Omega Lamplighters brings home Tallahassee's first global step championship
Omega Lamplighters, a young men’s mentoring program founded in Tallahassee, stepped up to win the 2023 StompWars World Championship in Garland, Texas, in April. The win is the first time a team from Tallahassee has ever won the competition in any category in its 16 years of existence.
The Omega Lamplighters, Mighty Light Team, as it’s known, has competed in step competitions since 2013 and won the program’s first national championship this year during the team's 10-year anniversary. The Light Team was selected from over 100 submissions to compete and chosen as one of the 20 teams from across the country to compete.
Founded in 2008 the program focuses on leadership, academics, maturity, and perseverance. In addition to bringing home the large trophy the team was awarded $6,750 in cash prizes and an academic scholarship to one of the team’s graduating seniors, Josef Marlow.
To bring home the title, 20 youth members from the Light Team in addition to 10 staff members and parents traveled to Panama City to depart by plane to Dallas. The program regularly takes trips to expose participants to historical sites, colleges and universities and cultural experiences.
During this trip stops included a tour of Paul Quinn College, the Dallas African American Museum, John F. Kennedy Memorial, George Dealey Monument, and dinner at Auntie Irene’s Kitchen (a Black-owed restaurant).
Additionally, the young men had an opportunity to fellowship with the Theta Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and it’s Omega Sparks to which Omega Lamplighters, Inc. founder Royle King II was a youth participant. This was also the first time 10 of the youth had ever been on an airplane.
StompWars features the best youth middle and high school step teams from around the country competing in categories to be crowned world champions. The Light Team also had an opportunity to perform with music star Big Boss Vette.
The Light Team also went to Charlotte, North Carolina, to bring home another National Championship in the XFactor National Step Championships winning first place in the high school male division and the Grand Champion bringing home the trophy and award for the highest scoring team amongst all of the categories of over 30 teams.
Since 2008 the program has directly impacted 1,000+ youth. This year 14 high school seniors are graduating and going on to attend college, trade school, military or headed into a career workforce training program.
Learn more at omegalamplighters.org.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee's Omega Lamplighters win global step championship
