Introducing: Bikini Separates

Vented Top:

Inspired by exhaust vents on the bottom of the swim fins, the vent top got its name because of  the opening between the two cups that allows water to pass through during a workout. The cross tie back allows for adjustability and two layers of fabric are sew in for privacy. The tie straps accommodate varying torso volumes and chest sizes with maximum hold, and can be tightened for performance or loosened for comfort. This top is not padded, but has two layers of fabric sewn in for privacy.

Triangle Top:

The triangle top features a classic triangle bikini look, with high and low elastic lines to provide a superior hold for athletes. The tie straps accommodate varying torso volumes and chest sizes with maximum hold, and can be tightened for performance or loosened for comfort.  This top in not padded, but has two layers of fabric sewn in for privacy. 

Euro Bottom:

This is our popular, low waisted performance bottom. The euro bottom offers a clean diagonal line from the hip across the backside that allows for athletic performance with a medium amount of coverage.  To help with superior hold for workouts, we include a drawstring around the waist, and our stronger construction includes double stitching and securing to prevent unraveling, and two layers of fabric for privacy and durability.

What are you waiting for?

The Lifeguard Store Gives Back

This holiday season The Lifeguard Store chose to give back to those in need. Employees were asked to bring in canned and/or boxed nonperishable goods throughout the month of November. This was a great, rewarding experience which made a difference in our community. All of the donations received were taken to the Midwest Food Bank, located in Bloomington, IL.

"Our hope is to help bridge the gap between prosperity and poverty in our community."

- David Kieser, Midwest Food Bank Founder & President

We encourage anyone who is willing and able to also help out their local food banks this season, as the need rises significantly. We had a little fun while we were at it..

8 Must Have Stocking Stuffers

With Christmas right around the corner, there is no better time than now to get your last minute stocking stuffers for the water lover in your life! Whether they swim recreationally or competitively, lifeguard, or play water polo – The Lifeguard Store has just what they want!

1.       Swim Spray

2.       Goggles

3.       Swim Caps

4.       Snorkels

5.       Bag Tags

6.       Whistle

7.       Ear / Nose Plugs

8.       Sport Energy Chews

BONUS: Gift Cards

Caring for Rashguards

Just like other items of clothing, we simply think of setting a rashguard aside to get washed with other articles of clothing. It’s often left in a wet, bundled mess and then tossed in the laundry with other clothes. This is NOT how you want to take care of your swim gear. If you want to preserve the life of your rashguards, it needs to be properly washed and cared for.

When you are washing your rashguard, be sure not to use hot water. Hot water can damage the material that rashguards are made out of, resulting in a shorter life span. As a matter of fact, it’s best if you wash your rashguards by hand in cold water. When it’s time to dry your rashguards, never put them in the dryer. It’s recommended to turn your rashguard inside out and let them hang dry away from direct sun or heat.

When your rashguard is dry, it’s time to put it away until your next use. Refrain from using a cheap wire hanger, and opt for a padded hanger instead. In hopes to not weaken the fabric, rashguards should not be folded.

If you want to get the most out of your rashguards, taking proper maintenance can significantly increase its life. By following the tips above, your rashguard will still look new months after it’s been used.

Choosing a Whistle

When you are a lifeguard, you need the proper equipment to effectively do your job. One of the items you need happens to be a whistle! You may think all whistles are alike, but then why would there be so many to choose from? Because each whistle is different, here are things to keep in mind when choosing which one is best for you!

Plastic or Metal?

The first thing you should consider is the material the whistle is made out of: plastic or metal. Plastic whistles tend to be light weight, cheaper, and come in a variety of colors. Because of the plastic material, these whistles are less durable and may often give less timbre. Metal whistles are more common than plastic whistles and offer great durability and quality. Metal is more expensive than plastic making them more costly, as well as heavier. Metal whistles can even be affected by colder weather!

To pea or not to pea?

Peas in whistles allow air to circulate in the whistle producing a trill of sound. While whistles with peas produce the most variety of tones and pitches, it may not be for you. Whistles with peas have more moving parts, meaning more things can go wrong with it. The pea can get stuck or the whistle can even be overblown. In contrast, pea-less whistles have no parts that can stick and its lighter weight.  Pea-less whistles are mono-tone and offer less variety than whistles with peas.

A lot of individuals highly recommend the Fox 40 Classic, which is a pea-less whistle. This whistle came on the market when a Canadian basketball referee was tired of the whistles on the market. His unique design puts it above the competitors.

Checkout our favorites!

