Livermore, CA – (December 6, 2012) FINIS, a world leader in technical swimming products, announces an official team sponsorship with the University of Alabama. Over the next 3 years, the men and women’s teams will utilize FINIS technical swimming products and wear top-of-the-line racing apparel as they set their sights on the NCAA Championships.
“Not only are we excited to sign such an athletic juggernaut as the University of Alabama, but we are ecstatic to work with coaching legends Dennis Pursley and Jonty Skinner. Being a former swimming coach myself, I cannot say enough how much I admire their coaching accomplishments,” said FINIS Vice President, Tim Elson.
Head Coach Dennis Pursley has an amazing resume in the sport. His coaching career started in the 1970’s when he trained female swimmer, Mary T Meagher, whose world records lasted for decades. From there he coached for the Australian Institute of Sport, which accounted for half of the Australian medals in the 1984 Olympics. In 1989, Pursley was appointed as the first USA Swimming National Team Director, a post that he held for 14 years. The USA Olympic team finished first in the medal count at three Olympic Games under his direction.
Assisting Pursley is former world record holder, NCAA Champion and International Hall of Famer, Jonty Skinner. As a swimmer, Skinner captured four US National titles in addition to his 1975 NCAA title. He also held the world record in the 100 free for five years, and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1986. As a coach, his swimmers have won 18 national titles and 20 Olympic medals. Additionally, he spent 6 years as the head coach of the USA Resident National team and 8 years as USA Swimming’s Director of Performance Science and Technology.
FINIS is proud to support the University of Alabama Men’s and Women’s swim programs, and look forward to their success. Roll Tide!
About FINIS:
Founded in 1993 in Northern California, FINIS was started by John Mix and Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Pablo Morales. The Monofin and the Swimmer’s Snorkel were the first products they developed for the US market; afterwards, they continued to focus on creating training tools for swimmers and coaches worldwide. FINIS products are currently available in over 65 countries and are used by US and International Olympic teams, elite triathletes, and fitness swimmers.
Innovative research and design is FINIS’ highest priority. This dedication has resulted in truly unique products such as: the Swimmer’s Snorkel, which is recognized as the paramount tool to improve a swimmer’s technique, the SwiMP3 that uses bone conduction technology to play music instead of using ear buds, and the Z2 Zoomers fins, which demonstrate an intimate understanding of swimming musculature, hydrodynamics, and engineering.
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