Moss Point girls powerlifting state championship ceremony

The Moss Point High School girls powerlifting team has been breaking stereotypes for five years now. Girls powerlifting has only been in Mississippi for ten years.

Today, News 25’s Gabby Easterwood joined the team at Moss Point High School to celebrate the girls receiving their third state championship ring.

Blood, sweat, and tears: that’s what it took for the Moss Point High School girls powerlifting team to bring home not one, not two, but three consecutive state championships. Senior Alanna Gains said, “To have started from the bottom to get as high as we are now, it’s amazing to know that all the hard work that we have had has paid off is something that I really appreciate. If you know that you’re able to do something, put your best foot forward and accomplish it.”

Coach Kyle Mickleson built this team from the ground up starting just five years ago and now they have three rings to prove their worth. “There’s always the coach’s dream to have a state championship or something like that, but we really started the program to build a team atmosphere and you can just see girl’s walking around here with more confidence, much more swagger, especially when they have rings because they sometimes show them off in front of other athletes.”

These athletes are ready to break records at Moss Point by bringing home the first ever fourth state championship in a row for this school during the season. “I am excited. I feel that the new members that have replaced the members from previous years have come a long way and I feel that we might make the four-peat this year,” said Gains.

These girls are not only making history with the powerlifting, they’re also making history inside of the classroom. As a team they maintained a GPA of 3.7 last year.

These girls know what it takes to be champions and they’re here to break any stigmas that people may have about girls powerlifting.  “A lot of people have a misconception that powerlifting is a boys sport, but as our rings show, girls are just as good, if not better, than boys doing it,” said Coach Mickelson.