About Speedo
Australian-based Speedo (yes, the logo looks like a boomerang because it is a boomerang) was born in an underwear manufacturer in 1914. The company took the name Speedo in 1928 when its fast and innovative Racerback swimsuit design became popular.
Speedo landed on the medal platform at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic games as Australian Claire Dennis took gold in the 200m breaststroke. Speedo has been outfitting Olympic winners ever since.
At the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, Speedo's sponsorship of the entire Australian team transformed the company into a world famous brand when the team swept the board with 8 gold medals.
The Mexico Olympics of 1968 saw some brilliant performances, with 27 of the 29 gold medallists wearing Speedo suits. In addition, 22 out of the 23 world records set at the Games went to swimmers wearing Speedo.
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, a staggering 21 out of the 22 world records were also broken by swimmers wearing the brand. Speedo was also the official swimwear licensee for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where 52 out of 54 countries wore their swimsuits.
SPEEDO kicked off the 21st century in style, launching the revolutionary FASTSKIN swimsuit. Its award winning sharkskin-based design was eagerly received by swimmers like Michael Phelps and Lisbeth Lenton who continue SPEEDO's traditional medal-winning dominance. The LZR suit debuted February 2008.
About Dolfin
Fifty years ago, John Hoff serendipitously came across a unique business opportunity. Sitting by a pool one day, he overheard lifeguards lamenting how they were unable to get enough of their favorite racing briefs from Australia. He realized that the same nylon tricot fabric he used to manufacture women's lingerie could be used to make the elusive guard suits. By the following weekend, he had outfitted all of the lifeguards and launched a new swimwear business called Dolfin.
Today, after outfitting dozens of NCAA team champions, countless state champions and even a few world record holders, John Hoff's legacy lives on through all the swimmers who compete, practice and exercise in "Dolfins" every day of the year. And although much has changed through the years, our commitment to the highest standards of innovation, quality and value in the Dolfin brand of products remains steadfast. With the addition of the Ocean and AquaShape brands, we can offer a full and diverse range of swimwear options as we lead the way into the next 50 years of great swimming.
See Dolfin's entire line at www.dolfinswimwear.com. We're happy to special-order anything you see there that we don't already have on our site.
About Finis (pronounced "fin-NEE")
Founded in 1993 by John Mix and Olympic Gold Medalist, Pablo Morales, FINIS, Inc. develops the most technologically advanced training equipment for the swimming community. Finis is the proud sponsor of Australian Olympic Swimmer and World Record Holder Jade Edmistone and USA Waterpolo captain, 2 time Olympian Tony Azevedo. From competitive swimwear and technical training equipment to high-end swim goggles and childrenís water confidence, FINIS offers something for swimmers of all abilities to improve their technique and add to their enjoyment of being in the water. Brands owned and operated by Finis include: FINIS, SwiMP3, Zoomers, Lane 4, and Water Pals.
Finis was founded by Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Pablo Morales in 1993. Pablo's influence as one of the world's greatest butterfliers led to the development of our first product, the Monofin. This piece of equipment is regarded today as one of the top 25 innovations to our sport.
"Up to 60% of your race in short course can be underwater, use that time wisely."
- Richard Quick, Head Coach 1996, 2000 USA Olympic Swim Team
Thus, our tradition of providing high-quality, creative technical products to the swimming world began. We have worked with many coaches and swimmers in the years since to create products that optimize training and competitive performance. Here are a few highlights:
In 1995 the Swimmer's Snorkel was introduced to improve body balance and positioning while increasing lung capacity. Today it would be hard to find a top 25 collegiate team which does not train with the snorkel.
Working with UC Berkeley coach Nort Thornton, Finis developed the Hydro-Hip and Tech Toc to teach the importance of hip rotation and timing for optimizing power to the stroke.
Tim Elson, 15 year Pepperdine head coach and Finis VP, patented the Freestyler Hand Paddle, which develops proper hand entry and enhances the length of stroke; fundamental building blocks for proper freestyle swimming.
International coaches pioneered the Forearm Fulcrum which encourages ideal Early Vertical Forearm.
In 1999 we introduced Lane 4 swim goggles because the quality of goggles for young swimmers had been overlooked. Today our swim goggles are used by the United States Swim School Association and Swim America programs as being the best goggles with respect to comfort and leak proof for small faces.
