Guam’s Rolinski surfs to 1st place in Boogie Down at Obyan; Anderson takes women’s tiara

The NMI and Guam were united by the Pacific once more as 15 boogie boarders came together to ride the waves—moving in sync with the hues of blues of the ocean during the action-packed 4th Annual Boogie Down at Obyan 2025 on Saturday.

Guam’s B.J. Rolinski swept both the Open Men’s and Drop Knee divisions, while Kristina Anderson came out on top in the women’s division.

Rolinski’s double-gold performance didn’t look like someone competing off his home turf, but it was still a tight battle against some of the CNMI’s best—former Boogie Down champs Vincent Villagomez and Frank Ramon, and Herman Guerrero.

After carefully picking his waves with near-perfect execution and trick selection, Rolinski—the 2025 Rick’s Reef Classic champ in Guam—surfaced on top with a total score of 6.34. Guerrero followed close behind at 6.33. Ramon took third with 5.50 points, and Villagomez finished fourth at 4.60.

In the Drop Knee division before the open men’s finals, Rolinski defended his title with a first place finish of 4.77, with Guerrero in second place at 3.40. Jacob Yamagishi finished third at 3.00 flat and Joey Tudela came in fourth at 2.87.

Rolinski said after the event, “The waves today were a little bit smaller, we did have a little bit challenging conditions, but we managed to at least pull off some cool riding, and show some performance in the little waves we had out here. Definitely love this little surf spot, it’s a nice little shallow reef break and it definitely takes the right mind set to surf it.”

He added, “It was a good event and definitely love the brotherhood and the camaraderie out this way. The waves were good, the people were good, and yeah I enjoyed myself out here and had a really fun time for sure.”

On winning both categories, he said, “I did manage to definitely take on both categories. For me I always have fun out there in the waves whether it be drop knee or laying down prone and it was about wave selection for sure. There were waves that were lurking in different parts and it

was knowing which waves to catch and which one will score points for you throughout the heat.”

As for the women’s division, there were only two competitors with Kristina Anderson winning inaugural women’s open division with a total score of 2.60, while Kelsey McClellan finished second with 2.34.

After the awards ceremony, Anderson donated her winnings to fellow surfer Joey Tudela for funds towards his upcoming surgery.

The event sponsors included Marpac, Kona Brewing, Allied Pacific Environmental Consulting (APEC), Boarderline, The Athlete’s Foot Saipan, All Star Sporting Goods, Atkins Kroll Saipan, MacAir, Galuti Club, Jonny’s Bar & Grill, Beyer Woodworking, Saipan Surf Company, SOIS, Mariana Arts, Caravan of Food, Local Bones, Salty Skin Pacific, Roil Soil, Saipan Mayor’s Office, Department of Lands and Natural Resources Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Safety Marine Safety, and Señot Donald Mendiola.