Catching waves: Hingham teen a surfing star

Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA) - Saturday, August 1, 2009

By Adam Riglian
For The Patriot Ledger

Did you know you can surf year-round in New England? James McGraghan does, and it shows in his performance.

The 16-year-old from Hingham was the top-ranked junior long board and short board wave-rider in Southern New England last year.

McGraghan rides like a pro despite his tender age, but he may never have conquered his first wave if it weren't for a chance encounter with the sport on vacation three years ago.

"I went on vacation in Hawaii, I asked my parents to get me lessons and the moment I did it I just loved it," McGraghan said. "It's pretty tricky, but I caught on pretty fast. It was the best thing I had ever done."

Now McGraghan is a competitor in the sport, ranked in Eastern Surfing Association and setting his sights on bigger and tougher competitions.

In July, McGraghan took on his latest challenge, the ESA Cape Cod Championships in South Wellfleet. He came away with first place in the junior men's long board, third in the open short board and fourth in the junior men. He'll add that junior long board title to the one he collected at the 2008 ESA Holiday Surfabout in Narragansett, R.I.

McGraghan didn't get this far without practice, which is difficult sometimes as a surfer is always at the mercy of the ocean. He practices all over the state and in Rhode Island, though Nantasket Beach in Hull sees his shadow most often.

"I usually surf down in Nantasket, and sometimes I go to Scituate and Marshfield," McGraghan said. "I think my favorite place is this little spot up in Nantasket that not a lot of people know about, but it gets really good there."

Power is what makes for a good day of surfing. A day without it on a board is a waste; a day with it, a joy.

"For me, it has to be a pretty powerful wave, something that can help me surf better. Really bad waves, no matter what, you're going to surf awful," McGraghan said.

It's not just a man vs. nature conquest for McGraghan. While there's no doubt something empowering about a surfer taming the force and power of the ocean, he sees it as an outlet. Plus it's fun.

"I like the fact that you can just be as creative as you want with it, and you can do it by yourself or with all your friends," McGraghan said. "No matter what mood you're in, something about surfing can make you feel good."

That good feeling carries him year round, even when he has to don a second wetsuit to contend with 40-degree ocean temperatures in the winter, to which he simply responds, "it's definitely worth it."

All that practice and his previous successes have sparked the idea of increasing his level of competition. The only things standing in his way are distance and learning where competitions are held, given surfing's fractured infrastructure.

"I'm still trying to figure out where some of the bigger ones are," he joked. "The only one I've struggled with was the regional surfing event in New Jersey. That was pretty tough, going against other kids from different parts of the East Coast. But I'm competing there next year, and doing the Easterns in September (in North Carolina)."

McGraghan hopes someday to be able to explore the surf in California and Hawaii, but for now, Nantasket Beach will do just fine.