The Tempo Trainer was designed in 2001 to teach stroke cadence and help swimmers discover their optimal stroke rate. Today this simple product is used extensively for split interval feedback during workouts and is a required tool for many swim teams, triathletes, and elite runners around the world.
Zoomers, a brand started by Stanford All American Swimmer and water polo player, Dr. Marty Hull, is now owned and operated by Finis. Working together with Dr. Hull we co-developed the Z2 Fin which is the ìsports carî version of the original Zoomer and is being used by top collegiate and club programs across the country.
Understanding a need for high-quality swimsuits at value prices, we introduced our line of Finis Aquatuff and Hydrospeed swimsuits in 2002. The Aquatuff swimsuit is 100% PBT polyester with an unprecedented 90 day guarantee. The Hydrospeed is the choice of many young champions, including world champion and world record holder Jade Edmistone.
On the entertainment front, Finis introduced the patent pending SwiMP3. Using bone conduction to transmit high fidelity music to the swimmer, this product was revered by Time magazine as a top sporting goods item in 2005. We have since extended this product line of MP3 players for the surf and aqua exercise industries.
Our newest venture extends to Water Polo as we intend to build products and recognition for the sport with the assistance of Water Polo great, US Team Captain Tony Azevedo.
The Finis staff includes swimmers, coaches, and water polo players from Stanford, Santa Barbara, Pepperdine,Bakersfield, New York, Atlanta, and Nebraska. Our goal is to help swimming advance on all levels, and we appreciate you being a part of the process. Your feedback offers insights to new ideas and encouraged to assist our efforts to improve our products.
Looking for Finis products not SwimLocker.com? Let us special order anything from www.finisinc.com with our outstanding SwimLocker service and pricing.
About H2O Audio
Music can improve your mood, increase endurance, and bestow vital motivation. Would Rocky have been able to beat Clubber Lang (a.k.a. Mr.T) without Eye of the Tiger playing in his training montage? We here at H2O Audio think not. We also believe that the inspirational and spiritual power of music should not be reserved only for the Rocky Balboas and other land loving athletes of the world. As surfers, wakeboarders, paddlers, and swimmers, we encourage H2O Audio users to experience their music in any element.
Like many other inventive business endeavors the seed of H2O Audio was planted in graduate school, i.e. FedEx. The first brain child of the founding fathers was a waterproof CD case fashioned with a pair of crudely engineered waterproof headphones. At the time people couldn't fathom, pun intended, the need for an underwater music player. Fortunately for swimmers, surfers, wakeboarders, paddlers, and water enthusiasts everywhere they were not deterred. In 2002 a plan was set forth to design an mp3 housing that would allow users to take their music anywhere and everywhere. The result was a waterproof housing for the iRiver mp3 player that can operate at depths of up to 200ft (DV Series.) In 2005 the H2O Audio family evolved to accommodate the leader in personal mp3 players, Apples iPod. As Apple continues to alter the handheld music player universe and the demand for waterproof protection increases H2O Audio will continue to offer the best waterproof iPod cases and waterproof accessories in the industry.
Lap swimmers will suffer in silence no more, snowboarders can champion their playlist through even the thickest of gloves, and rock and roll will no longer be just an obstacle and a survival maneuver for kayakers. Waterproof your playlist and experience music in any element.
About OtterBox
It all began around the very simple concept of a “box.”
Otterbox mastermind and CEO Curt Richardson, with his 25 years experience in tooling and molding, wanted to build a company that was distinct and structured upon innovation and evolution. In 1996, OtterBox was born.
Our cases are dedicated to all the klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle. Like our customers, we’ve been there too! From the beginning, we have protected valuables through innovation. This “innovative spirit” has allowed evolution in our product lines to safeguard the hottest technologies such as iPod’s, smartphones, PDA’s, Tablet PC’s, laptops and other devices. We take the idea of a protective case to the next level so customers can find the ideal solution for any work environment or adventure!
Ok, rewind a bit to the name origination, we know you’re wondering. On a drive to Denver, Curt and his wife Nancy were brainstorming company names. The name needed to be exciting and something people wouldn’t forget. They wanted “box” to be in the name, but also wanted to incorporate “water” because the original OtterBox case line is waterproof (oceanic tidbit: an Otter’s fur has a waterproof quality). Because of their fun, playful disposition “Otter” was the perfect fit! Well, the name stuck and we have to admit our logo is pretty darn cute too!
