Sheila Hudson facts for kids

Dr. Sheila Ann Hudson (born June 30, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete. She is known as one of the best U.S. athletes in the women's triple jump. Sheila won nine U.S. triple jump championships. She also set two "world bests" (which were like world records before the event became official). Plus, she set nine American records!

Sheila used to hold the American indoor record for the triple jump (46 feet, 8.25 inches). She also held the outdoor American record (47 feet, 3.5 inches). She won a silver medal at the 1994 IAAF World Cup. She placed tenth at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Sheila was a big supporter for making the triple jump an Olympic event for women. She competed for the United States in the very first women's triple jump at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She finished 10th in this historic event.

After her sports career, Sheila earned a special degree called a doctoral degree. She has worked as a writer for a newspaper. She also coached college athletes and helped manage sports programs. Sheila actively supports women's rights. She works to help women and girls succeed in sports.

Early Life and High School Sports

Sheila Hudson was born in Würzburg, Germany. She grew up in Rio Linda, California. She went to Rio Linda High School. There, she played on the girls' basketball team. She was the starting point guard for all four years.

On the track team, Sheila was amazing. She competed in the triple jump, long jump, and hurdle races. She also ran in relay races. In her senior year (1985), Sheila won the state championship in the triple jump. Because of her talent, she received a full scholarship to UC Berkeley. This meant her college education was paid for.

College Days at UC Berkeley

Sheila went to the University of California at Berkeley. She earned a degree in architecture in 1990. She also thought about going to Stanford University. But she chose Cal because it was known for new ideas and helping people.

Sheila's College Track & Field Career

Sheila competed for the Cal track and field team from 1986 to 1990. She was a nine-time All-American athlete. This means she was recognized as one of the best college athletes in the country nine times. She won six NCAA Division I National Championships. Four of these were in the triple jump. Two were in the long jump.

Sheila still holds school records at Cal. Her triple jump record is 46 feet, 0.75 inches. Her long jump record is 22 feet, 1 inch. She was even voted Cal's Pac-10 Athlete of the Decade for track and field. This award covered the years from 1986 to 1996.

College Achievements

Here are some of Sheila's top results during her college career:

After College: A Champion and Advocate

Fighting for the Olympic Triple Jump

Sheila Hudson spent many years working hard to get the women's triple jump added to the Olympics. She talked to many people and organizations. Finally, after a lot of effort, the International Olympic Committee agreed! They added the event to the 1996 Olympic Games. Sheila then competed for the United States in the first-ever women's triple jump at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She finished 10th.

National and International Competitions

Sheila was a top athlete in the U.S. She won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in triple jump four times (1989, 1990, 1994, and 1995). She also won the USA Indoor triple jump championship five times (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996).

Sheila held the American indoor triple jump record for 23 years! This record was 46 feet, 8.25 inches. She also set and broke her own outdoor American triple jump record many times. She held that record for 17 years.

On the world stage, Sheila won a silver medal at the 1994 IAAF World Cup. She also won a bronze medal at the 1993 Goodwill Games. She placed eighth at the 1995 World Indoor Championships. She was fifth at the 1998 IAAF World Cup.

USA National Championships Results

Here are some of Sheila's results at the U.S. National Championships:

Awards and Recognitions

Sheila Hudson has received many honors for her amazing career:

• Named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team for track and field (2016).
• Voted Pac-10 Athlete of the Decade for track and field (1986–96).
• Nominated for the Honda Sports Award (1989–90).
• Member of the Pac-12 Silver Anniversary Team for track and field (2006).
• Inducted into the UC Berkeley Hall of Fame (1999).
• Inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame (2014).
• One of the first people inducted into the Rio Linda High School Sports Hall of Fame (2022).

After Competing: New Careers

Sports Journalism

After her professional track and field career ended, Sheila started working for the Sacramento Bee newspaper. She first wrote about her journey as an Olympic hopeful. Later, she became a staff writer in the sports department from 2000 to 2002. She focused on writing interesting feature articles.

Coaching Career

Sheila returned to her old college, UC Berkeley, as an assistant track and field coach from 1992 to 1994. Later, she coached at California State University, Los Angeles from 2002 to 2008. Her coaching helped many jumpers at Cal State LA achieve great things:

• One NCAA Division II National Champion in the triple jump.
• Four NCAA Division II National Championship Runners-Up in various jumps.
• 18 NCAA Division II All-Americans.
• 12 CCAA individual Conference Champions.
• 36 CCAA individual All-Conference Honorees.

Athletics Administration

In 2008, Sheila moved from coaching to managing sports programs at Cal State LA. She started as a Compliance Coordinator and Senior Woman Administrator. This meant she helped make sure the school followed all sports rules. She was promoted to Associate Athletics Director in 2008. In 2016, she became the Senior Associate Director of Athletics. She also helped with Title IX, which ensures fairness for all students in sports. Sheila left Cal State LA in 2017.

Education

Sheila Hudson was the first person in her family to go to a university. She earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from UC Berkeley in 1990. While working full-time in sports administration, Sheila continued her studies. She earned two more degrees from Cal State LA: a master's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages, and a doctorate in educational leadership.