Still swimming at 100

As he has nearly every morning for at least 30 years, Gerson "Jess" Sobel arrived at CJ's Coffee Shop early on March 26 to have breakfast with a group of close friends. But unlike most mornings, the diner was filled with Sobel's friends, extended family and admirers — along with balloons and a cake. As he walked through the front door, he was shocked and visibly moved by the cheers, applause and congratulations on the occasion of his 100th birthday (which was actually March 28).

"None of us knows how old we are, but compared to him we're babes," said longtime friend Lou Matarrazo, a retired New York City police officer who admits to being 71.

"He's kept us all young," added Jerry Kornbluth, 65, a part-time math professor at Nassau Community College and another member of Sobel's tight-knit group of Rockville Centre neighbors who, for as long as anyone can remember, have gathered at 5:30 every weekday morning for breakfast at CJ's.

Sobel still swims every day he can at the Freeport Recreation Center, and is a local swimming legend — a national and world masters champion who holds numerous records for freestyle races in several age categories.

A champion New York City swimmer at DeWitt Clinton High School in the 1920s, Sobel went on to swim for Syracuse University from 1928 to 1932 and was captain of the water polo team. He swam the 100-yard freestyle in close to a minute, a significant threshold at the time. He was also an ice skater and played hockey.

After college, Sobel gave up competitive swimming and focused on family and career. To make money during the Depression, he and his brother spent nearly a year operating a shark fishing boat in Florida, selling the skins, teeth and oils. Sobel described the sharks as "mean, nasty critters." Eventually, the pair took over the family printing and office supply business.

Sobel married Pearl Orloff, from New Haven, Conn., in December 1938, and the couple had three children -- Jim, a doctor; Tom, a judge; and Judy Bott, a teacher — as well as five grandchildren, a great grandson and a great granddaughter who is due soon.

Sobel returned to swimming in the 1970s, after nearly 40 years out of the pool. Masters swimming was in its infancy, and he picked up right where he'd left off. Until Pearl died in February 2001, the pair became fixtures — and champions — on the masters swimming circuit. They developed friendships with many like-minded active seniors and younger swimmers as well, and watched as young local athletes — including Alexis and Daphne Skelos — took their first strokes and went on to become champions themselves.

Even after hip surgery in the early 1990s that ended his near daily 3- to 4-mile walks with Matarrazo, Sobel kept swimming, and set a national age-group record in the 50-yard freestyle when he was 96. He remarked that his only fear was that the screws and plates in his hip "would rust before I do."

Sobel was known for his precise and efficient stroke mechanics. A fierce competitor, he was humble, and attributed much of his success to his wife, who always supported him as she rose through the national rankings as well. A many-time masters All American, he was inducted into the Metropolitan Swimming Hall of Fame last May, and said his only regret was that his beloved wife was not around to accept the award with him because "we did this together."

At the party at CJ's, Sobel was asked to reveal the secret to his longevity. "My good friends," he said. "I have all good friends. I love every one of them." But it just might be that the key to Sobel's longevity lies in what he was planning to do after his typically hearty breakfast of two English muffins, poached eggs and coffee:

"I'm going swimming," he said.

Peter Skelos contributed to this story. Comments about it? RVCeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.