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By Erin Delgado July 16th 2016 0 Comments

2016 Hawaii VA Games: The Final Showdown

It was October 2007 when I first heard of this relatively unknown fitness regimen called CrossFit. A friend of mine, Richard Lewis, emailed me a picture of himself doing a workout that entailed throwing a 20lb medicine ball against a wall while hitting a target that was 10ft high — and doing so 150 times. For someone who already had their routine down at a global gym, this workout concept was so strange and foreign to me. Yet, I was intrigued.

I paid a visit to the only CrossFit “Box” on the island — a small, little hole-in-the-wall place on Waikamilo Road called CrossFit Oahu, run by Bryant Powers. He put me through my first workout and in that one hour of sweat drenching, muscle burning agony, I was hooked. I was now a CrossFitter.

Flash forward to 2011, the Hawaii CrossFit community was growing with eight boxes across the islands. One thing very noticeable to me was how all the boxes operated in their own little silos. Members of these eight boxes were essentially doing the same thing, yet everyone did so in their own clique with little to no cross-pollinating among boxes. It reminded me of years growing up and attending a Hawaii high school: very insular and cliquish. It just felt that something needed to be done to draw the community together. In 2011, I had the time and the energy to take on that challenge.

Together with the help of Tiffany Bove, John Bentley, Sam Taylor, my wife Raina Amey, and the financial support of my company, Hawaii VA Loans, we put on the very first Hawaii VA Games event (formerly called “The Showdown”) in October 2011.

Our primary goal with the VA Games was two-fold: 1) bring the Hawaii CrossFit community together and 2) use this event as a way to give back to our community. Now, six years later and through the addition of committee members Tony Narvaes and Marichris Diga-Lazo, the Labor Day weekend event at the Blaisdell Arena has become Hawaii’s premier functional fitness gathering place. It is a place where people from all over Hawaii and beyond can test their teamwork, cheer on their friends, and bond with others who share similar health and fitness passions.

Philanthropically, we will have raised over $100,000 for local charities that include Operation Homefront Hawaii, Valley of the Rainbows, Pukoa Kane Aina, US. Vets and in 2016, Na Kama Kai.

The road to where the VA Games first started, and how far it has come, has been a long journey — one that I am, personally, very proud being a part of. That said, it’s not an easy announcement for me to write that the 2016 VA Games will be the very last.

Over the years, we’ve seen tremendous growth. Our core volunteer committee of five have all stepped up to the challenge and taken on larger roles for the love of what the VA Games represents to our community. We, as a committee, do feel an obligation to the community that looks forward to this event every year, but we also have an obligation to ourselves, our careers, and to our families. As the event has flourished, we’ve put in more time, energy, and effort to make sure that it is conducted with the utmost professionalism — something we feel the community truly deserves. We have also come to realize that we must STAY TRUE to ourselves and understand when it’s time to let it go. That time is now.

By announcing now that the 2016 VA Games will be the very last event, our intention is to give enough time to allow others who share our same commitments to fitness, bringing people together, and giving back to the community to take on the challenge of continuing what we started in 2011.

On behalf of the entire VA Games Committee, we’d like to say MAHALO to everyone who has played a role in shaping this event over the last six years — the judges, volunteers, media crew, sponsors, spectators, and of course, the competitors. It was truly an honor to work alongside and get to know all of you.

We’re proud of the legacy that the Hawaii VA Games has left. We look forward to making our final event on September 3rd & 4th, one to remember.

Warmest Aloha,

Gabe Amey — Director / Hawaii VA Games

By Gabe Amey September 12th 2012 0 Comments

The 2012 Hawaii VA Loans Showdown for Operation Homefront Hawaii!

On August 26th, 2012, 138 athletes convened at St. Louis School to compete in the 2nd Annual Hawaii VA Loans Showdown for Operation Homefront Hawaii.

As we did last year, we invited Hawaii?s top CrossFitters to battle it out in the largest Hawaii CrossFit Competition ever, all to raise money for a great charity – Operation Homefront Hawaii.

