A Minnesota company is using a podcast appearance to push swimming and triathlon toward a safety standard long accepted in cycling, skiing and football: protecting the head. Hammer Head Swim Caps, creator of a patented protective swim cap, is featured on the Waterfall Racing Podcast in an episode titled “Why Every Swimmer Needs to Think About Head Protection with Hammer Head Swim Caps,” hosted by Ironman athlete Joy McAdams.
The episode argues that a swim cap should be viewed as more than an accessory for holding hair in place or displaying a team logo or race number. Just as cyclists wear helmets and other athletes rely on protective gear, Hammer Head contends swimmers and triathletes should have access to personal protective equipment designed specifically for the water.
The company’s case is rooted in personal experience. Founder and CEO Theresa Finn’s son suffered a concussion after striking a pool wall during backstroke warm-ups. Business partner David Burns experienced a similar incident when his daughter hit her head on a pool wall at practice, and another young swimmer later sustained a concussion in a separate accident. Those experiences turned parental concern into a mission to improve head safety across aquatic sports.
During the conversation, Finn and McAdams discuss the head-impact risks swimmers and triathletes may encounter, including crowded practice and warm-up lanes, backstroke wall strikes, mass-start open-water swims, congested buoy turns, and rough or limited-visibility conditions that lead to accidental athlete-to-athlete collisions. Although swimming is not traditionally viewed as a contact sport, accidental contact does happen.
“Our mission has never been simply to create another swim cap,” Finn said. “It is about giving swimmers access to meaningful personal protective equipment designed for aquatic sports. Athletes protect their eyes with goggles, their skin with wetsuits, and their feet with proper footwear on the run. We believe protecting the head should become an equally natural part of preparing for the swim.”
The caps feature patented Honeycomb Impact Technology, an integrated cushioning structure engineered to help absorb and disperse impact forces. In independent drop testing by ACT in Long Beach, CA, Hammer Head reduced impact force to the top of the head by more than 50% compared with conventional silicone and dome-style swim caps, according to the company. The product is designed to maintain the streamlined, wrinkle-free profile of a performance swim cap, and after testing by Dr. Gary Hall, Sr., Olympian and founder of The Race Club, swimmers can also count on a reduction of up to 10.5% of frontal drag compared to latex or silicone caps. It can be worn alone during training or underneath a team or race cap during competition.
The announcement matters because it seeks to establish a new product category in a sport where head-injury prevention has received little attention. The episode also highlights Hammer Head’s broader vision of making conversations about head protection as common in swimming and triathlon as they are in football, hockey, skiing and cycling, extending the discussion to education, prevention, concussion awareness and empowering athletes to make informed safety decisions.
“We want to leave aquatic sports safer than we found it,” Finn said. McAdams added, “Prevention is always the right choice!”
The interview follows growing media interest in swimmer head safety, including coverage by CBS Minnesota’s WCCO, Daily Mom, Dawn of Sports, Swimming World, Parent Magazine and SwimSwam. More information is available at Hammer Head Swim Caps. The company notes that its caps are designed to help minimize the force of certain head impacts but cannot prevent all head injuries or concussions.
