In the summer we went to Leroy Street pool, stayed in there all day long every day of the summer.

There were 100s of kids in there…right – you knew every kid (Yeah, well you couldn’t swim, there were just so many kids) you knew some were from Sullivan Street, MacDougal, Carmine Street, Perry Street.

There were diving boards - a high one and a low one. And that’s where all the big shots were. The little kids were down at three feet. But as you got older (you graduated) you just kept going up to 3, 4, 5… and then over this partition into 10 feet.

My mother would come over there, throw a sandwich for me over the fence...really! When I was really young, and she took me to the pool – I guess I had to be indoctrinated – I was terrified. I just thought there was no bottom. I thought if I went in I would just disappear somewhere. So she told the bigger kids – throw her in!

Did she really?
Yeah!

And to my surprise I landed on my feet. I said, “wow this is great!” And that was it, I was in there for the next five years without coming out.