Spirited Swimmer Mourned

Brian Graper had a treat for Mr. Pappert’s senior English class Wednesday. The assignment was to choose a song and compare it to a poem. For “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray, Graper chose the music of . . . AC-DC.

Answering the wondering looks of his classmates after the crashing heavy-metal beat eventually subsided, the 18-year-old sheepishly admitted the song had nothing to do with the poem: “I just wanted to play one of my favorite songs for you guys.”

It was a classic display of Graper bravado, his favorite motto being “Go big or go home,” although he was a proven achiever.

It would also be one of his last acts. Hours later, the Trabuco Hills High School senior was found submerged in the campus pool after swimming practice and never revived.

The coroner’s office performed an autopsy Thursday but declared the results inconclusive. Law enforcement officials said earlier that it appeared to be an accidental drowning.

For this young man, who planned to attend college in Florida and become a high school history teacher, going all out was a way of life. Grieving fellow students marked that spirit Thursday by crowding around Graper’s faded red Ford Mustang in the school parking lot, giving hugs and kisses to his car.

Swimming teammates voted at an early-morning meeting to dedicate their last swimming event of the season Thursday to Graper. “No medals, no personal records; this time we’re doing it all for Brian,” coach Andy Garcia said.

They showed up by the carload in Long Beach for the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Championships carting signs reading “We love you, Brian,” “We’ll miss you, Brian.”

Graper was popular. He was known in class as a hard worker, known at the pool as one of the school’s strongest athletes, known on campus as a community volunteer, putting in 232 hours when only 8 are required.

“All the guys wanted to be Brian because all the girls liked him,” said sophomore Riley Whaling, 16.

Graper’s sense of endurance and discipline were unrelenting. In his four years on the water polo and swimming team, he showed up for the weekday 5:30 a.m. practices early, being in the pool by 5 a.m. He rarely missed a practice, and as a result, he was one of the most valued players on the team.

“He was a silent leader,” Garcia said. “He led by example.”

His spirit of invincibility had no bounds. A lifeguard for two years, equally at home bodyboarding, swimming and playing water polo, Graper may have overestimated his mastery of the water, teammates said.

Teammates found him about 3:20 p.m. unconscious at the bottom of the pool after a varsity swim team practice Wednesday. Efforts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.

Fellow swimmers said Graper had been trying all week to build up the length of time he could swim without a breath, and they speculated this may have played a role in his death.

“That’s something that we’re guessing happened,” Garcia agreed, adding that it was not something he pushed swimmers to do. “As far as the training goes, we always have the safety of the swimmer in mind,” Garcia said. “We do not encourage kids to hold their breaths as long as they can.”

A complete report will be compiled by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Garcia said.

* A memorial service for Graper will be held at noon Saturday in the high school gymnasium. Burial will be private.