OtterBox is located in one of the greatest cities in America and no we’re not completely bias, see Money Magazine’s 2006 rating for Best Places to Live. Yes, Fort Collins, Colorado is ranked #1. With easy access to the mountains for biking, hiking, running, camping, skiing, snowboarding and other activities, many of us use our cases everyday. We also serve as excellent “guinea pigs” for new product testing.
We’re a fun, hard working, creative bunch that enjoy a good laugh and a good beer, especially come Friday. We have in-house sales, customer service, engineering, public relations, marketing, web design, graphics and even our own warehouse.
At OtterBox, it’s not one person changing the world of cases, it’s a team!
About TYR (pronounced "tier").
Named after the mythical Norse god of warriors and deity among all athletes, the TYR brand embodies the competitive spirit of sports and is a symbol of courage and victory. Founded in 1985, TYR has passionately dedicated itself to redefining the next generation of performance and recreational swimwear and accessories, while continuing to be the model of leading edge innovation and style.
TYR is the largest privately held performance swimwear manufacturer in North America.
- TYR partners with Swimwear Anywhere, the second largest branded swimwear manufacturer in North America, for the design and production of all our swimwear. Among their stable of brands, Swimwear Anywhere designs the swimwear lines for Liz Claiborne, DKNY, Juicy Couture and Carmen Marc Valvo.
Made for swimmers, by swimmers.
- Executive Vice President, Steve Furniss, competed in two Olympic Games (1972 Bronze Medalist, 1976), and was Captain of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Swim Team.
- Steve Furniss, and his brother Bruce (1976 Gold Medalist), participated in the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.
TYR Aqua Shift™.
- For the 2004 Olympic Games, TYR has developed the world's only utility patented*, performance swim technology.
- Aqua Shift was tested for more than two years at the world's most advanced flume research facility: the Center for Research and Development in Special Environments at the University of Buffalo.
- David Pendergast, Ph.D., conducted the state-of-the-art testing. Dr. Pendergast is a professor at SUNY-Buffalo and has served on the USA Swimming's Biomechanics Sport Performance Team and on USA Swimming's Sport Science Committee.
- CRESE test results found that TYR Aqua Shift reduces drag by 10% over Speedo Fastskin. Speedo's Fastskin II claims to reduce it by only 4%.
TYR innovations are industry firsts.
- TYR introduced the first swim goggle designed specifically for women, the Femme T-72 (1992 Manufacturers Innovation Award Nominee).
- TYR developed the TechnoFlex™ Goggles Series. TechnoFlex goggles were the first single-piece (uni-body) goggle to be made entirely from PVC.
- TYR swimwear and goggles swam an Antarctica mile.
- TYR was the personal choice of swimwear and accessories for Lynne Cox, the "world's most extraordinary distance swimmer," and subsequently her proud product sponsor.
- Lynne has set unprecedented records for swimming such bodies of water as the English Channel, Cook Strait, Strait of Magellan, Bering Strait, Cape of Good Hope and becoming the first human to swim an Antarctic mile.
- In January of 2004, Lynne's book Swimming to Antarctica was published by Knopf.
TYR in the media.
- TYR was featured on the front cover of the 1991 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
- TYR designed and customized the famous Red Swimsuits worn by all cast members on the television series "Baywatch™" for its entire broadcast run.
About Water Gear
Reed Rothhammer, owner of Water Gear, Inc., started swimming before walking. He competed in swimming through High School, ending his career as one of the top ranked swimmers in Southern California. He quit swimming to focus on his studies at USC. At USC, he earned his business management degree to run the family business which he built up from a small goggle company to a major force in the swimming industry. The family business was sold in 1994, so that is when all of his energy went into establishing a new brand of swimming accessories called Water Gear. He only wanted to carry the most reasonably priced products but provide the best quality. With his over 40 years in the swimming industry, he was well equipped to provide his market base with the products they need to stay in shape.
With over 300 quality products, Water Gear can make your aquatic experience fun and rewarding. Unique designed products such as the Aqua Trim flotation belt is one of the most popular pieces of gear at pools across the nation. The patented Water Runner provides equal flotation to balance the user while running in place. The resistance bells are the #1 preferred piece of equipment in the aqua aerobics industry, built tough to last. Over 45 styles of swimming goggles are offered to fit every possible userís desire, including optically correct goggles.
Since 1994, Water Gear has established itself as a major supplier of aqua aerobics gear and competitive swimming accessories. With a focus of continuing the tradition of quality and price point, Water Gear will continue to be a leader in the aquatic industry.
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