![Juniors Tristen Banks, Kimora Jones, Nylah Thompson and Chris Williams smile with the trophy after winning the national Stage Breakers competition on April 15. Five teams competed for the championship. “Things that we [had] were [competitiveness], eagerness and determination, because the other teams who were here did good. To be able to beat other step teams, you need to [be the best in] precision, rhythm, and know how to put first things first,” Banks said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/stepteamwinapril15dallas.jpeg)
Rho Sigma Delta became national champions this past Saturday. Competing at the Stage Breakers step competition in Dallas, the high school team brought home a 3 ½ ft tall trophy to Parkway School District.
Together with the middle school team, Beta Alpha Delta, Rho Sigma Delta makes up the Parkway School District Step Team, a group that has officially been in existence since 2014. Modern stepping originated in the early 20th century, stemming from Black fraternities and sororities who would unite to celebrate new initiations. Today, Rho Sigma Delta takes many historical elements, including chanting and percussive movements, and combines them with more contemporary components, like hip-hop and R&B music, to create their shows.
“I love being on the step team because of how much of a family they are. I think of them as my other family. There are kids [on the team] that I’ve gotten closer to over a short period of time. With step, everything in the world just clears out because only step matters,” junior Tristen Banks said.
Competing teams had to create an original step show with struts, steps and chants. Many times, a show consists of an overall theme. Some themes in the past have been Beyonce’s Homecoming concert, “Toy Story,” and “The Lion King.” This year, the high school’s theme was “Men in Black.” The steppers were judged on several criteria, including precision, vocal clarity, creativity and the show’s complexity. To prepare, the step team underwent physical and mental training to increase their chances of success.
“We do more working out at practice — there’s a lot of discipline. Once [we] get the steps, we learn our whole show before December. From December, we’re competing and doing minor tweaks and everything from each competition. But if we’re not stepping, we’re most definitely working out. Like there’s a lot of working out a lot of discipline,” junior Nylah Thompson said.
Rho Sigma Delta took first place in the competition, totaling 673 points. In addition to winning the championship, the 2022-2023 team has broken a new record: remaining undefeated champions for the entire season.
“It was nothing but God. We had worked very hard to get where we were, and this has been the first time in [Rho Sigma Delta] history that we had a whole season of winning,” Banks said. “It was big, and the first thing I did was just thank God, really, because [this win] was something that we needed, and it opened up the [idea] that anything is possible to everybody. If you just put in the work and everything on the floor, do your part and be on the team, things can [work] out for the good.”
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
