The “Stomp the Hill” step show, the closing event for Campus Activities Board’s SpringFest 2008, was held Saturday in the William “Billy” J. Nicks Fieldhouse. The SpringFest step show doesn’t get as big a crowd as the Homecoming step show, but the contestants were still going to put on a show even if they had no audience. Of course prize money and trophies are on the line, but as the adrenaline pumps, pounding hearts beat, and exhaustion sets in, pride in their fellow members and the name of their respective organization were the things that carried the teams through.
This year’s show was scored based on a variety of things. Each organization had eight minutes to present their show. The introduction skit/step, creativity, complexity, choreography was judged on a scale of 1 to 15. On a 1 to 10 scale was crowd participation, vocal delivery and clarity. Overall performance was based on a 1 to 20 scale. Penalty points added in increments of 2, on a scale from 2 to 10, were also given if the organization committed a violation that included vulgarity, profanity, and over time.
Rickie D and Neshia Nledo served the crowd as hosts for the evening while DJ Mr. Rogers made sure he played his part on the ones and twos. As with most events, a delayed start only brought about more anticipation. As part of the prize for winning the University College Dorm-Step Off, buildings 37 and 46 were part of the acts that participated.
To start the show, building 37 presented their winning routine of “Access Granted.” Second, was Kappa Kappa Psi, who always thinks outside the box, and will give you your money’s worth when it comes to a step show. Their “Safari” theme brought about laughs with excerpts from Geico commercials, the Lion King, and Family Matters. Next, was Phi Beta Sigma who presented a “Zombies From the Grave” theme, and also had a Geico excerpt and the classic “Thriller” dance break. Gamma Sigma Sigma tried their best to present a salute to Janet Jackson’s illustrious career. Their show included snippets from Good Times and the infamous Super Bowl halftime show.
Building 46 brought a breath of fresh air to the show that just about everyone watched or knew, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The show included quotes from Coming to America, a classic line from almost every season of the show, and canes that gave their show a little something extra. The last fraternity to showcase was Alpha Phi Alpha. Their “I am Legend” theme put them in competition with the Sigmas. The last act of the night was Zeta Phi Beta. The classic childhood board game, CandyLand was their theme.
After the scores were tallied, it all came down to the awards presentation. In the CSO category KKPsi won first place, followed GSS. In the Pan-Hellenic category, for the women, Zeta Phi Beta took first place. The first place winners were, Alpha Phi Alpha, with Phi Beta Sigma taking second. A look and feeling of uncertainty filled the Baby Dome after the winners were announced.
The after party followed, and since a fight didn’t call off the night early, the students all took in a sigh of relief.
An hour into the after party, the students were interrupted by CAB director Jasmine D. Parker.
The student body was informed of a mistake that was made during judging. From the mistake, the Sigmas were the actual winners. Parker said, “An error was made during the score auditing. The error wasn’t intentional, and a public apology was given.” Six was the margin of victory for Phi Beta Sigma.
Senior KKPsi member Jonas McClain said, “Winning felt great, but since the turnout wasn’t huge, it put a small damper on the win.” Speaking of the step show, sophomore Monique Perry said, “I feel it should have been more organizations, and better themes.” After the mix-up and clarification Phi Beta Sigma member, Darian Cornelius said, “The feeling was great, me and my frat brothers ran around shouting. I thought I knew something wasn’t right, and now it is.”