The Jay Adams Z Flex Classic At The Venice Skatepark

The Jay Adams Z Flex Classic skate contest was held at the Venice Skatepark last Saturday, and it sure was a great way to spend the sunny afternoon. There was a large crowd surrounding the park all day long, and the vibes were so good it was hard to leave.

We got there just in time for the Legends session, where skaters like Tuma Britton (also one of the day's MC's, with Dave Duncan), Steve Alba, Bennett Harada, Pat Ngoho, Grimes, Hackett, Olsen all showing what they still got.

One guy whose name I missed slammed hard on his head, and left the blood there the rest of the afternoon, drying there as a badge of courage. Skate or die style.

Legends session was a great name, as surely these guys all are, and were skating in honor of their good friend and the contest's namesake, Jay Adams, who passed away last August. His memory was omnipresent as the skaters all tried to outdo each other and try to out-Jay Jay - which simply can't be done.

Britton announced the winners of the earlier contests, and when Desmond Shepard was declared the winner of the 10 and under category, he said simply, "Skateboarding is really fun." That was all Britton could get out of him, and cracked us all up when he said, "He likes turtles." Ha!

Julian Torres won the 14-17 category, and I think Azara Sanchez (spelling?) won the 18 year old amateur division. I caught up with Sean Johnson (aka "Bowl Rebel"), a kid I'd interviewed a while back, and was happy to see that he'd taken third prize. He was smiling ear to ear, holding up his signed poster of the day, and reveling in what he said were "all the good vibes today. RIP Jay!"

He was right. People were hooting and hollering and laughing and loving it all day. In truth, I'd only intended to stop by for a bit, but it was so fun, and the skating so good to watch, that we hung in there all afternoon, earning a terrible tank top tan line for it, and not even caring.

It was great to see all the familiar Venice faces come out and catch up with each other in the sun. It was even greater to see that skating is alive and well, and the kids of today are making their Venice skater predecessors proud. Tuma repeatedly yelled "Look how hard these guys are going, let's let them hear it!" ... because they were. I don't even know how you can keep that energy going ALL. DAY. LONG but these guys (only a few girls, sadly) were going for it.

Particularly impressive were a guy named Sky from Seattle, dressed in camo pants and a farmer type hat, and completely giving his all. A guy named Grayson from Colorado was super smooth, like old Tony Hawk. A guy named Robby Russo was great, and a crowd favorite, as was a guy named Santero or something. Sorry I'm not better with names, guys, but you were all ruling it.

The Spirit Of Jay award was given to Willy Lara, who gave it the most Jay-ness of the day. The Cash Grab for tricks was on the rest of the day, and these guys WANTED it. Lots of cash was given out for SICK tricks, and then it was a merch giveaway with things from Black Flys, Osiris, Z Flex, etc. The crowd loved it. I should also mention that great tunes were being spun all day, lending to the party fun atmosphere.

You could see people walking around in their "Venice Skatepark Ground Crew" t shirts, which brings up some housecleaning we need to do. Jesse Martinez has been cleaning that skatepark every day since it opened, out of the goodness of his heart, and with NO help from the city.

But you can help. You can donate to the Venice Skatepark Fund HERE to help Martinez and Company, so that our Venice Skatepark is clean and able to host wonderful days like this for long into the future.

People need to understand that it doesn't just happen, and that this Skatepark is a TREASURE for people from around the world, and for the kids of our own town who are carrying on a legendary tradition. If you were there on Saturday, this was abundantly clear.

Thank you to Jesse Martinez, the Venice Skate Alliance, Z Flex, and everyone who helped to make such a killer day of skating and fun for everyone. It WAS a classic!

Venice Skates For Ian Imes

The Venice Skatepark was going off last Saturday for the Z-Flex Jay Boy Classic contest, on a perfect blue sky sunny day. Skaters and spectators alike were all super into what was an ideal Venice day.

Jay Adams was there for his namesake contest, as were a whole slew of Venice locals shredding up the park in hopes of getting a Z-Flex sponsorship. There was some extra-impressive skating going on, for sure.

There was one cloud hovering over the proceedings though, and that was that skatepark regular, Ian Imes, had been involved in a hit and run car accident in Santa Monica the Saturday before. He is currently in UCLA Hospital - paralyzed from a spinal injury. I spoke to his Mother, Cintia Holz, who exuded gratitude, and was remarkably positive for someone who has been told that her 20 year old son may never walk again.

Imes had just returned from a visit to Massachusetts, and told his Mom he wanted to be a surfer. He had just ridden his brand new board, and was thrilled about it, when he and his friends were skating home April 5th. Imes was hit at the intersection of 17th and Marine. The car sped off, leaving him for dead. Who does that?! I don't know, but they will be caught, and things will be a lot worse than if they'd just had a heart and stopped. There aren't many great leads yet, and they're looking for anyone with any information to do the right thing and come forward to police.

"It's life changing", said Holz, "but we all have hopes, because he's a strong, young kid." He certainly seems to be, as doctors had thought he'd be on a ventilator for weeks, and he's already about to come off of it. Skaters are a tough breed, and Imes has them all pulling for him, from coast to coast. Holz also mentioned that she doesn't like how authorities treat skaters (even when interviewing them about a tragedy), "like they're all punks. I'm sick of it." We all are. Skateboarding, in fact, keeps a lot of kids from becoming punks, because they're occupied by doing what they love - a sport - instead of out causing real trouble. A little respect is not too much to ask for ... or demand.

Donation buckets were handed around at the Skatepark during the contest, and can be found all over town at places like The Sidewalk Cafe, Maui and Sons, Arbor (whose CEO, Bob Carlson, has taken the lead on the fundraising support, and Mrs. Holz could not say enough how grateful she was to him), and online at Imes' donation page: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/yxd4/raise-funds-for-ian-imes: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/yxd4/raise-funds-for-ian-imes

There is also a Facebook support page: https://www.facebook.com/ianimessupportgrouphttps://www.facebook.com/ianimessupportgroup

As hard as all of this must be for the whole family, I was amazed at how calm and upbeat Mrs. Holz was able to be. She said, "I'll cry when he walks again. Tears of joy." So will we.

 $3,000 was raised in one day (a little kid even broke his piggy bank to donate $35!), but this is going to be a long road for Imes and his family, and they can use all the help they can get. Watching all the good skating, and seeing everyone look so young and free, it was hard to remember that all that can be gone in one instant.

Watching the Venice and skate communities come together for one of their own, it was easy to remember that love is what it's all about, and that is exactly what Ian's Mom was focusing on ... "It's super amazing. I didn't know that people care so much." They do.

Please help in any way that you can. It all helps. Together we are all stronger.

Thank you.

The Makaha 50th Anniversary Skate Contest At The Venice Skatepark

Last Saturday was one of the most beautiful days ever in Venice. You would sure never know it was mid-December. As most of the rest of the world was out running around shopping and getting ready for the holidays in the freezing cold, Venice was having a skate contest.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Makaha Skateboards (and the first skate contest held in Santa Monica in 1963 by founder, Larry Stevenson), the Venice Skate Association put on an absolutely great event.

Skaters (and skate watchers) were out in droves to see the snake run/mini bowl contest ... and though it was a celebration of the past 50 years, it also let everyone know that the future of skating is just as bright. Some of the skaters I saw were just UN. REAL. Killing it every run.

DJs (Bennett Harada) were spinning tunes, and with the Boardwalk right there, it felt like the whole town was out enjoying the spectacular day in the sunshine.

There were the usual food trucks (now encroaching on the beach too? Ugh.) which reminded one that the other point of the day was a food drive for the Westside Food Bank to stock their shelves for the holidays.

There were a ton of cool sponsors (Jimmy'Z, House Of Marley, Venice Originals, Vans, etc ... ) so that meant there were a ton of raffle drawings too, though everyone won just by being there.

I had 7 zillion things to do and places to be that day, so I couldn't stick around to see who won everything, but know that the total ripper, Charlie Blair, took first overall.

What a fantastic time it was - and a perfect example of what good comes from supporting your local skatepark!