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| A classic photo of Christian Hosoi getting air at Del Mar Skate Ranch in San Diego, CA |
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| Tony Hawk also at Del Mar Skate Ranch |
Early in the 1980s, there skated two fourteen year old boys
in a bowl. Both could shred, one with pizazz, and the other more bird-like. Such
is the tale of Christian Hosoi and Tony Hawk. Who is Christian Hosoi, you may
ask? He was as influential, if not more, on the sport of skateboarding as the
Hawk, but suddenly vanished.
The epic story of these two shredders ends with Hosoi’s
naturally instilled flare, ultimately falling to drugs and skipping the first
ever X games, which, without his help, would become the most broadcasted action
sports competition ever, and where Tony Hawk’s timeless dedication to his
practice would land him the
900 on national television, launching him to a position regarded by most
sports savvy fans as, “the best.”
The Hawk is since easily identifiable as a hero in
skateboarding. His awkwardness on the skateboard only highlighted his authenticity. This is because of the universal
myth we call, “practice makes perfect,” after Hosoi fell out of contention,
Hawk continued to progress tricks and skateboarding in media through the
hardships of the 90s, giving the sport a positive image and
increased participation. His good
public relations off of the board, helped endorse the public’s belief in Tony
Hawk as the best skateboarder of all times.
“People
saw the way that he skated, and that made them want to jump on a skateboard,”
said Hawk, in reference to Hosoi. Through the 80s, Hosoi was, “the guy to beat.”
His tricks had energy and swag, leading progression through the decade. He nicknamed
himself “Christ,” a religious reference
that people knew only he could get away with, because the things he was doing
were almost more than human. Hosoi developed his particular story of top shredder since 13 by continuing to do the
biggest, smoothest tricks, until his tricks off of the skateboard became more
fun than the tricks he did on one.
It was not the public who became uninterested in Hosoi, but
Hosoi who became uninterested in the public. Not that he gave up skateboarding,
but he focused instead on drugs and ended up getting caught. This loss of
dedication to the sport doesn’t fit into the universal theme that Hawk made. People
learn from Tony Hawk to work hard and follow their dreams. People learn from
Christian Hosoi to stay clean.
