Educator’s message: Do something, even if it’s staying alone in a cave

Have you accomplished most of the life goals you have set?
Have many of your dreams come true?
Probably best to ask, “Just what have you accomplished in life thus far?”
Spouse, children, career, home…that’s what most of us would list in answer to these questions, and those priorities are hard to disagree with. When you have all those things, what more could you ask for?
But normally, we all tend to have a few, more-or-less superficial goals, sort of like far-off New Year’s resolutions. You know how they work.
Someday I’m going to:
• Write a book.
• Sail around the world.
• Appear in a movie.
• Meet the president.
• Visit the land of my ancestors.
• Be a rodeo clown.
Back up a minute—be a rodeo clown?
“That’s coming up soon,” said James L. Granato, a retired principal and sum-mertime resident of Cape May Beach.
Granato, 65, is a native of Wenonah in Gloucester County. He earned his PhD in Education and taught physical education at schools in Westville, including Gate-way high, before becoming a principal and college administrator.
He will also be trying to enter The Guinness Book of Records at the World Gym in North Cape May on Sept. 15 when he attempts to curl a barbell more times than anyone in his age and weight class.
And that will be his “final feat”—the feat that will validate his book’s last chapter.
Granato’s 35-chapter book: Fabulous Feats by a Funny Ole’ Fud is due to be printed in October, and its purpose is to encourage senior citizens to be actively involved in life.
Each chapter is a description, along with a narrative, of what Granato calls a challenging and exciting activity. Start-ing 15 years ago, he’s down to the last several feats, among which are included the Guinness attempt and a stint as a clown at Jersey’s Cowtown Rodeo.
Some of the achievements thus far are:
• White water rafting.
• Snorkeling with sharks.
• Biking on Bear Mountain.
• Making his own red wine.
• Staying alone in a cave.
• Playing tennis on Center Court at the U.S. Open.
• Driving a stock car at the Pocono 500.
• Walking the Boston Marathon course.
For each activity, Granato brings a friend. For his winemaking endeavor, he brought people that had just recently become active in winemaking.
“The activity doesn’t necessarily have to be sports-related,” he said. “The idea is to just get active—do something!”
The book didn’t have its genesis deep in Granato’s past; although as a young boy, he always played sports, and even made it onto his college baseball team.
“It started by chance,” he explained, “At age 50, I was walking up a mountain in Killington, Vermont to ski back down. I had had a bad experience on a chair-lift, so I preferred walking.
“I was walking up for my fourth time when this idea suddenly hit me.”
So for the last 15 years he has been getting others involved in one “fabulous feat” after another, then documenting the story of that feat in his book. And these activities are not exclusive to sen-ior citizens.
“One feat—the 24-hour sportathon—I did with my 8-year old granddaughter,” he said. “She takes karate lessons and consequently won that part, but I won the bowling.”
His grandson also wanted to get in on the challenge and suggested they play Wii™.
“He misunderstood the point,” Granato said. “The idea is to ‘get mov-ing.’ Do something—today!
“When we were kids, we were given a ball, so we went out to the ballfield and played. Today, kids are given a Wii™.”
Along the 15-year timeline, there have been some injuries.
“I run a dog-sledding business in the Poconos,” he said, “and last January, we got so busy, that I interrupted my curl training. I put the (100-pound) barbell down one day and when I returned to it a month later, I tore a bicep.”
Healing was a slow process, and months later when the trainer at the World gym suggested just doing “push” type exercises instead of the “pull” of the curl, Granato saw amazing im-provement. He’s back up to curling 75-80 pounds, and hopes to be ready for the Guinness Book by October.
“The human body is phenomenal,” said Granato, who claims to have been to a doctor only once in his life.
“Let’s not fool ourselves,” he added. “At this age, there will always be some aches, and an annoying injury or two. If there’s a serious injury, you have to have it treated, but with those less seri-ous little ‘glitches,’ you have to keep working through it. But you can’t overdo it. Your body will let you know.”
While preparing for the Cowtown Ro-deo the first week in August, he twisted a knee during a workout just days be-fore the rodeo. But cancellation was out of the question.
“Worst case scenario…” Granato said, “…I’ll probably just do a little walking or running around the ring. It all depends on how the knee feels that night. I doubt, however, that I’ll be dodging any bulls during the show. But I’m definitely still going to appear.”
As the Olympics begin in China, Granato’s message is a timely one, with each chapter of his book acting as a motivational tool.
“You don’t necessarily have to per-form the same activities,” he said. “The idea is, ‘you don’t have to do this, but do something!’”
Ed. note: On Deck will report on Dr. Granato’s attempt at the world curling record this October, and announce when Fabulous Feats by a Funny Ole’ Fud is released.
Exploded quote: He will also be trying to enter The Guinness Book of Records at the World Gym in North Cape May on Sept. 15 when he attempts to curl a barbell more times than anyone in his age and weight class.