StrokeandTurn.com, an online training website for swim judges, announced today that Charlie Houchin, gold medalist at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, is supporting the organization’s stroke and turn training for competitive summer swim leagues across the United States.
StrokeandTurn.com trains and recertifies judges each year in an affordable, on-demand and convenient way. Volunteer judges learn key stroke and turn techniques from a virtual swim deck, take a readiness quiz titled “What’s the Call?” and can print a completion certificate before the first day of competition. Eleven interactive lessons cover the philosophy of officiating, stroke techniques, protocols and procedures, relays and disqualifications.
This year, Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin guides learners through the StrokeandTurn.com course videos on officiating the four major swim strokes, providing his expertise and insight into what makes for a great competitive swimmer. Like millions of children across the country, Charlie Houchin competed in summer swimming leagues throughout his formative years.
“Some of my fondest memories growing up are from summer swimming,” the gold medalist recalled. “One minute I was racing against my best friends, and the next moment I was playing cards and hanging out with the teammates I’d just beaten.” Houchin said he recommends swimming and other sports not only for the athletic benefit, but also because his family found summer swimming a wonderful community experience.
Following his retirement from professional swimming, Houchin founded HydroXphere, a software development company creating innovative software for the swimming community. HydroXphere’s first product, Meet Central™, enables leagues to run summer swim meets more efficiently. The app streamlines the administrative process, requiring less time, fewer volunteers and reducing the amount of paper.
“We’re thrilled Charlie Houchin is supporting our stroke and turn training and for the opportunity to work with HydroXphere to enhance the overall experience for parents and other volunteers,” said Vicky Mossman, spokesperson for StrokeandTurn.com. “Every minute saved by increasing the efficiency of swim meets reduces the total number of hours parents and their children spend outside of the pool.”
The 2016 StrokeandTurn.com course includes the following new features:
- A new legal/illegal module enabling each learner to test “on deck” judging skills
- Enhanced audio and course navigation
- Individualized feedback on each learner’s results for the final certification quiz, consisting of detailed remediation on incorrect answers to the 20-question certification test
About StrokeandTurn.com
StrokeandTurn.com is the premier source for online stroke and turn training for volunteer judges and is committed to making the learning process as smooth as possible for both new and returning officials, league administrators and volunteer judges. StrokeandTurn.com delivers the online training in a fast, on-demand and affordable format that suits the schedules of today’s busy parents and volunteers.
About HydroXphere, LLC
HydroXphere, LLC, was founded in 2012 by Gold Medal Olympian Charlie Houchin to champion participation in the sport of swimming through innovation and leadership. HydroXphere’s first product, the Meet Central™ app, enables leagues to run summer swim meets more efficiently in less time, with fewer volunteers and with much less paper complexity. In just three summers, Meet Central™ has become the number-one app used for running more efficient summer swim meets in fifteen states and three countries. For questions about HydroXphere or Meet Central™, please contact Michael Curran, phone: (919) 234-0145 or email: mike@hydroxphere.com.
About Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010, Charlie Houchin qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, winning a gold medal in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Houchin represented Team USA again, adding another gold medal to his trophy shelf for the same event. Fulfilling the dream of mentoring youth in the sport, Houchin utilized the financial rewards from the London Summer Olympics to invest in the first prototype of the Meet Central™ app.
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