Watch 13-year-old Hudson Lennon take on the ‘globe of death’ in Cairns
Not only does teenager Hudson Lennon have a circus named after him, he comes from multiple generations of circus performers, so it’s no surprise the 13-year-old is taking on the infamous ‘globe of death’ at his namesake show in Cairns.
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Teenager Hudson Lennon has circus performing in his blood.
Not only does he have a circus named after him, he comes from a long line of circus performers, so it’s no surprise the 13-year-old is taking on the infamous ‘globe of death’ at his namesake show in Cairns.
“I think just the exhilaration that I get out of it, it’s just great. I love it,” Hudson said of tackling the globe, where multiple motorbike riders speed around in a large mesh sphere, performing vertical loops and narrowly missing each other.
Hudson has been performing a solo stunt in the globe during the Hudsons Circus run in Cairns, and completed a vertical loop for the first time last week.
“I was nervous at first but after a while I kind of got used to it and I’m just improving at it constantly,” Hudson said.
The daring teen grew up in the circus, which was started by his parents Shane and Nancy 12 years ago, and is a descendant of the Lennon circus family which started Lennon Bros Circus in 1893, meaning he is a sixth-generation performer.
He was first introduced to the globe at age six by Brazilian performers in the circus, starting off on a pushbike.
“I didn’t know that he’d been getting trained … they were doing this behind the scenes when Dad wasn’t around. So, I walked in on this training and I’ve gone, ‘No, stop’,” dad Shane said.
“They all thought they were going to get fired. I said, ‘No, he needs protection’ … so I got him the full kit, the helmet, the boots, the whole lot.
“He rode the pushbike for a year (in the globe) before he got to ride the motorbike … riding around the bottom, just getting the feel of it and the discipline.”
Mr Lennon, who is the circus director, travels 11 months of the year with his 40-strong international crew, with Hudson joining during school holidays with his mum from Brisbane.
The proud father said he fist-bumped the air when Hudson successfully completed his first vertical loop last week.
“I’ve grown up in a circus and I’ve seen many circus accidents over the years,” he said.
“To see my 13-year-old son, who’s still just a little guy, going right over the top on the motorbike, it is a bit nail-biting.”
Hudsons Circus is in Cairns until Sunday, July 20. To get tickets go to hudsonscircus.com.au.
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