Published on: December 15, 2020

‘Tis the season, Patriot Aquatics! We wish everyone in our club a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for you and your loved ones.

In the spirit of giving and gift-exchanging, we thought it’d be cool to share a few gift ideas for your water polo and swim athletes. We understand that always being on a pool deck goes much easier when you have the right equipment.

Here are some of our gift-ideas. Some of these items are on our wish-list as well!

I mean, the name is self-explanatory. The case is literally life proof... It’s also dirt-proof, dust-proof, snow-proof, shock-proof, and drop-proof (up to 4 feet). Perhaps the coolest feature for swimmers is that it’s also waterproof (up to 6.5 feet). It’s consistently reviewed as one of the most reliable phone cases on the market, because of the way it protects your phone from all the elements.

Ordering a new one every couple years is recommended. So, if you already have one, and it’s getting a little worn in, it’s best to replace it.

Who hasn’t found themselves in the middle of a swim set wishing you had some tunes to listen to? Maybe you’re the kind of person who just gets a song stuck in your head and put it on repeat? Whatever it is you do, you probably feel like swim workouts and music have a complicated relationship.

The good news is, there are lots of great headphones designed to go in the water with swimmers. If you’re interested, we recommend checking out a lot of them and finding the one that best suits you and your preferences. Whether it’s customizability, versatility, durability or sound quality. The one we’re going to discuss seems to score strongly in all those areas and received a #1 rating on Headphonesty - the Sony NW-WS413LM. The headphones are an MP3 player/headphone combo. Some of the features include 4GB of memory, 12 hour battery life (re-chargeable), an in-earbud design, an ambient sound mode option, and can seamlessly work in either saltwater and freshwater.

As stated earlier, there are lots of waterproof headphones/MP3 products out there with similar features. Feel free to look around a little bit and find what’s right for you.

These are an absolute essential for swim practice and most water people practices. It’s a smart move to always have more than one pair in your bag, just in case something happens to your first pair. In addition to that, goggles get real banged up and blurry after they’ve been used a while. Which is why having a few pairs of goggles in your rotation never hurt anybody!

There are lots of great goggles out there designed by a variety of brands. Some of the well-known brands for goggles are Speedo, TYR, Arena, and MP (Michael Phelps), and a number of others. All of these brands do a pretty great job, and it honestly comes down to your preference. The features that most swimmers love in their goggles are fog-resistant, comfortable, a polarized tint, durable, and adjustable fit. These goggle brands tend to share most, if not all, of these features in their products and tend to be in the same ballpark with their prices (roughly $15-30).

The grid foam roller is ideal for athletes and non-athletes who are looking to improve their circulation, range of motion, flexibility, and joint pains. The product’s grid pattern is ideal for rolling through tight areas, muscles, and knots. The soft foam outside the plastic tube provides the perfect amount of comfort and firmness your muscles need. We join our voices with chiropractors, doctors, and physical therapists who recommend rolling out with a foam roller frequently after workouts. It’s an important part of recovery and injury prevention.

Getting a set of resistance bands is a valuable gift for any aquatic athlete. Part of what makes them great is they’re easy to fit in your swim bag and carry around with you. Resistance bands are excellent for warming up before practice. And they may seem like a trivial thing, but they’re absolutely vital for strengthening your shoulders and preventing injuries.