Colby “Cheese” Ashton grew up in New Holland, Pennsylvania, playing ice hockey as a goalie. Throughout the years, he was selected to several divisional and league All-Star teams, where it became apparent that he was filled with an ethic of hard work and determination. The demand for solid hand-eye coordination as a goalie gave him a strong foundation that prepared him well for his journey into the world of flair bartending.

     Colby was first introduced to flair while out with friends in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where a bartender was doing some basic 1-bottle moves. These simple flair moves were enough to catch Colby’s eye, as he then went home and searched the Internet to learn more about flair.

      At this stage, Colby’s flair was at the amateur level, but not for long. On October 4th, 2010, Colby entered his first competition in State College, Pennsylvania, for the Mezzanine Flair Challenge. This night did not have the storybook ending Colby envisioned, as he finished second-to-last in the Amateur Division, but it did, however, open his eyes to the vast possibilities of flair. After this competition, Colby was driven to practice for hours on end. Seven months later, he joined the Flair Bartending Association (FBA) and traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for Levi Donaldson’s event, Showcase, in May of 2011. This time, Colby entered the Advanced Division and, although throwing a two-drop round, missed the finals to finish a disappointing 10th place out of 18 bartenders in the division. Determined to improve, two weeks later in Windsor Ontario, Canada, Colby threw a zero-drop round at Super Flair qualifying 2nd place. The following night in the finals, he threw another strong round and brought home his first top three finish with a 3rd place trophy. At this moment, Colby knew flair was his calling and there could be no turning back.

      Colby finished the rest of the 2011 FBA Advanced Tour in the top 3 in every competition, recording four 1st place finishes, three 2nd place finishes, and one 3rd place finish. At the end of the season, Colby was crowned the 2011 FBA Advanced Tour Champion, and also the 2011 BTW Advanced Division Champion. In the 2012 season, Colby moved up the ranks to the Pro Division. After a bit of a shaky start, he finally settled into his own, recording his 1st FBA Pro Tour victory at the Motor City Throwdown in Livonia, Michigan. Two weeks later, he repeated that performance in Denver, Colorado, at the High Altitude Challenge, landing back-to-back wins. At the end of the season, Colby finished tied for 3rd place on the 2012 FBA Pro Tour, resulting in an incredibly successful first year as a Pro.

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​     Currently, Colby continues to compete on the FBA Pro Tour. He also provides flair training nationwide, is invited to guest bartend at numerous venues all over North America, has been seen flair bartending for liquor commercials, and puts on shows for private events as well. In a matter of two to three years, Colby has gone from being a no-name bartender to one of the most well-known pro flair bartenders in North America. Colby enjoys the opportunity to compete with other world-renown flair bartenders and continues to push himself in the hopes of someday winning the Pro Tour, while helping others along the way.