Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced directly and in its entirety from Mr. Glenn Parrish, Director of Communications, Booneville School District. Mr. Parrish is a RNN Sports contributor, and we thank him for bringing this story to our readers!
BOONEVILLE- Named for one of the famed Charlie’s Angels, Booneville High School junior Farrah Stringer does not shy away from the spotlight.
Conversely, she may outshine the spotlight.
Stringer understands she is named after Farrah Fawcett – her sister is named Jacquelyn for Smith – but it is seldom a talking point with her peers.
Most of her generation has never seen an episode of the television series that ran from 1976 through 1981, If they have even heard of it.
Stringer can be counted among those who have never seen the show, or even the rebooted films. Quizzed if she had another sister named Kate (for Jackson) Stringer was unaware of who that might be.
Like her namesake, Farrah willingly plays the role of being the most visible team character. Because nothing about Stringer says supporting role.
Stringer has worked her way into a starting role for the second time in her high school volleyball career, and she is intent on hanging onto that position.
“Last year I started, but I lost it. I felt like a lot of pressure on me because I had to be good to get back in that starting spot over a senior – that’s hard when you’re a sophomore trying to start over a senior,” said Stringer.
Not getting there did not deter Stringer. If anything she was even more focused on the next audition period.
“In the summer it was my goal to work really hard and to not have to keep fighting back and forth with somebody,” she said. “I could just have that spot.”
“Farrah loves volleyball. She has worked really hard to be where she is today,” said Coach Bailey Stringer. “I’m proud of the player she is becoming. Starting on varsity was her goal and she has made it happen.”
She is determined to stay there too.
To enhance her skills Stringer has played club volleyball with BHS graduate Hayley Lunsford and is planning to try out for FSJ, a team that boasts teammate Ellie Smith on its roster.
Stringer shines behind the scenes as well, especially on road trips with her teammates.
“I think it’s really fun on the bus. We all get to goof off and have fun,” said Stringer. “It’s a little more focused on the way there than on the way back.”
She gets to do that three times this week – today to Lavaca, Tuesday to Elkins, and Thursday to West Fork.
“(On the bus) we’re sitting next to each other. At practice we’re focused and we don’t want to goof off, but on the bus we have hours together,” she said.
She also draws attention, wanted or otherwise, because she shares a last name with her head coach.
“A lot of people ask me if we’re related all the time,” said Stringer.
She has also convincingly acted out that role, revealing to multiple people at a track meet in the eighth grade that Coach Bailey Stringer was in fact her mother.
“And they believed me,” she said.
Given that, could Stringer be cast in a role of class clown?
“Some may think I am, but I don’t know,” said Stringer.
Stringer is also completely at home on a theater stage.
After playing multiple roles in Frozen as an eighth grader, including Young Elsa, then landing the young Simba role in the Lion King as a freshman, she conquered the lead of Charlie in last year’s production of Wonka.
This year she is already making plans to land the title role of Peter Pan.
You can also find Stringer lighting up the sidelines at Bearcat football games on Friday nights this fall as she has returned to the Cheer Cats.
“I cheered to like eighth grade, from elementary, but then I didn’t really enjoy it. But I started to get closer to some on the team and they encouraged me to do it,” said Stringer. “It was a good decision.”
Coach Racheal May is glad she did too.
“She’s a natural. She’s fun to watch on the sideline, and when she decides to lead, everyone follows,” said May. “She recently pulled herself out of a tumbling slump and three more followed suit. I’m glad she’s back after taking a couple of years off.”
Stringer’s junior year will also include softball where she also worked herself into a starting role last year landing in left field for a state championship team.
Even if it was sort of improvisational.
Coach Chad Simpson noted before the title game that he and Coach Stringer put Stringer and a couple other players in left field for a practice and said one of them would win the job that day.
Stringer got the call(back).
“I always kind of wanted to play outfield, but I’m not very fast, but they put me out there and I was just going with it,” said Stringer.
For free time – she insists her schedule is kind of light despite there being an AP course on it – Stringer likes to read, paint, and, ever the entertainer, sing – Taylor Swift is a favorite.
