Tom Graber likes
to make waves

By Tim Godfrey
For the Times

For most, a day at the beach conjures images of kids jumping in the ocean or playing in the sand while mom and dad relax in beach chairs, enjoying the peace and quiet or checking the latest addition to the New York Times Best Sellers list.
For others it may have nothing to do with the beach at all, but with the entertainment options offered by the shore.
For Tom Graber, his day at the beach is anything but a time to sit back and relax. His day at the beach, while admittedly still fun, requires some serious work and concentration.
Graber is a competitive surfer who recently qualified for the Eastern Surfing Championships that’ll be held this fall.
Did we mention that he is 59 years old?
That Graber is a championship-contending surfer at this stage of his life isn’t the amazing story here. The amazing story is how Graber got to be a championship-contending surfer at this stage of his life.
Graber grew up like many local kids did, spending his summers at the Jersey Shore.
"I spent every summer down there," Graber said recently. "I remember my freshman year at North Catholic I was worried I was going to fail algebra, not because I was worried about learning algebra, but because six weeks of summer school would have killed my summer down the shore.’
Those summer days during high school were when Graber picked up surfing.
"Back then, surfing was just getting started, so everyone was just getting into it," Graber said.
But those unpredictable waves were trumped by far rockier times. He got hooked on drugs and quickly found himself leaving behind the things he once loved doing, consumed instead by the addiction.
It was a long struggle and he eventually triumphed. He’s been clean and sober for 17 years.
"I survived my drug problem, and anytime you can survive that, it’s a good thing," Graber said.
Then, one day while working construction, he collapsed.
"One minute I’m swinging a sledgehammer, breaking up some cement blocks, and the next thing I know I’m on my butt," Graber explained. "I wouldn’t admit that something was wrong, even though I knew I had all the symptoms of a heart attack."
It took some convincing by his co-workers, but Graber eventually agreed to seek medical attention. He’d indeed had a heart attack and would require surgery.
"I was very fortunate," Graber said. "I had some very good doctors and some great surgeons."
The episode also was a significant wakeup call for him.
"The heart attack really gave me a sense of mortality," Graber said.
After his recovery from the procedure, Graber began the process of rebuilding his life. He returned to school and finished his bachelor’s degree, then continued his education and got his master’s. He works for the Department of Human Services.
With his professional life on track, Graber turned to his personal life. It was his cousin, Wayne Craig, who kept pushing Graber to get back into surfing.
"He kept saying to me, ‘You keep talking about doing it again, tomorrow’s not promised, so get back on it,’" Graber said. "So I finally did."
Graber began surfing competitively in 1995 and has steadily built his success over the last several years. This will mark the fifth straight year that Graber has made it to the Easterns.
Even though he has had success in the competition, Graber has never finished in the top three positions at the tournament. It’s something he’d like to change this year. If he can accomplish that, he’d be the first resident of Philadelphia to reach the finals at the Eastern Regionals, and also the first one to make it to the national tournament.
Interestingly enough, Graber isn’t the only person with local ties who will be competing at the event. Two other surfers who have qualified also are North Catholic grads.
Tom Leonik, Class of 1972, will take part in the Legends Long Board competition, while Mike DeWald, Class of ’77, will participate in the Grand Masters Short Board event.
Even though things have turned around for Graber in the past two decades, his heart issues remain a significant topic in his life. Two and a half years after his first heart attack, Graber suffered another one.
To date, he has undergone six more cardiac operations, the most recent last June, to insert or replace stents to open blocked arteries and allow blood to flow more easily to the muscle.
To his credit, Graber has never let this control his life, evidenced by his continued surfing career. Actually, it has helped him live his life.
"Out on the water, everything else just disappears," Graber said. "I stopped looking for a great way to die and started looking for a great way to live."
Graber can be found most Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons on his board, working to get better.
"Surfing is a blood sport," Graber explained. "We’re friends beforehand, but once you get out on that wave, everyone wants to win. You may give each other some encouragement or a tip to an extent, but not much."
Most of his peers have been competing a lot longer than Graber, who was away from the sport for 25 years.
"Two of the guys I compete against a lot have been going against each other for forty years, and in our sport that experience means a lot. Conditions of the water are a major part of surfing," Graber explained. "They aren’t going to cancel a competition if the weather is bad because they have people coming from all over the country, so the more knowledge you have about how the water is in certain situations gives you an edge."
Graber hopes to overcome that lack of experience in September and qualify for the nationals.
Based on what Tom Graber already has overcome in his life, it’s hard to bet against him. ••