Some Thoughts at the End of Outdoor Swim Season

Now that outdoor public pools have closed for the season here in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, it also marks the end of another round of frustration and disappointment for me in searching for a collaborative product development partner for my SwimMission Swim Cap, which remains stalled at the initial prototype and beta testing stage despite its U.S. utility patent.

Rubber, latex, and silicone companies, prototype makers, athletic and sporting goods companies, sports talent agents, other industry professionals, university professors, and the governor's office don't even send the most basic courtesy of "no thank you" replies to my queries despite automated responses that say they will respond.

A reputable overseas manufacturer has reached out to me multiple times, but I keep saying no because it feels risky in many ways and because manufacturing SwimMission Swim Cap in the U.S.A. using sustainable materials and processes has always been my intention since my first idea sketch years ago. 

Soul Cap, Hairbrella, YouGoNatural and a few other brands offer swim caps that prioritize the hair health protection and appearance needs of people who wear a swim cap to cover their hair when it's dry and to keep it dry to protect it from the damaging and inconvenient effects of getting saturated in chlorinated, salt or fresh water. They’re well-executed products. These brands created what mainstream legacy sports gear companies didn't and mostly still don't*. Why is that? I have some thoughts. 

Who’s Invited to Swim? 

[six young adults standing in a circle with their arms around each other’s shoulders as they look down]

According to the above image: 

No one over 30 years old

No one with a(n obvious) physical disability or limb difference

No one Black or Brown

No one fat

It’s the last third of 2024. 

This image reflects the narrow marketing focus of the 1900s.

To my knowledge it’s been the pop-up for the newsletter sign-up prompt on this brand's U.S. website homepage since at least July 2023 for a brand that’s been synonymous with all things swimming and aquatics for decades. 

This brand has a swim inclusion initiative and supports other organizations' efforts. It has a senior philanthropic marketing manager who’s an Olympic gold medalist who radiates sincere enthusiasm and superior subject matter expertise while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in swimming and aquatics, which is necessary, admirable, and effective even if some basic obstacles blocking access remain unaddressed. 

And yet, the pattern of imagery on this brand’s U.S. website homepage during the past 14 months of my observations consistently excludes most kinds of people. 

As a Black woman of a certain age, who enjoys swimming laps 2 to 3 times per week but doesn’t because getting my hair wet is a substantial time-consuming hassle and typical “wet hair first” swim caps aren’t made to accommodate my super thick type 4c hair, the answer to the question of “Who’s invited to swim?” is “Not me.” 

 

* One of these newer brands has a collaborative partnership with an established legacy brand that chose not to take advantage of the Paris Olympics to spotlight its authorization for use in competition, a reversal of its reception during the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, an ill-advised throwback campaign was launched.