Джей Джей Адамс: Скейтборд тарихындағы белгілі тұлға

American skateboarder (1961–2014)

Jay J. Adams (February 3, 1961 – August 15, 2014) was an American skateboarder. As a teen, he was the youngest member of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team (Z Boys). His spontaneous freestyle skateboarding style, inspired by ocean surfing, helped innovate and popularize modern skateboarding. His aggressive vertical tricks make him one of skateboarding's most influential stylists.

Jay Adams was born in Venice, California. He was the only child of Robert Adams and Philaine Herring, and grew up with his mother and his stepfather, Kent Sherwood. He began skating and surfing at the age of four. Sherwood worked at Dave Sweet's Surf Shop under Pacific Ocean Park, where Adams was introduced to skateboarding. Adams' skateboarding was greatly influenced by Larry Bertlemann, a professional surfer known for dragging his hands along the waves as he rode them. In 1974 at age 13, Adams became the youngest member to join the Santa Monica based Zephyr surf team representing Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions.

The Z Boys became a skate team when they heard about the Bahne Cadillac Del Mar Nationals in 1975. Adams was the first member to enter the competition, held in Del Mar, California, taking second place in the Junior Men's Freestyle. The international reach of Stecyk's Dogtown articles and skateboard industry sponsorship led to skateboarding becoming a viable profession. The Zephyr team broke up shortly after the Del Mar Nationals. Half the team formed a new team under Adams' stepfather Kent Sherwood, who made the Zephyr boards. Sherwood and Adams created the brand and team EZ RYDER, which changed its name to Z Flex six months later. Adams was the face of the brand. During his skateboarding career, Adams was sponsored by Hurley, Nixon, Osiris Shoes, Z Flex, Tracker Trucks, Vercelli Surfboards, Carver Racks, Abec 11 wheels and Black Flys. Along with Jef Hartsel, Adams would go on to revive EZ RYDER as EZ Ryder Originalz, custom designing and testing their handcrafted equipment. He collaborated with Z Flex, designing boards in the Z Flex range, most notably the Z Flex Jay Adams Cruiser Skateboard. According to former Z Boys teammate Stacy Peralta, Adams "is probably not the greatest skater of all time, but I can say without fear of being wrong that he is clearly the archetype of modern day skateboarding." Adams was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2012.

Adams is featured prominently in the 2001 Peralta directed documentary Dogtown and Z Boys. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan noted his contribution to the film: "Dogtown is at its dramatic best with mini profiles of its two biggest names, Adams and Tony Alva. The Adams segment especially, which shows the most naturally gifted of the Z Boys regretful about the bad choices he made in his life, provides the kind of thoughtful introspection this film could have used a lot more of." The documentary won awards at Sundance and an Independent Spirit Award. Adams was portrayed by Emile Hirsch in the 2005 dramatized feature film account of the Z Boys origins, Lords of Dogtown, written by Peralta and directed by Catherine Hardwicke. He was also featured in Joshua Pomer's 2010 surf documentary The Westsiders.

Adams spent time in prisons as he struggled with drug addiction. After a Suicidal Tendencies concert in 1982, Adams screamed slurs at a gay couple outside a popular Hollywood hangout. When one of them yelled back, he knocked him down. Adams claims he fled but that the crowd behind him closed in and kicked and beat the men, killing one of them. He was convicted of felony assault and sentenced to six months in relation to the death of Dan Bradbury. They most recently resided in San Clemente, California, where Adams was an active member at a local church.

Adams died of a heart attack on August 15, 2014. A memorial funeral service was held in his honor at Venice Beach, California, on August 30, 2014. Surfers and skateboarders from across the country showed their respect by taking part in a traditional Hawaiian style paddle out tribute. A memorial skate session was held for Adams at the Venice Beach Skatepark by fellow skateboarders Tony Alva and Christian Hosoi. Two Venice area murals have commemorated Adams. One is on the building site of the original Zephyr Skate Shop in Santa Monica. Shortly after his death, there was another on the surface of Venice Skatepark's bowl, featuring Adams alongside fellow Dogtown skater, the late Shogo Kubo, which has since been removed.