Christian Hosoi drops in on Team Steam in New Jersey
September 8, 2006
Christian Hosoi Backside air at Jeff Roenings ramp New Jersey circa 1986
(Matt Padulo in the Blue shirt)
photo jason oliva
The gentleman with the glasses in the blue shorts is Jeff Roennings “Uncle”. He owned a skate shop in Millburn NJ (can’t recall the name) on several occasions he paid pro skateboarders to fly to NJ, sign autographs in the shop and ride Jeff’s ramp (Jeff always had a big backyard ramps) Steve olsen, Rob Roskopp, Chris Miller (who sat around with us and watched himself slam at upland on video…ouch) and Hosoi where all such pros.
On this photo’s day I am not sure if Hosoi ever wore a shirt. As soon as he arrived at the ramp he ran up the transition jumped on his board and immediately frontside ollied the channel (quite a feat).
Jeff’s ramp was in desperate need of a new layer but that didn’t stop Hosoi from doing face high shirtless/padless airs all over it. Rocky Vertone and Jeff Roenning joined Hosoi and they skated for an hour or so… I can’t remember Hosoi ever bailing a trick.
not long after this day I would grow out of the mid 80’s Jimmy’z wearing thing. Thanks in part to Tag, Rock, Corn, Weep, The Barn, Tom Groholski’s Metallica jacket, Murph’s dreads and all the rest of the people that made Team Steam kick ass. On this day though you could not help but wanting to be able to strip down to your waist slap on a Jimmy’Z beret and blast a judo air over the channel.
Years later during a weeknight Barn session (which I missed and heard all about at school the next morning) Hosoi would turn up again (sporting green hair) with Hackett. The next morning Hosoi and Hackett would join The Bones Brigade to film the NYC scenes in Future Primitive…
Corn has some photos of Hosoi at the Barn I’ll shake him down for one….
East Coast Pride by Tom Groholski
Remember The House of Steam is looking for Sponsorship, Submissions and Suggestions!!! Send all to jasonoliva@gmail.com
September 11, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I just heard from Hackett, and he confirmed that the midnight session at the Barn did happen…he, Christian and members of Team Steam…the night before the NYC shoot for Future Primitive.
September 11, 2006 at 5:47 pm
I had his skull skates board years ago bought it at Soho Skates, he did do a sick acid drop off of a UPS sized truck in future primative!!!
September 16, 2006 at 4:39 am
The Skateshop in Millburn was called the Millburn Sports center. I went there MANY times to buy boards, and skate the Millburn Banks. We also had a skate team, that was based mostly outta Millburn called Team Scream (in homage to Team Steam). My friend Grimace’s parents opened Psycho Skates in Morristown, and most of the kids started buying boards there. Also, in my town of Bernardsville, there was a skateshop called Alternate Waves, and of course there was Cheap skates in South Orange. I was there that day at the ramp in Millburn, when Hosoi was skating. I found out about it from some kid at Alternate Waves. I miss those day’s.
September 16, 2006 at 7:38 am
Thanks for the info Tim.
I couldnt remember the Millburn sport center name (maybe cause it was too boring a name) In their defence they did sell stuff other then skate boards.
I bought a wooden Burton snowboard from them back in the mid eighties ( I eventually sold it to Matt Klein for a bag of peanuts…ARRRGH)
If you have any photo’s of these shops please email me and feel free to stick their locations on The House of Steam map..
jason
September 17, 2006 at 11:05 am
Jason,
You sold the burton to Joey Spaghetti at my house. Oh how the years make things cloudy. Joe later sold the woddy to Rico (aka. Hula Hula) and believe it or not his mom threw it out along with my Santa Cruz long board. What a drag!!!
RICO MIGUELINO will be missed forever!!!!!!!
Klein
September 17, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Speaking of selling boards-
I sold my first skateboard to some friend of Peter Hanley’s younger brother Geoffrey. Jason stole (or somehow re-aquired) the board and kept in his vault of misc. skate stuff.
Years later my wife and I went to Jaosn’s art show in NYC and he gave the boad back to me – and now it’s hanging up in my home office in Tempe.
Oh yeah, the board was a SIMS Jeff Phillips circa 1983!!!
Good looking out bro’ -
RIP
Sean Miller
Hula
King Weep
Never Forget!
September 17, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Right on Taylor!!!
Iz and I will be welcoming the next generation of Klein skateboarders into the world in December. Preparing for his birth make me think about the friends we have all lost and how cycle of everything keeps going. Hopefully we will see the little one’s (Little Rocky Ian McDowell, and Cole Klein), carry on the skateboard tradition.
Klein
September 17, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Good memory Matt!!
Who needs a memory when you got friends. That poor board wound up in land fill.
Send me some pics of Hula and write something and I will post it..He will be missed
and Greg you did fly all the way to NYC to see my paintings so I figured it was time to open up the vault and return what was rightfully yours…glad you are digging it. It was great hanging out in NYC
Oh and Matt build a bigger ramp this go around!!!!
Congrats to you an IZ
September 18, 2006 at 7:31 am
Jason,
Thanks man!!! The ramp will be massive. How weird is this. My sister has been dating Rob Schorr for years now and by the way his ramp is still up!!!! He and his dad built the crap out of that thing.
Klein
September 18, 2006 at 11:02 am
I remember Rob having a mini ramp (well made too) Send some pics!!!!
jason oliva
February 27, 2008 at 10:11 pm
i was looking for a friend who works in millburn when i saw this picture of hosoi. i was actually there that day. after hosoi left millburn sports center we followed the car with hosoi in it to supposedly a secret location. im from union nj and used to skate with troy geborde, mike kepper and if you remember younger twins thats me, enjoyed the pictures of old places we skated that seems like a lifetime ago, thanks
February 28, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Hey there Andrew!!
Glad you found us!! I remember all those names, Troy, Kepper..etc
Do you remember a street contest at Connecticut Farms school in Union?
Send us some pics and stories for the archive.
Jasonoliva@gmail.com
June 12, 2008 at 1:40 am
The dudes name was Don. We all bought boards, trucks and vans from Don. Nice guy but there was always the question of he was all there. Oh the good ol days in Millburn. Thanks for the photo memory.
July 8, 2008 at 2:41 am
Wow- this is all bringing back some memories. I used to work at psycho skates in morristown nj since the first day it opened. I used to skate with dan zimmer and travel to all the contests. I remember skating judsons ramp everyday for 2 years along with the occasional visisting pro. Great times taking the train into nyc to skate the brooklyn banks ect. Thanks for the memories everyone!
July 24, 2009 at 6:37 pm
WOw
I used to skate back in 89-92, In dover, NJ . I remember taking the train to morristown and going to Psycho skates all the time. Also went to all the demos
i have autographs of Natas Kaupas, Rodney Mullen and Mike Vallely.
When did it close?
Good memories!