My name is Blayr Barton and I am 20 years old. I grew up surfing in the town of Sandbridge, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I quickly developed a passion for surfing starting at 2 years old. I began competing in surf contests when I was about 8 or 9, and I’ve been hooked on it ever since. Surfing means a lot to me — it is in my blood, and I have a strong drive to win. My goal is to make an impact on the surfing world and eventually reach the Championship Tour. Although I still have room for growth, I truly believe in my ability to succeed. My passion and commitment to winning will always drive me to improve and keep pushing forward.​

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For the past 3 years I have been surfing full time on the WSL Qualifying Series. The goal is to win. I've made goals in the past couple years that I did not think were reachable, then ended up checking them off my list. Right now I'm on my way to qualifying to the next level, the challenger series. This past year has been the most successful year of my life with some of my biggest achievements. 

March 17th, 2023 was a day I thought crushed my dream of succeeding in my career. I was surfing the best I've ever surfed in an event. I was in the Dominican Republic for a QS 3000 that I didn't even plan on doing. I booked a ticket the day before the event and flew in. The injury occurred right before the competition in the early morning. I started in the round of 112 and won every single heat up until the round of 16. I felt unstoppable at that point. I had people I looked up to completely going out of their way to tell me how well I was surfing. It was then on my third wave of the heat, I caught a great wave. I did 3 turns then went to do a set up cutback and when I was redirecting, my knee completely snapped. I dislocated my entire knee cap. 

I got home March 20th, 2023. I went straight to a doctor and got an MRI. The doctor came back and told me that all I needed to do was rehab. For some reason, I just didn't believe that. Pro surfer and Virginia beach local, Michael Dunphy, reached out to me to connect me with a doctor he said was the best. His name was Dr. Masi Reynolds. I chatted to Dr. Masi over the phone once about my MRI and he knew exactly what was needed. 1 week later I flew out to where he worked in California and got surgery on my knee. I wouldn't be where I'm at right now without Dr. Masi’s help and support through everything. It was a long 7 months of hard physical therapy. Getting back into the water was scary but over time it felt like the easiest thing ever. My knee felt bionic.

A couple months after getting back into the water, I went onto the best run of my life. I won the Live Like Zander Pro Junior in Barbados and got a 5th in the QS 5000 there. A week later, I competed in the Jacks Pro QS3000 and got 5th. 2 months went by of no competing, then competed in my hometown QS1000 and won. Going from the scariest experience ever, to accomplishing my dreams, is something I've never thought I would be doing.