by Twila Paul

There is something magical that happens when swim instructor and coach Steve Hadley steps onto the pool deck at the Susan M. Duncan Family YMCA. Swimmers faces of all ages light up. As he sits down his blue gym bag filled with extra swim goggles for forgetful students, swimmers line up to tell him of their accomplishments. A young girl wearing a blue bathing cap with matching suit excitedly yells, "Coach Steve! I did it! I swam a whole length without breathing!" He returns her greeting with his radiant smile, "Great Job! I knew you could do it!" She hurriedly jumps back into her lane to demonstrate her success. He watches with intensity as she works hard to accomplish her goal once again and gives her a thumbs up. That thumbs up is all it takes to motivate all of his student's young or old.

In his Thursday morning adult class, Hadley teaches all ages above fifteen. Adults have many reasons for wanting to learn to swim. One woman wants to swim with her children. Another wants to do a triathelon this summer. Yet another has wanted to swim her entire life but has never had anyone to teach her. Hadley works hard to help make these dreams become a reality !

Hadley has the unique ability to teach multiple skill levels at the same time from beginners to intermediate. He works the lanes like a pro moving from one student to the next giving adequate time with each. One student remarks, "Its like he has eyes in the back of his head. I can make a mistake and just when I don't think he sees me, he will yell a correction from two lanes over. He sees everything!" Another student states, "He has the incredible ability to motivate. He always has something positive to say that makes me work even harder." Another states, "he can make just the slightest correction that can help improve my swimming significantly. He is kind, skillful, patient and loves what he is doing. I find myself working extra hard just to please him."

"Teaching is my passion!" states Hadley who has over fifty - two years of swimming experience and who is a master swimmer, coach, instructor and high school swim meet official. " I look forward to teaching and I love seeing my students progress." Hadley a swim coach for many years believes that ideally a coach is a teacher. " Not all coaches can teach," he states , "I won't let my team swim more then two lengths without correcting them. Its observing and correcting, observing and correcting."

Hadley's age of 74 is well hidden within his athletic body due to his daily disciplined fitness schedule. He swims, weight lifts and uses the treadmill and bicycle on a regular schedule at the Y. He does not expect any less of himself then he does of his students.

Hadley learned to swim when he was six years old at a waterfront in Lakewood at Berkley Park from one of the lifeguards. He credits his mom for insisting he learn to swim. She had been told that they would not teach him until he was six years old. He laughs as he remembers, " On the day after my sixth birthday, mom took me to the lifeguard and said, "He is six, now teach him to swim. I learned to breath as I swam and I have been swimming ever since."

Hadley started teaching swimming in 1949 to the boy scouts and has taught at various other schools and institutions since. He tells the story of when he was serving in the Navy in the Korean War. " I was assigned to assist in teaching survival swimming to combat aircrews; pilots, navigators and radar operators. " They had to assume that sometime in their career they were not going to make it back due to engine failure. We had an airplane cockpit which sat on a steel ramp above the pool. Once released the cockpit would slide down the ramp and go into the water. The crew would have to unhook themselves under the water and learn the proper techniques to get out of the cockpit safely.

Hadley holds a bachelors degree in physical education from DU, and a Masters degree in counseling from University of Wyoming. His education was paid for by the GI bill and a swimming scholarship. He retired from the Denver Public Schools in 1987. He has been married to his wife, Roselene for fifty-two years and has four daughters and eleven grandchildren. In 1999 he was nominated by one of his twelve year old student's and won the Channel 7's, Everyday Hero Award for Volunteerism at the Southwest YMCA.

Brad O'Leary aquatics director at the YMCA states, "Steve is a fantastic role model and instructor. He passes his wisdom and experience along to his students, fellow staff members and everyone he meets. Steve is an inspiration to everyone at the Duncan Family YMCA.

Hadley concludes, "I will never turn my back on swimming. It has always provided me an outlet and an income and I am sure a swimming pool will always find me! Swimming is my passion and my love. Teaching is my forte! I am being repaid so much! "

The Susan M. Duncan Family YMCA, part of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver Association, has served the Arvada community since 1999, offering programs and services to individuals and families regardless of age, gender, race, religion, national origin or financial ability. It is the YMCA's vision that the people in the communities it serves, turn to the YMCA as their provider of choice for the programs and services it offers. The YMCA is the largest not - for- profit provider of childcare and youth sports programs in the metropolitan area.