In last years inaugural event, in which 8 teams and 5 individuals competed – we were able raise $2,970 for the non-profit that helps families of deployed servicemembes with emergency assistance services as well as Hawaii?s Wounded Warriors coming back from deployment.

Banking on that experience, Hawaii VA Loans did it again, just this time it was on a far grander scale. There were 33 Teams and 6 Individuals taking part in the competition which comprised of 4 events each – to determine this years top Team and Individual Competitor.

The Hawaii CrossFit community came out in full force this year not just in attendance, but also with their pocketbooks as this year we all came together to raise a whopping $15,543.64 for Operation Homefront Hawaii!

Team Competiton

On the Team Competition side – all Teams had the opportunity to compete in the first 2 events comprised of a sprint relay and traditional CrossFit Chipper event that included 8 different CrossFit elements.

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By Erin Delgado July 9th 2014 0 Comments

The Hawaii VA Foundation To Support Local Hawaii Charities

It’s the sporting event of the summer for many here on Oahu when the 2014 Hawaii VA Games comes to the Blaisdell Arena on Labor Day, September 1st. Since 2011, the Hawaii VA Games (formerly known as “The Showdown”) has showcased Hawaii’s fittest CrossFit teams and top worldwide CrossFitters who all compete and raise money for local charities. The Team Competition format consists of two men and two women while the Individual Competition is comprised of today’s best CrossFit athletes who bring their tenacious, competitive spirits, and put on an action-packed show for the crowd.

This year, the Hawaii VA Games has changed their charitable giving mission to incorporate more local nonprofit organizations through the Hawaii VA Foundation. In 2013, the event raised $28,955 for one local charity. Now in 2014, a grand total of $35,457 will be donated between two Hawaii based charities: Puko’a Kani Aina and Valley of Rainbows.

Following the disbursement of money on September 1, 2014, the Hawaii VA Foundation will track and show each group’s progress in the direct use of their funds to support their goals. In the summer of 2015, the public will have the opportunity to go online and vote for the charity that they believe has been the most effective. The winning organization will then receive additional money to help carry out their mission.

Stay updated on the activity surrounding the annual Hawaii VA Games by Liking the HVG Facebook page of following the HVG Instagram.

By Erin Delgado January 25th 2014 0 Comments

E Komo Mai: Hawaii VA Loans Introduces Maila Gibson-Bandmann

To say we are happy to have singer, songwriter, and performer Maila Gibson-Bandmann join our Hawaii VA Loans team as our new Realtor Relations Director is an understatement. We’re thrilled!

Maila, and her musical partner, Ben Vegas, have been singing and performing together for over ten years at venues around our islands and in the studio. Ben & Maila have a partnership that has been described as something “that almost can’t be given an award, be placed in a category, or be expressed through any one song. Simply put, they love music.” – and it shows. In 2011, their CD Forevermore won the Na Hoku Hana Award for Contemporary Album of the Year.

As a performer, Maila’s musical desire is to touch people by “singing straight into their hearts.” That passion for reaching out to people is one of the foremost qualities that Maila brings to the Hawaii VA Loans team. Her charisma and ability to connect with individuals is a key component to establishing relationships within our Hawaii real estate community.

Maila’s career in music began at the age of ten when she recorded a commercial jingle for Meadow Gold. Since then, she has released a solo album in Japan entitled Maila Gibson in 1996, had a number one hit single “What If It’s True” with Ben Vegas, and has won two Hawaii Music Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for her 2003 album More produced by Ben Vegas. As if that wasn’t enough, she has performed with national artists Natalie Cole, Ruben Studdard, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Donny and Marie Osmond. Maila loves Hawaii and has shared the local stage with Na Hoku Hana Award winners The Hawaiian Style Band, as well as Grammy nominees Keali’i Reichel and Ho’okena. She attended the Grammy Awards after recording “The Prayer” on Ho’okena’s 2005 Grammy nominated album, Cool Elevation.

