JAY ADAMS was the first Z-Boy to compete at the legendary Del Mar Nationals in 1975 and his contribution to skateboarding is unparalleled.
Adams was known for sparking trends in a recklessly off-hand fashion, and for being the first to attempt many dangerous aerial maneuvers. Adams brought the spirit, wild abandon and youthful creativity of Little Richard into his skating, taking huge risks and counting on his ability to transform potential disasters into new departures, literal jumping off points for the next wave of skating innovation. According to skateboarder Magazine, “tales of his madness include getting a ticket for skating on the freeway and allegedly skate-snatching the wig off a bald woman's head. His throwing ability with a dirt clod was legendary—total accuracy for up to two city blocks.”
Acknowledged as the most naturally gifted member of the Zephyr Team, Adams was a frequent prizewinner in his early teens and a huge favorite with fans around the world. “He is considered by everyone in the know as the original ‘seed’ the sport sprouted from,” Stecyk wrote. Adams was also the most prominent casualty of the hard-charging Dogtown lifestyle, succumbing to the temptations that went with youthful success.
TONY ALVA has been called “the Chuck Berry of skateboarding, the original.” SkateBoarder Magazine wrote in 1977, “Tony Alva won the World Professional overall title. Two weeks before that, he had set the New World record in the barrel jump. These victories were no surprise to his friends and followers.”
Born in 1957, Alva grew up in Santa Monica a few blocks from the beach. Bouncing back and forth between divorced parents, he graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1975. Beginning in 1962, Alva was a hard-core skater. He is considered the originator of the vertical style of modern skateboarding and was one of the first skateboarders to build his life strictly around the sport. When Hollywood recognized the skateboarding phenomenon, Alva was often involved, appearing in Skateboard (1977) and Thrashin (1986), working with second unit director Stacy Peralta in the later.
The first skateboarder to successfully market himself as a brand name, Alva still owns and operates the trend-setting Alva Skateboard Company from offices in Oceanside, CA. Early Alva skateboards are considered classics, highly prized by collectors. He continues to travel around the world staging skateboard demos, proselytizing for the sport he loves. As recently as December 2004, he was on Oahu with other Dogtown and Z-Boy Jay Adams, emceeing the All Girls Skate Jam. Peralta says “Today, Tony still sneaks into unsuspecting people’s backyards to taste the illicit thrill of riding an empty pool.”
DERRICK “SKIP” ENGBLOM was born in Hollywood, California in 1948. Having grown up in Hollywood and Venice Beach, his father a professional wrestler, and his mother a parttime model and competitive swimmer, Engblom became an integral part of the early surfing and skateboard scene in Southern California. Engblom co-founded the original Zephyr shop, a surfboard and skateboard manufacturer in Santa Monica, where he became the mentor to the “Z-Boys.” When the Zephyr Team (Z-Boys) split up in 1975, Engblom sold his share of the surf shop and moved to Hawaii.
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