Haley Hall, 14, becomes world's youngest female sword swallower

Haley Hall, 14, swallows a 17-inch steel sword, and is recognized as the youngest sword swallower by the Sword Swallowers Association International, Huffington Post reported Thursday.

She began practicing with a wire hanger and spoon to learning to relax her gag reflex.

But being able to push a hanger to the deepest reaches of her esophagus wasn't necessarily the hard part. Having to tell mom and dad was.

"My father knew something was going on," she told HuffPost Weird News. "I typically don't lock myself in my room for hours in the night."

But Jeff Hall and his wife encourage their daughters in a range of activities.

"I was pleased that she came and told me what she was doing rather than go off on her own, so I was happy," says Jeff, a general contractor in Covington. "I had taken some pre-med classes, so I know the human anatomy can accommodate a sword, if it's done right.”

Her family is pressing for a Guinness World Record certification.