Christian Rosha Hosoi (born October 5, 1967) is an American professional skateboarder. He was also known by the nicknames "Christ" and "Holmes". Hosoi, along with Tony Hawk, were the most popular skateboarders for the better part of the 1980's.
Hosoi started skating at six years old with veterans such as Shogo Kubo, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams as models. For a time in the late '70's he attended Play Mountain Place alternative school in Culver City, CA. His father, Ivan "Pops" Hosoi became the manager of the Marina Del Ray Skatepark, and Christian quit school and spent his time at the skatepark where he quickly developed his skateboarding talent. In 1979 Hosoi was sponsored by Powell Peralta. He left a year later when Powell Peralta would not turn him pro, and he joined Dogtown Skateboards which went out of business shortly thereafter. He turned pro at the age of 14 with Sims Skateboards.Hosoi emerged as one of the top competitors of vert riding alongside such pros as Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Lester Kasai, and Mark "Gator" Rogowski with an eventual rivalry developing with Tony Hawk with contrasting styles in both skateboarding and lifestyles —Hosoi, known for his flair and graceful style, and Hawk raising the bar with his technical ability and difficult tricks. Hosoi invented the Christ Air and Rocket Air, and was renowned for pulling huge aerials; at one point holding the world record.
In 1984 he formed his own company Hosoi Skates, first through Skull Skates, then through NHS/Santa Cruz, and released his signature and iconic Hammerhead model, with the shape inspired by the namesake shark, which proved so popular it was counterfeited. When street skating began to emerge in the mid-to-late 80s, Hosoi proved a threat as well, winning both the vert and street contests at the Lotte Cup contest in Japan in 1989.
Hosoi's skateboard career began to falter as a recession hit the US in the early 1990s, and skateboarding underwent a revolution with street skating becoming the dominant discipline, overshadowing the superstars of the previous decade and ushering in a new generation of pros, with dwindling coverage of vertical riding in magazines and videos. Hosoi faced bankruptcy after financial difficulties with a series of failed skateboard companies; Tuff Sk8s, Sk8 Kultur, Milk Skate Goods, and Focus, in addition to a growing addiction to drugs. Hosoi had been evading the law, with two minor offenses and a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court while on bail since 1995. This further pushed Christian into obscurity, as he avoided competitions and demos, including declining an invitation to the first X Games (then the Extreme Games), which was going to be marketed as a renewed rivalry between Hawk and Hosoi. The X Games would prove to be a turning point for Hawk —it revived the interest in vert skateboarding (and skateboarding in general) and he would go on to achieve some of his greatest skateboarding accomplishments as well as international fame and fortune unlike any other point in his career.
Christian was finally captured in January 2000 at the Honolulu airport. He was apprehended while attempting to transport 1½ pounds of crystal methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Hawaii. He was charged with trafficking with the intent to distribute, a federal crime, and Hosoi's third strike. He was sentenced to 5 years. Hosoi was incarcerated at the San Bernadino Central Detention Center. In OPM's music video "Heaven is a Halfpipe", one of the members of the crowd can be seen wearing a T-shirt that reads "Free Christian Hosoi".
Hosoi was back on a skateboard within two weeks of his release, having not stepped on one during his five years in prison. He quickly demonstrated his innate skateboard talent, pulling off big airs with the style and grace he was revered for.
In 2006 Christian launched a new skateboard company, Hosoi Skateboards, which has developed a large range of decks, including a re-issue of the classic 80's Hammerhead shape as well as several modernized updates of this classic, the Hammerhead '06 and '07 versions. Most of the new Hosoi decks feature variations of the 'rising sun' graphic that has become his signature. The company has several team riders including Richard Mulder, Andre Genovesi, Daniel Cardone, Sergi Ventura and Jay Alabamy and several signature decks from these riders.
He has appeared in Stephen Baldwin's Livin' It LA a Christian-themed skateboard DVD. In 2006 he signed with Vans, receiving a pro model shoe, the Hosoi Sk8-Hi featuring the Rising Sun graphic that adorned his debut pro model deck with Sims. A documentary titled Rising Son: The Legend of Christian Hosoi directed by longtime friend Cesario "Block" Montaňo was released in limited screenings in August, September, and October 2006, with the DVD released in November.
In February 2008, Vans released the Hosoi 2 Sk8-HI, once again featuring Christian Hosoi's Rising Sun graphic. Look out for these babies, at a skateboard shop near you.
No comments:
Post a Comment