Jimmy.
Yeah, Coach?
They're threatening to cancel the meet.
Seems somebody saw you get off the bus.
It's the same old story. They...
Yeah.
Damn it, Jimmy. I'm sorry, man.
They put me in a hell of a bind.
No, no, no. It's cool. It's cool.
-Son, where are you going?
-You gonna ask them to change their mind?
My daddy always used to tell me,
"It's a lot easier to ask for forgiveness
than permission."
You ready?
-We're swimming?
-Yeah, we're swimming.
I'm so ready.
-Okay, while you're seeing to things...
-Yeah?
...you see to it that that bus keeps running
'cause I know how you white folks get
when y'all lose.
-And they about to lose bad.
-You are a handful.
Swimmers, step up.
Focus.
Come on, Jimmy.
Just stay calm.
Look, if they don't want us to swim here,
that's fine, we'll go home.
We're a team.
-Hell, I've worked so hard.
-I know but...
-I've worked so hard to get here.
-I know, Jimmy.
-Come here, boy.
-What? I'm gonna get arrested now?
Start moving towards your bus
and calm your black ass down.
I'm not taking my black ass anywhere.
Why don't you shut your white ass up
and let me exercise my first amendment?
-'Cause this is wrong.
-Jimmy, Jimmy.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey, kid, get off of him!
Stop!
Get off that boy!
Don't fight them, Jimmy!
I got my rights!
I got my own rights.
Damn!
Mr. Binkowski, I really think
I could prove myself to be a great asset
to your...
-Listen...
-...program here.
-...James?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Jim, actually.
Jim? Yeah.
-Do you golf?
-No.
If you look at my resume, you'll see
that I've got a B.S. in Mathematics
and I also swam for Cheyney for four years.
Yeah.
Yeah, can I be perfectly frank with you?
-That would make my day.
-Okay, good.
Well, here at Main Line, obviously,
we have a certain level of excellence
that we strive for.
-It's all around you.
-Yeah, well,
see, that's one of the things
that attracted me to this institution.
Because I really think...
I just don't think a person like yourself
could communicate properly
with our students.
I'm sorry.
-I'll keep you on file.
-Yeah.
Thirty-three!
Thirty-three!
Forty-five! Number 45!
Number 87!
How you doing?
Here's my number and resume.
And the form you asked for.
-A degree in Mathematics?
-Yes.
I'm a graduate of Cheyney State.
You know, it took me a little
longer than most but...
-Yeah, well.
-...I finished.
You skipped a spot there.
You ever been arrested?
If you look right here, I've marked no.
Mr. Ellis, you've been bouncing around
quite a bit.
What finally brought you to Philly?
I had a teaching
position opportunity at Main Line Academy.
You? Up at Main Line?
Hey, that's funny.
I guess we don't have enough work
for you college boys.
Look, mister,
just give me whatever you got right now.
I'm not looking for a career,
I'm just trying to find a job.
Well, here's one more suited for you
down at the PDR.
What's PDR?
It stands for
Philadelphia Department of Recreation.
They probably got a job down at
Foster Recreation Center
right here in Nicetown.
The city is gonna tear down
that building in a couple of months
and they need someone to go down there,
wrap things up.
The salary won't make you rich
but it's decent.
Now, you be down there tomorrow at 9:.00,
you got yourself a job.
Hakim, come on, man.
-I'm right here.
-Hey, Hakim.
-See me now?
-Okay.
Now you see me. Now you don't.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
I'm open still.
You got a man open.
You got a man open. He's open.
What the hell are you yelling about?
You terrible, man. You suck.
-What is that? Is this wrestling?
-Go, get the ball.
-Get the ball?
-Hey, pops.
-Hey, pops.
-Go, get the ball.
Hey, pops, pass the ball right here.
-Right here.
-Hey, mister, pass the ball.
No, no, no, not there.
Come here, right here.
-Don't pass it to him.
-Don't give it to him.
-Thanks.
-Why you give it to him, man?
Hey, what's wrong with you, man?
You throw like my sister, anyway.
Say, man, your iron broke at home?
Them threads,
he's sort of wrinkled there, brother.
Yo, my man, I didn't know Converse
made church shoes, for real.
What is that?
Hey, hey, hey, brother, yo,
the church is across the street.
Yo, man, hey!
What, we not friends no more?
It's like that, brother?
No problem, it's all right, man.
We just playing.
Hey, brother, wait. You work for the city?
-What?
-For your mom.
Reggie's got the ball, man.
-Reggie's got the ball, man.
-Get the ball, man.
Yo, man. Hey. Hey, wait.
-ls he retarded?
-Hey.
-Stop playing.
-Man.
Why we got to hang out
with this fool, anyway?
-Shoot, Reg. Go ahead, man.
-Shoot it in. Shoot it in.
-Oh, shit!
-He broke the radio.
-Franklin's radio.
-See?
That's right. My name's Hewitt.
I didn't do it.
Who broke my shit?
I wasn't even...
I didn't mean to. I was...
What do you propose to do about that?
I...
What is wrong with this little nigger, man?
The cat got his tongue?
-I'm waiting, little man.
-Franklin, man. Cool it, brother. Just...
Just leave him alone.
-He didn't mean it. It was an air ball.
-Dre-T.
Don't tell me you ditched me
to run around with this little dope.
-Hey, come on, Reg.
-It's like that, huh?
-Just stay home.
-Well, somebody gonna pay for this.
We ain't done yet, Dre-T.
We ain't never done.
That little shadow of yours owes me.
Look, it's not important.
It's not happening anymore
so let's not talk about it, okay?
The only thing that really, really matters is
that you're getting a divorce from Jack.
