PARISH HAS FOUND A HOME ON A VOLLEYBALL COURT

It was not truly a homecoming when Cameron “Cam” Parish became a Booneville student, but she is undeniably home now, and thankful to be here.

Parish became a Bearcat student last fall and is as much at home in the BHS halls as anyone is, maybe ever has been.

“The school that I went to, the kids there are a lot different and I just didn’t like it,” Parish said of the motivation to transfer.

Having attended the same school since kindergarten, Parish was never a newcomer there. Nor were there issues. She was a cheerleader, a good student, and acknowledges her teachers “didn’t want me to leave.”

But, Parish simply did not want to be there anymore, and had not for some time.

“I asked for a long time,” she said of her parents consenting to a move to a larger school. “My grandparents (Bill and Jo Parish) always wanted me to come up here because that’s where they were from and that’s where dad went to school.”

Parish said even though she was involved in plenty of activities – she also played basketball – she was set on leaving.

“At least let me go online. At least let me get out of there,” Parish recalls the conversations about moving. “I didn’t care where I went.”

The passing of her grandparents and having a sister – the sophomore is the baby of six with a 22-year gap from her oldest sibling to herself – working in Booneville made the move to the alma mater of her father (also Cam) – an easy sell, though mom (Carol) is not a BHS alum.

“It was so different moving here. People treat me so differently than they did at (her old school),” said Parish.

She fit in at BHS. Immediately. She is in FCCLA and Beta, and that only scratching the surface. She is very active.

Parish helps lead her classmates at pep rallies – she has pulled off Super Girl and safari guide, as well as been Hawaiian the subject of a ‘Wanted’ photo frame for the western theme. Parish is genuinely loving life as a Bearcat.

“I’m very proud to be a Bearcat,” she says flatly.

Parish plays volleyball and softball but do not read athletics into the reason for wanting to transfer.

“That was my first time ever to touch a volleyball,” Parish said of her move to the sport, which was not offered at the smaller school and was not a summer travel activity.

She had played a year of travel softball, as a pitcher no less, but that job had long been filled before her to-be teammates in that sport had any idea who Parish was.

“My sister told me that the assistant softball coach is also the volleyball coach (Bailey Stringer) and I thought it might be nice to get to know her,” said Parish.

Of course Parish was behind her volleyball teammates, but she saw that as more of a challenge – both physical and mental – than a roadblock, which she tackled much the same as making a change in mascot.

“I always like to think that I’m pretty athletic,” said Parish. “I was playing on JV in my first game and (Stringer) was like ‘go out there’ I had no idea what to do. I had been on the team for like a week. She was like ‘you can do it.’”

She became a student of the game that day.

“About three weeks after that we had a tournament in Mena and one of the girls was having a rough day,” said Parish. “They didn’t even have seats for people to sit down so we were sitting on the courtside and (Stringer) noticed I was paying attention.

Stringer inserted Parish into the game and, "I actually did pretty good and from then on I started on (junior high) varsity," Parish said.

That was as a freshman. This year Parish is on the senior high roster, which again meant she was pushed to JV action, initially.

Again, it did not last long but this time it was after an injury when Stringer again called Parish’s number. The move has come with ups and downs.

“I was doing really good. I was on a roll and then like the Elkins game I feel like I was awful,” said Parish. “(Tuesday) She was like, ‘What do you have to lose, swing hard.’ So I did.”

That was against Hackett when she had a couple of kills.

“I just needed someone to so say ‘you know what, just do it,’” said Parish.

“Cam is only in her second year of playing volleyball and getting her turn on varsity is impressive,” said Stringer. “She is young with her knowledge of the game but is quick to do whatever it takes to make the play continue.

“She is learning fast and has a bright volleyball future ahead of her.”

Last year in softball, Parish was in the starting lineup but got pushed out. She reasserted herself and took over second base for a state championship team.

“I started at the beginning of the year and it was kind of like, I don’t know, and when Farrah (Stringer, who later landed in left field) went in, it made me want to do better,” said Parish. “Like I’m going to prove I want this spot.”

Parish had one of the six Lady Bearcat hits in the title game and hit .242 on the season.

Between sports there is farm work rather than basketball.

“I used to (play basketball) before I moved here. I was going to try but I got too nervous and psyched myself out,” said Parish. “I was a cheerleader too, but I psyched myself out of that too.

“The thing with basketball is I don’t like running. In volleyball you don’t have to run.”