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03/07/2018 07:30 AMWhen she’s not shutting down opponents on Gaelic football fields or soccer fields, Branford’s Bridget Judd leads a busy life, as a para-professional educator at her hometown’s Sliney Elementary School and assistant coach of girls’ soccer for Branford High School (BHS).
But on Sunday, March 11, Bridget takes on a very different role, as queen of New Haven’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. in downtown New Haven. As Bridget and her court wave to thousands of spectators at the state’s single-largest spectator event, the 22-year-old will shine in her tiara and sash—and a gown she’s particularly grateful to have as part of her queenly regalia.
“I play soccer on Thursday nights, and my legs are bruised up,” she says with a laugh. “I’m glad I have a gown covering it up!”
The Branford resident’s also not shy about sharing her enthusiasm for both soccer and Gaelic football. A member of the BHS Class of 2013, Bridget was part of the girls’ soccer team that won the 2012 SCC championship and was team captain in her senior year. At her alma mater, Albertus Magnus College, Bridget played all four years on the women’s Division III soccer team, and remains connected with the school’s soccer program.
But it’s her love of Gaelic football that’s stuck with Bridget from an early age and has taken her on a unique path, including two trips to Ireland, to compete and win on national teams.
“I started playing when I was nine. My neighbors kind of introduced it to me, and brought me down to the Irish club to start playing,” says Bridget, who, together with her family, went on to become active members the New Haven Gaelic Football (NHGF) and Hurling Club in East Haven.
Playing Gaelic football as a young girl meant playing on a co-ed team up to age 14. Bridget is glad for the experience, because she feels it gave her an edge that helped boost her into the national spotlight and become a better soccer player, as well.
Playing at full forward or half forward, “I was quick and small enough to get through the boys,” says Bridget. “I liked playing with the boys because it gave me an upper hand when I was playing on all-female teams. I wasn’t afraid.”
Gaelic football is a lot like soccer in some ways and very different in other aspects, she explains.
“It’s a high-intensity game. There’s constant movement and you’re constantly going, so it’s similar to soccer in that sense, but it’s definitely its own entity, too.”
Some examples: Players need to bounce the ball off of a foot every couple of steps; any player can punt the ball to pass it; and players can hand-pass the ball. Each goal scored is worth three points, and scoring through uprights, as well as in the goal, is part of the game.
Bridget became so adept at Gaelic football that she tried out for the national team, made it, and traveled from Branford to the Bronx from three to four times a week to practice with the team.
“Ireland recognizes New York as an honorary county, so New York is able to put together a team for girls,” says Bridget, who competed in tourneys in Ireland twice as a selected member of two different national teams, at age 14 and again at 17.
“We won both times over there,” says Bridget. “The first time we won a cup, the second time a shield.”
Bridget continues to play with NHGF & Hurling Club. Right now, together with some of her co-members, she’s working on creating the club’s first women’s team. Being a part of the club also opened the door for Bridget’s selection as St. Patrick’s Day Parade queen. Contestants must be at least 17 years of age, single, and either a member, daughter, or grand-daughter of a member of the area’s four Irish societies that sponsor the parade: NHGF & Hurling Club, Knights of St. Patrick, West Haven Irish American Club, and Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Being parade queen is the start of year-long commitment that began with her selection and continues gathering momentum up to parade day and beyond. This past Saturday, March 3, Bridget was feted with other honored parade members during the St. Patrick’s Day annual Parade Ball, hosted by the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
“They told me it was going to be a whirlwind,” says Bridget. “I want to enjoy the moment. I want to enjoy going to Mass in the morning on Sunday, and enjoy the parade, and then stopping in at every one of the Irish societies, and helping to fundraise for the parade. I’m selling a lot of raffle tickets and parade buttons, and I’m looking forward to going to events to help out in the future. We’re all trying our best to the keep the tradition of the parade alive.”
The parade was established on March 17, 1878.
While plenty of friends from high school, college, and NHGF & Hurling Club knew of Bridget through her success on the playing fields, Bridget says she’s getting a bit more notice since the news came out on Feb. 3 announcing her selection as New Haven’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day parade queen.
“Everyone at work found out! When walked into Sliney after I won, one of the teachers said, ‘Do I need to bow to you now?’” says Bridget, laughing. “Everyone has been really supportive and excited for me.”
As a literacy para-professional, Bridget spends her days working with the school’s kindergarten and 1st grade students. She also loves working with her former BHS coach, Jen Kohut, as assistant coach of the winning BHS girls’ soccer team.
“Working in my hometown is great,” says Bridget. “It’s nice to come back and be in the community. The support I’ve had at Sliney and the high school, and from supporters in town including everyone at Tommy Sullivan’s [Café]...The whole community’s been so supportive. That’s really a highlight for me.”