biography

Full name: Thomas Joseph Jude Corrao

Birthday: July 14th 1959

Sports: Dove (6 years), swam (6 years), and played baseball (7 years he was the catcher)

Schools: Preschool: Sacred Heart preschool Grade school: Holy Spirit until the end of 4th grade Elementary school: Bridge Point Middle school: Parkview High School: Jeff High College: IU Bloomington, majored in geology sub-subject limnology When went away for college dives with friends just for fun then the coach for IU asks him if he would like to have a scholarship for college and he says no thank you.

Swimming/ Diving Swim Coach- Tom Landgras Best stroke- 100 Backstroke Practice schedule- every morning 3 hours before school started After school for 3 hours. No Sunday practice Mon-sat <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At Jeff high 1975 ranked number 1 in diving… recorded was just broken in 2009. Mom and Dad my grandparents were very proud.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Something that could have changed life tremendously. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1975- swim meet at lakeside for local divers <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Greg Louganis was they’re competing. His Coach: Coach Jerry <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After seeing my uncle compete Coach Jerry came to my grandma and asked if he could travel with him, Greg and others to compete and train for the Olympics. My grandma said no because family is more important and will always be. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 32px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">IF <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> she had let my uncle go with Coach Jerry he would might have been in the Olympics.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His team (including my dad and his other brother) all still meet once a year to just hang out like old times. It has been 35 years since they have grown up together. They are practically family.

__Something That Could Have Been But Isn’t__

By: Elizabeth Corrao

“This life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water, but you can’t see how deep it is.” This quote means that you do not see what is coming ahead of you. Life is a mystery and just like this quote from Dennis Rodman you would be able to interpret this in any way. The way Thomas Corrao interpreted this quote by saying, “Life is what we chose it to be. We do what we want, but life might change it at the last minute.”

Thomas Joseph Jude Corrao was born on July 14, 1959 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He was the oldest of 3 boys, the youngest was my father.

His education started at Sacred Heart Pre-k. Then to Holy Spirit a block or so away until the end of the 4th grade. Then back across the river they went to finish at Bridge Point Elementary School. He finished his childhood up at Parkview Middle School where he started to swim and dive competitively. After he started to dive he set a record at Jeff High: 6 dives=330 points. The record was just broken in 2009 and he made the record in 1975. He said when he was there diving no one really knew about this sport, so that gave him and advantage.

He grew up with sports left to right. Swimming in the front of the yard one second, then diving off a 20 foot platform and doing an inward half hike perfectly. Sports were everything to him growing up. He and his brothers swam every morning three hours before school and three hours afterwards Monday-Saturday. Sundays were a day for family or probably a day to relax and recover from the long laboring workouts.

Tom Landgraf was his coach. He was one of the hardest coaches he has ever had but he made him stronger mentally and physically. Coach Landgraf thought his best stroke was backstroke and what a quink-y-dink that was his favorite stroke too. But swimming wasn’t his main sport. Diving took up a bigger part in his life and if he would have continued diving it would have made some decisions more important then his career.

Lakeside Swim Club, Louisville KY; 1975 __It was the biggest meet of Tom’s Life.__ It was something that could have changed his life forever or it could stay the same. In 1975 he was given the opportunity to travel around the world and dive with Greg Louganis and his coach. Greg also competed in the meet; that is how my uncle was given the opportunity. He said Greg was a great guy. Even though he won the meet Tom still did an amazing job. My grandma said no to traveling with Greg because growing up with family is more important.

My uncle said that if the answer would have been up to him he would have said yes, no questions asked. Even though he would be away from family, growing up on his own, traveling the world, he would have been training and might have been in the Olympics. I would say it was a good thing he did not go because I probably would not be as close to him as I am today. He is a touch guy but once you get to know him he is the sweetest guy you will ever met.