After that, everything's gonna be just fine.
Excuse me, sir. My name's Jim Ellis.
City sent me down here to...
Excuse me. Sir.
This is the Foster Rec Center, right?
Trish, you don't have to cry.
What's the sign say?
-lt don't say nothing at all, man.
-First of all, I'm not your man.
If I were your man, that'd imply I was funny
Iike one of those sister-boys or something.
I'm far from being one of those sister-boys.
So, if you're in the market for one,
I suggest you go downtown
or move to California.
'Cause ain't no funny here.
All right, whatever.
Like I said, city sent me down here
to pack up this place.
'Cause they're closing it down
in a few months and...
Told me to be here at 9:.00 so...
What the clock say?
-It's broken.
-Once again, I didn't ask you that.
-What the clock say?
-Man, it don't say nothing at all. It...
-What is your problem, dude?
-What's my problem?
-What's my problem?
-Yeah, what is your problem? I'm...
First of all, I'm gonna tell you
what my problem is.
You came in here and interrupted my story,
and that ain't cool.
My second problem is
I've been a Marcus Foster man
ever since this place was built.
And the first I hear
about them tearing it down is right now.
Oh, it ain't like I didn't see it coming.
But they could have gave me a heads up,
you know.
You get my point?
'Cause I am head of maintenance.
Yeah, you doing a hell of a job.
Look, where do I start, man?
Just tell me where I start.
Why don't you go ask the city?
They the one hired you.
Damn.
Look at this damn stuff.
God bless this space.
You sleeping here now?
Or it just happen to be part of your job?
No.
Elston.
Come on, Elston. I know you're in there.
You knew this was coming, Elston.
Not in three months, I didn't.
You couldn't even call me
and tell me yourself.
I had to find out
from the damn clean-up crew.
I'm sorry about that, Elston.
Things happen.
"Things happen." Yeah.
What happened to all those strings
you supposed to be pulling, Miss Sue?
You're my city representative.
Go down there and start representing.
Elston,
the city isn't gonna fund an institution
that has no economic worth to it
or the community it serves.
Let me tell you something, Sue.
Worth shouldn't be based on economics.
You of all people should know that.
Elston, how many kids
came through that front door today?
None.
How many yesterday?
Hell, the last six months?
Yes, I see them
playing basketball out front.
But you know what?
They can play basketball anywhere.
This place is a nesting ground
for drugs, thugs
and the lowest common denominator.
"Lowest common denominator."
Let me tell you something right now,
Miss Sue.
If it weren't for this place
keeping you off the street,
you wouldn't have no pretty threads
on your back right now.
So don't you ever forget that.
Elston, we are not gonna keep
this place open just for you.
Nice shot. Nice shot.
-Hot out here, like Vietnam.
-What do you know about Vietnam?
I know that's where you going
if you keep flunking English.
You know, they draft the dumb ones first,
right?
-I guess you might be next.
-No, 'cause you're dumb.
Pass the ball. Come on.
Look who's back.
See you still ain't found a iron.
See you haven't found no game yet.
Hey, hey. Look, look, look. Look.
Well, we running a shelter here?
Yeah, I didn't know
the city paid you to swim.
That must be a real nice gig.
Actually, they don't pay me much at all.
But I didn't know the city paid you
to be in my business.
Well, let me get the iron out
and iron this wrinkle out of you right now.
I'm gonna let you know something
straight off the press, baby.
Everything up in here is my business.
And better yet, when the water bill come,
I'll make sure you get part of my business.
Okay, and I'll make sure I don't pay it.
For some reason, I knew that already.
Hey, so Puddin, man,
Puddin say he waiting to get married.
He waiting to fall in love before he do it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it.
'Cause sex and basketball
ain't the only thing on my mind.
There's more to life than sex.
Man, what you know about sex, man?
You never got yourself none.
-What?
-Shut up, Reg.
Yo, what... What the hell?
-Oh, man.
-Hey, man, what you doing?
What does it look like?
Taking down the rims.
Yeah, but why?
City's closing the place down.
I'm supposed to bring the rims in.
-Sorry, fellows.
-You ain't got to take it, man, just leave...
They always messing
with our neighborhood.
Man, what we supposed to do now?
Walk eight miles
and play over at the Hudson Center?
Man, in this heat?
You must be out your mind.
Hey, say, man,
what you gonna do with that rim?
Get off me. Man, this is bullshit!
What's he smiling at?
What? It's hot.
Y'all having fun?
You suck! You suck!
-Give me the ball.
-I got the ball.
Watch it, watch it, watch it, watch it.
Listen up,
I need to talk to y'all for a second.
You with the basketball.
I got to tell you, first of all, I think
that was pretty low,
what they did to y'all outside,
pulling down your basketball rim.
But as long as this place is open,
I'm gonna let y'all swim in here.
But if y'all gonna be in here,
you gonna have to act
like you got some sense
'cause, I mean, theoretically,
ain't none of y'all supposed to be in here.
Yeah, neither is Puddin Head,
but his pop's condom broke.
Hey, man, watch the 'fro now, brother.
Watch the 'fro.
-What's your name?
-Hakim.
My name's Jim Ellis.
What does that sign say up on the wall?
"No
-"Clowns."
-Clowning.
-l-N-G.
-Shut up, Walt. Did he ask you?
-l-N-G is clowning.
-Look, this isn't a joke right now.
It says, "No clowning in or out of the pool."
Stay away from the deep end
if you can't swim.
What you say you do up here?
Who are you, the janitor?
What, you clean toilets?
Is that it, man? Can we go swimming now?
Yeah, we're straight.
Y'all understand, right?
Yes, we understand.
-Can we swim now?
