• 3RD IN 1990 DISCO IN FRISCO: STREET
• 3RD IN 1990 NSA ALL PRO MINI RAMP JAM HAWAIIAN STYLE: MINI RAMP
• 1ST IN 2008 10TH ANNUAL TIM BRAUCH MEMORIAL CONTEST GRANDMASTERS EVENT
• 1ST IN 2008 ETNIES GVR SKULL BOWL, MASTERS DIVISION
• OVER ALL BEST ’80S IN 2008, ALL ’80S ALL DAY VERT CHALLENGE
• 1ST IN TEAM EVENT, 2009 ULTIMATE BOARDER
• 2ND IN 2009 PRO-TEC POOL PARTY, MASTERS DIVISION
• TRANSWORLD LEGEND AWARD 2009
• 1ST IN 2009 X GAMES 15 SKATEBOARD PARK LEGENDS CONTEST
• 2ND IN 2009 11TH ANNUAL TIM BRAUCH MEMORIAL CONTEST GRANDMASTERS EVENT
• 1ST IN 2010 X GAMES 16 SKATEBOARD PARK LEGENDS CONTEST
• NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SKATEBOARDERS OF ALL TIME BY TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2011
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THANKS TO ALL MY CHILDHOOD SKATEBOARDING MENTORS, INCLUDING: JAY ADAMS, SHOGO KUBO, TONY ALVA, DENNIS “POLAR BEAR” AGNEW, AND PAT NGOHO.
THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING YOUR WORDS: CESARIO “BLOCK” MONTANO, AARON MURRAY, ROBERT RUSLER, STACY PERALTA, TONY HAWK, DANNY WAY, CHRISTIAN FLETCHER AND THE FLETCHER FAMILY, LOUANNA RAWLS, MAX PERLICH, STEVE OLSON, DAVID HACKETT, STEPHEN BALDWIN, POPS HOSOI, SERGIE VENTURA, JENNIFER HOSOI, DAVE DUNCAN, EDDIE REATEGUI, JAY “ALABAMY” HAIZLIP AND THE SANCTUARY FAMILY, KIMBERLY BAIRD, BILL KENNEDY, DENNIS OGDEN, STEVE CABALLERO, LANCE MOUNTAIN, GRANT BRITTAIN, JEFF GROSSO, AND SCOTT OSTER.
THANK YOU TO THE LATE FAUSTO “V” VITELLO AND THE VITELLO FAMILY. THANK YOU, STEVE VAN DOREN AND FAMILY. THANK YOU, JIM GANZER, FOR GETTING ME ON MY FIRST SKATEBOARD AND ALL THE THINGS YOU’VE DONE TO HELP ME OVER THE YEARS. THANKS TO JOEL RICE, WHO HELPED WITH THE INITIAL STAGES OF THIS BOOK PROJECT AND INTRODUCED ME TO HARPERONE. THANK YOU, CHRIS AHRENS, FOR THIS AMAZING JOURNEY THAT WE TOOK TOGETHER FOR THE PURPOSE OF TOUCHING THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE LOVE OF GOD THAT WE SHARE. I AM SO THANKFUL THAT GOD COULD USE YOUR WRITING AND MY STORY TO IMPACT THOSE THAT WILL READ IT. THANKS TO YOUR WONDERFUL WIFE, TRACY, WHO KEPT US FUELED DURING LATE NIGHTS AND LONG HOURS WITH HER AWESOME HOME-COOKED MEALS, HOT TEA, AND COFFEE. THANKS TO MY LITERARY AGENT, CLAUDIA CROSS, AND CHRIS’S AGENT, SANDRA BISHOP. THANKS TO MY FABULOUS MANAGEMENT TEAM, DARRYL FRANKLIN AND RAY IBE.
THANKS TO HARPERONE FOR BELIEVING IN MY STORY AND GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PUBLISHING HOUSE AS HARPERCOLLINS. SPECIFIC THANKS TO JAMES IACOBELLI AND HARPERONE’S SUZANNE QUIST AND TERRI LEONARD FOR ALL YOUR HELP IN DESIGNING AND PRODUCING THE WONDERFUL INTERIOR OF THE BOOK. THANK YOU, MICHELE WETHERBEE AND FACEOUT STUDIO, FOR AN AMAZING COVER. THANKS TO HENRY LEUTWYLER FOR TAKING JUST THE RIGHT COVER SHOT. THANK YOU, JULIE BURTON, MOLLY BIRCKHEAD, CLAUDIA BOUTOTE, AND LAINA ADLER, FOR YOUR TIRELESS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE THIS BOOK.