The new year is already proving to bring in more highlights for Maila. Just as she begins her journey with Hawaii VA Loans, Ben & Maila are gearing up for their 2014 NFL Pro Bowl performance at Aloha Stadium on Sunday, January 26, 2014. They will be singing Hawaii Pono’i and performing a mash-up of a Hawaiian song and a Lady Gaga song. The Hawaii VA Loans team is excited to follow her musical adventures and share them with our audience, all while she works with us to support Hawaii’s military community.

Let’s find out a little bit more about Maila Gibson-Bandmann, her experience with the military community, and, of course, her love for all things Hawaii.

Q&A with Maila Gibson-Bandmann

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Missouri. My dad is from there and met my mom when he was stationed with the Army here in Hawaii. My mom was born and raised in Hawaii, so we always related to Hawaii as home, too. We missed it so much during the cold Missouri winter!

Tell me about your family.

My husband is Kelii Bandmann. He attended Kamehameha Schools and is from Kaua’i. We’ve been married for eight wonderful years and we love CrossFit! He is currently a Health and Wellness Administrator at HECO (Hawaii Electric Company). We have an 11 year old Cocker Spaniel named Molly.

Talk about your career path as it has led to your position as our Realtor Relations Director?

My full time gig for the last four years has been singing with my musical partner, Ben Vegas. However, prior to that, I was a sales executive with the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club. I have always had an interest in real estate and being Realtor Relations Director with Hawaii VA Loans allows me to be in the industry while still being able to pursue my musical passion.

What do you look forward to most about joining the Hawaii VA Loans team?

I look forward to networking with realtors in order to help veterans become homeowners. The Hawaii VA Loans staff is really great and I hope to help them be more successful.

What is your experience with Hawaii’s military community? Do you have friends or family members who have served?

I feel very fortunate to live in a state where the military presence is strong and where we can interact with members of the military on a daily basis. My dad served in the Army. My nephew recently returned from the Middle East. I have many CrossFit friends who have served. I admire anyone in the Armed Forces. Yes, they receive great benefits for serving (such as VA Loans) but there’s no doubt that they are deserving. I am in awe of the sacrifices they make.

What do you enjoy most about living the Hawaii life?

Hawaii rocks! I’m grateful that I grew up in Missouri, because although I have family here and we visited often, being away from Hawaii gave me an even greater appreciation for it. My husband and I love being outdoors – whether it’s working out with our barbells and kettlebells in the sun or hiking Koko Head. I love the ocean. At one time, I was surfing a couple times a week. Gotta get that going again!

What other activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

I enjoy a good cup of a coffee with my bible and journal. CrossFitting, surfing, dinner with my husband, or snuggling on the couch with our dog, Molly, while zoning out to various reality shows. I’m embarrassed to say which ones, so we’ll leave it at that!

Where can our audience see Ben & Maila perform live?

We perform at Gordon Biersch, HASR Bistro, and the Disney Aulani Resort regularly. We perform at weddings pretty much every weekend. The Pro Bowl is HUGE! We are so excited! And in the summer, we’ll be performing at Carnegie Hall!

Mahalo to Maila Gibson-Bandmann for sharing these details about herself with our audience. The pictures included in this post are from top: Maila and Ben Vegas in the studio, Ben & Maila musical duo image, Maila at the 2012 Hawaii VA Loans Showdown event, Maila solo image, and last, but not least, Molly.

To follow Ben & Maila visit:

To learn more about your VA home loan benefits fill out our online application.

By Erin Delgado November 21st 2013 0 Comments

Hawaii VA Loans November Ambassador: Victoria West

Victoria West, three-time Olympic Trials qualifier, former world-ranked swimmer, Northwestern University graduate, Red Circle Foundation (RCF) volunteer and open water swimmer is our Hawaii VA Loans November Ambassador.

Why Victoria?

In our search for an ambassador this month, we came across Victoria’s story: a woman who is using her athletic gifts here in Hawaii to help Special Operations veterans and their families by way of the Red Circle Foundation, a non-profit organization for our military’s SpecOps community established in 2012 by former Navy Seal and author Brandon Webb.