-Okay.
And you, Mr. Smartass, over there.
-Name's Andre.
-Okay, Andre.
If you cup your hands
while you're swimming,
you swim a whole lot faster, son.
Just think about it.
I think I swim fast enough, janitor.
What was that?
You heard me.
You need to stick to
stacking boxes over there
and leave the swimming to the experts.
-Tell him, Dre.
-Yeah, yeah.
Expert? So you the expert now?
Expert at what, like running your mouth?
Say, man, I back up what I say.
I dust your old ass off in a race.
My 50 to your 20 says, "Negro, please."
Hey, man, you about to get smoked, man.
We talking three months
of swimming rehab.
Janitor don't stand a chance, man.
You ready, old man?
-He got blue panties on.
-I told you he was a fruitcake, man.
-Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
-Look at this! Look at this!
Superhero.
-Captain Panties.
-Save me! Save me!
To the end and back.
Lead the way.
All right. On your mark.
Get set.
Go!
Yo, man, what you doing, man? It's a race.
-Not really.
-Go, man.
Go, go.
All right, come on, Dre. Come on, man.
All right, here we go.
You got him. You got him.
Look, y'all.
You got it! You got it!
Come on.
Come on.
Oh, man,
he got beat by Captain Panties.
You lost! You lost!
-Hey, all I know...
-Get out the pool.
-...is you got burnt.
-For real.
-Burnt! Burnt! Burnt!
-Just shut up.
I'll kick both your ugly asses.
-At what? At swimming?
-I can see you drowning, you going down.
Man, you... You were fierce in that water.
Could you hook me up
with some of those moves sometime?
-First learn how to swim.
-Hey, hey.
What the heck is going on here?
Jim, what you call yourself doing, man?
I'm just surviving, baby.
I guess we just in the place
we supposed to be right now.
-ls that right?
-Yeah.
Y'all be careful.
No clowning in and out the pool.
I'm watching.
Hey, Elston,
why don't you come and swim with us?
Jim, where I come from, we swim naked.
And I don't want to embarrass nobody.
-You owe me 20, daddy.
-Nice, man.
Dre-T, where you going, man?
Stick around, brother, have a beer.
Might even let you drive tonight,
like old times.
Remember all the fun we used to have?
Yeah, I remember.
I remember you leaving me for dead.
Is that how you remember it going down?
No, see, I remember you
taking them bullets like a man, for us.
Look, here.
I haven't forgot that, brother.
You smell that?
Come on, baby.
It's for you.
Swollen up on me.
All right, brother.
It's all right, young blood.
You know where to find me.
What you guys have to remember
is that each and every stroke
begins with an extension into the water.
You are reaching and stretching
as far as you can.
Now, I'm gonna show you.
Remember, you keep moving your legs.
Stretch out, reach as far as you can.
Try it.
One, two, breathe.
Now you're swimming
like a wounded animal.
One, two, breathe.
One, two, breathe.
Coach, why do these got to be here?
They keep messing me up.
The line is there to keep you
from messing everybody else up.
One, two, breathe.
If you breathe correctly, you don't drown.
Pull it back.
Reach out.
Make eye contact, pull them back again.
Walt, who told you
to take a board out there?
-But my hair.
-Get rid of the damn board.
What, you trying to drown us?
I'll show you fools.
Hey, Jim, let me show them how it's done.
Push.
Push.
Push.
You can make it, don't give up.
You can't run across the water.
Come on out here, young man.
Hey, Mr. Ellis,
you see how fast I was today?
Yeah, Reggie, you were smoking, man.
I think you broke a record.
Hey, don't some of those
rec centers have...
Have like swimming teams?
Like... Like...
Swimming tournaments and stuff.
You mean like meets? Swim meets?
Yeah, I suppose they would,
especially the ones that got pools.
Why?
I'm saying...
We swimming like every day, you know.
Maybe we should get in some.
-Hey, mister. Are there girls at these meets?
-Yeah.
That must be why they call them meets.
You meet girls.
Hey, we could be
splish-splashing with some girls.
Yeah, I think we really should.
Look, fellows. Look, what we do here,
I mean, this is all fun and games.
You talking about leagues,
and these people, they take this serious.
Dig, man. I'm tired of racing these jokers.
I need some more janitors to go up against.
-Why? So you can get smoked again?
-And again.
And again.
Yeah, why don't y'all
finish getting dressed?
But I really think we're ready.
Hey, foxy.
-Say, baby doll.
-Yeah, my name is Walt.
What's your name?
Victoria, huh?
-Let me walk you on down the street.
-We on the swim team.
See, I know how to do the breaststroke.
-Girl, I'm just saying, look...
-Reggie.
Hey, baby boy, how you doing?
You want some of this candy
to go along with your groceries?
You need a new trick.
-Does she fetch, too?
-A little bit of everything, brother.
I'm just trying to hook you up, man.
Make a little peace offering.
-The brother loves the peace.
-I'm with you, man. I feel that.
You sure? I got your back, man.
Oh, it's like that?
It's like that, baby boy? It's all right, baby.
I ain't going nowhere.
You gonna learn to love me.
Here you go, Jim.
What's that?
All the city parks and recreational sports
schedule, right there.
Why do I need this?
I might start a lacrosse team or something.
Brothers around here don't lacrosse.
Brothers don't swim, neither.
Hakim!
Hakim!
Hakim!
-What?
-Come on.
It's past your curfew, boy.
Hey, shut up!
Hi.
You're about to get very embarrassed.
Can't you see me hanging with the guys?
Get in the car.
Out of the pool.
Come on, let's go. Right now.
Let's go, line up here.
Act like you got some sense.
-What did we do?