1.       Fox40 Cushioned Mouth Grip Whistles

2.       OriginalGuard Infinity Whistle

3.       Acme Thunderer Whistle

Accessories

You can’t just carry your whistle in your pocket or hand all day! Secure your whistle to a lanyard and save yourself the hassle! These come in many different styles including the WovenLifeguard Neck Lanyard or the CustomName Tag Break Away Lanyard. The Lifeguard Store also carries a RubberTip Whistle Guard which adds comfort for metal whistles.

Choosing a Bag

In order for swimmers to compete and go to swim matches, they must carry all of their gear with them. Depending on the event, this could mean a lot of items or just a couple of things. You don’t want to waste your money, so you need to choose a bag that will suit your needs best. There are three types of bags: Mesh Bags, Backpacks, and duffle bags. Each offers different benefits – let’s begin.

Mesh Bags

As you can infer from the name, these bags are made with mesh fabric. The mesh fabric allows the contents in the bag to breathe which offers better ventilation. This is great for swimmers because usually everything gets wet. You don’t want to have your items smelling like mildew! Some mesh bags even include compartments that are enclosed by zippers, keeping your items organized! The TYR Big Mesh Dummy Bag or Speedo’s Deluxe Mesh Equipment Bag are great choices!

Backpacks

If having a see-through mesh bag isn’t your thing, maybe a backpack is! Backpacks like the Speedo Large 35L Teamster Backpack or the RISE Pro Team Backpack offer lots of room for your items. Different bags offer different options such as a wet pocket and ventilated end caps f or wet items. Other bags may even include a goggle saver pocket, suit hanger carabineers, or an iPod zipper! Take the time to see which bag offers the best options for you.

Duffle Bags

If you have a lot of items to carry between practice and swim meets, the duffle bag is the bag for you! With large compartments, wet pocket organizers, and ventilated end caps, you have plenty of room to put your wet items. Most swimming duffle bags have a separate area to store your dry items without getting them wet. Because it’s a bigger bag, you get all of the benefits including a cell phone and goggle pouch! 

To help keep your bags smelling great, toss in a Bagball! The bagball is designed to eliminate athletic bag odor. Natural oil compounds act as the odor neutralizer which release dry vapor in the air. These are so small and compact they won’t leave you fighting for space! Check them out at The Lifeguard Store!

First Aid Kits 101

It’s inevitable to have bumps and bruises at a facility like a community pool – it happens! These facilities need to be equipped with the very best first aid kits to treat the injury. The Lifeguard Store carries everything you need from Response Kits to Cold Packs! The most common product is our Facility Complete First Aid Kit which houses 326 different supplies to clean, treat, and protect!

 

Placement

As there are not set requirements regarding the placement of first aid kits, it’s the employer’s responsibility to assess the needs of the workplace. As a general rule, always place the first aid kit unlocked in a highly visible area for easy access.

Inspection

It is the employer’s responsibility to regularly inspect the first aid kit ensuring the proper supplies and noting the expiration date. The owner should replace any expired supplies with new.

We not only carry the highest quality first aid supplies, but we offer then for the lowest price guaranteed! 

Open Water vs Controlled Water

If you have experience as a lifeguard, you know that you’re primary job is to prevent injuries. No matter where you are working, this always stays constant. However, depending on where you are employed some things may differ from job to job. For example, think of the differences between working at a community pool versus a beach! 

Typically at community pools or water parks, the lifeguard is positioned very close to the water in a lifeguard chair. This allows them to be up close to the action, able to intervene if needed. In this setting, lifeguards typically change stations every so often. Usually these lifeguards are also responsible for the general cleanliness of the pool and checking the chemicals. Lifeguards that work at a beach or a lake have completely different responsibilities. The water is usually much deeper and much bigger than that of a pool. There may even be swimming devices in the water like surfboards, floats, etc. Depending on the area, some lifeguards may even be stationed into the water on floating stations so they can be closer to the action. 

Since lifeguards in open water have different settings, they also need to have different equipment. Could you imagine trying to help someone that is out further than you can touch with waves coming in? In this scenario, a lifeguard may try using a rescue can rather than a rescue tube. This is because rescue tubes are not designed to face rough water conditions. In addition, jet skis, boats, and kayaks may be used to save those far into the water! In many cases, these individuals will not be within reach to use a pole or hook to save a struggling patron. Sometimes those in open water use rescue boards which fit multiple individuals if needed.

