From zero to hero
Skateboarding legend Jamie Thomas recently came back to his hometown of Dothan to support a proposed skate park for local kids.
Story by Laura Stakelum | Photos by Cherokee Spivey
When I was a kid, the big goal of my group of friends was to become skaters. I lacked coordination and a place to practice, but I was always ready to sit on a skateboard and have one of my friends push me around a bit. Back then, there were rumors around the schoolyard of a Dothan kid not much older than us who was making a name for himself as a professional skateboarder in California. Twenty years later I got the opportunity to get to know this childhood legend, Jamie Thomas, and discovered that this professional skateboarder and successful entrepreneur was a down-to-earth family man who still has a strong connection to Dothan.
Jamie’s family moved to Dothan when he was an infant. He led a pretty ordinary life here, going to Girard Middle School and Northview High School. He worked at Burger King and liked to hang out with his friends. When he found an old skateboard that once belonged to his sister his life changed in a most unexpected way.
“It was amazing to me that this little piece of wood with wheels could provide so much enjoyment,” 37-year-old Jamie says.
According to Jamie there were only about ten other people around town who were really into skateboarding at the time, so there weren’t any places for him and his friends to skate. As many skaters do, they looked for areas like old buildings downtown and churches. “Basically, we wanted to jump off stairs,” Jamie says.
Tired of being chased off every staircase in town, in 1992 Jamie dropped out of school at the age of 17 and headed west to pursue a career in professional skateboarding. According to a 2006 New York Times article, Jamie lived on the streets of San Francisco while trying to break into the world of pro skateboarding. He caught a break after about nine months when he received a sponsorship deal from a small upstart skateboard company.
Jamie's three companies are internationally-known among skateboarders.
Jamie was only 21 when he partnered in his first company, Zero skateboards. The name Zero was chosen because skateboarders were called “zeros” – losers. From 1996-1999, Zero was the top skateboard company in the world. In 2000 he bought the company and shortly after started Mystery skateboards and Fallen footwear. He now runs Black Box Distribution, a company that houses several iconic skateboard brands, four of which he owns. In 2006, Jamie was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in San Diego, an award presented to Jamie in front of 500 leading business professionals.
Skateboarders are finicky about the brands of boards, clothing and accessories they purchase. If a company gets too big or sells out to larger corporations, their products aren’t seen as cool anymore. Jamie’s brands of skater equipment have always been popular because Jamie is still an authentic skater who hasn’t “sold out” or lost touch with all the everyday skaters out there. Jamie even appeared as a selectable character in the first five Tony Hawk video games, a popular series of street skating games for Playstation and Xbox.
For the full story please see the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Dothan Magazine