-Come on, you get right there.
Come on! Come on. There you go, Jim.
I wanna talk to you guys about something.
Do y'all remember the first gift
that you was given
after you made it into this world?
What was it?
-Your name?
-Your name.
What's the last thing that's remembered
about you when you leave this world?
-Your name?
-Your name.
-Where's Hakim?
-Man, that fool's on restriction.
Yeah, his sister's crazy, man.
I'm telling you, man,
she's all about the books and stuff.
Yeah.
Well, take a good look at each other.
-Mr. Taylor, right?
-Yeah.
Mr. Williamson,
Mr. Davis and Mr. Jones.
You are now the official representatives
of the Marcus Foster Recreational Center.
-What you talking about?
-You guys asked for a meet, right?
Well, you got it.
This weekend against Main Line Academy.
You are now an official team.
We're a team, man,
we gonna be stroking.
-I'll be stroking on.
-Right on, brother.
-Yeah.
-Right on.
All right, I guess we a team.
How you doing?
Hello, my name's Jim Ellis.
I work down at the Foster's Rec.
-Foster's?
-Yes.
-ls Hakim home?
-Can I help you?
See, I'm coaching the boys down there.
We've started a little swim team.
I wanted to know if...
If Hakim would like to be a part of it.
-Swim team at Foster's?
-Yes.
We're closing that place down.
What do you mean, we?
We, meaning the city, me.
I'm Councilwoman Sue Carter,
Hakim's sister.
Well, is Hakim's parents home?
-I'm his legal guardian. You can talk to me.
-Okay.
Some of the kids kind of took to swimming.
And just Hakim
has shown so much promise.
So much promise and
I would love for him to continue with that.
And then what happens?
Do they get swim scholarships?
-Do they become professional swimmers?
-No, probably not.
Definitely not.
Miss Carter, do you swim, by chance?
-Do I swim?
-Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Ellis, Hakim missed three weeks of
school when he was with your swim team.
-I'm sorry, I didn't know that.
-Yeah.
I don't want my brother
back out on the street, okay?
So the best thing you can do for these kids
is encourage them to get a good education,
pack up that rec center and shut it down.
Well, Miss Carter, do you mind
if I have a word with him then?
Please.
Man, you got some really great books here.
You must love to read.
No, I ain't never read none of them.
Really?
"But the sister said, 'That is the pain."'
Looks like you could use some help,
young man.
Okay?
You serious?
One-zero.
All right.
-What y'all doing?
-Studying swimming.
Wait a minute,
y'all got two days before a Main Line event
and you sitting here, sitting on your ass?
I think Main Line's
got a meet with us in two days.
You know, pride is before crash.
Come on, man, you're a team now.
Get up, get up.
Get in the pool.
Excuse me. How you doing, young lady?
Can I help you with something?
-Yes, I'm here to swim.
-Coach, we got us a swimmer here.
Hi, I'm Wilhelmina Thompson.
My friends call me Willie.
I'm Jim Ellis.
But unfortunately, young lady,
we don't have a girl's team here.
Well, from the looks of it, you don't have
much of a guy's team, either.
-You feisty.
-I like her.
-Show us what you got.
-All right.
Excuse me, girl.
You know, you got a bright future with you.
Guess she on the team, huh?
Come on, man. Hey, look at
your mamma over there, walking.
Is that your mamma, covered in dirt?
What's up, brother?
We're going to swim. We're going to swim.
Hey, Coach, man, this place make
Marcus Foster look like a damn outhouse.
Boy, no need for all that.
What we're gonna try and do today
is go in there and swim like a team.
Because it's not where you swim,
it's how you swim.
And if we act like a team,
we might come out of here today
with some type of decent placement. So...
Might?
There ain't no might about it.
I say we go on up in here,
kick their white asses,
eat their little caviar and roll back
to the ghetto with a win. You dig?
Dre know what he's talking about.
No need to be so damn cocky,
this is your first meet.
We don't need to worry
about these white boys at all.
Cocky, man. We're just good.
You're that good? Okay.
Come here.
I'm not done talking to y'all. Listen up.
What we're gonna do,
we're gonna go inside the locker room,
-we're gonna put on the swim gear.
-Swim gear? Coach,
I got my shorts on under my pants.
-Me, too.
-No, you're not prepared.
Today, we're gonna wear the real thing.
Elston.
What you talking about?
One size fit all.
-No, hell no.
-I'm not wearing that.
That ain't funny. What you laughing at?
What do you mean, hell no?
This is a swim meet.
This isn't some backyard function.
This is proper swimming attire.
-This is your uniform.
-That's not my uniform.
Elston. Elston, come on now.
I can't even get my boys in those.
Trust me, you and your boys
will be just fine.
Look, I don't care what y'all say,
I don't got to wear no blue panties to go
in there and kick them white boys' asses.
Me, neither.
You're supposed to be a team.
A team wears the same thing.
I mean, if Willie wear them, then...
She wear them?
Oh, my goodness, man.
Please leave the preparation area.
Only registered swimmers of the teams
remain in the starting...
Man, what's all these people
looking at us like this for?
-Dyn-o-mite.
-I didn't know they swam.
Must be some kind of a protest march.
Come on, Reg. Just ignore them, man.
What the hell? Can you believe this?
They're not even dressed right.
-It's free dress today.
-Come on, no let down today.
We've got 56 consecutive home victories.
That's right, 56 straight.
It's impressive.
Some people can't even count that high.
No let down, boys, not today.
Let's go, Main Line.
Richard Binkowski,
around the sports world
-they know me as the Bink.
-We've met before.
-We have?
-Yes, we have.
-This is Mr. Johnson.
-Meet a lot of people.
