
By Kaz Endo
About a year ago, I created a brand called VIBE. It is an acronym for Volleyball, Indoor, Beach, Everyday. The creation came about for several reasons. One, I love the sport of volleyball and two, the sport I love to play as a child and now as an adult in my mid 40’s, needs help with fundraising!
The Guam Volleyball Federation (GVBF) is governed by a volunteer group of ambassadors who want to see the sport continue to grow locally and its players to achieve higher levels of skill to compete abroad in regional and international events. It truly is a wonderful federation. However, funding for sports is tremendously difficult to raise. Sports, despite its integral part in improving human physical and mental health, always seems to take a back seat to other priorities when it comes to robust investment and expenditure.
I make no illusions. VIBE is still a very small and delicate brand. But it can grow to be tremendous, it just requires time, care and a lot of effort. When I realized that our local athletes (in this case, our volleyball athletes), need to raise their own funds to travel and compete at games where they represent our island, it hit a sad chord with me. I asked myself “why? … now why would the athlete need to do this?” Why hasn’t the government or the federation done something more to try and find the funds to help our national team be more prepared?”
Washing cars and selling lunch plates does not help athletes improve their skills in their sport. Sure, it raises funds, but that time and effort spent at local parking lots scrubbing someone’s tires or wiping windows, should be spent in the gym, the sand, doing drills, playing scrimmages — leveling up the body and mind to be a beast on the court. Alas, it doesn’t quite work that way.
So what can I do? I’m not made of money. Like you, I donate to good, worthy causes, but I have a family to feed, children who need resources, rent, car payments, etc. I can only do so much and donate so few, that the impact would not have any practical affect to the problem at hand.
Even the federations can do so much. Sure tournament fees generate some money, but not everyone plays and certainly not everyone can pay to play. Tournaments typically do not charge the audience any entry fees, so it’s like putting on a free show.
As I began to analyze the problem, I had an epiphany. I’ll use my creativity and start a brand and merchandise that brand to everyone — not just people passionate for volleyball. Portions of the proceeds from the sale of branded merchandise would then be donated to the federation. People pay to get what they want (in merchandise) and in the process they help others with or without realizing they are doing so. The mission — pay it forward. I’ll create designs that people will want to wear and in return, they will make a contribution in the form of a purchase.
Good (or in our case ‘mauleg’) vibes indeed.
This month will mark just shy of one year for the VIBE brand. In that time, we’ve donated a modest amount to the federation. But each month it increases. I’m blessed to have passionate brand advocates within the local volleyball players and coaching community as well as private business owners like Hornet Sports, FlipFlops and others who see the bigger picture of what I’m chasing. Sports advocates such as GSPN provide me a voice to share this brand story with their readers, free of charge and censorship (thank you Patrick). What I’ve discovered in this past year is that it isn’t so important how big an impact you have on people’s lives immediately — but rather how big the crater of impact will be well after you’ve passed the torch to others to carry out and continue the mission.
So for the brand called VIBE, I’ve shared with you today our brief story and our mission… our brand is about helping the community through action and deed — through my art and design, through your delight and purchase. Our vehicle to help other is in the form of t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, snapback caps, bags and more.
Our manifesto is as follows: “Born from the passion of playing indoor and beach volleyball, VIBE is about enjoying life. VIBE may have its origins in volleyball, but its credo for all things good (mauleg), extends to everything around us. VIBE is about being good and treating others good. VIBE is about team, familia and the Guahan life.”
I encourage you to join our tribe. It’s an inclusive community and it doesn’t matter if you play volleyball or not — it’s more than that. It’s about helping each other and taking care of the people who call Guam, HOME.


GPS Sports Calendar
July 2025
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for June
1st
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
2nd
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
3rd
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
4th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
5th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
6th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
7th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
8th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
9th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
2025 PACIFIC MINI GAMES
Events for July
10th
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
FD ALUMNI BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Events for July
11th
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- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
Events for July
12th
Events for July
13th
Events for July
14th
Events for July
15th
Events for July
16th
Events for July
17th
Events for July
18th
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- 21
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- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
Events for July
19th
Events for July
20th
Events for July
21st
Events for July
22nd
Events for July
23rd
Events for July
24th
Events for July
25th
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 1
- 2
Events for July
26th
Events for July
27th
Events for July
28th
Events for July
29th
Events for July
30th

Pacific Mini Games
SOFTBALL COMES UP BIG OVER PALAU 11-4

Volleyball
GUAHAN BOYS WIN NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Pacific Mini Games
BASEBALL ADVANCES TO GOLD MEDAL GAME

Pacific Mini Games
PMG DAY 2: GUAM STILL SEARCHES FOR FIRST MEDAL

Jiu-Jitsu
CRUZ BROS. CRUISE THROUGH STATESIDE COMP

Pacific Mini Games
WATER SPORTS KICKS THINGS OFF IN DAY 1

Basketball
YI NAMED NEW UOG BASKETBALL COACH
COMING SOON …
FD Alumni Basketball Tournament June 27-July 18
Pacific Mini Games June 29-July 9
QUICK HITS