Around The Islands
Feature Profile
Christian Hosoi: A Born-Again Christian
by Mike Yoshiura
In the mid 80's skateboarding took off in the United States, turning the industry into a legitimate competitive sport. Two young skaters with contrasting styles and backgrounds stood at the forefront of the industry.
One skater by the name of Tony Hawk went on to make millions of dollars, becoming a household name in the process. The other, Christian Hosoi, was destined to hit rock bottom, and he is now polishing up his once tarnished image.
Hosoi's unbridled talent and big airs was literally, limited only by the sky. Many fans vividly remember his uncanny ability to take flight with a style and grace never before seen. In 2000, Hosoi took to the air one last time when he boarded a plane from California to the Honolulu International Airport.
"Everything happens for a reason. Things wouldn't be the way they are now, if I didn't go through what I went through. I had a big timeout, but now I'm back and I have a chance to make a difference," said Christian Hosoi.
On June 4, 2004, Hosoi was released from federal prison, and these days, he is making a comeback to the sport he once paved the way for. There are critics who say that he's washed up or that he doesn't have anything left in the tank, but the skateboarder who was anointed "Christ" in the 80's, now has a loving wife, two children, and his freedom. What else could a man ask for?
A Sense Of Style
In 1961, Bonnie Cummings wed Ivan Hosoi, and six years later the couple had a son, Christian Rosha Hosoi. Their newborn son was a mixture of: Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese, Scottish, Irish, and French. The Hawaii-born skater attended Lanikai Elementary School until he moved to Los Angeles with his father.
At age 5, his dad made him a skateboard out of fiberglass, which was inspired by the Jerry Lopez Lightning Bolt model. The custom board was shaped like a 70's style surfboard, painted red with a lightning bolt running down the middle. "Whenever I was skating I would always imagine that I was surfing. It was something that stuck with me throughout my career. I was never a surfer, but I modeled my skateboarding around that style."
The Wild West
His father had a job managing the former Marina Del Rey Skatepark so when Christian wasn't in school he was skating bowls (empty swimming pools) with fellow up-and-comers: Stacy Peralta, Eric Dressen, and Bill Dorr. At one point, Christian was spending anywhere from four to eight hours a day skating. "I'd go there after school, and I would skate with my friends 'til about 10 at night. When the weekend came around we would skate from sun up 'til sundown."
In Venice Beach, Christian was subjected to the mean streets of West Los Angeles at an early age. His stomping grounds, also known as Dogtown, were the impoverished neighborhoods on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. In 2005, Sony Pictures released the movie "Lords of Dogtown", which was based on the invention of urethane wheels and the booming skateboarding industry in the late 70's that resulted in a barrage of new tricks. Products and designs were developing, and the landscape was evolving from vert ramps to the street courses.
Chasing A Dream
At 14, skateboard manufacturer Powell Peralta sponsored Christian, and he was making close to $1,000 a month from his contest winnings. Skating was his top priority so he dropped out of high school, and officially turned professional with Sims Skateboards. His first professional deck was plastered with the Rising Sun logo, which to this day is still a constant on any Hosoi branded deck. "At the time, I was living my dream. I told myself I was going after this with all my heart. Back then, skating was the funnest thing in the world and it still is. It was about having fun, and I never thought I would be missing out on anything."
A Major Influence
Like most impressionable teenagers, Christian admired and often emulated legendary Zephyr team (Z team) rider Shogo Kubo. "I identified myself with his smooth style. He was Asian and I was half Asian. He had long hair and I had long hair. He mastered the layback, and laybacks were one of my favorite tricks," said Hosoi, as he takes a moment to reminisce. "Shogo took me under his wing, and he showed me the ropes. He introduced me to all the cool people, and he taught me the lifestyle of a skater."
A Trendsetter
Christian was a trendsetter in the skateboarding industry, and his fashion sense reflected his skating style. He was the first to break through in the industry as far as marketability. Often times he skated shirtless with a tee shirt tucked in the back of his shorts. Christian would cut up his shirts, making them into streamers, headbands, and wristbands. He stole the show with skin-tight spandex shorts, and flossed a brand new hair color every week. He understood the marketing aspect of the business, and fashion was his way of separating himself from the rest of the field. With his good looks and sense of style, Christian developed a following and quite a reputation with the ladies.
Christ Is Born
By the early 80's skating reached its peak, and started slowly declining in popularity. Skateparks were closing, opening the door for ramps and vertical (vert) skating. It took a media-frenzied rivalry in the mid-80's between Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk to bring a second wind to the sport. Christian dropped jaws with huge aerials, as he displayed an uncanny ability to go bigger than the rest of the field. Hawk on the other hand set the standard with his technical tricks and pinpoint precision. "What Tony's done for the industry is amazing. He opened doors for us, and we're all reaping the rewards."
Throughout the 80's, Christian left his stamp on skating with signature moves like the Christ Air and Rocket Air. He earned nicknames like "Christ" and "Holmes" almost as quickly as he accumulated sponsorships from major brand names like Converse, Swatch, and Jimmy'Z. Christian was practically raised on the streets of Venice Beach, which is why it came as no surprise when he won the vert and street competition at Japan's Lotte Cup in 1989.
