Editor’s note: Yes, this was an April Fool’s joke. But really….we’d buy one. Hmm…
Is USA Swimming’s SwimToday campaign getting a jump on April Fools? You be the judge.
SwimToday release via Facebook:
A conglomerate of SwimToday partners are coming together to introduce the new Narwhal Swim Cap (#NarwhalSwimCap) as a lead-up to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. This first-ever, high-tech innovation is engineered to help elite and youth athletes improve performance. It is inspired by the hydrodynamics of the narwhal, the “unicorn of the sea,” and a uniquely specialized Arctic predator.
After a “Design Thinking” session, the team came up with the simple, yet ingenious idea of extending the reach of the swimmer to get to the wall faster just as the narwhal uses its tusk to break through ice.
“It was so obvious in hind sight that the idea practically poked us in the eye,” said SwimToday spokesperson Janeiro Brazilton. “Our lawyers discovered that in the backstroke and freestyle events, there is only a requirement that some part of the swimmer touch the wall at the finish so a touch by the swimmer’s head would qualify as the finish.”
Made of soft, durable silicone for long lasting wear, the Narwhal Swim Cap is built for high speeds and engineered with the most hydrodynamic features. The unprecedented design allows swimmers of all levels to form a better streamline in the water. The improved technique has resulted in seconds shaved off of times.
“While some scientists believe a narwhal uses its tusk to battle rival suitors, we believe it’s used to help them make some of the deepest dives recorded for a marine mammal, so we’re going to go with that,” said Brazilton. “Admittedly, we are still working on how it works outside the pool. But if people can walk with umbrellas in New York during a rainstorm, we are confident we can figure this part out too.”
The Narwhal Swim Cap is $19.99. If you buy one today, we will throw in a second one free.
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS FROM SWIMSWAM LOL
I want one! lololol
Joke or not – I want one!
April fools…..
Don’t you have to touch with your arms first in all strokes?
WAIT. I REALLY NEED THIS! Where do I give my money?!
Swimswam has not lost its sense of humor!
Even if it is an April’s fools joke (which it most likely is), if you think about it, a lunge with an outstretched arm would still be much more effective in getting to the wall faster than the cap. Your hand is farther out from your body and trying to touch the wall with the cap could waste hundredths.
Never mind breaking your neck on impact, as long as you touch first.