Coleman Ruiz

You know, we skateboarded the neighborhood.

BMX was a big thing when we were kids.

It was very much a rat-the-streets upbringing.

There was a park behind the neighborhood.

We would cut through the fence and go, you know, this kind of thing.

I played football and baseball and very normal in that regard.

Went to the neighborhood school.

And then in sixth grade...

I went to what was my high school, but it went fifth through 12th, called Holy Cross High School in the Lower Ninth Ward, which that spot is now vacated because the school, I went back after Hurricane Katrina, the whole school had to be moved.

And I went there in seventh grade.

And it was a hellacious start.

I mean, it was detention after detention, you know, fist fight after fist fight, and damn near.

Were you the instigator of those fights?

Probably some.

I definitely fell in with the wrong crowd initially in that sixth and seventh grade years.

And, um...

I wouldn't say it was so extreme that like it was complete mayhem, but I was definitely on, you know, problem situation number whatever when my parents were called in and it was kind of the last straw type thing.

And I got cut from baseball.

My grades were fine.

I was always a pretty good student.