by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Hudson Francour has multi-task responsibilities he is involved with this winter. He is a 5’8″ student-athlete and he’s active in basketball, bowling, snowshoeing and soccer for Special Olympics. He is also the team manager for the Oneida Nation HS Thunderhawks boys’ basketball team. Hudson also works in the area that continues more than a full day each day.
“I’m a member of the Oneida Nation and live on the reservation in Oneida, Wisconsin,” said Hudson. “My Oneida name is Tehanuhsi?shu and translates to “His house is shaking”. My mom is Margaret King.
“The name of my school is Syble Hopp,” said Hudson. “The name of our team is the Hopp Jaguars. I am a senior and will be graduating this year. I’ve been going to school here since I was 12 years old. I am now 18 and will be turning 19 in May.”
“I try to live our Oneida values of a good mind, peace, and kindness to one another,” said Hudson.
“Lataklokwatha Danforth has helped me become a better basketball player and never gave up on me. He has helped shaped my game and very patient with me. He really helped my dribbling and shooting skills. He is a tribal community member who my mom sought out that helps basketball players sharpen their skills.”
“My coach, Mr. Joe Klicka at Syble Hopp helped me become a better person on and off the court. Being respectful and mindful of others is his number one lesson he teaches. Winning is second. He has taught me to share the ball so others get a chance to score too. Team is important. He encourages me so much and is upbeat!”
“My mom, Margaret King, has encouraged me to do more on the court,” said Hudson. “She helped me become a team manager for the Oneida Boys ThunderHawks. I really like videotaping, keeping track of the stats and scoreboard. The video really helps the players look at themselves and become better players. My mom says I am good with numbers and sports and so a team manager position is an excellent match for me.”
“Jamison King, Oneida ThunderHawks Boys Coach, is important to me because he includes me in everything and makes me feel part of the team which makes me feel good. I really like him.”
“My Grandpa Buzzy King always loved sports,” said Hudson. “He passed on now and I know he’s watching my games up in heaven. My brother Kenton King comes to all my games and cheers me on!”
“This year I travel with the team to all of the away ThunderHawks games, help unload equipment, video tape and encourage the players to keep going and play their best,” said Hudson. “I like the boys and like to cheer them on. I really liked it when the team came to my game at Syble Hopp and cheered me and the rest of my team on with every score. They even cheered the other team! I felt great! We even went out for pizza afterward.”
“I play basketball, soccer, bowling and snowshoeing in Special Olympics,” said Hudson. “Last weekend I raced in 50M, 100M and 4×100 snowshoe relay at Rib Mountain, Wausau for the Special Olympic Winter Games. I took home gold medal for 50M and 100M this past weekend. It is so much fun, we get to stay in a hotel and swim. They also put on a dance in the evening for athletes. We are so lucky we get great uniforms and new snowshoes and travel with teammates and the coach. Last year in May we took first place at State Level competition in Stevens Point for Soccer and took home the gold. We haven’t been to State in a few years! The score was 5-2. I had two goals while my teammates scored the other three goals. I also love to bowl and scored an all time high for bowling this past fall. I took 2nd place. I even have my own bowling ball. Before every Special Olympic event we start off by saying out pledge, ‘Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’ I am so thankful for Special Olympics. It has given me purpose and confidence that I can be a part of a team.”
Mom Margaret King talked about her son: “Hudson is an amazing kid. As my son, he brightens my day because he always ready to go, upbeat, and try new things. He is right on target with his Oneida name because he is fast and moving, he does nothing slow. He is in vocational training at school and is employed part-time with the Green Bay Packers as a warehouse assistant. He selects products and arranges them for shipping. His supervisor is impressed by his attention to detail and completion of the job.”
“He also works at St. Norbert College in De Pere as a food service worker two days a week helping with food prep in the bakery. You might see him loading trays of cookies and scones for the college student’s meals. He likes to be on time and ready to accomplish!” added Margaret.
“Despite his communication and expression disability of autism, Hudson is a great asset on the court,” said Margaret. “He is very skilled at reading offense and defense. He steals balls often and games and weaves through defense with his crossover skills making up to 15-20 points in a game! He will play point guard one moment then a forward the next as you see him rebounding and going for a layup. His team play on the court is something to see because he doesn’t just take all the shots, he watches for the open man and dishes it off to his teammates.”
“Hudson loves being the team manager for Oneida ThunderHawks,” said Margaret. “The responsibility gives him something to look forward to doing. He makes most games, but if he can’t the first thing he does in the morning is look up the team scores as well as the date and time of the next upcoming game. He wants to make the players successful by being there for them!”
The Oneida Nation HS ThunderHawks boys’ basketball team attended one of Hudson’s recent games. Not a few team members. The whole team came to support their teammate.
“When the team members of the boys Oneida ThunderHawks came to see him and the rest of the team play, I think they were quite surprised at his athletic ability,” said Margaret. “One kid said, “I didn’t know he could jump that high!”
“I myself was a bit nervous on how the team would react to seeing players with disabilities play a competitive basketball game. I think everyone who attended, guests and team players included, really got something out of it!,” added Margaret.
Jamison King, head boys’ basketball coach at Oneida Nation HS, said: “Hudson Francour has been a great help to our program, this is his second year being our manager and the first year he’s gone full time on road trips and home games. He’s always a pleasure to have around the team, everyone loves Hudson and he does a great job doing whatever we ask of him.”
“He has a great sense of awareness,” said Jamison. “One of the things I’ve notice is that he’s always aware of how much time is on the clock, what’s the score, who’s got how many fouls and many other things. You can tell he really loves the game of basketball and being apart of the team. He’s a true testament of what a great teammate should be.”
“I’ve recently watched him play in Special Olympics basketball, he scored a few points in the beginning and then he was looking to get his teammates involved the rest of the game and assisted on quite a few scores by his team,” said Jamison.
“We’re grateful to have Hudson as a part of our program, I’m glad he selflessly volunteers his time with us,” said Jamison.
“Hudson is a brother, nephew, cousin, uncle and grandson in the Peter King family in Oneida,” said Margaret. “We all enjoy his get up and go attitude! His love for sports is a continuum in our family history.”
Photo Credit: Eric Doxtator
