Gramps “Pino” Cione

The pool’s name comes from a phrase Gramps brought to America from Sicily. Born in Gioiosa Marea on the island’s north coast, he grew up speaking the micro-dialect of his village — a tongue shaped by centuries of Greek, Arabic, Norman, and Spanish influence, then narrowed to a sound all its own.

In that dialect, awadira was how you asked someone how they were doing. Literally translated: “how’s your hernia?”

It became the family greeting. A phrase that cracked everyone up, every single time. Decades later, the joy of it still hasn’t faded — saying awadira to a cousin or aunt still gets a smile, still pulls the whole family back to him.

Italy isn’t in this year’s World Cup. But a piece of our heritage is in the pool’s name, and that’s its own kind of glory.