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 The Rip Curl Pro, formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, is a WSL (formerly ASP) 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, Austra ...

. 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.

Life and career

Lynch was born in Manly,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

on 9 August 1963 and was raised in the nearby Sydney suburb of Whale Beach.Barton Lynch Biography 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 Layne Collette Beachley (born 24 May 1972) is a former professional surfer from Manly, New South Wales. She won the World Championship seven times. Currently she is the chair of Surfing Australia. Surfing career At the age of 16 Beachley ...

and

Pam Burridge Pam Burridge (born 1965) is an Australian surfer and one of the pioneers of women’s surfing in Australia. Born in Sydney, she entered her first surfing competition in 1977, proceeding to win various regional and national titles in the follow ...

. Lynch emerged from the beachbreak 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 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 state ...

, where he won both the 1988

Billabong Pro The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was originally known as the International Professional ...

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

). 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.

Post surfing

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.

Personal life

He currently lives in the Sydney suburb of

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

with his wife Holly. He also organizes BL's Blast Off (a pre-junior's surf event held at Sydney's Palm Beach).

References

External links

*
Barton Lynch profile
at Surfline.com * http://www.worldchampionsofsurfing.com/barton-lynch-biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Barton 1963 births Living people Australian surfers Sportsmen from New South Wales Sportspeople from Sydney World Surf League surfers Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees