posted Dec 17th, 2025 - The NSL News continues to expand the NSL Profiles with the addition of female formation skydiving competitors. The vast majority of male featured athletes on SKYLEAGUE.COM were pointed out in February of this year. In response, the NSL News introduced four new NSL Profiles highlighting female competitors, while additional male profiles have been temporarily put on hold.

JaNette Lefkowitz is now the fifth consecutive female athlete added to the NSL Profiles, bringing the current balance to 31 male and 11 female profiles. Although progress has been made, there is still a long way to go before this proportion reflects the actual gender balance in formation skydiving competition, where gender differences have no impact during freefall.

JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz are best known for the creation of the Rhythm 4-way project, which they launched together in 2007 at Chicagoland Skydiving Center. Steve Lefkowitz, JaNette’s husband and a former decathlon athlete, progressed rapidly in 4-way formation skydiving competition, becoming one of the most sought-after elite competitors in the United States. Despite opportunities to join other top teams, he resisted the temptation and remained committed to the dream project he and his wife had built together. Notably, JaNette Lefkowitz was Steve’s first instructor, teacher, and coach when he made his very first jump. Over time, the former student would become a mentor to his instructor in the realm of competitive skydiving.

USPA Nationals 2019			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Class		7,C,H,P		J,21,20		O,3,11		B,2,K,E		8,Q,10		15,D,F,12		N,L,M,14		6,1,9		A,18,13		G,4,5		17,16,22		Total	Avg
1	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	BE	45	-1	24		27		37		21		25		34		25	-1	26	-1	25	-4	-		289	28.9
2	SDC Rhythm XP	US	41		22		21	-1	33		21		23		27		25		24		25		21	-1	262	26.2
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	40	-1	24		22	-2	32		19	-2	24		29		25		21	-2	26	-1	20	-2	262	26.2
4	Defiance	US	30	-1	21		15	-4	28		16		19		22	-3	21		18	-1	18	-1	-		208	20.8
5	Ranch 2nd Generation	US	26		19		19		24	-2	16	-1	17	-1	24		18	-1	19		19		-		201	20.1
6	Kinetix	AU	26		18		17		22		13	-1	17		18	-1	17		17		17		-		182	18.2
7	Lite XP	US	24	-1	17		17		22		15		17		20	-2	16	-1	14		17		-		179	17.9
8	No Name	US	22	-4	17		14		19	-2	12	-2	13		14	-3	15		14		16		-		156	15.6
9	Aviatrixx	US	21		14		13	-1	18	-1	12	-2	15		17	-1	14	-1	12		14		-		150	15.0
10	Perris Force	US	20		13	-1	14		18		11	-1	11		18	-1	13	-1	12		12	-1	-		142	14.2

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SDC Rhythm XP and Arizona Airspeed at the USPA Nationals 2019

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The consistency, logic, and long-term commitment to the Rhythm concept ultimately paid off. In 2019, JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz led their team to a national outdoor championship title and earned selection as the USPA National Team in 4-way Open for the Tanay Mondial 2020.

By that time, the Rhythm project had expanded into other areas of formation skydiving, relocated to Skydive Chicago, and undergone several lineup changes along the way.

At the same time, the Lefkowitz family was growing. JaNette Lefkowitz withdrew from competition at the World Championship in August 2021 as she prepared for the birth of their daughter, Sage.

Former SDC Rhythm XP team member Christy Frikken stepped into JaNette Lefkowitz’s slot at Tanay 2021, where Rhythm earned the FAI silver medals. JaNette Lefkowitz cites her former Rhythm teammate (2013–2015) and substitute (2020–2021) as one of her mentors. In fact, she considers all of her teammates to be mentors in skydiving, reflecting the strong team culture and collaborative dynamics for which SDC Rhythm XP has been well known.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2016			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women		12,A,16		18,15,O		1,F,E,C		17,B,14		10,2,20		21,11,G		J,5,19		L,M,K,7		D,8,4		3,13,Q		Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	21		21		30		20	-2	17		19		24		35		20		17	-2	224	22.4
2	French Girls	FR	21		18		30	-1	23		17		18	-2	24		34		18	-1	14		217	21.7
3	NFTO	UK	17		15		21		19		13		16		18		26	-1	17		13	-1	175	17.5
4	Parachute Montreal Fuzion	CA	18		15	-1	19	-1	16	-2	14		16		17	-2	25		17		14		171	17.1
5	Les Stunts	BE	15		14		20	-1	16		11	-1	13		16		24		15		13		157	15.7
6	Bellatrix	AU	13		12		20	-1	16		12		13		15		22		13		14		150	15.0
7	Skymix	DE	13		11		15	-1	15		12		13		14		23		12		12	-1	140	14.0
8	No Mercy	PL	14		14		19	-1	13	-1	9		11	-1	12	-2	19	-4	14		11	-1	136	13.6
9	Infra Red Band	RU	15		12	-1	16	-3	13	-1	9	-2	11		13		17	-2	14		10		130	13.0
10	CZ Ladies	CZ	11		11		14	-1	13		9		10		12		19		9	-2	10		118	11.8
11	Valkyria	DK	10		8		16		10		9		10		11	-1	17	-2	12		10		113	11.3

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Golden Knights 4-way Women team at the FAI Mondial 2016

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JaNette Lefkowitz has long understood the importance of stepping in at the right moment. In 2016, the all-female Golden Knights lineup faced an emergency when team member Angela Nichols was unable to continue after the final competition with the full lineup at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship in March.

With only six months to find a substitute and train for the outdoor World Championship in September, the Golden Knights needed immediate support. JaNette Lefkowitz volunteered for the slot, and the team went on to win the gold medals in 4-way Women. The FAI Outdoor World Championship 2016 remains one of JaNette Lefkowitz’s favorite competitions, as noted in her NSL Profile.

Although JaNette and Steve Lefkowitz are no longer active members of SDC Rhythm XP, they continue to manage its business operations. Both remain deeply involved in the sport through training, competition, and coaching other teams. That commitment is unlikely to change, as JaNette Lefkowitz envisions herself in ten years “enjoying time with my family and staying active in the skydiving community.”