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Crocs Co-Designer Brings New
Water Sport to the Northwest
Local Resident and
Crocs shoe developer Kevin McCarthy is “fitting feet" for the
new water-disk sport, SKWIM.
July 31, 2008, Redmond, Washington – Foam
shoes and water sports may not seem related, but for Kevin
McCarthy, a co-designer of several popular Crocs Shoes, the two go
hand and foot, so to speak. SKWIM, McCarthy’s brain
child, is a fast-moving water sport designed for people of
all ages and abilities. Players wear specialized swim fins,
and attempt to score by sliding a soft foam disk into their
opponent’s circular goal. After years of development, the
sport is finding a home in Puget Sound area pools and lakes.
Combining traditional swimming with
sportsmanship and strategy, SKWIM attracts players with new
equipment that uses dynamics found in bodysurfing, air-hockey and
basketball. “SKWIM grew from a global need to
create an interactive water sport for all agesý says
Kevin. “Playing SKWIM is fun and it helps develop
community water-safety. Conventional swim instruction is
vital, but few children stay involved long enough to become
competent swimmers, and fewer yet join the discipline of
competitive swim-racing. SKWIM requires no previous swim
experience to get started, but builds skilled, versatile swimmers,
or, as we call them, ‘Skwimmers’. The sport promotes
tactical teamwork, allows room for personal style, and encourages
strong swimming more than speedý
Kevin attributes part of the sport’s
success to the use of Positive Drive Fins, that are designed to
work with the natural motion of the human foot. The
‘PDF’s’, as they’re known to competitive
swimmers, have gained a reputation over the years as a premier
training fin for Olympic caliber athletes. “Fins open
the sport to more people, equipping them with more confidence,
power and speed. With the PDF’s, most people can jump
into SKWIM and comfortably play a full game.ý
SKWIM was started in 2007 in Redmond, Washington
and is governed by the SKWIM International Association.
SKWIM Northwest the regional affiliate, is responsible for
developing the sport in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
SKWIM lessons continue through August and Fall
registration for SKWIM team is now open. More
information can be found at www.skwimnorthwest.org.
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For more information on this topic please
call DJ Weidner (425) 869-6505 or 800-SKWIM-IN
visit www.skwiminternational.org SKWIM™ is a registered
trademark of SKWIM International, Redmond, WA USA.
Positive Drive Fins™ is a trademark of Bettetimes, Santa Fe
Springs, CA.
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