Cardinal Gibbons cross-country runner is versatile and apparently tireless

Aiden Huck is not four people … or even five.

It just seems that way.

First and foremost, he’s a standout student. Huck, a 16-year-old junior at Fort Lauderdale’s Cardinal Gibbons High, sports a 3.98 unweighted grade-point average (4.8 weighted). He would’ve had a perfect 4.0 GPA, but he had to settle for a “B” and not an “A” two years ago in Advanced Placement World History.

Second, he’s the fastest runner on Cardinal Gibbons’ cross-country team, which finished ninth at regionals in Class 2A last year. Huck’s personal-best time is 17:51, and his goal this year is to get at least 21 seconds faster.

Third, in his spare time, he is a lifeguard at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, earning $17.50 per hour – not bad for a high school kid.

“He’s not a junior lifeguard,” Gibbons cross-country coach John May said. “Aiden’s an actual lifeguard. His capacity for hard work is unique.”

Fourth, Huck is bit of an actor. Last year, he won a role in Clue, a play put on by the students at Cardinal Gibbons. Huck won the important acting role of Wadsworth, an English butler who turns out to be much more than what he initially reveals.

“It was difficult learning the lines and the choreography,” Huck said. “But once I put in the effort, it was fun and rewarding.”

Fifth, Huck helps his father raise chickens in their backyard.

The Hucks first got about 19 chickens a few years ago in response to COVID and the rising price of eggs. Unfortunately, a racoon killed the chickens.

Now, the family has nine chickens, and they are laying about four eggs per day.

“My dad has a system to keep them safe,” Huck said. “I feed the chickens, get the eggs and keep the coup clean. I also let them out in the morning so they can run around a bit.”

Speaking of running around, Huck has made himself into a quality cross-country athlete, according to May.

“He was not a runner before he came to us,” May said. “But he bought into the team, and he is now in his third year in the program.”

Huck was Cardinal Gibbons’ co-No. 1 runner last year, along with Sebastian Gil, who has since graduated.

“They were good friends,” May said of Huck and Gil. “But they would go at it on race day. Aiden is a well-mannered kid, but he is also a fierce competitor.”

Huck, the son of a lifeguard (his father) and a kindergarten teacher (his mother), agrees that he has “bought in” to May’s program.

He even recites May’s “four Ds” that are the key to success: discipline, dedication, desire and determination.

“If you have all of those,” Huck said, “you can do anything.”

And, in Huck’s case, you can do a little bit of everything.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM.