Transworld Awards at the Ace in L.A.
Words and photos by Dan Levy
Transworld Skateboarding rolled out the red carpet for this year’s annual awards show at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A. This awards show always feels more like a comedy roast than a serious awards show, which I am really thankful for. It’s skateboarding so, if you take it too seriously, you are missing the point.
As the festivities began, beers were flowing, along with other recreational experiences common to the skateboard lifestyle, and, as the night progressed, the festivities got in and out of control at a perfect pace. V.I.P.s in attendance included: Luis Tolentino, Richie Jackson, Gary Rogers of Skateline, Braydon Szafranski, Alex Olson, Theotis Beasley, Omar Salazar, Jason Jessee, Spike Jonze, GZA, Allen Sarlo, Jeff Ho, Dennis Martinez, Dave Hackett, Tony Magnusson, Nuge, Chris Roberts, Marc Johnson, Clint Peterson, Chris Casey and too many more to mention.
Smolik got the show off to raucous start as he took over the stage while Lee Dupont and Brian Schaefer made a valiant effort to emcee the gig, with sufficient roasting of Scuba Steve on the sidelines. Smolik made himself right at home under the limelight and kept things frothing as Tony Hawk presented Oliver Percovich of Skateistan with the well-deserved TWS Eric Stricker Award for his ambassadorship to skateboarders worldwide.
Alex Midler presented the Go Pro Award to an energetic and enthusiastic young squad, followed by Wes Kremer and Mike Anderson awarding Best Rookie to Aaron Herrington. The Illegal Civilization 2 cast rolled deep with their posse and looked to be having more fun than anyone else in the room after winning Best Indie Video. Jimmy Carlin and Windsor James handed off the Readers’ Choice Award to Wes Kremer as Smolik celebrated by tossing PBR on everyone’s skulls. Ray Barbee and Evan Smith passed the torch for Best Team Award to the Enjoi crew, and then Theotis Beasley and Jason Hernandez handed over the Best Video Award to Josh Stewart for Static IV/V. Chris Roberts and Marc Johnson presented Dylan Rieder with the well-deserved Best Video Part for his footy in “Cherry”.
Jay Adams [R.I.P.] was given the TWS Legend Award and fellow skaters, family, friends, sponsors and loved ones rolled deep to pay respect. Backstage, Tony Hawk shared an amazing story with Seven Adams about Seven’s dad, Jay Adams, and Theotis Beasley told Seven how much of a fan he was of Jay’s too. It was a great example of Jay Boy’s diverse impact and just goes to prove that his timeless legacy will live on forever with the generations to come.
Christian Hosoi took to the stage to present the TWS Legend Award and immediately captivated the young crowd with his charisma. Hosoi noted that everyone in the vicinity was partying and getting out of control and that Jay Adams had started all of that and, by the end of his shortened life, was at peace in his final days.
The whole crowd rose to their feet as Jay’s son, Seven Adams, jumped onto the stage where he and Jay’s wife, Tracy Hubbard Adams, took the microphone to accept the award for Jay. Tracy thanked all of Jay’s close friends, family, and sponsors for the continued support throughout his life and the crowd applauded with sincerity. Seven was up next and, not only is he the spitting image of Jay, he also has many of Jay’s mannerisms in his blood like being spontaneous. As he took to the mic, he was tapping on the podium and looked like he was totally over it, which was something Jay was well-known for. Seven proceeded to thank skateboarders from all over the world and enlisted the crowd to help him keep his father’s legacy alive. He prompted the crowd to yell “Jay All Day!” at the count of three and, when three was spoken, the crowd who had continued to stay on their feet, shook the room with their screams of support.
There are very few who make it to a level of recognition in skateboarding where they have earned the respect of every generation of skateboarders. Jay Adams set that bar and will continue to have unconditional love forever from our skateboarding family. Although the night was bittersweet for all of us who knew him, it was also a reminder that skateboarding is simply about skateboarding 100% and for this, Jay, we thank you.
Thank you to Jaime Owens at Transworld for giving Juice all access to the show. You are a class act, sir. Congrats to all of the winners!
