Kelly Slater has won 54 Surfing Championships, 42 World Championship Tours, and was ranked #1 by the ASP nine times. There is not much, the highly regarded; best surfer in the world, is afraid of. But there is one thing; Clay Marzo. Marzo debuted to the surfing community in a surf movie called, Young Guns II. In the film he displayed the raw talent and aggressive style of past champions. Now, at eighteen years old, Marzo is changing the landscape of surfing with courageous surf stunts and organic ability to pull of tricks that no surfer could have imagined possible. This story on its own is incredible; however, it is not the entire story. Marzo suffers from Aspergers (a form of Autism).

Marzo’s parents noticed that he was different at a very young age. The average symptoms of this disorder are the inability to understand social cues, a lack of inborn social skills, a dislike to change, and an inability to deceiver the subtle difference in speech tone. Aside from these internal symptoms, the individual will suffer from external symptoms, such as, avoiding eye contact, unusual facial expressions, invested in a sole interest, only conversing about one topic, delayed motor skills, and a heightened sensitivity.

At the beginning of Marzo’s career, his symptoms never interfered, but once his fame caught up with his talent – it became a bit difficult. Each day was filled with a new challenge; sponsors wanting to set up meeting, magazines wanting to conduct interviews; and fans wanting autographs. Although the media blitzkrieg was a bit intimidating, Marzo is gradually adapting. He has several sponsors, even more fans, media attention, and just last year, he released his own surfing movie.

To watch his movie, is to watch the expression of an incredible life; the crash of the waves, the strength of the ride, sprinkled with a touch of genius.

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