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News Register Special on AQx Sports
Published by Apr 7th 2009, 3:49am
As he lingers by the pool, Garry Killgore watches his college athletes weave through the water.
But Killgore’s not a swimming coach and his athletes aren’t there for
swim lessons. He’s a track and cross country coach and his athletes are
there for deep water running.
In 2001, Killgore, the head track and cross country coach at Linfield
College, founded AQx Sports – a company that designs and sells aqua
shoes and buoyancy suits.
The shoes make it harder to perform the running motion in the water by
adding resistance to the user’s stride. This resistance forces leg
muscles to work harder, giving them the burning feeling that they get
from running on land. And it all comes without the running impact on
the athlete’s body.
“The biggest benefit of deep water running is that it is less stressful
on joints and ligaments than running on land,” said Killgore, 48. “It’s
a great form of alternative training.”
The dark blue AQx shoes have sock-like insoles made of neoprene, an
elastic substance that makes the shoes fit feet snuggly. The outer
layer of the shoes is a light mesh material, and there are mini
scoop-like gills on the shoes that add the resistance.
Killgore is constantly testing his products and making alterations to their design.
“We’ve probably gone through at least a dozen versions of the shoes,”
he said. “We’re always trying to perfect it by reacting to feedback
that we get.”
He’s also done several design changes to the zip-up buoyancy suit,
which keeps people upright and in running position while in the water.
“I like using a suit while I’m in the pool. They keep me warm and force
me to use good form when I’m running,” said Michelle Harteloo, a senior
track and cross country athlete at Linfield. “They help me get in a
good workout.”
Several professional sports teams are using the shoes. Portland
Trailblazer center Greg Oden, for example, first used the AQx shoes in
the pool after his 2007 knee surgery.
“I went up to Portland and met the Blazers and helped them get started
with deep water running,” Killgore said. “We had to custom make shoes
for Oden, because we didn’t have any big enough for him. He wears size
19.”
Though high-profile athletes have turned to deep water running, AQx
Sports has been difficult financially for Killgore, who is an exercise
science professor at Linfield College.
“When we first started, it was a big financial investment for me. I didn’t have a lot of money to put in,” he said.
Fortunately for Killgore, his investors includes former professional baseball player and Linfield alum Scott Brosius.
“Garry talked to me about what they were doing (with AQx shoes) and had
me try it out myself,” Brosius said. “I was pretty immediately sold on
it and became invested.”
Brosius, who played for the New York Yankees and Oakland A’s, is the
head baseball coach at Linfield. Many of his athletes use deep water
running.
“I don’t directly integrate the pool into my program, but it’s valuable
for all kinds of athletes,” Brosius said. “There are a lot of uses for
it – whether it is to train through injuries or for workouts. I think
it’s something more people should try.”
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