Barton Lynch (born 9 August 1963) is an Australian former professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. In 1988, he was crowned ASP World Tour Champion. He also won the 1991 Rip Curl Pro. In 1998, he was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame. The video game Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is named after Lynch. [1]
Lynch was born in Manly, New South Wales on 9 August 1963 and was raised in the nearby Sydney suburb of Whale Beach. [2] The son of a policeman, he started surfing when he was 8 years old. He quickly mastered the tricky, powerful sandbars, which proved to be a training ground for the world stage; the same waves nourished the talents of Stuart Entwistle, Layne Beachley and Pam Burridge.
Lynch emerged from the beach break of Manly with a flexible and gymnastic style and unflappable competitive drive that helped him to a successful junior career, including victories in the Pro Junior, the JJJ Junior and the ASPA ratings. He refined his competitive act into a fluid routine of vertical maneuvers that brought him immediate success on the ASP World Tour. He spent 13 consecutive years in the top 16, earning a reputation as a brilliant tactical competitor as well as a forthright and articulate spokesman for the sport. His greatest competitive moment came in Hawaii, where he won both the 1988 Billabong Pro and the 1988 ASP World Tour title.
Over the course of his 15-year pro career, Lynch would place in the top 4 a total of 8 times, win 17 world tour events (which included the Op Pro and Rip Curl Pro). In 1993, Lynch won the highly competitive ranks of the World Qualifying Series Tour, and in 1995, at the age of 32 won the Rio Surf Pro. Lynch remained competitive until his retirement in 1998.
After retiring, he added big wave tow surfing to his repertoire. In 2006, he teamed up with former rival Tom Carroll to tow an historically massive swell that hit Sydney. He created the Surfers Group (a multi-faceted consultancy firm) and was chosen to coach Team Australia for the ISA Surfing Games. In explaining his experience prior to coaching the Games, Lynch said, "I love coaching young Aussies and trying to inject the passion I have to maintain our position as the premier surfing nation". Lynch currently works as an analyst on the commentary team for the World Surf League Championship Tour coverage.
He currently lives in the Sydney suburb of Avalon with his wife Holly. He also organizes BL's Blast Off (a pre-junior's surf event held at Sydney's Palm Beach).
Robert Kelly Slater 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, and holds 56 Championship Tour victories. Slater is also the oldest surfer still active on the World Surf League, winning his 8th Billabong Pipeline Masters title at age 49.
Rip Curl is a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of surfing sportswear and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing companies in Australia, Europe, South America, North America and South Africa. Globally, Rip Curl is considered a successful member of the "Big Three", of the surf industry alongside Quiksilver and Billabong.
Sofía Mulánovich Aljovín is a Peruvian surfer. She is a 3-time World Surfing Champion, 1 WSL and 2 ISA world championships,. She is the first Peruvian surfer ever to win a World Surf League World Championship Tour event and the first Latin American woman ever to win the World Title, which she did in 2004 In 2004, she won three out of the six World Championship Tour events, and finished the season as Absolute World Champion. Sofia is the only one Latin-american surfer to win 2 ISA World Championships. Sofia won the ISA Championships, 2004 in Salinas-Ecuador and 2019 in Miyazaki-Japan. Her main sponsor is Roxy.
Patrick Shane Dorian, or "Shane", is an American surfer from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He spent 11 years touring on the World Championship Tour as a professional surfer. Dorian quit competition surfing in 2003 to focus on big waves. He is currently a big wave surfer and one of the best in the world at big wave riding.
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The Rip Curl Pro, formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, is a WSL World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria and sponsored by surf company Rip Curl. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia. The event winner is awarded the prestigious 'Bell' trophy.
Nathan "The Hog" Hedge is a professional surfer raised on the Northern Sydney beach of Narrabeen.
Sally Fitzgibbons is an Australian professional surfer on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour (2009–2013). In June 2019, she was ranked No. 1 in the world for women's surfing after winning the Rio Pro.
Peter Townend, also known as PT, is an Australian surfer and first IPS/ASP World Surfing Champion.
Gary Elkerton, known as Kong is an Australian surfer, three time world masters champion, three time world professional runner-up, twice Hawaiian Triple Crown champion and Australian amateur champion (1984). He is regarded as an iconic big-wave rider and is highly respected by his peers for his unique, powerful surfing style. In 2009, Gary was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame.
Australia is renowned as one of the world's premier surfing destinations. Surfing underpins an important part of the Australian coastal fabric. It forms part of a lifestyle in which millions participate and which millions more have an interest. Australian surfboard-makers have driven innovation in surfboard design and production since the mid-1960s. The country has launched corporate giants such as Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver.
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Malia Manuel is Hawaiian professional surfer. She won Rookie of the Year in 2012 and was ranked 5th on the 2014 ASP World Tour. In 2008, at the age of 14 she became the youngest surfer ever to win the U.S. Open of Surfing.
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