CBS Minnesota's WCCO Sunday Morning recently featured Hammer Head Swim Caps, the creator of the world's first patented protective swim cap, in a segment that explored the often-overlooked issue of head injuries in youth and competitive aquatic sports. The July 5, 2026, interview with founder Theresa Finn highlighted how one Minnesota company's mission is helping change the conversation around swimmer safety.
The feature follows more than a decade of work by Finn, who was inspired to act after two children suffered head injuries during swim practice. Those experiences led her to ask a simple question: "Why do so many sports protect the head, while swimming does not?" That question sparked a five-year journey to develop the world's first patented protective swim cap, designed to reduce head impact while maintaining comfort, fit, and hydrodynamic performance.
During the WCCO interview, Finn discussed the broader issue of head injuries across aquatic sports—including competitive swimming, open water swimming, triathlon, water polo, artistic swimming, and diving—and why concussion awareness has transformed many sports while head protection in swimming has remained largely unchanged. The segment also highlighted Hammer Head's long-term vision of making head protection an expected part of aquatic sports, much like bicycle helmets have become for cycling.
"Hammer Head isn't about replacing one swim cap with another," Finn said. "It's about changing expectations. We hope to create a future where protecting your brain in the water becomes as natural as wearing a helmet on a bicycle—not because someone is forced to, but because it's simply the obvious thing to do."
Hammer Head's patented Honeycomb Impact Technology was developed to help absorb and disperse impact forces while preserving a sleek, competition-ready design. Independent laboratory testing has shown the cap reduces impact forces to the top of the head by more than 50% compared with traditional swim caps. Additional testing by Olympian Dr. Gary Hall Sr. found improved speed because of its smooth dome design, which reduces frontal drag compared with conventional silicone caps.
The company believes awareness is the next step. "Swimming has advanced tremendously in training, nutrition, goggles, race suits, and technology," Finn said. "Now it's time for the conversation about protecting the one thing every athlete only gets once—their brain."
The WCCO feature is part of growing national interest in swimmer head safety and follows recent podcast interviews and national parenting publication coverage discussing concussion awareness, innovation, and injury prevention in aquatic sports. For more information, visit the Hammer Head website at https://hammerheadswimcaps.com.
