Future Stars of America2 (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Hawaii's Local Treasure

Dawn Patrol

As the sun began to rise over the ocean, water splashed against Clay Marzo's face. He and his older brother paddled out for their first ride of the day. The only other people in the ocean were a couple of local surfers. They smiled and nodded to Clay. Everyone knows the sixteen-year-old superstar. After all, Clay has been surfing these waters for most of his life.

Clay was out on dawn patrol. That means he was in the water very early in the morning. Clay knows of an out-of-the-way spot called the Pool. It's the perfect place to surf at dawn, when the sun is just coming up.

Clay lives in a town called Lahaina [pronounced lah-high-nah]. It's located on the island of Maui, in the beautiful state of Hawaii. "My family moved to Hawaii from San Diego when I was a baby," Clay explains. "I can never thank my parents enough for bringing me to this amazing spot." He isn't kidding. Lahaina has awesome waterfalls and friendly people.

Clay had woken up at five o'clock in the morning. It was quiet and dark. At that hour, most people on the island were fast asleep. It was tough getting out of bed so early, but Clay wanted to surf. After getting dressed, he had gulped down some cereal and juice. Then he and his brother grabbed their surfboards. In a flash, they were out the door and on the way to the ocean.

On a typical day, Clay will surf for several hours. It's easy because he lives close to the ocean. He can even smell the salt air through the open windows of his house. That always makes him think about surfing. There's nothing Clay loves more than being out in the water.

Clay knows how lucky he is to be raised in Hawaii. "Sometimes I can't believe I live in the best place on earth," he says. "When I travel to other countries to surf, it's awesome, of course. But there's nothing quite like the feeling of being home in Lahaina."