The Hammer
By age 17, Christian was already at the helm of his own company, Hosoi Skates, which launched his signature hammerhead model. The design resembled the hammerhead shark, and it proved to be so cutting edge that it was later copycatted by fellow skateboarding legend Tony Alva. The face of skateboarding was developing rapidly. So much so, that the hammerhead seemed light years away from the Jerry Lopez Lightning Bolt look-alike that his father had constructed for him.
Like Father, Like Son
Ivan Hosoi was a starving artist from Hawaii, so growing up his son Christian really didn't have much. He loved his son to the point where he was living vicariously through Christian's goals and dreams. In the 80's Christian developed a unique sense of style, which he credits to his father's free spirit. "I wanted to be different. I grew up in an artist's home so I wanted to be original. It was just something that happened. My sense of style was all about being flamboyant and expressive. We had a tight relationship. We were more like brothers."
The California Lifestyle
At this point in his career, Christian established fortune, fame and a rock star image to go along with it. He rubbed elbows with Hollywood stars like the Beastie Boys, Jason Lee, and Anthony Kiedis, but he still felt empty inside. "When you grow up in Hollywood you live the lifestyle, and you get to know everyone real well," he says. "I was making several hundred thousand [dollars] a year, and spending it almost as fast as I got it. I worked hard for what I had, and I didn't mind sharing it with my friends. We traveled around the world, and lived the life that the world had to offer. I was filling a void, but it was like filling a bucket with holes in it."
A Downwards Spiral
By the time Christian reached age 22, the once high flyer began spiraling out of control. He was living day-to-day, and his Hollywood lifestyle was beginning to take its toll on him. "Luckily I was able to have a career before I got arrested. Addiction really didn't become a problem till I tried crystal methamphetamine [meth]. By then I was already in my 20's."
When Christian was 10-years-old he started smoking marijuana, and at 13, he took in his first dose of cocaine. By age 15, he had already tried heroin and ecstacy, and at 22, he had moved on to crack. In his mid 20's he started using speed, and by then it was already too late. Having money at a young age turned out to be a double-edged sword for Christian. "I was blinded by the bondage of my drug addiction. I was totally clueless as to what was real in my life. Before I got arrested in 2000, I was telling myself that I wanted to quit, but it was hard because the drugs were getting better and better. It took going to jail and getting stripped of everything for reality to hit me."
Runaway Train
Skateboarding underwent a facelift in the early 90's when vert skaters made way for a new generation of street skaters. The emergence of new professionals and a series of financial hardships forced Christian to file for bankruptcy. His drug addiction took over, and at one point all he had was the shirt on his back. "By that time things were starting to get out of control. We were smoking it [meth], and I was throwing a lot of things away. I was giving up the normal responsibilities of life and losing everything around me. I had outstanding bench warrants. I was running from the police, and things finally started catching up with me. Then I just went out in a ball of flames for the next five years."
Crash & Burn
In 1995, Christian hit an all-time low. Even though he was out on bail after being arrested for two minor offenses, his failure to show up in court resulted in a warrant for his arrest. This would further force him into a life of anonymity. He passed on competitions, including an invitation to the first X Games (back then it was called the Extreme Games). The media had hyped up the event as a renewed rivalry between Hawk and Hosoi.
The X Games would prove to be the turning point in the careers of both Hawk and Hosoi. Neither skater could have foreseen the impact the first X Games would have on the world of skateboarding. The competition went on to catapult Hawk into international stardom, revitalizing vert skating in the process. Christian eventually dropped completely off the radar, until the day he was discovered in Hawaii with over a pound of crystal meth.
A Blessing In Disguise
On that fateful day, in January of 2000, Christian was apprehended at Honolulu International Airport, and he was charged with drug trafficking with the intent to distribute. Since it was a federal crime Christian was sentenced to serve 10 years at the San Bernadino Central Detention Center. "There's got to be a reason why we don't do things. I never went to church. I learned about God for the first time when I was in jail. With all the bad stuff that happened, a lot of good actually came out of it."
A New Man
While in prison, Christian married girlfriend Jennifer Lee in 2001, and he even managed to earn his General Education Diploma (GED). He got his prison sentence reduced for good behavior, and he was released on parole in 2004. Now that he's no longer behind bars, Christian is sharing his story, along with his newfound faith as an associate-pastor at the Sanctuary of Huntington Beach, California.
Within two weeks of being released from prison, Christian got back on a skateboard as if he had not missed a beat. Christian is now riding with Quiksilver, and he's in the process of restarting Hosoi Skateboards through Pocket Pistols, another skateboard company. His documentary, "Rising Son: The Legend of Christian Hosoi" was released on DVD in November 2006, and he's featured in Tony Hawk's "Project 8" video game.
Even after everything he's accomplished, Christian still blanches when people call him a skateboarding legend. "People claim that [he's a legend]. It's an honor, but I'm just this guy that loves skateboarding, and loves what he does. Bruce Lee is a legend. Elvis is a legend. To me a legend is someone who's made a difference."
To his nine-year-old son Rhythm, he's a "legend," and today, that's the only opinion that matters. Growing up, Christian lacked the personal discipline that came with stardom, and much of it was a reflection of his unrestricted upbringing. "He [Dad] brought out this free spirited side in me, and I was getting into this crazy lifestyle because I lacked the discipline. It wasn't his fault. There was a lot of peer pressure, and [I] was all about making an impact and maintaining a certain image," said Christian about his father. "You have to be able to see the bigger picture. Now I know what a parent should be, and I know the importance of disciplining my kids. These days it's all about making a difference."
