An Infectious Smile
Smiles are contagious. Lucky for Bishop Kenny High School, the halls are now graced with an energetic, positive young lady who not only makes a point to try to spread joy to her peers, but will also be a vital part of the school’s sideline and competitive cheer programs in the future. Faith Parliment, freshman at BKHS, has the epitome of what a great cheerleader’s personality should be.
“People always laugh at me because they say I always have a smile on my face; you’ll never see me frowning even if I am having a bad day,” Parliment said. “Whenever I’m walking around with my big smile on my face, I feel like I’m helping other people who might be having a bad day. I love to smile, and I just love to be a happy person.”
A 10-Year-Old National Champion
Parliment started her cheer career as a little girl in a gymnastics class. When she and her mother realized she needed some extra help with tumbling, she was enrolled at a cheer gym to take classes on the skill. Once Parliment was given the opportunity to do stunts, especially in front of an audience, she fell in love with cheerleading.
“When I get on the blue mat, I feel a rush of excitement,” Parliment said. “Being on stage with bright lights and a big crowd, it always pumps me up. I’ve always had that love of being in front of the crowd, and it’s just a huge passion for me.”
Parliment’s passion for cheerleading is paired with a skill level that is beyond her years. In fact, at 10 years old, she had already earned a national championship title and has the ring to prove it. The Summit National Championship is a cheer competition that hosts teams from all over America for a two-day competition in Orlando, Florida. Parliment’s team hit a perfect routine both days of the tournament and won the title.
“It’s an honor,” Parliament said. “I won it when I was only in the fifth grade, so it was a really big accomplishment. I was so proud of myself and so proud of my team and thankful for everyone who pushed me to get to where I was at that point.”
As Parliment now walks the halls of her new high school, she has the opportunity to do new things with her cheer career. At BKHS, students must be at least a sophomore to cheer at the Varsity level. So for Parliment, making Varsity next year is her first goal. After that, she looks to gain exposure and continue her cheer career post high school.
“I hope to get noticed by college scouts, and hopefully they want me to be on their college cheer team,” Parliment said.
An Inspiration to Remember That Family Is Everything, No Matter the Situation
Parliment is quick to note that she has an incredible support system. Her older brother plays football at Ole Miss.
“He taught me to always do my best, and there’s always a better person that I can be,” Parliment said. “He teaches me to always strive to be better. You can always push to be better, bigger, and bolder.”
Parliment credits her family for always pushing her and helping her get to the places she aims to be academically and on the mat. Although her parents are divorced, Faith is committed to loving her family no matter what. Her advice to other kids like herself with divorced parents? Love each parent alike, no matter what.
“Never give up on your family, and don’t give up on your parents because they both love you,” Parliment said. “Love all of your parents and family equally no matter what the situation is.”
An Advocate for a Cure
Parliment’s heart is one that can only be admired. Her ability to take a bad thing and find a way to use it to help others is a characteristic that will bring light to not only her life, but the people around her as well. Her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was about nine years old. As he passed away last year, Parliment uses his memory as inspiration in her own life.
“Even though he went through a lot of hard times, he never gave up on family; he never gave up on what he loved,” Parliment said. “He taught me that you’re always going to have your ups and downs in life, but you can’t give up on what you love because it’s never going to get better if you do.”
Parliment took the advice she learned from her grandfather to heart and also chose to advocate a cure for his disease. She spreads the word about Alzheimer’s and reminds others that a cure is out there.
“I’m really hoping to make people more aware of Alzheimer’s, and I hope to make people more aware that there is a potential for a cure for Alzheimer’s,” Parliment said. “It is a really big problem, and it is affecting a lot of people right now.”
NF – Competitive Cheer – February 2017
Faith Parliment
Written by: Sarah Turner
Freshman Competitive Cheerleader Shines On and Off the Mat
