Clay Dyer Inspires Audience

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – “When your confidence climbs, good things start happening,” said Clay Dyer. The professional bass angler knows what he’s talking about.

Born with no legs and only a partial right arm, Dyer is a successful bass fishing tournament angler – competing exclusively since 1995 and tournament fishing since age 15. His life accomplishments and his ability to overcome obstacles have amazed many. His “If I can, you can” attitude also makes him a popular motivational speaker.

“I am living a dream,” said Dyer, as he addressed a group of convention-goers Friday at Walt Disney World Resort’s Grand Floridian Resort. “I’m so very fortunate in my life because I love what I do.”

Dyer’s remarks were part of the closing seminar in the two-day event, the Executive Experience co-produced by the Disney Institute and the Professional Convention Management Association. The event used the sport of bass fishing as a unique way to help about 45 of the nation’s top meeting planners enhance leadership, build teamwork skills, enact problem-solving and engage in risk-taking.

“I’m successful because I’m living my dream,” Dyer said. “People sometimes wonder if they are successful, but I believe if you follow these principles, you will be successful, too.”

Dyer spoke to the group not about overcoming adversity, but about the qualities of leadership. During his remarks, he demonstrated how he uses his mouth to tie lures to fishing line, while meeting planners in the audience attempted to tie a knot in a cherry stem without using their hands. He also talked about five attributes he believes lead to success: drive, resources, effort, attitude and motivation.

“You have to look at the resources you have, not at what is missing,” Dyer said, encouraging the attendees. “I have a heart, mind and soul to figure out a way to do what I need to do. You have to think about the resources you have and then put effort into making it happen. Life is all about adjustments and working to make things happen.”

Dyer’s appearance was kept a surprise for the meeting planners. Before Dyer spoke, attendees watched a feature about the 27-year-old angler from Hamilton, Ala., which originally aired on ESPN’s SportsCenter and then later on ESPN2’s BassCenter.

Meeting planning professionals from around the country attended the event at the Walt Disney World Resort, with the Executive Experience’s centerpiece being a catch-and-release tournament on Disney’s Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. The planners fished with 25 of the most elite professional BASS anglers for two consecutive mornings, and attended career-building workshops in the afternoons.

Among the top anglers who participated were 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic champion Kevin VanDam of Michigan and 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens of Alabama.

Professional BASS anglers Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala., and Mike Wurm of Hot Springs, Ark., also participated in the seminars, outlining the business side of professional bass fishing in a 90-minute presentation to the planners.

“I was really surprised to see how they would tie fishing to leadership, because it never would have dawned on me,” said Mike Taylor, a meeting planner from Dallas who attended the seminar and fished with Alabama BASS pro Felton Langley. “It was interesting to fish the two days and go through the exercises in the classes and see what the correlations were. And it was a lot of fun.”

 

From BASS