The common accidents that occur in community pools and parks are due to horseplay both in and out of the pool. This can range from children laughing and joking in the pool to running near the pool. Lifeguards guarding a lake or beach on the other hand have other obstacles to face to protect swimmers. Beaches and lakes typically have fish and seaweed that can cause threats as well as sharks or jellyfish! Lifeguards will need to know how to cure and treat any injury due to the marine life. As stated before, open water is much rougher than community pools. Waves are constantly rolling in as well as rip currents with no OFF switch. Individuals can be pushed underwater leaving the lifeguard to react very quickly! 

As you can see, there is no set task when you are a lifeguard. Many things can happen in a split second and it’s your responsibility to act accordingly. There are many distinct differences depending on where you lifeguard, so make sure you know the differences and the responsibilities for wherever you choose to work. 

We're teaming up!

All American Swim is pleased to announce that we have entered into a definitive agreement with The Lifeguard Store, a leading provider in lifeguard swimwear, accessories and facility equipment.

This partnership with the Lifeguard Store based in Normal, IL further strengthens our position in the swimming industry. The combination of The Lifeguard Store's expertise within the lifeguard and facility equipment business with our vast swimming knowledge will provide our customers with everything they will need poolside. This partnership is also expected to result in greater efficiencies and significantly increase our market share.

As will all important business decisions, we will work closely with our customers, vendors and employees to make the integration process as smooth as possible. The integration of both companies will take place over the next several months. Of course, in the meantime our customers will continue to receive the same high quality service, which they have come to expect.

All American Swim will continue to operate under that name, as a DBA ("doing business as") of The Lifeguard Store.

Swimmer's 3 Biggest Fears

Fears – we all have them! And no, we aren’t talking about the fear of heights or snakes. Swimmers have different types of fears due to the competitiveness of the sport. Once it’s race time, these fears creep right in!

1.      Fogged Vision. At meets you are surrounded by family, friends, and other swimmers who you want to talk to. Unfortunately you can so wrapped up in conversation you lose track of time. And yes, yes that is your heat up there on the blocks. Run!

2.       False Start. After years and years of training, this still happens! You get up on the blocks and wait what seems to be an absurd amount of time to ‘take your mark.’ You finally get down, anticipating the gun to go off. Whoops! You leaned forward a little too much and now you’re in the water… disqualified. Better luck next time.

3.       Gear Failure. The only thing worse than trying to beat your competition, is trying to beat your competition without being able to see. In cases like this it’s great to know how many strokes you have before hitting the wall. But, what about a suit ripping? That may not be something you can come back from.  

Things you learn as a Swimmer

 

It’s not easy.

The grueling morning workouts, the cold water, the weekend meets – you know what I’m talking about. It may not be enjoyable at the time, but all your hard work pays off in the end. Plus, your teammates are right there with you every step of the way!

To win, you need a plan.

You can’t get to where you want to be if you don’t know how to get there. Think of your goals similar to a road trip. You have to plan out your approach in order to get to your destination. If you don’t, you may not be on the right track or it could take longer than needed.

There will be obstacles.

Often times, it is not a simple task to move from point A to point B. There will be plenty of obstacles you must surmount before you arrive at your destination. It is up to you to overcome and conquer whatever you are faced with. You could always give up and throw in the towel, but what good would that do? Each obstacle makes you stronger.

Time alone is refreshing.

There isn’t a much better feeling than jumping into crisp, cool water. Once you enter the water, the whole world is turned off. You can’t hear anything, you don’t have access to your phone, no one is nagging you - it’s just you and the water. You have plenty of time to gather your thoughts and focus on the important things in life.

Losing is just the beginning.

Every time you fail, you are one step closer to winning. Use the loss as motivation to push even harder next time. Remember, it’s not a failure it’s one step closer to success.

6 Reasons Why Swimming Rules!

Best of both.
Swimming is both a team sport as well as an individual sport. You get the opportunity to swim your individual races but also in relays which factor into overall team points.

No age limit.
You can pick up swimming at any age, whether young or old. You’d think that most people start young, but many actually don’t start until much later in life. This is mainly because it’s easy on the joints and not much equipment is needed.

Pushing the coach into the pool.
It’s not in every sport that you get to push your coach into a pool. Sure you could pour stuff over them or put pies in their faces, but having a coach soaked from head to toe – yes please!

Two-a-days.
How else do you plan on meeting your goals? Swimmer’s work ethic is unlike other athletes. To be the best, you have to train like the best.

Eat all the food.
Swimming can be a very taxing sport which means you need plenty of food to refuel and keep going. It has been stated that Michael Phelps eats upwards of 12,000 calories a day! Pizza and pasta? Sign me up!

Turning off the world.
Once you dive into the peaceful water, all of your worries go away. You can’t hear anything, you can’t see anything- you are unstoppable.