Photo courtesy of Iowa Central: Fort Dodge junior Samantha Smith is again a Class IX Dance finalist at the ISDTA championships in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — The Fort Dodge community will again be well-represented at the 48th annual Iowa State Dance Team Association championships, which run through Friday.

Samantha Smith, a junior, made school history last season with her third-place lyrical solo performance. Smith and 2023 FDSH graduate Reese Pederson became the first two Dodgers ever to finish in the Top-10 individually.

Smith is back this year, securing another finals berth in the Class IX Dance category. She will perform on Friday in an attempt to repeat — or top — her efforts of a year ago under the direction of Fort Dodge head coach Emily Eastwood.

Smith will be at center stage beginning at 9:51 a.m. Other student-athletes in her bracket are Paisley Sutton of Adel-ADM; Jordyn Green of Dallas Center-Grimes; Council Bluffs Lewis Central’s Addison Schmitt; Addi Menke of Mason City; North Scott’s Cadence Strom, Marin Robertson and Paityn Leigh; and Norwalk’s Elsie Johnson.

The Dodger dance team will compete in Jazz at 11:59 a.m. on Friday; Hip Hop at 2:17 p.m.; and Pom at 3:50 p.m.

Humboldt’s McKenna Mathis also advanced to the finals in Class VII Dance.

There will be 251 high school teams and 25 college squads in action. Three locations host the competitions: Wells Fargo Arenam, Hy-Vee Hall and the Community Choice Convention Center.

Iowa Central, led by head coach and FDSH graduate Cassidy Vermeer, is the four-time defending community college champion champion in the three major team categories: Jazz, Pom and Hip Hop. The Tritons will also perform on Friday.

The ISDTA state event is the largest of its kind in the nation. Teams and soloists are divided into classes based on enrollment, and performers earn points based on choreography, execution, difficulty and showmanship. Routines are judged by industry professionals from across the country.

The ISDTA was established in 1976.