"Life on the Autism Spectrum can be ENJOYable."
What holds you back also can make you great! Ask Pro-Surfer and endorsement-laden Clay Marzo, who was born in California and raised in Hawaii, as he rides the world's waves. As a beast on the tail drifts destroying the waves, International Competitor Marzo, aka 'zo' and 'Rubber-band Man' is living on the Autism Spectrum! Read and view competition footage to understand why Clay Marzo believes "Waves are..., toys from God."
In the water, "he was comfortable in his skin," said Jill Marzo. "Out of the water, he is not comfortable, even today. In the water, it's like he can breathe." (Mother of star surfer Clay Marzo)
Marzo's obsession has made him a star surfer. He's a favorite with surfing magazines, is sponsored by Quicksilver apparel and earns an income that reaches into the six figures.
"It's got to be more simple," said Marzo. "You know? Simple. Surf and eat and sleep, you know? My three top things."
Long before his Asperger's was diagnosed, Marzo and his parents recognized the paradox of his personality. In school he had trouble sitting still, comprehending directions or understanding what he read. "I could connect, could focus, if I really liked something," Marzo says. "But if I didn't, I couldn't focus at all." He'd flap his arms when he was anxious and rub his hands together when he was excited -- called stimming by autism specialists. He'd spend hours alone, obsessing over seashells or baseball cards. He was hypersensitive to sound and touch and would leave the table midway through family dinners or disappear to his room during the excitement of Christmas morning. When his routine was altered, especially if it kept him out of the ocean, he turned moody.
Have you ever loved something to the point that it becomes what you live for? Meet Clay Marzo whose passion for surfing is so pure it defies description. Take a visually stunning and emotionally powerful journey through his life. See Clay literally come alive in the ocean as he destroys the waves of Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, France, Spain and Australia with his wildly creative surfing. The story also showcases an awareness-raising glimpse into his life and mind as he comes to understand both the gifts and challenges of living with Asperger's Syndrome. Clay Marzo surf film "Just Add Water," is available on iTunes, dvd. Check out the TOUR BLOG here.
In December 2007, Clay was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of "high-functioning" autism. ..., which include impaired social interactions, difficulty with communication, and the tendency to fixate on repetitive behaviors. While Clay has many of these deficits he's easily overwhelmed by other people and often struggles to express himself he also demonstrates one of the distinguishing features of Asperger's: an "encompassing preoccupation" with a narrow subject.
This article appears in the September 7 issue of ESPN The Magazine. It's been less than 48 hours since
Clay Marzo was in the water, but that feels like a ... By Alyssa Roenigk ESPN The Magazine Archive (2009)
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| Sean Davey- Marzo has learned that the very thing holding back is also what makes him great. |
ESPN
It seemed that when the world learned about Marzo and his Asperger's Syndrome, we better understood what he was going through. But at the same time, he was backing away from contests. And the surfing world may have written him off to competitive surfing.
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Quiksilver - Clay Marzo, back in a jersey, and back to winning tail drifts.
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Have you ever loved something to the point that it becomes what you live for? Meet Clay Marzo whose passion for surfing is so pure it defies description. Take a visually stunning and emotionally powerful journey through his life. See Clay literally come alive in the ocean as he destroys the waves of Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, France, Spain and Australia with his wildly creative surfing. The story also showcases an awareness-raising glimpse into his life and mind as he comes to understand both the gifts and challenges of living with Asperger's Syndrome. Clay Marzo surf film "Just Add Water," is available on iTunes, dvd. Check out the TOUR BLOG here.
For Clay, surfing is an elemental need, a form of sustenance, a way of being that he couldn't be without. He just turned 20, but he can't remember a time when he wasn't obsessed with barrels, shortboards, and the daily swell report. When there are no waves, Clay sinks into a stupor. His face takes on a sad, frustrated expression, ... When I ask Clay what he would do if he couldn't surf, he looks confused for a second, as if he's unable to imagine such a terrifying possibility. "I don't know," he says. "I guess then I would just want to surf."
Hans Asperger, the Viennese pediatrician who first identified the disorder in 1944, argued that such obsessiveness can be a prerequisite for important achievement, even if it comes at a steep social cost: "It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential," Asperger wrote. "The necessary ingredient may be an ability to turn away from the everyday world with all abilities canalized into the one specialty."
What makes Clay unique is that his obsession is a sport, not an abstract intellectual category. While many children with Asperger's are marked by their lack of coordination "motor clumsiness" is a very common trait Clay moves in the water with an uncommon grace. (His movements are much more awkward on dry land; I watched him hit his head on a car door and knock over two water glasses in the span of 15 minutes.)
Clay's nickname is "the Rubber-Band Man," since he'll consistently stick maneuvers, such as his signature aerial reversal, that aren't supposed to be possible. He'll be bent over backwards, his blond hair in the water, and he'll find a way to stand up.
Jill says. "He remembers every single wave. They all kind of look the same to me, but not to Clay. Those waves are what he lives for."
Clay Marzo's Liquid Cure | Outside Celebrities ...
CLAY MARZO HAS BEEN WAITING ALL MORNING FOR WAVES.
He's standing with his surfboard next to a NO TRESPASSING sign on the edge of a
pineapple field, looking down...” by Jonah Lehrer - Outside
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| Asperger’s turns social interaction into a source of suffering. “It’s like everyone else has a bucket for dealing with people,” says Clay, “and I only got a cup.” Photographer: Photograph by Jeff Flindt |
Clay powering up before sampling some power. It’s hard to take your time and chew your food when the waves are firing. Just chuck it in your face and get out there.
Clay and “Tall John” found heaven at the Quiksilver dream park in Huntington Beach. Clay’s new shoes definitely helped him take his skating to the next level.
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| Waves are... toys from God. - International ProSurfer Clay Marzo (Marzomania living on the Autism Spectrum) |
Clay Marzo is an aquatic human who packs in more water time than most ocean mammals. He surfs like no one else and his style is spontaneous, creative and unpredictable.
- Autistic Surfer Clay Marzo Masters Waves but Struggles on ... When pro-surfer Clay Marzo rides the waves off Maui's coast, it's hard to imagine that a man so gifted in the water could struggle so much on land. Beyond a few words ...
Clay Marzo « Quiksilver Surf - Email Sign Up:
» Quicksilver Costa Rica Open Kicks Off This Weekend at ...Hawaiian surfer Clay Marzo will be in Costa Rica this ... camera from Olympus, the tournament’s sponsor. ... According to a press release from Quicksilver,
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Young Guns Webisode #4 - Cabo Party Crashers Uploaded by Quiksilver on May 22, 2010
In the 4th webisode of a 5 part series, the Young Guns crash a Roxy photoshoot in Cabo San Lucas. Join the Quiksilver Young Guns for a series of fun filled, action packed webisode series following the Quiksilver Young Guns crew's surf adventures around the world. Check back each Monday for the new episodes. More at quiksilver.com/yg
A.S.P.I.E. - Autism Spectrum Pride In Everything In case you haven't seen it or want to know more about Clay, here is a video that highlights him and his enormous impact on the surfing world: http://youtu.be/
www.youtube.com
Clay Marzo is widely considered one of the best young surfers on the planet. htt...p://www.quiksilver.com/
Sorry, I’m Clay
March 7th, 2012
Some said SUPER’s movie “Sorry, Were Open” had too much Clay. Sorry, heres some more. SUPERbrand presents; from the archives. “Sorry, I’m Clay.”
Footage shot in June 2008
Footage shot in June 2008
via
@EnjoyHi5Autism
EnjoyHi5!Autism
EnjoyHi5Autism (YouTube)
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Thanks for sharing.