Jay Adams

Jay Adams ( born February 3, 1961 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American professional skateboarder and member of the original Z-Boys. He is regarded as the driving force for today's Freestyle skate sports and is considered one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.

Biography

Adams grew up poor in Venice Beach, California ( in the Dogtown area) and met at a very young age to the legendary Zephyr team that surfed in the dilapidated bay of the town (Pacific Ocean Park Pier) under hazardous conditions. Due to the harsh conditions he came very early into contact with alcohol, violence and drugs, what should characterize his later life.

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

After the Zephyr skate team witnessed an explosive rise and his colleagues began professional careers and toured around the world, he soon turned from professional sports from, making his situation deteriorated dramatically. He condemned from the beginning the commercialization of discipline and took a short time to protest no longer participate in competitions. Drug and violent excesses characterized the following years. Several rehabilitation programs were of little use, Jay Adams was after his dismissal usually only briefly on the loose. He currently lives in Hawaii, where he must serve a further term in jail for drug abuse. Although Jay Adams owes his time in prison, the drugs, he campaigns as a fighter against drugs and prevention operates in this area. He works on projects to explain to young skaters that drugs are not necessary to belong to the scene.

Former Zephyr Skate member Nathan Pratt named Jay Adams as "the world 's greatest natural skater ", ie the " world's best skaters Natural ". Jay Adams appears in the made ​​by Stacy Peralta documentary Dogtown & Z -Boys, as well as he is portrayed in the published of Hollywood production Lords of Dogtown among others.

Trivial

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

Jay Adams has, compared to the other Z-Boys Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva as never wanted the big commercial success, but identified with the fun of the sport itself

He himself claims, still every day to skate (pool, pipe, ramps, etc ).

Swell

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