2002 PARAGON AWARD
Recreational Swimming

Steve Langendorfer, currently is Associate Professor of Kinesiology in the Kinesiology Division, School of Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. 

Langendorfer’s background and love of aquatics extends to his childhood experiences in the ocean off North Carolina and in western New York’s Finger Lakes region.  As a Boy Scout, he earned all the aquatic merit badges on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout and summer camp counselor.  He competed on Haverling (Bath, N.Y.) Central School’s first competitive swim team from 1964-1968 and was a member of the Cortland Red Dragon’s swim teams from 1968-1972.  He was the first head lifeguard for the City of Ithaca’s Cass Park Pool while coaching for Roy Staley’s Ithaca Aquatics and then served as the first aquatic instructor and swim coach for the Lansing (N.Y.) Central Schools from 1974-1977. 

Langendorfer received academic degrees from the State University of New York – College at Cortland (B.S. in Education), Purdue University (M.S.) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D).  He also has course work at Cornell University and the Deutsche Sporthochschule-Koln (German Sports Academy in Cologne).  His teaching and research expertise areas are aquatics, motor development and measurement.  Dr. Langendorfer is the author of over 50 scholarly articles, chapters and texts, including co-authoring (with L.D. Bruya) Aquatic Readiness: Developing Water Competence in Young Children, from Human Kinetics. 

He has presented over 200 scholarly papers to regional, national and international societies and conferences.  He has served in an advisory capacity in instructional aquatics to the American Red Cross {Infant and Preschool Aquatic Program (1988), Swimming and Diving (1992) and Water Safety Instructor (1992)}, the YMCA of the USA {Y Skippers Program   (1987) and Teaching Swimming Fundamentals (1999)}, the Canadian Red Cross (1995), AUSSWIM and VICSWIM (Australia – 1994-6) and informally to swimming groups from Brazil, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

 In addition to competing in Masters swimming, Dr. Langendorfer and two of his brothers are most proud of having swum non-stop the 20-mile length of Keuka Lake as a benefit for the American Red Cross.  He loves to swim for the fun of it.