A HUGE THANKS TO MY EDITOR, ROGER FREET, FOR THE LONG HOURS, ATTENTION TO DETAIL, NUMEROUS LATE NIGHT CALLS, AND GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE THIS BOOK A REALITY. KNOWING THAT YOU ONCE BROKE TWO ARMS SKATEBOARDING AND STILL TAKE TIME TO SKATE WITH YOUR SON, JARED, PROVES YOUR COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION. I COULD NOT HAVE HAD A BETTER EDITOR OR COUNSELOR.
THANK YOU TO TONY HAWK FOR WRITING THE FOREWORD. THANKS ALSO FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SKATEBOARDING AND YOUR CONTINUED LOVE AND INSPIRATION TO FURTHER OUR SPORT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. THROUGH THE TONY HAWK FOUNDATION, KIDS EVERYWHERE HAVE GREAT SKATEPARKS. THE WAY WE HAD IT!
THANK YOU TO PHOTOGRAPHERS CESARIO “BLOCK” MONTANO, GRANT BRITTAIN AT THE SKATEBOARD MAG, JEFF HIGGINBOTHAM, MORIZEN “MOFO” FOCHE, IVAN HOSOI, JENNIFER HOSOI, TRACY “T-ROC” AHRENS, MARK OBLOW, THRASHER MAGAZINE, GLEN E. FRIEDMAN, AMBER STANLEY, MELINDA KIM, TED TERREBONNE, CHUCK KATZ, RAY “MRZ” ZIMMERMAN, AND THEO HAND.
THANK YOU, ALL MY SPONSORS, FRIENDS, AND FAMILY, WHO HAVE SUPPORTED ME AND MY FAMILY THROUGH FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF MY EXISTENCE IN THIS WORLD, AND FOR BEING THERE DURING MY THIRTY YEARS OF SKATEBOARDING PROFESSIONALLY.
THANK YOU TO AUNTIE KUIPO (RIP) AND UNCLE DENNIS AND THEIR CHILDREN FOR ALLOWING ME TO STAY IN THEIR HOME AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON. THANKS TO GRANDMA BECKY FOR HELPING CHOOSE HAWAIIAN NAMES FOR MY CHILDREN. THANKS TO THE ALO FAMILY AND EVERYONE IN THE HOSOI FAMILY. THANKS TO MY FATHER-IN-LAW, MITCH “POP” MITCHELL, AND HIS FAMILY. THANKS TO ALL AUNTIES, UNCLES, COUSINS, NEPHEWS, NIECES, GRANDPARENTS, GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, AND ALL OTHER OHANA.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY MOTHER, WHO TAUGHT ME TO BE HONEST, SINCERE, AND KIND. I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN IN HEAVEN. I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH! THANKS TO MY FATHER FOR YOUR SACRIFICIAL LOVE IN RAISING AND SUPPORTING ME WITH YOUR GUIDANCE TO BE ORIGINAL. THANKS TO MY BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN THAT THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME WITH. ENDLESS, CLASSIC, RHYTHM, AND JAMES. YOU ALL HAVE TAUGHT ME HOW TO LOVE LIKE A FATHER SHOULD LOVE HIS CHILDREN.
THANKS TO MY LOVELY WIFE, JENNIFER, WHO STUCK BY MY SIDE THROUGH THICK AND THIN. THANK YOU FOR BEING AN AMAZING MOTHER AND A WONDERFUL WIFE. EVER SINCE WE MET IN 1999, MY HEART AND LIFE HAS BEEN FOREVER CHANGED THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD THAT WE EXPERIENCE TOGETHER NOW AND FOREVER. LIKE PROVERBS 18:22 SAYS, I FOUND FAVOR FROM THE LORD WHEN HE BROUGHT YOU INTO MY LIFE. I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART, MIND, BODY, AND SOUL.
MY FINAL THANKS TO MY LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, WHO CAME INTO MY LIFE AND CHANGED IT FOR ALL ETERNITY.
IVAN “POPS” HOSOI ART.
MY RECENT ART PIECE OF JESUS CHRIST.
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Copyright
The stories included from people other than Christian Hosoi are from interviews conducted by Chris Ahrens. Permission courtesy of Chris Ahrens.
Except where noted, scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Photo © Jeff Higginbotham.
HOSOI
MY LIFE AS A SKATEBOARDER JUNKIE INMATE PASTOR.
HOSOI. Copyright © 2012 by Christian Hosoi. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © APRIL 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-209853-5
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