Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, International Swim Hall of Famer and NBC’s long time swim analyst and “Voice of Swimming” for 30 years, Rowdy Gaines, this week endorses the Hammer Head® Swim Cap, a new solution to protect all levels of swimmers against the risk of head injury.
Calling the Hammer Head Swim Cap, a “game changer for all swimmers” in terms of providing protection against head injury in the water, Gaines will also introduce Hammer Head swim caps initially to swimmers and athletes at YMCA locations in the Central Florida region as well as at the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center where he is based as vice president, aquatics, central Florida.
“I am so incredibly excited to partner with Hammer Head and the mission to improve head safety,” says Rowdy Gaines. “I have spent my whole life working to educate athletes and families on the importance of staying safe in, and around, water. As much as we love seeing our children and young athletes enjoy recreational or competitive swimming, it’s critical that we all understand the risks of head injuries and concussion are just as great as they are on the football or soccer field. Swimming is a contact sport. And we need to protect swimmers. It’s just that simple.”
The official support and endorsement of Hammer Head by Rowdy Gaines follows just weeks after the revolutionary cap was endorsed by ASCA, the American Swimming Coaches Association, the world’s leading professional organization for swimming coaches. It also comes amid a sharp rise in awareness of the risks of head injury in swimming and other sports including football, hockey, lacrosse and soccer.
“Rowdy’s endorsement is a major step in our mission to make swimmers, athletes and coaches more aware of the risks of head injury and the water,” says Theresa Finn, co-founder Hammer Head Swim Caps. “Over three decades and seven Olympic games, he’s seen everything in the sport of swimming: new ideas, products, coaching and competition changes and now the concern for the head safety of all swimmers. His endorsement is a real vote of confidence in our head safety technology and will help us educate swimmers, parents and coaches across the country and around the world much faster and far more effectively.
The Hammer Head swim cap is a revolutionary breakthrough for swimmers of all ages and abilities, combining, for the first time ever, swimmer head protection with enhanced performance properties. It’s the brainchild of entrepreneur and 20-year swim coach David Burns together with co-founder and sports brand marketing and business development executive Theresa Finn. Burns hit upon the idea for the Hammer Head cap after witnessing his daughter and another competitive swimmer each hit their heads on the pool wall during practice. Together Burns and Finn have spent the past five years perfecting and bringing the Hammer Head to market.
“Like Rowdy, I’ve been involved in swimming for more than 20 years as a coach, business owner and entrepreneur,” says David Burns, co-founder, Hammer Head Swim Caps. “We’re going to work with Rowdy to find ways to tap into his phenomenal and unmatched network of swim community contacts and get a cap into as many hands as possible. Swimming is definitely a contact sport but there is now a solution. We are thrilled to have Rowdy on board to help spread that message.”
Every Hammer Head swim cap features HIT Honeycomb Impact Technology®, a proprietary layer of honeycomb material that helps absorb the shock of impact with other swimmers and, the pool wall. Made from a specially selected, buttery soft, premium silicone it’s also designed to be the most comfortable cap a swimmer will ever wear. TEKFIT®, a new kind of fit, also means Hammer Head caps have no wrinkles, improving hydrodynamic performance in the water and reducing drag in competition. Hammer Head caps can be worn double-capped under team competition caps, creating a comfortable and wrinkle-free profile.
Hammer Head caps are ideal for every age of swimmer, triathletes, synchronized swimmers, divers, water polo players and other aquatic athletes seeking confidence in the water from improved head protection. Caps retail for $34.95 and are available in three sizes – large medium and small. Colors include black, red, pink and royal blue. To place an order visit www.hammerheadswimcaps.com or for team or bulk orders call 1-888-842-5151 to be connected with a local Hammer Head sales representative.
About Hammer Head® Swim Caps (www.hammerheadswimcaps.com)
Hammer Head® Swim Caps is a patented and trademarked product of Mako International LLC, co-founded by David Burns, a 20-year expert swim coach and swim school owner, and Theresa Finn, a sports brand marketing and business development executive. The Hammer Head Swim Cap is the first major innovation in swim cap design in more than a century. The cap incorporates patent-pending HIT Honeycomb Impact Technology® designed to help absorb the shock of impact with pool walls and other aquatic athletes. Hammer Head swim caps are also designed to provide a better, more comfortable fit that enhances performance. Caps are designed to cover aquatic athletes’ ears to help reduce the in and out flow of water and are more hydrodynamic by eliminating top of cap wrinkles, which in turn reduces drag in the pool. Hammer Head is on a mission to prevent head injuries in the pool one cap at a time.
About Rowdy Gaines (www.rowdygaines.com)
Rowdy Gaines is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, ten-time world recorder holder and long time NBC sports analyst known as the “Voice of Swimming.” He has commentated on, and called, some of the most memorable and significant moments of swimming over 7 Olympic Games and three decades. Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the Olympic Hall of Fame and recipient of many other accolades, Rowdy is a 22 NCAA All American and a 12 time USS National Individual Champion. He is a long time advocate of professional standards and safety in the sport of swimming at all levels from beginner to professional athlete.
Courtesy: Hammer Head Swim Caps, a SwimSwam partner.
