Skateboarding King Jay Adams Dies at 53

August 19, 2014

Skateboarding is an action sport where the rider performs various tricks and stunts with the skateboard. It started with a recreational activity but gradually transformed itself into full-time sport. It is said to have taken shape in 1950-60s when the surfers in California wanted a similar activity when the waves were flat. It was also used a means of commuting between not-so-far places.

Career of Jay Adams

It was in 1975 with the Del Mar National Championships, in which 500 skateboarders participated. The event was organized by Bahne Skateboards and Cadillac Wheels. Although the competition was won by Russ Howell- a local team from California but the Zephyr team introduced a new era of skateboarding. All the team players were unique in their own sense but Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Peggy Oki and Stacy Peralta revolutionized the sport. Craig Stecyk was the photojournalist for Skateboarder Magazine. He started a series on the Zephyr team called the Dogtown articles which elevated the team’s name and prestige to new heights. The team became famous as the Z-boys.

Jay Adams was the true king of Skateboarding. Also, known as “the Original Seed” of the sport, he gave new definition to the game. Zephyr got disintegrated after Del Mars and soon Adams was part of the other team Z-Flex. His game took him to places. Being the face of Z-Flex he ruled hearts of his fans. This brought him many sponsors like Hurley, Nixon,Osiris Shoes, Z-Flex, Tracker Trucks etc. He also was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2012.

Personal Life and Media

Adams was blessed with two children, one daughter from his first wife Alisha Adams and one son from his ex-girlfriend Samantha Baglioni. He then married Tracy Adams at California with whom he was residing currently.

Apart from that, Adams had tumultuous personal front for he was rounded up in legal suits many times for drug-addition. He was also sentenced three times in 1982, 2002 and 2006 for shady periods of his character which usually took him to drugs. Also, in 2006 he was sentenced due to failure of payment of taxes for 3 consecutive years.

Adams played prominent roles in two leading movies: an award-winning documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” in 2001 and another movie “Lords of Dogtown“.

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