Fox Valley swlm instructor Peter Leonard quick to praise other instructors, programs promoting the benefits of swimming

As autumn chill sets in and leaves fall, community pools close, and swim lessons move indoors for young children. But that doesn't slow the relationships kids build with instructors they will likely remember for the rest of their lives.

We've been lucky in the Tri-Cities area to have a host of terrific swim instructors, some of whom reach legendary status through the number of good swimmers they have supported and the time they devoted to their trade.

Sue Lange comes to mind as a mainstay at the Norris Pool in St. Charles for decades. The same can be said of the late Joan Leonard, who worked with Lange for some time. Leonard became widely known for teaching from her St. Charles home pool for over five decades.

Local kids spent a lot of time with these two women, who enriched their lives by instilling the confidence and skill to participate in a great competitive, recreational or exercise routine.

Joan's son, Peter, has carried on her tradition. He helped his mom teach during the summers in high school and taught at the Windings subdivision pool in St. Charles when in college. During a 12-year stint in the Army, Leonard taught the drown-proofing class to his unit in Germany. He's also spent 15 years in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve.

It's all given him the background to become somewhat of a local "Swim Whisperer."

By that, we mean he knows a good instructor or swim program when he sees one - and he's generally pretty quick to let others know.

Leonard and his wife have kept the family tradition of providing lessons at their home pool in Geneva.

Leonard learned much from his work with Lange, who was at the Norris pool from the 1970s through 2020. Lange hired him at Norris in 1996 when he returned from his Army duty. Leonard also taught part-time last fall at the Vaughan Center in Aurora.

He saw a lot of similarities between his past work with Lange and aquatics coordinator Kelley Radeke at Vaughan. They are instructors with that magic touch of understanding how to build confidence in young people. Radeke and her staff teach more than a thousand kids each year.

"Her relationships with people are what makes her swim program special," Leonard said of Radeke. "On the job, she supports instructors 100%, having an uncanny ability to lead teenagers through those my age, and I have witnessed her outstanding customer service to parents, it seems, every time I worked."

Radeke, a 1976 Rosary High School graduate who was an AT&T engineer for 30 years, has been the aquatics coordinator for the past three years.

"I love teaching the younger levels. They are so cute, especially the babies," Radeke said. "When you continue with the same families, you get to know the kids, and they know you.

"When you see them outside of lessons, you recognize them, even without their swimsuit," she laughed.

An instructor must realize that learning to swim can be overwhelming for young children, and there is a certain nervous tension to address.

"You have to talk to them and take it down to their level and play games, like making noises in the water or blowing bubbles," Radeke said. "You have to make it more fun for the kids, and that's how I deal with it. When they get older, you think of ways to make the higher levels of swimming fun with different games."

The undeniable power of the benefits of swimming drives Radeke - and she transfers that onto her students.

"I try to be objective, but I really think swimming is the best exercise," she noted. "It benefits every muscle, and you can do it inside or outside.

"As long as you are around water, you have access to it," Radeke added. "You could even practice the method on land if you wanted to."

Radeke was pleased to add Leonard to her staff, saying that he understands every aspect of making swimming fun for young and old.

"He is such an interesting guy," Radeke said of Leonard.

After all, he is the "Swim Whisperer," and he did have his radar up recently in another instance when he spotted longtime St. Charles resident Steve Maxwell singing the national anthem to the lifeguards at the season's closing of Swanson Pool in Pottawatomie Park.

Leonard talked about Maxwell's commitment to swimming every summer for decades and that all of the lifeguards call him "Singing Steve" because he cheers them up by singing songs.

"I have been working at Swanson for the past four years and have had the pleasure of seeing Steve every year," lifeguard Tabitha Franzetti said. "It varies how often he comes, but usually once or twice a week, Steve comes to swim.

"While he swims, Steve always sings songs for us," she added. "He always talks to the lifeguards too and asks how school is going."

At the end of each season, Maxwell will sing for the lifeguards after they have closed the Swanson Pool, Franzetti said.

It's a tradition not lost on "Swim Whisperer" Leonard and his love of all things swimming.

Pets get their palooza

By promoting its upcoming "Pets-AH-Palooza: as the "No. 1 festival for pets and their people," you know Anderson Humane is putting significant effort and thought into what it would consider an important event for the animal shelter.

The free festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Northwestern Medicine Field (home of the Kane County Cougars) emphasizes how important it is for pets and their owners to understand each other better.

Numerous educational sessions are offered to help people become more aware of their pet's needs, from dogs and cats to birds and reptiles.

But palooza also is about fun, as it features pet adoptions, a "canine stars" stunt show, an agility corral, drop-in training, and various other games and skill courses.

Pick an outing

In the late 1990s, it seemed like invitations to golf outing fundraisers for various organizations flooded my mailbox at the newspaper during the summer and fall.

It was a popular way to raise money for chambers of commerce, community chest organizations, education foundations, community colleges, and social service agencies.

Plus, it was the height of the Tiger Woods golf craze, meaning far more people were giving this "golf thing" a try. It was not unusual for a company to send a group of people who did not play much golf to participate in an event that helped the community.

And it was also a good way for the newspaper to support organizations, which meant I could play in a fair number of them - again, illustrating that you don't have to be good at golf to support an outing.

That golf craze era made me wonder whether golf outings have the same drawing power today as in the past. Maybe they don't have to draw significant numbers of participants, but they still have a solid selling point beyond helping a cause. They remain a great way to spend a day outside with friends while benefiting important organizations.

I've been a regular at the TriCity Family Services outing. I have again signed up for this year's Sept. 22 event at Prairie Landing in West Chicago.

I noticed that Lazarus House homeless shelter also has one planned for Sept. 16 at Prairie Landing.

My neighbor operates the pro shop at Bliss Creek in Sugar Grove, and he often talks about the many golf outings held at his course. And I've been out to Hughes Creek in Elburn to play a few times this summer - and on a couple of occasions, some outing was also taking place.

If you've been reluctant to try a golf outing, I will encourage you to try one of the two I mentioned above by registering through their websites or keep your eyes open for other events.

After all, the winter winds will soon howl, and we'll all wish that a golf outing was an option to take our minds off the weather.

How'd they do that?

These are the types of things that cross my mind.

In noticing the cellphone towers atop the Batavia water tower across Main Street from Batavia High School the other day, I had to wonder how in the world the telcos got those up there.

After all, the top of a water tower is undoubtedly a slippery slope, and someone would have to be up there to put these towers firmly in place and ensure they were working.

Given how many of these cell towers are being proposed so close to home these days and running into opposition, I suppose the top of a water tower isn't the worst place for them.

Still, how'd they do that?

• dheun@sbcglobal.net