Athletes - Christian Hosoi

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	Athletes - Christian Hosoi

Christian "Holmes" Hosoi (born October 5, 1967 in USA) is a former professional skateboarder who had burnt a flamboyantly arcing path as a top pro skater during the 80's. There's almost too much to say about Christian Hosoi; from the childhood skateboard roots in 1970s L.A., to the stardom in the punk rock revival of Venice Beach skateboarding during the 80's. His story runs deep, as does the history of skateboarding itself.

Boasting dual citizenship in L.A. and Hawaii for his 33 years (mirroring a mixed Japanese, Scotch-Irish, French, Chinese and Hawaiian ancestry), Hosoi started skating at age 5 with veterans like Shogo Kubo, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams as models. These pioneers, the "Z-Boys," were the vanguard of the urethane wheeled revolution; skating ramps and dried pools along with boardwalks and driveways in the late 1970s. Hosoi developed as a skater in Venice Beach's Dogtown scene, which played an historic as well as current role in defining skateboarding culture. Blowing up was easy for Hosoi, born and raised in a pot that was pretty much a school for the advancement of pop-culture.

Skating fell off around 1980 as the California style trend buckled, resurfacing huge again a few years later with the national exposure of the Bones Brigade, Vision Streetwear, and Vans. Dogtown Skates and Jimmy'Z rider Christian Hosoi came back as one of the new rulers of the landsled alongside pros such as Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk, Jeff Kendall, and Natas Kaupas. Pulling tricks like Christ and Rocket airs consistently head high, while rocking day-glo spandex shorts, long hair, ripped t-shirts and headbands jacked Hosoi into the vein of hugely successful pro skating. National competition through Frank Hawk's National Skateboarding Association (NSA) and major corporate endorsement fattened the bank accounts of top professional skaters such as Hosoi. Hollywood of course went nuts on the new stylemakers, co-opting and marketing skating's fresh, young athletes, and their rebellious punk rock attitude for movies such as 'Thrashin' and 'Gleaming the Cube'. Holmes was there. He rocked the skateboard industry as well, pioneering the first professionally endorsed wheel from Santa Cruz Skateboards, OJ II's called 'Hosoi Rockets' and eventually forming his own Hosoi Hammerhead Skates with the rock hard 7 ply maple board shaped like the shark. Kids, betties, and Converse loved him.

Hosoi's rockstar skater lifestyle took a nosedive as a recession hit the US in the early 1990s, throwing skaters from commercial success back to the streets. Hosoi disappeared from the scene after financial difficulties with a couple more skateboard companies, and had been seen only by the chosen few until news of his arrest and incarceration, in early 2000. Holmes had been running from troubles with drugs for a while, evading the law for minor charges until caught for committing a very serious federal offense in early 2000: trafficking controlled substances across state lines, from L.A. to Hawaii. While in prison, Hosoi became a Born-Again Christian. Having endured a prison sentence and out on parole since June of 2004, Hosoi has been forced to settle down and re-examine his role as a Christian, father, son, fiancée and possible positive skateboarding role model.

Contest history

Placed in top 5 in 1980 Van's/Offshore Amateur State Finals (California) in boys 11-13 division.
1st in 1985 NSA Summer Series #5 (Vancouver, BC): pro vert.
1st in 1988 Vision Skate Escape: vert.
1st in 1988 Titus World Cup (Germany): vert.
2nd in 2002 Grindin' hard in the yard (Prison): streetstyle

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Athletes - Christian Hosoi

Contest history

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