Many know her as the girl with the big puffy hair in the Lady Raiders Step Squad. Others know her as the girl who speaks loudly in the hallway. But beyond these traits, there is something special in this student’s  skills: her stepping abilities.

Sophomore Jordan Epps has a big relationship with fitness. Epps has been stepping since the beginning of her high school life, and said she was inspired to step after seeing her brother step for ERHS’s boys step team, Dem Raider Boyz. “My brother stepped so I followed along,” said Epps. “At first it was to take up my time but now I really love the team.”

According to the Lady Raiders’ coach Andrew Moore, Epp’s “sharpness, the way she steps, her personality and her dedication” make him proud of having her on the team.

Team captain senior Ashley Magruder mentioned that Epps was put on the team because she was “sharp” and “very dedicated.”

Magruder commented on her team member, saying that “She is always positive and very intelligent… she’s really organized, her attitude reflects stepping. She’s one of those who won’t give up. Nothing will stop her from stepping.”

Epps had trouble last school year that she could not make it into competition season, but she stayed with her team and traveled with them to performances that she did not have to attend. Through this she learned more about the standards of being in the step team and how to be a better stepper.

Magruder mentioned that “her stepping has improved from 0-100 since the last school year.”

Team members, like junior Destini Williams, said  Epps is a talented stepper “She’s very dedicated, she does whatever she can to be on the same level as everyone else or above.”

“Hardships I have are other sports, time and injuries. But I don’t let that stop me, I keep going cuz I love stepping,” Epps explained. “Step is right for me because it’s unconventional, fun, intense, and just a great bonding experience with my team.”

Epps said that step means a lot to her and even though she doesn’t have to, if Epps sees girls in the team doing something wrong or messing up she calls them out and helps them get better. She makes sure girls are actually running the number of laps they are supposed to.

Having to warm up by running 1 mile(usually 4 laps on the tracks or 8 laps around the bottom floor) and then having to practice for competition, school performances, and others, her physical fitness grows. “It’s a lot of work to know but when you get down to the actual moves it’s a lot of great movement and expression.”

After long days of difficult practice, sweating and exhaustion, Epps still manages to keep a GPA of 3.4 as she achieves the rest of her high school and step life.