Yeah, yeah, nice to see you.
-You have a girl on your team?
-Yes.
And you realize this is a boys' swim meet.
No girls allowed here.
Where does it say that?
We missed the sign
when we walked in here?
Better yet, you got a
rules and regulations book on you?
-Are you her lawyer?
-Yeah, you can say I'm her mouthpiece.
-You want to go to court?
-Yeah.
Bet you know your way
around the courtroom.
-I was born there.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Well, enjoy your freedom while you can.
-Yeah.
Yeah, well, listen,
just so you understand the format today,
'cause it's complicated.
We start off with a 50 breast,
-and then we go to the...
-I know the format, Mr. Binkowski.
-You do know the format?
-Yes.
-You understand it?
-I understand it.
Okay, because I'm here to help you
if you need anything.
Any questions that you need answered,
you talk to the Bink, okay?
-Thank you so much.
-You bet.
-Pompous ass, huh?
-All right, men, come on.
That's what I'm saying.
This is what we deal with.
Come on.
Stay focused.
Welcome to the
Main Line Academy Swim Meet.
Home of the current regional champion,
the Main Line Barracudas.
-You got this.
-You got to be kidding me.
You got a problem with me
and my swim team, man?
You mean,
you guys aren't the Harlem Globetrotters?
-No.
-That's cute.
-That's real cute.
-Mr. Davis, focus.
Will the swimmers involved
in the 50-yard breaststroke
-please approach the starting blocks.
-Mr. Davis, get us off to a good start.
All right, go.
Put your hand out. Reach out.
Let's go!
Give it, Miss Thompson.
Come on. Make your turn, come on.
Come on.
Keep your focus, find the center.
Come on!
Cheer for him!
He hit his head...
Swimmers, take your mark.
Get your pants back on.
Keep going.
Blast off!
Hey, you stand there
with your thumb up your ass?
What kind of bullshit circus
are you running here?
I'll take care of it.
Coach, keep your boys in line.
I'm sorry.
I apologize.
Come on.
I'm tired of embarrassing myself,
let's get out of here.
Come on, you guys.
We can't, Coach, we...
We got one more.
And now, the last race of the day,
the 50-yard freestyle.
Well, just be glad they took off the cuffs
so you could swim, brother.
Swimmers, take your mark.
Hey! Come on!
Go, Mr. Williamson.
Make your turn.
He fouled!
Wait, wait, wait!
He just kicked him in the head.
-Coach, I didn't see anything.
-No, no. He just kicked him in the head.
-That's a disqualification.
-No, sir.
That's a foul! Did you see that?
-You guys saw it, didn't you?
-I didn't see a thing.
No, sir. Not a foul. Sorry.
Yeah, it figures you'd complain
about something.
Yes, yes!
Fifty-seven in a row. Come on!
Fifty-seven.
We made it, five, seven.
Once again...
This is the stuff you're teaching your kids?
White boy!
Listen to me.
-Hey, man, get your hands off me.
-Listen. Listen!
You want respect in this game,
then you're gonna have to earn it.
I know they taught you that
at Cheyney State.
Why don't you teach your kids something?
Yeah, he made a bonehead move
but you had 30 before that.
And it didn't affect the outcome.
You want respect, you give it.
You earn it.
Come on, Coach.
-All right. All right.
-We got a long drive. Long drive.
Okay.
-Get back, guys. Come on!
-Come on, get your stuff.
Get back, everybody.
Come on, let's go. Get your stuff.
I couldn't swim right?
No, 'cause I was blinded
by the reflection off his white behind.
I'm telling you, man,
bobbing up and down in the water.
I couldn't even... I couldn't even see.
Best stroke out there
was Willie's butterfly.
Yeah, we were all watching that.
Hey, I'm just glad to be out them boonies,
you know what I'm saying?
-Them white boys...
-Man, hey, you know.
Them white boys
ain't never seen nothing like that.
But you almost drowned, though,
you almost drowned. I told Puddin Head.
What you talking about? I was down, man.
I may have swam backwards,
but I ain't...
What's so funny, man?
I want to laugh.
-What's funny? Don't you wanna laugh, El?
-I can go for a chuckle or two.
-Come on, what's funny?
-You know, nothing's funny.
We just clowning.
-You know how it is.
-No, Mr. Taylor, I don't know how it is.
Maybe you should explain to me
'cause I don't know how it is
to get my ass whooped,
and then to get on the bus and ride home
and act like it didn't happen.
-Like it's your birthday.
-Yeah, how does that happen, exactly?
Come on, Coach. It was just swimming.
Swimming? That wasn't swimming.
-You know what I saw?
-What did you see?
I saw a bunch of Negroes
who thought because they were black
that they were better than the other people.
Did you see that?
I thought I was the only one
that felt that way, you know.
-No, but you know also what I saw?
-What did you see?
-Some white kids was there, too.
-Talk to me.
And they thought the same thing.
They thought that because they were white
they were better than you.
And you know what?
They were.
-They proved it today.
-I thought so.
Yeah, but they cheated.
You saw him kick me, Coach!
You know who I think cheated,
Mr. Williamson?
You did.
You all cheated.
Because here you had a golden opportunity
to do something special,
but you pissed the whole thing away
'cause you wouldn't take it seriously.
-Say, man, what's happening?
-Nothing, man.
Right on, man.
But let me show you what's happening.
You see your rec right there?
In a couple of months, it's gonna be gone.
You know why, Mr. Carter?
Because the people it was built for
don't care about it.
This is your house.
And I tell you something,
my life is way too short
for me to spend my time around people
who don't care about nothing.
So you see your little
basketball court there with no hoop?
Go play life with no hoop.