We were impressed. Victoria literally gets in the water for our veterans. We decided to highlight her dedication to show the love that everyday Americans have for our nation’s military. Here at Hawaii VA Loans, we strive to make a similar imprint within the military community, and we are honored to call Victoria West our November 2013 Ambassador.

Swimming for SpecOps

Victoria joined the Red Circle Foundation in March 2013 immediately after seeing their Facebook post asking for volunteers to take part in their Stay the Course challenge. To date, she has swum in ten open water races totalling 11.15 miles. By December 15th, Victoria will complete two more races, swimming a total of 16.7 miles in support of the Special Operations community. She also recently began a new job with MWR Special Events at Schofield Barracks, giving her yet another opportunity to make a positive impact within the larger military community.

Q&A with Victoria West

We sat down with Victoria at Lanikai beach, looking out at the Mokulua Islands (the Mokes), one of her “go-to” swim spots, to find out about her career in the water and where her drive to swim for the military comes from.

Tell us how your swimming career began.

I’ve been swimming since I was five. I started with a summer league team in Georgia, then we moved to California when I was seven. I started year round with Redlands Swim Team and that was my club team for my entire career. Then I swam in college at Northwestern University.

How did you get into open water swimming?

I’ve always loved open water swimming. I got into it when I was twelve in Southern California. I’ve been able to represent the US in open water and pool competition. I was on the US Junior National team in 1996 and we swam in Paris, France. I’ve been on the US Open Water team on and off a few times and we had the Pre-World Open Water Championships here in Hawaii when I was eighteen years old. I was the miler in college and as I got older, the longer I could swim, the better.

What are some accomplishments that stand out to you in your career?

I qualified for the Olympic Trials three times, the first time when I was 13 years old. I’m super proud of my open water accomplishments. I don’t have any medals to show for them, but I placed 5th in the world in the 10k and 6th in the world in the 5k. I coach at night and I tell the kids, the hardware really doesn’t matter. Some of my proudest accomplishments, I have no medals from.

What was your pull towards joining the Red Circle Foundation?

Since I moved here to Hawaii, I’ve met a lot of great military families and people who serve. They are some of the people I swim and train with. Many of them are going through the most, and they complain the least. I wanted to do something, and I found that through Red Circle, I could help raise funds through my swimming. RCF does great work from providing academic and enrichment scholarships for kids of injured or deployed members, to helping a veteran with Lou Gehrig’s disease get his house wheelchair accessible. My goal has also been to work in a field where I could serve military families. I’ve applied for two years, and finally got a job with Schofield’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation in their Special Events department.

Why do you feel it’s important to go the extra mile when showing support for the military like you do?

I think it’s all about perspective. Everything we have is because somebody fought for it, and if you aren’t fighting for it, you should be grateful. I was raised with the values to always thank the people that serve. No matter what. And through swimming, that’s how I’ve been able to meet people in their community. I’ve been nothing but impressed with military kids, military spouses, and those who serve. I just think the people I’ve met have been the cream of the crop, and I have the utmost respect for them.

What’s your mental state out there in the water?

Whenever I think, “Oh my gosh, this is cold,” I tell myself to suck it up, it’s really not that cold in the grand scheme of things. To be an open water swimmer, and to probably also be in the military, you need fortitude and the willingness to not to give up. I think any athlete who represents their country in competition has a lot of respect for the people in the military who go out and represent their country every day.

Have you ever seen sharks while swimming?

I’ve definitely seen sharks, turtles, and rays. Sharks don’t worry me for whatever reason. [laughs] I don’t know why, I know they’re there. They don’t worry me. I just respect that I’m in their home.

What events are you getting ready for now?

On December 15th, I’ll be swimming 4.3 miles in the Hawaiian Christmas Looong Distance Invitational. We call it the Double Rough Water.

How can others get involved in supporting the Special Operations community through Red Circle?

We have our Stay the Course challenges where whatever your passion is or whatever your goals are, you can set that goal and keep military families in mind. For example, if you’re hiking 200 miles over the course of a year, you hike with the perspective that someone in the military is “staying the course” too. We’ll soon have a new format on the webpage where everyone can set up their own event page and raise funds, so look forward to that.

