SARASOTA, Fla. — Athlete, motivational speaker, author and social media influencer Zion Clark joined around a dozen other speakers at the PINC Conference in Sarasota on Thursday.
Popularly known as the man without legs, Clark shared his inspirational story with attendees at the conference that was held at the Sarasota Opera House. The conference made its return after a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 26-year-old, who is also an MMA fighter, was named the "fastest man on two hands" by the Guinness Book of World Records and gained popularity throughout the world as an extraordinary athlete who had overcome extreme physiological adversity. Through his endeavors and athletic pursuits, the social media influencer not only personifies his story but also his message.
"You don't need legs to leave a footprint on this earth, meaning that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you do, what your background is, you can still impact, no matter where you are on the planet," Clark said.
Born with the rare disorder known as Caudal regression syndrome, Clark defied the odds stacked against him and made it onto his high school wrestling team. He would later join the college wrestling team at Kent State University as well as the school's wheelchair racing team.
"I have been a pro athlete for a while. At 18, I was a track-field athlete, winning multiple national titles," he said. "Making the Team USA and just doing a lot of cool things since then. Being a speaker and being an author all that stuff has just kind of been adding onto it."
Growing up, Clark's story wasn't always filled with glory.
His condition, which was caused by his birth mother's use of drugs during pregnancy, meant he would require a lot of help and attention. He was placed in and struggled through Ohio's foster care system for years. During that time he said he was picked on and bullied but took an early interest in wrestling. He was later adopted in his late teen years just before he aged out of the system.
"My grades went up, everything was better. I stopped getting suspended, I stopped getting in trouble and I stopped getting kicked out of school," Clark said. "I went from being a problem child to being one of the most sought-after athletes in the country."
Through travel and technology, Clark teaches and shows young people about pursuing their passion and finding their place in the world despite their given conditions.
"They need to know that they need to just find whatever makes them happy and just run with it. I don't need to be detailed when I tell the kids. Children are very impressionable. They see somebody that they look up to doing something and nine times out of 10, they are going to try it."
He said he often reminds everyone of his favorite phrase: "You don't need legs to leave a footprint."
"The words are so powerful to me, because I don't have legs, and I was given one of the worst upbringings that you could possibly imagine that you could have in our country, and I still made a massive impact worldwide," Clark said. "It's one of the most powerful things that I have ever said in a speech in front of thousands and thousands of people and I still stand on that."
PINC's annual Long Table Dinner in the Rosemary District will be held Friday, Dec. 8 with many of the speakers from the conference attending.