The Lifeguard Store

I spoke with a coworker a week ago, and I asked her what swim cap material is best to wear; silicone, latex, or lycra?  Her preferred cap was latex, because she believes that it protects hair the most, but there’s also great perks to the lycra and the silicone caps from what I’ve heard.  Working for The Lifeguard Store, you would be surprised to know that some of us aren’t swimmers (weird, right?).  There are indeed swimming professionals who work among us (and thank God for them), but I am one of those sore thumbs that stick out among the inexperienced.  I work up in the web department, the only girl amidst a group “techy” guys.  I was curious one day to try on three of these different caps to see what I’d look like, and so I thought I’d share it with you.

To acquire these caps, I had to venture far down the mountainous staircase to good old “Graphics Land.”  You see, Graphics Land is a wondrous, magical place where all The Lifeguard Store’s art requests are brought to life.  There are two, incredible Photoshop magicians there, and they spend their days concocting artistic brilliance over a computer screen to delight the hopes and dreams of our happy custom team customers.  In Graphics Land, I humbly requested three swim caps from one of the magician’s I was lucky enough to befriend, and she procured two of them for me.  But, the last one she told me I had to seek out through customer service. Oh, customer service, defenders of the innocent, and the greatest problem solvers in all The Lifeguard Store; so noble and vigilant they are.   I eventually received the third cap, and I quickly made my way back up the mountainous terrain once more to return to my own department.  After such a long, tiresome journey of about 10 minutes, I sat back in my cozy office chair and looked with delight upon the treasures I had obtained.

The two I tried on above are silicone (left), and latex (right).  I realized quickly that when I put on the silicone, the reason it didn’t stay on was because it wasn’t the right size for my enormous head. I didn’t want to part with it for an alternative size because it was a kitty cap! I mean, who wouldn’t want a kitty cap?  I really did like the texture of the silicone cap, it seemed like it would provide a comfortable fit when worn. Another great feature of silicone caps is that they are a perfect alternative for people with latex allergies.

When I put on the latex cap, it reminded me of my swimming days as a kid.  Believe it or not, I was once a part of a summer league back in my hometown for a year or two (whoa, surprising, right?).  But, this one was more comfortable than the one I wore as a kid probably because we had a cheaper version of latex.  I remember taking baby powder and filling up the cap, rubbing it back and forth, and then shoving it on my head because one of my teammates said that it would make it more comfortable to put on.  I don’t remember it being as comfortable as this one, and I certainly don’t remember how the baby powder helped in adding to that comfort.  Either way, when I put this one on I felt very much like pro-athlete…. Or maybe not… maybe more of a superhero.

The last one I tried on here was the lycra.  It was for sure different than the other two, but nonetheless of great quality.  I have never even heard of lycra swim caps until I started working here, but everyday coming to work I’ve learned a lot of super interesting swim-related tidbits that I had never formerly known. One of my coworkers shared with me that sometimes lycra caps are great for swimmers with long hair.  I can see that by the flexibility of the fabric. As you can see in the photo on the right, at this point I was just ready to get them off.

But less about me, and more about YOU!

What swim cap do YOU prefer? And why? Tell me what you think of lycra, latex, silicone swim caps—or even neoprene, if you use those.  You have the experience that I don’t, and I would love to hear what you have to say.

Did you think that because you’re swimming under water that you can’t listen to music? Not anymore! With the technology we have today, anything is possible. If you aren’t listening to your favorite music while you’re swimming, you need to be!

Faster Time:

By using a swimming mp3 player, like the FINIS Neptune MP3 Player, you will train faster and more efficient. You may already know that your favorite song can motivate you to run faster, but did you know it is the same concept underwater? In a recent study done at Brunel University in the United Kingdom, listening to music cut athletes 200-meter times by 3 seconds. They have found that songs that played 130 beats per minute motivate swimmers.

More Enjoyable:

If you easily get bored while swimming your laps, make the time go by faster by listening to music. Fill Neptune’s 4GB storage with relaxing music, or the hottest hits on the radio – the choice is yours! You’ll keep your brain occupied and you may even swim faster!

Why you should check out the

FINIS Neptune MP3 Player:

Neptune is a waterproof MP3 player that provides the highest quality sound in the water without the use of ear buds. Neptune uses revolutionary Bone Conduction audio transmission to transmit crystal clear audio through the cheekbone directly into the inner ear. With 4GB of storage, aquatic athletes can listen to music, audio books, podcasts and more, all with incredible sound. The included charging cable also allows for quick song upload to the device. The 3-piece design has 2 side speakers and a high contrast OLED screen that sits comfortably on the back of the head. The screen shows the song, artist and play status for each use. Neptune attaches securely to goggle straps and rests on the cheekbones as to not interfere with swimming technique.

