Lessons Jay Adams Taught Me.

Jay at MDR / Photo: David Scott

Back when I rode briefly for Z-Flex I was always trying to be like Jay.

Jay this past year at Agenda Trade show with a new Z-Flex board he signed for his friend  Jim Gray

Christian Hosoi, Cindy & Jay at the 2012 Skateboarding Hall of Fame when Jay was inducted  / Photo: Ian Logan

Jay having some fun in front of the camera that night at SHOF...  /  Photo: Ian Logan

He is an original Z-Boy. Always was, always will be.  Jay Adams is the guy who gave me one of my first major lessons in holding my own with the boys.

I was taking one of my usual runs in the Dogbowl at Marina Skatepark and Jay got tired of waiting for me to finish. He dropped in and came super close to me as we both crisscrossed on the far wall. I kept skating while yelling at him to "GET OUT". He kept skating and grinding the coping right and left, trying to force me out.  After we almost collided again, I stopped in the bottom of the pool, threw down my board hard and yelled at him to "stop being a dick".

He looked at me while Dennis "Polar Bear" Agnew and the other guys sessioning that day looked on, and  I thought I might get an earful (or worse) at that point for being so ballsy, but he just stared at me like I was crazy, and then finally laughed.

After that we were always cool.

I  rode briefly for Z-Flex during the Gold Cup Series contests & was sponsored by Kanoa Helmets for many years and wore the Jay Adams model (of course) - I looked up to him, and basically wanted to be just like him. His style of riding was fluid and fast,  & I owe a lot to Jay for showing me daily what it was like to charge hard & do it with style.

There was never anyone else like him nor will there ever be.

He lived life to the fullest and always had a smile and a moment to catch up in our adult years. He will be greatly missed by so many people, but always in our hearts.

RIP Jay.