St. Aloysius Dance Team Wins 12th Straight State Title

While trends come and go, the St. Aloysius Flashettes keep doing what they do best: winning state championships.

The Mississippi dance team claimed their 12th consecutive state title Wednesday at the MAIS Spirit Competition in Clinton. Despite moving up to a more competitive division this year, they scored 89.71 out of 100 in the Varsity Medium Kick category, beating out Hartfield Academy and Cathedral.

What makes this streak even more remarkable is that the team looks completely different every year. This season, five of the twelve dancers were freshmen who had never competed at this level before.

"I don't really think about the streak because every single year the team is new," said coach Chesley Lambiotte. "I love trying to figure out what makes each team tick every year. This year we had five freshmen, five rookies on the team. We had to make sure from day one that they bought in, and they did."

The Flashettes faced a tougher challenge this season after their roster grew to twelve members. The size bump pushed them from the Small division into Medium, where they faced larger programs with more resources.

They didn't just win in one category either. The team placed second in the Varsity Medium Game Day division, proving their versatility across different performance styles.

Why This Inspires

The real story isn't just about trophies. It's about a coach who rebuilds excellence from scratch every single year, and teenagers who balance multiple sports, dance classes, and schoolwork while perfecting routines that require at least 60 kicks in two minutes.

Many of these dancers also compete in volleyball, softball, swimming, and cross country during the same season. That means practices before school starts and after other commitments end, plus weekend competitions across multiple sports.

St. Aloysius principal Dawn Meeks recognized the achievement by releasing students from class Wednesday morning and busing them to Clinton to cheer on their classmates. The whole school showed up to celebrate their own.

The cheerleading squad also had a strong showing, finishing second in their division and earning three all-star selections for the November MAIS football all-star game. It's their third top-two finish in five years.

Coach Kirsten Golding noted this marks the first time in years her team has consecutively qualified for state and placed, showing that sustained excellence is spreading across St. Aloysius' spirit programs.

Lambiotte credits her success to a simple formula repeated year after year: dedication, determination, and discipline.