Laugh it up, man. It's a joke.
He just playing.
-It's funny, ain't it, man?
-Yeah.
-Right on, man.
-Right on.
Give me some of that, man.
Sue. Sue.
-Elston, what you doing here?
-Hold on one minute.
Need to talk to you about something.
-Well, can it wait? I'm late for a meeting.
-No.
Sue, we had our first meet yesterday.
-I'm telling you.
-Yeah, I met your coach.
He got his work cut out for him, girl.
You came all the way down here
to tell me that?
No.
Chocolate-covered cherries.
-What do you want, Elston?
-Please take it, please.
Sue, I need you to pull some strings.
We need all the publicity we can get.
Sue, that's the only way
we gonna be able to keep that center open.
-Elston...
-Look, I'm telling you.
And by the way, your little brother, Hakim,
girl, he's turned
into one hell of a swimmer.
Hakim isn't supposed to be swimming.
Hakim is supposed to be in school.
And he's doing that too.
Get on it.
Get on it.
On it!
Okay.
Listen to your biceps.
Listen to your biceps.
I wanna see those ears
right against the biceps.
There we go.
See your goal, do an alley oop.
Dive in, right under the ball.
Everything tight, arms as close as you can.
And you slice through that water.
Reach for it with everything you've got,
like it's your last bit of life.
Go.
Get to that wall
like you're right within reach of it.
You can't be scared of him.
You got the whole other side.
Look at that water,
that's your world, you own that.
The race ain't over
till you ain't got nothing left.
It ain't about being tired,
it's about being strong.
When your legs get tired,
let your heart do the rest.
Come on, Mr. Davis, bring it up,
you the anchor.
You see, when you're training,
resistance is your friend.
But when you're trying to race,
it's called drag.
If you cannot see your face in the mirror,
your head is too low.
You can go faster, Mr. Taylor.
All you gotta do is kick your legs.
Hey, Elston,
don't you think they can go faster?
They're too busy admiring themselves
in the mirror, Coach.
You know, I still haven't found an anchor
for my relay yet.
-You think we got one here?
-They all anchors.
And they gonna sink us right to the bottom.
You see, coming together
is just the start of it.
Yo, yo! Hey, Coach! We got a special guest.
Staying together, winning together,
that's success.
Nice of you to join us, Mr. Williamson.
Come on back.
Everybody come back.
For every minute you're late, that's 10 laps.
-Hey, Elston, you got a slide rule on you?
-Mine don't count that high.
Yeah, you know, I majored in Mathematics
and that's 100 laps.
That's 2,500 yards you gotta do.
-I ain't doing no 100 laps.
-I know you're not.
-They gonna swim it for you.
-What?
You gonna sit there in that chair
and let them do your work for you
since you don't know how to show up
when you're supposed to.
We gonna start off with 2,500 yards.
That's four sets of 500.
The last 500
is gonna be broken up into two 50s.
The first 500 is breaststroke.
Second 500 is gonna be freestyle.
Third 500, I wanna see backstroke.
Fourth 500, I wanna see a butterfly.
You either work as a team
or you're nothing at all.
You're your own worst enemy.
You got so much potential.
But you ain't gonna do none of it because
you won't get out of your own way.
Have a seat, son.
Okay, let's go.
I believe in them so much.
There's so much they can do.
Hey, dig, Coach.
Let them stop or I quit.
If that's what you wanna do, then go.
It's your choice,
but your team is doing your work for you.
And remember, if you walk out,
you are walking out on your life.
You don't wanna leave,
and I don't want you to leave.
Hey. Hey, little man.
Little man.
Time to pay up, little man.
I figure that radio I stole from that guy
must have cost a good 50 bucks.
I've no money.
You think I want ice, waterman?
Hop in the car.
Hey, hey, wait up!
Hey, Reg. What's going on?
Your boy's got a job to do for me
to pay off his debt.
Reggie, man, look,
you don't need to do this.
-You don't have to, man.
-The boy's gotta do a delivery for us.
I gotta do this or he won't ever
leave me alone, you know that.
Time is money. Get in the car.
I gotta do this.
I gotta do this. I got it. I got it.
I got it, okay?
I got it.
Frank, let me do this for him.
It's me you want, not him.
That's looks like a real nutritious dinner
right there, Miss Carter.
Well, I've got protein in the eggs,
calcium in the cream frosting,
not to mention fruit
in the fruit topping, yeah.
Mind if I join you?
Please.
Thank you.
Ma'am, can I get a piece of cake, too?
So, how's things in the big City Hall?
You win some, you lose some.
I bet.
So, I understand Hakim is swimming again.
I assumed that
he had your permission earlier.
No, he didn't.
But it's a good thing
'cause he's back in school.
-Mr. Ellis, I just...
-Come on, Sue, we're having cake together.
It's Jim.
Hakim is not much of a student.
Yeah, I just think he's waiting
for something to catch his attention.
That's all. Thank you, ma'am.
Guess I just don't know
how to get through to him. I try.
Don't know how?
You've gotten through to him.
He's back in school, right?
And he hates it.
But he's doing it
because he wants to make you happy.
Yeah.
How's the cake?
Good.
So, Hakim's a good swimmer, huh?
Yeah, like a little tadpole.
-Well, Jim, I will make a deal with you.
-Proceed.
If Hakim stays in school,
he stays in the pool.
So that means we can keep
the rec open, right?
You said deal.
-You...
-I like the deal.
Excuse me.
Mr. Jones, get out of the car.
Come on.
Hey, baby boy,
why you so bent out of shape?
-Now!
-Coach, I can handle this.
I said they're with me, baby boy, chill.
Why you doing this?
