Uh Oh! Scoring Discrepancy Changes Results of Sprite Step Off
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Scoring Discrepancy Changes Results of Sprite Step Off Competition.
Five days after taking first place in the Sprite Step Off finals in Atlanta last weekend, the women of Zeta Tau Alpha’s Epsilon Chapter from the University of Arkansas learned they would be sharing the spotlight.
On Thursday, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company, which sponsors the college step dancing competition, announced that because of a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results, the second-place winners, the Tau Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. from Indiana University, would be recognized as co-winners and awarded the same $100,000 prize as Zeta Tau Alpha.
The change was revealed in a Facebook statement. It did not offer insight into
the exact problem with the scoring or how it was discovered. Coke representatives said in an e-mailed response to questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Due to the extremely narrow margin between the first and second place winning sororities, we conducted a further post-competition review and discovered a scoring discrepancy. There is no conclusive interpretation, nor definitive resolution for the discrepancy.”
It was unclear what the original scores were, how narrow the margin was or if the competition judges participated in the review.
The announcement came after four days of blog posts and YouTube comments alternating between support for Zeta Tau Alpha’s win and those doubting the competition results.
Zeta Tau Alpha is a predominantly white organization, which took first place in a tradition that has historically been dominated by African-American fraternities and sororities. Its winning eight-minute Matrix themed production got more than 200,000 views on YouTube, more than twice as many as the second- or third- place winners.
Anthony Antoine, 40, of Atlanta, who posted the popular YouTube video, said he was shocked when he received more than 1,000 comments on the post — many focused on race.
“The bottom line was they didn’t care if the girls were better or not, the people that were upset were saying white girls should not have won, period,” Antoine said. “I think this is bigger than a step competition. Race relations in America still needs a lot of work,” he said.
Ironically, it was an attempt to foster unity that first brought Zeta Tau Alpha into stepping. The chapter at the University of Arkansas began participating 16 years ago in a Unity Step Show sponsored by the campus chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., an African-American sorority. Through the years, the Zeta Tau Alpha teams learned a variety of steps as well as some history on the tradition of stepping, said Alexandra Kosmitis, a senior Zeta Tau Alpha who is a member of the current step team.
This year, after performing in the campus show, the team decided to enter the Sprite competition, she said. In October, they won the qualifying round held in Fayetteville, Ark., and after Christmas break, they spent three hours each day and six hours on Sundays perfecting their routine for regionals. After winning the regional competition, they earned a space in the finals.
“We were really excited. We knew it was going to be close and we knew we had good competition,” Kosmitis said.
As for how the crowd would react to their team, they weren’t sure what to expect. “I don’t think we felt uncomfortable,” Kosmitis said. “We feel we were accepted by a lot of people in Atlanta.”
After learning they would be co-winners in the competition, Kosmitis said the nine-member step team remained grateful. “We are just keeping a positive attitude about it,” she said. “We are excited to still have $100,000 for our scholarships and we are excited that someone else can have some money to help them out as well.”
Source: Accessatlanta.com
Zeta Tau Alpha shouldn’t have to share an award because hands down they rightful won the step competition. If this is about race, it is 2010, funny how blacks can want a Black President in the White House, but not want whites to beat them in a competition. Reality of this Step-off is that Zeta Tau Alpha came prepared while the other Sorority’s came complacent knowing what to expect because they have been there before. This should be a lesson learned, when you want something, you cannot under estimate your component because you never know what to expect. AKA’s and Delta had a nice routine but it was not thriving nor was enough time spent on perfecting the routine. They knew the steps but their attitudes about the steps reflected more. Everyone that has this race issue truly needs to look at themselves and figure out what’s wrong with themselves before casting judgment or becoming irate about the better team winning. I have read over a lot of the comments and it’s truly sad that for college students trying to obtain an education how ignorant people still can be. It’s truly fine if you have an opinion, but do honest evaluations on the performance. To all performers a good job.
Are you kidding right now, are people really having the audacity to claim to be graduates of a college and then state such ignorant backwood comments! Seriously, instead of trying to continue to keep things segregated we need to be coming together sharing the different cultures and accepting each others accomplishments. Not trying to turn this into some race war that WE as a people should be trying to put a stop to all together! I mean seriously ZTA did a great job and so did all of the other teams, but had there been a “black” sorority that had won, would there be such a stir? If we can go to school together and have relationships with each other then WE should be able to compete with each other. And as far as STEALING other organizations “move” well then maybe, just maybe if they were such a secret then DO NOT do them in public!!! What a thought! Seriously, I can’t believe this is 2010 and I am still reading such ignorance.- Signed a bi-racial woman of ZPB!
I’m a true member of D9 – SGRho, and I must say AKA’s should have won. It was the better show, I watched both 3 times. ZTA’s moves were pieces of other D9 organizations. Just had to put it out there. They were good but AKAs were better. I’ve said my piece
Excuse my typo’s. But another point is also, wasn’t our whole purpose of starting our own organizations due to not being accepted by the white organizations? So if that is the case how can we celebrate the very people who turned us away from their organizations winning a Step-Off with steps that they stole from our organizations? We need to keep our legacy pure and untouched by white hands. We should be entitiled to have something of our OWN without the intergration of white people.. The did it for over 400 years so why can’t we do it with our tradition of stepping? We are so negrofied that we jump and hoop and holler as we watch a white step team make complete mockery of our African tradition. And Sprite ought to be ashamed for even allowing them the participation. Let’s get our legacy back unless it’s already gone!
Yes! We must payback those years of intolerance with yet more intolerance! It is the only way they will learn. I suggest that blacks and whites stop talking to each other altogether. It is only through detachment that we will reach racial harmony!
I am a graduate from Wilberforce University and that was truly an insult to our legacy and history of Black Greek organization stepping. We as black people should have never allowed that to happen. We should have never supported them in copying our rituals that originated in Africa where our slave masters stole us from, then we want to celebrate the slave master’s daughters learning and stealing our traditions! All of the divine should have walked out. We should never compete in another Sprite Step-Off again. If anything create our own Divine tep-Off Nine Step-Off which will eliminate white participation.
I agree.
You’re absolutely right. We need more segregation, not less! White people competing with black people? That’s absurd!
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hahaha Mannnnnnnn the ladoes of Zeta Tau Alpha put it down.. and deserved to win… and um as black as they come hahaha.. Just goes to show that Soror’s at HBCU’s or other Predom White institutions might wanna start getting on the ball with they step game.
That is so sad!!! Those girls deserved first place “by Themselves” you have to give them their PROPS!!! Way to go Zeta Tau Alpha!!!
No they did not deserve first place at all. The AKA’s were definitely better. After watching the ZTA performance at times they were sloppy and looking over their shoulders. No they did not deserve place nor second place.