Christian Hosoi Story
Christian Hosoi
Professional Skateboarder
PC Full Length Version
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When skateboarding exploded as a sport in the 1980s, two young athletes led the pack – Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi. Hawk and Hosoi pushed the limits, soaring higher, farther and faster.
Competitions boiled down to a two-man face-off and the record books were re-written nearly every weekend.
Two decades later, the Tony Hawk brand is on everything from skateboards to shoes, Game Boys to national tours.
And Christian Hosoi, once dubbed the “Michael Jordan of skateboarding,” has found his way back from the abyss of drug addiction and a stretch in federal prison, to a new role as pastor, evangelist and, yes, professional skateboarder.
By 12, Christian was the top amateur in the nation. At 14, he turned pro.
Fans nicknamed Christian “Christ,” and the young superstar accommodated them by inventing his signature trick – the “Christ Air” – which mirrored the image of Christ on the cross.
He and his move were on the cover of every major action sports magazine. Christian pulled in $250,000 and lived a rock-star lifestyle, which for Christian meant no hope or purpose, only a relentless search for satisfaction.
“I couldn’t find it in success, I couldn’t find it in money, I couldn’t find it in girls and relationships, I couldn’t find it in business,” he says. “Finally, I couldn’t find it in drugs.”
Christian entered into a series of failed business ventures and the focus of skateboarding shifted from vert to street style. By then, the once revered athlete was addicted to crystal methamphetamine.
“I wasn’t a drug dealer. I didn’t want or need money. Ultimately, I just wanted to party,” remembers Christian.
In January 2000 at age 32, Christian was arrested at the Honolulu Airport and charged with intent to distribute. He was carrying over a pound of crystal meth.
“There were no more strings to pull,” he says. “It was done.”
Jennifer, his girlfriend at the time, now his wife, told him that he needed to get a Bible and that they needed to have faith in God. Christian answered: “God? Babe, I need a lawyer.”
Just weeks after he went to prison, Jennifer’s uncle, a pastor, called Christian and the three of them prayed together over the phone.
“We were crying, bawling our eyes out, and all I remember was asking Jesus to come into my heart,” says Christian.
“From that moment, even though I was in prison, it was like I was the freest man in the world.”
The new believers married while Christian was an inmate. He earned his high school diploma and studied his Bible for hours each day.
In 2004, a judge reduced his sentence by more than half. He was free, indeed.
In less than two years, Christian has been ordained as an associate pastor and resumed his professional skating. He organizes skate-nights for at-risk kids in the inner city, and shares his testimony on tour with the Livin It action sports tour.
“I’m a professional skateboarder. I’ve accomplished a lot of things and I’ve gotten a lot of fame and glory but nothing compares with being a child of God,” says Christian.
Would you like to know Jesus like Christian does? If you don’ t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.
Saying this prayer is the first step toward a personal relationship with Jesus. We would love to pray for you and send you further information.