Man, get on home.
Don't you ever come around my kids again.
Nigger, who the hell
do you think you talking to?
You don't understand, do you?
These are my kids.
They will always be my kids.
Welcome to Franklin-town, nigger.
I'm gonna tell you one time.
Don't you ever come around my kids again.
-You understand me?
-You stepped on the wrong toes.
We ain't done yet.
Come around my kids again
and watch what happens to your ass.
I'm not gonna tell you again.
That's a dead man walking.
Just get on home.
Come on, let's get inside.
Mr. Jim?
Hey, what's happening?
I think you need to take a look at this.
We got what we wanted, Mr. Jim.
The Philadelphia Department of Recreation
is pleased to inform us
that we have been sanctioned to...
We've been sanctioned
to hold a meet right here,
at Marcus Foster Pool.
Jim, you keep this up, you'll be unpacking
all those boxes out there.
How did you arrange this, man?
Well, Jim, I know a lot of people, too.
Yeah.
But you might want to thank
that councilwoman, that pretty little girl,
when you get a chance.
You know what I mean.
Thank you, Mr. Jim. Thank you so much.
How are you?
Elston.
Bingo night is on Tuesday
and Easter is eight months away.
Reverend, I've been thinking.
You know, it says in John 3:.16
that God so loved the world,
he gave his only begotten son.
You know it.
Look at you, all decked out.
First meet in PDR in 10 years, Jim.
Yeah, I'm just hoping that some people
show up there for them kids, you know.
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Yeah.
There, they're coming.
Keep your head. Keep your head.
Hey, Bink, good to see you, man.
How you doing?
-How's the kids?
-You know, same old stuff.
Yeah, wife?
Yeah, same, how about you?
What's going on?
New wife, smaller than the last one
but a lot more expensive.
-Yeah.
-You're a smart man
staying married all these years...
Excuse me a second. Say, Coach Ellis.
Hi.
I regret to inform you that
some of my young men
have come down with the flu
on the trip down here today.
And we had the best intentions
to support this community effort of yours,
but unfortunately we are not
gonna be able to compete today.
-So you're saying that you're forfeiting.
-No.
We will reschedule at a different time
and, perhaps, a more appropriate location.
What, some type of 24-hour, 14-minute flu?
You know, I bet you
they gonna feel a whole lot better
by the time they get home. Won't they?
Yeah, I bet they will. Thanks for caring.
If he walks out of here, that's a forfeit.
-They're all sick.
-No, they're leaving.
They can't compete.
-What do you want me to do, Mr. Ellis?
-I want you to be fair.
If that happened to my boys...
No, it's a forfeit.
I guess this meet is canceled.
-Good day, Mr. Ellis.
-Come on, don't do this.
Don't do this right now.
Come on, don't walk away from me.
It's a forfeit.
What's going on?
Where did the other team go?
Just some things don't change.
But thank you.
Thank you for everything you did
in trying to help us but...
I've gotta go and explain this to my kids.
Y'all should be proud of yourselves.
You got a huge crowd here today.
You came here to compete and you won.
Coach.
What happened?
Oh, no, they're leaving now.
-What?
-Why?
You know why.
You can't change some people.
You know, some people
are just born messed up,
but I am so proud of you all.
And I want y'all to walk out of here
with your heads held high.
And tomorrow we'll come back
and we'll practice
and we'll act as if
none of this ever happened.
But y'all are PDR.
I can't believe they're doing this again.
This is our house, Coach!
On your mark.
This is our house, Coach!
On your mark.
This is our house!
On your mark.
This is our house, Coach.
This is our house, Coach.
This is our house, Coach.
He's a man, now. He's a big boy now.
We're just so proud of Andre.
He's the first person in our family
to learn how to swim.
This is great for our community.
It inspires all of us and we love having
the Foster Center come back.
It's wonderful.
She could always swim like a fish.
She was the butterfly champ
at summer camp.
PDR. Number one.
I'm very excited 'cause
I never been outside of Philly before.
Just three months ago,
these kids could barely swim.
Next week, the kids of Marcus Foster Pool
are heading
to the National Swimming Championships
at the University of Baltimore.
I would like to thank Coach Jim Ellis
for all he's done for our youth.
Thank you, Councilwoman.
We really appreciate it.
Absolutely.
Coach, why don't we go inside
so we can interview you by the pool?
Sue, you think you might
get a craving for one of them
healthy slices of cake?
Maybe?
Maybe.
Tonight.
Okay.
Thanks.
Wait.
-Get a shot of this! Get a shot of this!
-Told you, we ain't done.
I can't swim!
Come here.
Now, say something.
-Make sure you got it.
-Come on, man!
-Help me!
-Let him give it to him.
Elston, do something!
Let him go!
Let him go, Coach!
-He ain't worth it, man.
-Come on, help him. Come on, come on.
Get him out of there.
He ain't worth it, Coach.
Mired by another night of violence,
intruder Franklin Pierce
is in stable condition
at Philadelphia Memorial Hospital.
Now, according to police, no charges have
been filed against Coach Jim Ellis.
Now, all this comes on the eve
of what should be the biggest night
for the kids of Foster Rec
who tomorrow leave for the National Finals
at the University of Baltimore.
So, I'm a big hypocrite, you know.
Turns out I'm no better than that little thug.
Tell you something, Elston. I need to quit.
Get out of these kids' way, you know.
What?
Man, if you quit now,
you quit on them kids.
You quit on this center.
You quit on this whole community.
And most importantly, Jim,
you quit on yourself.
I'm glad you came.
You must have seen the report.
Who are you?
Are you a con artist?
You tricked our children into trusting you.
You tricked this community
into trusting you.
