Hayward Industries, Inc., a leading global manufacturer and marketer of residential and commercial pool equipment, today announced its partnership with professional swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, Kathleen Baker. Together, Hayward and Baker will be working to promote the superior swimming experience provided by salt water pools amongst swimming enthusiasts.
Kathleen Baker is an American competitive swimmer who has won two medals at the 2016 Olympics; a gold medal in the 4-by-100-meter medley relay and a silver medal in the individual 100-meter backstroke. She also holds gold, silver and bronze medals from various national and world championships in 2017 and 2018. In addition to swimming, Baker is a motivational speaker, national spokesperson for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundations and is an advocate for water safety, providing swim lessons to children in her community.
As a swimmer with Crohn's disease, Baker exercises particular caution about her environment due to her compromised immune system. She is careful to ensure that she only swims in pools that are properly chlorinated to avoid the risk of developing an infection. Since she spends a great deal of time in the water, she prefers salt-chlorinated pools as they provide optimum levels of stable sanitization without the use of harsh chemicals that can cause skin, hair and eye irritation.
"I definitely just love that feeling of being in a salt water pool,” says Baker. “It feels a bit more natural than being in a heavily chlorinated pool and it's not as harsh on your body.”
Salt chlorination is the convenient alternative to conventional chlorine, bringing the best in soft, silky water with no more red eyes, itchy skin, harsh odors or direct handling of chemical chlorine. Hayward's AquaRite, the world's No. 1-selling salt chlorination system, delivers these benefits plus up to 50% in savings over conventional chlorine.
Hayward's and Baker's partnership will bring about an increased awareness of salt chlorination, something she is a strong advocate for. With Baker's help, Hayward will be promoting two giveaways; a monthly drawing for pool professionals selling AquaRite systems and a monthly drawing for pool owners to win a free Total Pool Care Package including an AquaRite Omni system with smart pool & spa control (with installation included), an AquaVac 650 robotic pool cleaner and a pHin smart water monitor.
