Clay Marzo (born July 17, 1989) is an American professional surfer known for his unique "double-jointed" style of turns and spins. He was raised in Lahaina,

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

where he currently resides. Marzo has been acclaimed for his creativity and innovation as a young surfer, and featured in several films.

Career

Clay Marzo began competitively surfing and swimming at an early age. When he was 10 years old, he won the 200-meter freestyle event at the annual Hawaii State Swimming Championships. At age 11, he placed third at the

National Scholastic Surfing Association The National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) is a surfing association in the United States. It is a member organization of Surfing America, the National Governing Body of Surfing in the United States. Founded in 1978 by Tom Gibbons, John Rothr ...

(NSSA) Nationals competition, and signed a pro contract with the

Quiksilver Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Australia, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipm ...

team. When Marzo was 15, he became the first surfer to receive two perfect 10's in NSSA history and won the NSSA National title. In 2005, Marzo became the NSSA Open Men's National Champion. His other accomplishments include being nominated for Maneuver of the Year at the 2007 Surfer Poll Awards and Water Man of the Year in 2006. Marzo has appeared with other notable surfers like

Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time. Slater is also ...

, Julian Wilson, and

Dane Reynolds Dane Reynolds (born September 7, 1985 in Long Beach, California) is an American professional surfer from Ventura, California. He is known for his "go for broke" style of surfing that includes many experimental and aerial maneuvers. Biography ...

as a member of Quiksilver's Young Guns crew in the second and third films in the series. Other films include "Stranger than Fiction" and "Today Tomorrow," an episode of

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

's E:60. In 2008, he was featured in a documentary film titled "Clay Marzo: Just Add Water," directed by Jamie Tierney and Strider Wasilewski, which explores Marzo's surfing and his experience as a person with Asperger syndrome. Marzo's sponsors include JSLV, Carve,

Skullcandy Skullcandy Inc. is an American company based in Park City, Utah, that markets headphones, earphones, hands-free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players, and other products. Products Skullcandy's products are primarily targeted at the outdoor acti ...

, SPY Optic, Future, Creatures of Leisure, Vestal,

Rockstar Energy Rockstar (stylized as ROCKST★R or ЯR) is an energy drink created in 2001, which, , has a 0.3% market share of the US non-alcoholic beverage market. Rockstar is based in Purchase, New York. , Rockstar Energy Drink was available in more than 2 ...

, and Komunity Project.

Personal life

Marzo was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, in December 2007. Until then, his unconventional behavior at home and on the professional circuit was often misunderstood by those around him. Marzo did not connect well with peers at school or with fans or sponsors, he did not play by the expected rules at surf competitions, and he was known for being painfully honest. Marzo is intensely focused on his sport and has been described as both intuitive and expressive in the water. He is constantly seen rubbing his hands together at a rapid pace. Marzo volunteers with

Surfers Healing Surfers Healing is a non-profit organization that teaches children with autism to surf. It was founded by Israel and Danielle Paskowitz for the benefit of their son Isaiah Paskowitz who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Surfers Healing seeks ...

, a non-profit organization from Malibu, California, which exposes autistic children to surfing at camps in the United States and Canada. From 2008 to 2015, Marzo's bookkeeper, Felicidad Rivera, stole nearly $400,000 from Marzo and his mother. As a result, Marzo ended up losing his home and life savings. Marzo and his mother had difficulty overseeing Rivera due to the fact that Marzo has Asperger syndrome and his mother has dyslexia. In 2017, Rivera was sentenced to 35 months in prison.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marzo, Clay 1989 births American surfers Lahainaluna School alumni Living people People with Asperger syndrome