First of all, I haven't tricked nobody.
You know where I was?
I was at the police station.
And I told them that Jim Ellis
is not the type of man to hurt anybody.
And you know what they told me?
That you have a record of arrest.
Okay.
There you have it.
The world isn't black and white.
When I was young, I hit an officer.
But I had a damn good reason
for doing that.
I know, I know. You're innocent.
Everybody's always innocent, remember?
I was the one
that put those innocent people away.
And funny how they are innocent
every time.
You know, out of all the people I know, l...
I would think you would understand
that the world isn't black and white.
You almost had me.
You almost had me believing
that you could make a difference.
Good night, Mr. Ellis.
Right on.
What?
On the bus.
Hey, Jimmy.
We brothers.
Let's do it. Let's do it, man.
Good luck.
What's happening, Coach?
You know, when I was a young man,
I made a lot of mistakes.
I made another one yesterday.
That's not the example I want for you.
And I'm gonna have to pay for that.
So I've decided
I'm not gonna be coaching you
but I'm putting myself on suspension.
Wait, so who's gonna coach us?
You got each other.
'Cause in the end, that's all you really have.
And you got your captain, Andre.
You know what to do, Mr. Williamson.
You see, we've been chasing dreams
for many, many years.
But tomorrow, you'll all get an opportunity
to fulfill some of those dreams.
You and the letters
that stand for this place.
You stand for PDR.
But what does it mean to us?
Pride, determination and resilience.
That's what's brought
all these people together.
You've given them something to believe in.
Because this is our community.
This is our house.
And it's built on pride,
determination and resilience.
Just pride, determination and resilience.
PDR! PDR! PDR! PDR!
PDR! PDR! PDR! PDR!
We're gonna win for you.
PDR! PDR! PDR! PDR!
Go get them, brothers. Go get them.
Man, this pool is big.
It's like an ocean.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to the
University of Baltimore Aquatic Center
for the Eastern Regional
Swimming Final.
We have teams from Baltimore,
Harvard, Plymouth and Mercer.
Defending their championship,
from Philadelphia,
the Main Line Barracudas.
And for the first time,
also coming from Philadelphia,
representing the Marcus Foster Rec Center,
Team PDR.
Listen up.
We are the official representatives
of the Marcus Foster Pool.
We're
Philadelphia Department of Recreation.
PDR.
We came a long way.
Let's show them what this family's about.
Swimmers, to the starting block,
please, for our first race,
the 100-meter backstroke.
Take your mark.
Come on, push, Mr. Taylor.
Get back, come on.
Go! Bring them in!
Bring them in! Bring them in!
Yeah.
Bobby Baskins wins for Main Line.
Wilson Peterson coming in second
for Arlington.
Up next, the 200-meter breaststroke.
All day, you dig?
Hey, focus. Don't worry about him.
Okay.
Swimmers, to the starting block,
for the 100-meter breaststroke.
Take your mark.
Go!
Good job! Hey! Yeah!
Reginald P. Jones
finishes in third position for PDR.
Swimmers, take your mark.
Come on, baby. Come on.
Come on, Willie!
Speed up.
And again.
-Go, Willie!
-Come on!
Come on!
Son of a bitch!
PDR's Wilhelmina Thompson comes in first.
Nick Post comes in second for Main Line.
And Carl Walters
finishes third for Arlington.
This gives Mercer the lead.
Main Line in second place.
PDR currently has 58 total points
placing them in fourth place.
PDR! PDR!
Come on! Come on!
PDR's Walter Davis
is struggling with a leg cramp.
Steven Epson wins for Main Line.
Yes!
Yeah.
Stretch it out, stretch it out.
My leg!
This brings us to the last race
of the individual competition.
This will determine
what teams advance to the team relay.
Swimmers, take your mark.
Swim, baby! Swim!
Go, Andre.
You can do it!
Well, boys, apparently
we got ourselves a little rivalry here.
Now, obviously, that's not the same team
that came up to Main Line.
You realize that, right?
Killing, man.
Guys!
Guys, look!
After completing the individual events,
we have three teams
within reach of the championship.
Main Line is in first place with 101 points.
PDR is just five points behind with 96.
And Mercer is in third place with 93 points.
All right, this is what it's all about.
It's the relay.
And we in second place.
We can actually win this thing,
just like Walt said.
We win this relay, we're champions again.
But we lose and they're champions.
Walt, how's that cramp?
I think I can swim, man.
I'm ready.
Sit this one out.
-Then who's gonna swim the first leg?
-I am.
Dre, you're the anchor, man.
You can't swim first.
Yeah, man, he's right.
I mean, you know the anchor
has to have the fastest time, man.
The anchor's got to have the biggest heart.
Reg, you're our anchor.
You sure about that?
So, let's win this. Come on.
-Go Main Line!
-Main Line!
That's right! Come on!
PDR on three.
One, two, three.
PDR!
Teams, prepare for the last event
of today's meet.
The 4x100-meter relay.
This will determine the championship
for the 1974 season.
Swimmers, take your mark.
Fifty meters.
Barracudas!
Go!
Come on!
They got you swimming anchor?
Come on, Mr. Taylor! Go, Mr. Taylor!
Come on!
Again! Again! Again!
Come on!
Come on!
More!
Reg, Reg. What you doing?
Look at me, man.
You can do this.
You can do this.
-Come on.
-Come on, Mr. Jones.
Go! Go!
I'm proud of you, Coach Ellis.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we have a photo finish.
A photo finish.
What happened?
I couldn't watch.
I just couldn't.
Win or lose, we still got our pride.
PDR! PDR! PDR! PDR! PDR!
I'm proud of you.
Thank you.