Cullman, Al. – At the start of the 2026-27 school year next month, Fairview’s Kinlee Cryer will be in her junior year as an Aggie. In an interview with the Tribune, Cryer discussed her faith, her athletic career at Fairview and how she plans to use her voice going forward.
“He means so much to me. I’ve gone through so many hard times in my life that made me wonder if I would make it out, only to realize that it was just Him testing my faith. He has changed my life more than I could imagine. Not too long ago, my family got some tough news that made me question a few things. One of the main things was, ‘Why does this have to happen to me?’ That made me come to the realization that it’s happening to me, because He sees that I’m strong enough to handle it, and I always have to trust His plan. It always works out in the end.” Cryer said.
Kinlee has two favorite Bible verses that she leans to when she’s going through some hard times in her life, and her favorite song helps her in so many ways.
“I have two favorite Bible verses. The first one is Matthew 6:33, and the second one is Jeremiah 29:11. These verses tell you that He will always be there to provide for you, be there for you to lean on, and that He is always consistent. Knowing this helps me when I face mental battles where I find it hard to find peace, and I feel like I have nowhere to go, I think of how He tells us He wants what’s best for us, and there is a reason behind everything. My all-time favorite song is Even Though I Walk by Bethel Music. It reminds me that when you go through hard times, you can’t let the devil win and take over your mind. You have to keep your heart set on God, and you have to keep pushing even when it gets hard.” Cryer said.
She wants to play a part in helping a lot of people find God, and she wants to continue to be that kind of role model for younger kids.
“It’s very important to me. I’ve always been taught that no matter how old you are, it is never too early or too late to have a relationship with Him, or find your way back to Him. Some people think they have done too much wrong to have a relationship with Him, but He isn’t here to judge. He doesn’t want you to be perfect. He wants us to be ourselves. That’s what makes our relationship so special with Him. I always try to tell people about how good He is, hoping they will turn towards Him,” Cryer said. “I see it as very important, because some kids don’t have a good home life or parents that teach them things they need to know. I have so many kids that look up to me, so I always try to teach them to be humble and kind and to look up to God when they need Him most. The more you tell them now, the more likely they are to carry it with them in their future.”
Kinlee’s role models are people that she looks up to a lot, and she helps her mom with a very special mission at their church.
“The first person that I think of as a Godly role model is one of my best friends, Kailyn Redding. She has the best relationship with Christ, and I know that if I need to talk to her about Him, she’ll always be there for me with the best advice. The second person is my mom. She has been through so much, and every time, I see her praying and pushing through. She is who I strive to be like. I want to be the courage she has when I become a mother,” she said. “My favorite mission has to be the free haircut day for back to school that my mom hosts every year for her salon. We always do it at our church, so this gives me the best opportunity to share God’s love. Not only because it’s at church, but because of all the people that always come to get their hair cut. You always get to show people your relationship with God, and by doing that, you give them a piece of mind that they can come to you whenever they have questions relating to Him.”
She is so blessed to be around some great teammates in track-and-field and basketball, and faith has brought them all even closer together on and off the track/court.
“Track is such a mental sport that it’s so important to have good relationships with your teammates to help push you through hard times when it feels the hardest. Basketball is mental as well, but it is more of a team sport. Therefore, if you don’t have good relationships with your teammates, you won’t be a good team all-around. You have to have faith in yourself and your teammates to be able to do amazing things. This also helps you when you come off the court or track and deal with real-life situations. If you need someone to lean back on, you know you’ll always have your teammates. Your teammates are always going to be like family, because they’ve seen you at your best and your worst. They’ve seen you push through hard practices, get through slumps, and they’ve seen you grow as an athlete and person outside of sports.” she said.
Kinlee has taken away some important things during her walk with the Lord.
“I’ve learned that even when you feel like you don’t have anyone around you to lean back on, you’ll always have Jesus. You can never fill your life with ungodly things and expect to be fulfilled. Your life will crash before your eyes if you stay in your worldly habits. It’s so important to have a strong relationship with Him.”
