Haleigh Bryant makes her famous fifth-year return to LSU this season. But none of this would have been possible if her parents had not helped her pick between soccer and gymnastics as a kid. Yes, you heard that right. Dilemma, sacrifice, perseverance, there’s a lot that makes up her story!

After all, it takes an army for one to be at the top of the sport, right? And Bryant is unapologetically leading the NCAA charts as the reigning all-around champion. But not many know that her parents have been her pillars of strength, from her formative years to today, helping her with each step.

All about Haleigh Bryant’s parents

Haleigh Bryant was born to Terry and Trisha Bryant in Atlanta, in 2001. While Terry is a musician and producer by profession, his wife, Trisha, also channels her flair for creativity via her art. In fact, the two are such massive art lovers that their paths first crossed at a local art exhibition, where one presented his magical tunes, and the other, her picturesque designs.

Haleigh’s parents are not only passionate about art but also media-featured and critically acclaimed artists. While the ‘Harmony of Hearts‘ is among Terry’s best musical works, the ‘Canvas of Dreams’ is Trisha’s finest on paper. And the best part? They do not keep their artistic abilities to themselves, but leverage them to reach the community by holding art and music workshops for the aspiring!

And interestingly, gymnastics was never the sport on their family radar. Bryant’s mother, Trisha, was a softball player at UNC Charlotte while her father has been a multi-sport athlete. Dabbling with both basketball and football at high school, he grew up to earn some brilliant Division I scholarship offers.

But gymnastics? They hadn’t thought of it until Haleigh Bryant’s serendipitous journey in gymnastics began when the three-year-old attended the parents’ night out at Georgia All-Star Gymnastics with a friend. What next? Well, the toddler was absolutely intrigued by the event! To an extent that her aptitude stood out to everyone around. No wonder when Trisha and Terry went to pick her up, they were told, “Um, you should enroll her.”

And so they did! The ecstatic parents signed her up for gymnastics classes the very next day and that’s how a star was born. In no time, Haleigh Bryant was on the pre-team, and a potential career option lay open in front of her. But wait, this was just the start. Here’s how her parents supported her during the later phases of her career.

Haleigh’s parents are the wind under her wings

For the longest time, Terry coached Haleigh Bryant in both soccer and basketball. And when he learned that she had a crystal clear inclination towards gymnastics, it broke his heart a little, as he says. “But she wanted what she wanted,” is what Terry exclaimed. And as the gymnast agrees, it was the right call. “I always did soccer and gymnastics, but I didn’t like soccer. My mom wanted me to pick one, and I obviously chose gymnastics. I never regretted that decision once,” she says.

Well, the heart has a way of saying what it wants, right? For Haleigh Bryant, it said gymnastics, gymnastics, gymnastics. “I’d do basketball on Mondays, go to gymnastics on Tuesdays and I’d always looked forward to that. By the time I got to soccer on Wednesdays, sometimes I’d say, `I’m not going, I don’t want to go’ because I was looking forward to gymnastics,” Haleigh said.

And ever since, her parents have never asked her to go back. Come what may, they have supported her ambition to become a world-class gymnast. The moment Terry Bryant came around, knowing that Haleigh had her mind fixated on gymnastics, he pledged – if this is what she wants to do, he would support her forever. And well, he lived up to that promise. Even if it meant going to great extents. As a rising Haleigh Bryant started racking up awards and gymnastic honors, her parents started realizing the need to make advanced training accessible to her.

And not once did they wobble before taking a life-changing step for her. In 2011, the Bryant clan moved from the Atlanta area to Cornelius, N.C., for Haleigh to be able to train at the Everest Gymnastics Training Center in Huntersville. Even when she decided to finalize LSU as her college, her parents supported her out and out. Although they did inform her that other schools were looking at her too, they prioritized her choice, as always.

Well, thanks to these decisions, LSU Gymnastics has a star with them today. And so does American gymnastics, should she turn pro after her NCAA career. But for now, there’s one thing that’s bothering her fans for this season. And that’s her latest injury scare that may keep her out of the first few NCAA women’s gymnastics championships meets this year.

Do you think she can bounce back to the top? Let us know below!