Additional Underwater MP3 Players: 

FINIS Duo Underwater MP3 Player: This underwater MP3 player is designed for swimmers. The FINIS Duo Underwater MP3 offers high-quality sound without the use of ear buds. 

Are you looking to tone up without the havoc on your joints? If so, water aerobics is a great way to get a full body workout! Resembling traditional barbells, these weights can give you quite the workout!

Benefits

One of the major benefits of water aerobics is that there are fewer burdens on your joints and muscles. Because of this, there is less of a chance you will get injured or have muscle soreness. Typical exercises like running and lifting weights are known to be hard on your joints. If you are having trouble with regular exercises, you will find relief with water aerobics. Another great benefit of water aerobics is that your heart rate is roughly 17 beats per minute less than regular exercising. While this means good things for you heart, you will also increase your lung capacity and increase your flexibility!

Water Aerobics Equipment

• Jog Belts – Helps with balance and buoyancy in water

• Resistance Gloves – Used to enhance the natural resistance of water

• Resistance Hand Bars – Used above water for support and stabilization. Used underwater for resistance.

• Swim Bar Floats – Used for balance and stabilization.

• Wrist/Ankle Weights – Adds resistance for aqua aerobics or therapy.

Common Water Aerobic Exercises

• Water Walking – Use the resistance gloves and walk across the pool in waist-height water, swinging your arms while you walk.

• Pool Plank – While standing on the pool floor, hold a noodle or a swim bar float with both hands. Press it into the water and lean forward until your body is at an incline. This is a great ab exercise!

• Bicep Curls – Hold hand bars in each hand at your hips with palms facing up. While keeping your elbow near your body, bend your arm until your arm reaches shoulder height.

Other Items

If you are a pool owner, you may need some other items such as a storage system or other H20 Equipment such as a treadmill or stepper.

Imagine that you show up to a swim meet and there isn't swim lanes - that's a crazy thought isn't it? When swimming competitively, these lanes are not only used to help you stay away from others swimmers but also to help with draft and dead spots. Our top-of-the-line Competitor Lanes give you calm water for you to trudge through in order to beat your competition!

The Lifeguard Store has many options when purchasing your custom swim lanes that are perfect for your pool. As you know, pools come in many different sizes. For competitive swimming, the two common sizes are a Short Course and a Long Course. The Short Course is 25 meters long and is the common size of public swimming pools while the Long Course is 50 meters long, also known as Olympic sized. If you are looking for different lengths, we offer more sizes such as our 60' lane, 75' lane, or we even offer our 60' 6" Gold Medal Lane.

Want your swim lanes customized? We take it a step further! That's right. Here at The Lifeguard Store we allow you to have full control of the look of your lanes. Do you want your lanes to have just two colors? What about having two different colors for your middle segments and a distinctive 15 meter marker? The options are endless! Be sure to check out our Competitor Lane Viewer to see what colors look the best for your pool. Unlike our competition, we have 12 colors to choose from!

From cables to floats, we sell a wide variety of replacement parts to keep you in the water!

In 1992, The Lifeguard Store concept was first  conceived revealed at a lifeguard instructor course in Hong Kong. While teaching the course, Mark Oostman discovered the lack of proper safety equipment and a relevant source to provide it. After returning to the States, Mark started the process of contacting manufacturers to set up an international distribution network.

Mark’s passion for aquatic safety started in 1987 at Centennial Beach, Naperville, Illinois while lifeguarding as a summer job. Mark then went on to Northern Illinois University where he was a nationally ranked swimmer. In 1992, Mark was offered a position to travel worldwide evaluating aquatic facilities. This eventually led him to Hong Kong where The Lifeguard Store vision was conceived.

In 1994, after working professionally in the aquatic safety environment for seven years, Mark started The Lifeguard Store in the basement of his 1887 historic home in Bloomington, Illinois. Seventeen years and four buildings later, we are now located in a 35,000-square-foot facility on 16 acres in Normal, Illinois. It has been a long journey, through recessions and strong economic times. We have weathered many storms and have secured ourselves as a leader in the industry.

The Lifeguard Store has a second company, The Swim Team Store, which provides swimsuits, equipment, and apparel to swim teams all over the country. The Swim Team Store is located in Wheeling, Illinois in the Chicago suburbs and has seen tremendous growth these past two years. The Swim Team Store is headquartered out of the Normal, Illinois location.

Combined, both companies operate with approximately 50+ employees. The Executive Staff consists of Mark Oostman—CEO and Amy Hilten—COO, waterpark/pool management sales.This staff has a strong relationship and provides great leadership for both companies.

Our continued efforts and excitement for the aquatics world has and will continue to keep The Lifeguard Store a leader in the industry.