Parkland Discus Thorwer Annthony Dudley
The Discus isn’t just a hobby or extra-curricular for Parkland senior Annthony Dudley, it’s a right of passage to the Dudley family.
“I remember watching my dad in middle school, and my dad coaching my brother,” Annthony explains. “My brother use to use my dads old discus shoes and I just grew up around them and watch them practice.”
Annthony’s father Steve had an opportunity to represent the United State at the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta, but when his mother became ill he opted to tend to his family and miss out on the chance for gold.
“I had a tragedy in my family so I couldn’t actually go to the training facility,” Steve Dudley says. “My mother passed away from pancreas cancer so when I made those marks I went home to take care of my mother.”
Eighteen years later it is now his son’s turn to step in the discus ring and go for the gold in the state of Texas. Annthony has already won hundreds of medals, but the one he is missing from his stash is a UIL Texas medal because last year when he was the favorite to win it all- everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
“I actually had a broken hand when I was going up the stairs and fractured a bone in my pinkie,” Dudley said. “Also I had a stomach virus and was up all night puking so I had only two hours of sleep and my balance was off.”
Next fall Annthony will be a freshman at UTEP and is hoping to continue his success at the collegiate level. His goal isn’t just to win for himself, but for his family, friends, and the city of El Paso.
