Features » Education

Subscribe

Meet the Starlighters Drill Team

Kayla Bell
  • BY KAYLA BELL - KBELL@VICAD.COM
  • Originally published September 1, 2011 at 3:21 p.m., updated September 1, 2011 at 11:05 p.m.

  • WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS A STARLIGHTER THIS YEAR?

    "Getting to know everybody on the team and performing."

    Katherine Fray, 17

    "I'm most looking forward to going to competitions because it's a good time to bond, ...

  • SHOW ALL »

    • WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS A STARLIGHTER THIS YEAR?

    "Getting to know everybody on the team and performing."

    Katherine Fray, 17

    "I'm most looking forward to going to competitions because it's a good time to bond, and it's overall very fun."

    Paige Kelton, 17

    "I'm most looking forward to performing at the football games and being on the field. That's the thing I most look forward to every Friday."

    Amelia Longoria, 16

    "The football games. They're exciting - being in the crowd and cheering."

    Allyson Reithmeier, 15

  • STARLIGHTER LINEUP

    Katherine Fray, senior

    Paige Kelton, junior

    Amelia Longoria, junior

    Caitlin Jacob, sophomore, 1st Lieutenant .

    Shelby Anderson, sophomore

    Olivia Creager, sophomore

    Allyson Reithmeier, sophomore

    Natalie Brown, freshman

    Bailey Leadbetter, freshman

This year's St. Joseph Starlighters Drill Team may be small, but it's got plenty heart.

"They're loving it," coach, Anna Gonzalez Salas said about the smallest team she's had since her 10 years of coaching. "They're all sweet girls. They all get along, and they're hard workers."

The Starlighters have had to work especially hard, as most of its members had never danced before joining, Salas said.

"At the first football game, you'd never know that," she said.

But for this nine-member squad, it's not all about dancing.

Salas said she's convinced the close-knit team is developing into future leaders.

"To develop girls from being shy to being go-getters - that's especially rewarding because we see how far they've come and how much they've grown," she said.