Cornwall 4th-grader competed this summer
Do kids still write about their summer vacation when they return to class? If they do, Brielle Hudson will have a lot to share with her teacher at Cornwall Elementary School. The fourth-grader was in Florida and Texas this summer. But she wasn’t vacationing.
She was there for nation-wide track meets. And she did very well, winning six first-place medals and setting two national records for her age group.
When she’s not setting records, Brielle trains with the New York Starz Track Club. Her coach is Derrick Hudson. The name is not a coincidence. Mr. Hudson is her grandfather. Growing up in Jamaica, he was a distance runner. But he dabbled in other events, so he could eventually become a coach. His two daughters were among his protégés.
They were both superb athletes. Chia Hudson (Brielle’s mother) was a state champion hurdler in 2007 while attending the Harvey School in Westchester. Soroya Hudson (Brielle’s aunt) went to high school in Cornwall. In her senior year, she earned state medals in the long jump and triple jump.
She now coaches these events, and hurdling, for the College of Saint Rose in Albany.
Mr. Hudson believes that his granddaughter is even more talented than his daughters. He works with her at least three days a week. Brielle looks like she’s more than nine years old, which is OK to say to someone whose age has yet to reach double digits.
She is about as tall as her mother, and probably taller than her aunt.
The youngster competed in the USATF National Junior Olympics (July 26-Aug. 1) and then traveled across the country to enter the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Humble, Texas (July 30-Aug. 7). She won first-place medals for the shot put (28-01.50), the high jump (4-03.25), the javelin (103-05.75) and the triathlon (1133 points). She won some events in both Florida and Texas.
“Triathlon,” by the way, can refer to a race that includes swimming, biking and running. But, in this case, it’s a junior version of the Olympic decathlon.
The kids earn points for the high jump, shot put and 200-meter run.
In Texas, Brielle competed against nine-year-olds. She was up against nines and tens in Florida. Soon after she returned to New York, she and her family visited the Cornwall Local.
“She’s also good academically,” her mother proudly remarked. And her grandfather praised her for being humble – a trait that was apparent during her interview.
Brielle’s interests aren’t limited to track and field. She also enjoys dancing and reading.
