Jay Adams

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Jay Adams (2011)

Jay Adams (born February 3, 1961 in Los Angeles , California - † August 14, 2014 in Puerto Escondido , Mexico ) was an American professional skateboarder and member of the original Z-Boys . He was seen as the driving force behind today's freestyle skate sport and was considered one of the most influential skateboarders.

biography

Adams grew up in poor circumstances in Venice Beach , California (in the Dogtown Area) and met the legendary Zephyr team at a very young age , who surfed in dangerous conditions in the shabby bay of the city ( Pacific Ocean Park Pier ). Due to the harsh conditions, he came into contact with alcohol, violence and drugs very early on, which also shaped his later life.

The rediscovery of the skateboard with a new wheel material ( polyurethane ) brought him together with the new Zephyr generation who wanted to bring surfing to the streets. He was one of the most influential figures alongside Tony Alva , Stacy Peralta and Peggy Oki and opened the most famous skate competition at the time in Del Mar for the Zephyr Team in 1975 , where he was the youngest participant at the age of 13 and placed 3rd in the discipline Freestyle took. He was also the most successful male member of the Zephyr team alongside Peggy Oki, who won the women's competition in the freestyle discipline.

When the Zephyr Skate Team experienced an explosive rise and its peers embarked on professional careers and toured the world, he soon turned away from professional sports, which drastically worsened his situation. From the beginning he condemned the commercialization of the discipline and after a short time did not take part in competitions in protest. Drug and violence excesses shaped the following years. Several withdrawal programs were of little help; Jay Adams was mostly only briefly at large after his discharge. Most recently he lived in Hawaii , where he was serving another sentence in prison for substance abuse. Although Jay Adams owed his time in prison to drugs, he made himself a strong fighter against drugs and practiced prevention in the field. He worked on projects to help young skaters understand that drugs aren't necessary to be part of the scene.

Former Zephyr Skate member Nathan Pratt called Jay Adams "the world's greatest natural skater". Jay Adams appears in the documentary Dogtown & Z-Boys made by Stacy Peralta . In from Hollywood published in 2005 production Dogtown Boys Adams is by Emile Hirsch shown.

In 2014, Adams died of a heart attack at the age of 53.

Trivia

Jay Adams signed all of his correspondence with "Jay Adams 100% Skateboarder For Life".

Compared to the other Z-Boys like Stacy Peralta or Tony Alva , he never looked for great commercial success, but identified himself with the fun of sport.

Adams also stated in later years that he still skated every day (pool, pipe, ramps, etc.).

swell

  1. Jay Adams dies of Heart Attack
  2. Dogtown & Z-Boys , 2001 Interview with Stacy Peralta

Web links

Commons : Jay Adams  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files