOG Outreach Coordinator. “Each year, through the English Adventure Program, part of the larger Professional and International Programs (PIP), we play host to more than 5,000 visiting from places like Japan, Korea, and Russia. The visiting students learn English through the program, while also participating in cultural activities.

Guam’s Ryo Suzuki looks for an opportunity to shoot during a mini futsal tournament with visiting students from Wasegaku High School of Japan at the UOG Fieldhouse. (courtesy photo)
“Particularly with Guam Football Association, we eventually would like to coordinate activities through the English Adventure Program with visiting school or professional teams that also want to learn English and participate in cultural activities while here in Guam. The program allows for one-day events like this one with Wasegaku High School to others that span six weeks,” Ocampo added.
The Wasegaku High School students ranged from 17 to 18 years old. The school offers students a non-traditional learning environment, allowing the students to complete their studies with mostly online courses, Iwanaka said.
“This is a great opportunity for the students to socialize with each other since they don’t normally see each other often in school and also to interact with people here in Guam,” Iwanaka said. “It also gives them a chance to showcase their culture, while also learning about Guam’s culture. For the sports portion of the day, we chose soccer and basketball, since those are fairly common in Japan.
“This is one of many visiting groups we coordinate with as part of our long-term goal of expanding our overall groups market,” Iwanaka added.
At the end of the day, Guam’s youth national training squad members won their matches against the visitors, including the final match. On behalf of GFA, youth administrator Robby De Guzman participated in a gift exchange with the visitors, and also presented a KIA FIFA World Cup promotional soccer ball to the visiting group.
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Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
GPS Sports Calendar
May 2022
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for May
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #4
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
3rd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
5th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
6th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
7th
GPD HOT PURSUIT 5K
MARIANAS OPEN
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for May
9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #5
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER All-Star Meeting
IIAAG GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
Events for May
12th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
12th
Events for May
14th
14th JUDICA CRABAO 5K
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
Events for May
16th
ISA TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE All-Star Meeting
Events for May
17th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
18th
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG GIRLS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Events for May
19th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
20th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-Star Meeting
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
21st
Pre-Memorial Day 13-Miler
GETTING GUAM HEALTHY 5K BUBBLE RUN/HEALTH FAIR
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD All-ISLAND MEET
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE FINALS
ALPHA WARRIOR ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
2022 Guam Track & Field National Championships
Events for May
23rd
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
24th
Events for May
26th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
27th
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Events for May
29th
Events for May
30th

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Baseball
DODGERS HAND TRITONS FIRST LOSS

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
COMING SOON …
- YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE KICKOFF June 4
- Todd Gurley Football Camp on Andersen
- GSPN Boys Volleyball All-Star Game
- Pacific Mini-Games in Saipan