Hawaii VA Loans would like to thank Victoria for her hard work and dedication in support of Special Operations veterans and families, and for all the men, women, spouses, and children that make up our military community. Victoria represents the values that we hold dear and we wish her a great race on December 15th. We’ll be cheering her on!

To learn more about getting involved with the Red Circle Foundation visit their website.

Follow Victoria’s swim life on Twitter @Swim4SpecOps.

By Jim Owens September 18th 2013 0 Comments

September 2013 Ambassadors

As we look back upon our third consecutive Hawaii VA Loans Showdown and the impressive actions of Hawaii’s CrossFit community, we see the values in practice that we hold so dear. This month’s Ambassadors of those values are the Hawaii CrossFit community, as well as the many military veterans and families who participated not only in the difficult physical competition but also in raising over $28,955 for Operation Homefront Hawaii – an amazing amount!

Our History

We began this journey three short years ago, and the growth since 2011 has been nothing short of an inspiration.? In 2011, we had just eight teams and fifty athletes and raised $2800 for Operation Homefront.? In 2012 that grew to 33 teams with 137 athletes and over $15,000 raised. In 2013 we watched the Hawaii Crossfit community step up with 52 teams, 219 athletes, and $28,000 raised for Operation Homefront ? 1000% increase from just three years before.? We began the competition at CrossFit Ewa Beach, expanded to St. Louis School in 2012 and, this year, packed the Blaisdell with athletes, their supporters and families.

Our Goals

The goal of this event has always been bringing Hawaii’s CrossFit community together. Just like the military families we support, many in Hawaii are farther from opportunities found more easily on the mainland. For our athletes, that means that the Showdown might be the only chance for their Ohana to see them compete in person. For many, while they are amazing athletes the CrossFit games are out of reach and this is their big competition to look forward to each year. In addition, the Showdown’s goal is to give back and honor our military community, and the exponential growth in the donations we are able to share gives us great joy. Over 30% of our competitors are Active Duty Military, and if we began to count those who work in support of, or are in families connected to our military in Hawaii that number could grow.

They Inspire Us

For example of competitors that inspire us, there is David Lyman, and his Team Lava, who fund raised while deployed in Afghanistan so that they could support and compete at the Showdown on Labor Day 2013. Imagine not only fighting for your country overseas, but taking the time to both train and fund raise in support of military families back home that is true commitment and perseverance.

Our amazing competitors from the military don’t stop there, a few others include;

Navy Spouse, Emilia Quezada & Army 1st Lieutenant Dave Romaka

and Army Helicopter Pilot, Nicole Collins,

and honestly, so many more that we could never list them all!

Our top three winning teams – CrossFit 808’s E’s Angels, CrossFit 808’s Chuck’s Steakhouse and KSAC’s Powered by at Large ALL had at least one service member on the team – our Hawaii military families are truly the cream of the crop when it comes to improving their community and physical achievement!

This is the first year that we’ve opened up our strong local competition to include regional athletes, and CrossFit responded positively. Our individual competitors included the 2010 CrossFit Games womens champion, Kristan Clever, and other top mainland athletes that were up against our strong local talent. With a top-three for both men’s and women’s individual that show what a strong competition this is, we could not be more proud.

Women’s individual champions this year were 1. Jamie Hagiya of Torrance Fit Lab, 2. Elyse Umeda of CrossFit 808 and 3. Kirsten Pedri of CrossFit Davis.

Men’s individual champions this year were 1. Ben Alderman of CrossFit Ironmile, 2. Danny Nichols of TJ’s Gym in Marin and 3. Chad Melton of Valley Crossfit.

2013 Ambassadors

As we reflect on this last month, our Hawaii CrossFit community and the athletes that push themselves physically while supporting our military families with quiet strength inspire us. They embody all that we look for as Ambassadors of our Hawaii VA Loans values and are proud to present all 219 athletes and the hundreds of volunteers as our September 2013 Ambassadors.

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