Sprite Step Off

[Phrozen1ne]

That same "scoring error" happened at in regional round in Chicago.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

Post #1

Sprite wroteabout an hour ago
The Sprite Step Off was initially created as a way to recognize talented college students and give out scholarships to help support their higher education. If we put on some entertaining step shows and brought people together along the way, all the better.

After the National Finals Competition this past weekend in Atlanta wrapped, we got together to do our post-competition review and found a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results. After looking at it and looking at it AGAIN, we determined there isn’t a definitive resolution.

Sprite is all about preserving the honesty and integrity of this competition. Because the scoring discrepancy can’t be resolved and due to the really tight margin between the first and second place sorors, we feel that the only right thing to do is to name both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter & Zeta Tau Alpha, Epsilon Chapter, co-first place winners of the Sprite Step Off.

With these revised results, we’re gonna increase Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter’s scholarship prize to $100K, consistent with what Zeta Tau Alpha also got for their first prize winnings.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make The Sprite Step Off happen. And to one last stroll in the name of unity...


^^^^This is from from the sprite step off facebook page/group thingy. Apparently they're trying to right the "wrongs".

"wrongs"??

Do you think there was no scoring error?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by I.A.S.K.

Post #1

Sprite wroteabout an hour ago
The Sprite Step Off was initially created as a way to recognize talented college students and give out scholarships to help support their higher education. If we put on some entertaining step shows and brought people together along the way, all the better.

After the National Finals Competition this past weekend in Atlanta wrapped, we got together to do our post-competition review and found a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results. After looking at it and looking at it AGAIN, we determined there isn’t a definitive resolution.

Sprite is all about preserving the honesty and integrity of this competition. Because the scoring discrepancy can’t be resolved and due to the really tight margin between the first and second place sorors, we feel that the only right thing to do is to name both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter & Zeta Tau Alpha, Epsilon Chapter, co-first place winners of the Sprite Step Off.

With these revised results, we’re gonna increase Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter’s scholarship prize to $100K, consistent with what Zeta Tau Alpha also got for their first prize winnings.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make The Sprite Step Off happen. And to one last stroll in the name of unity...


^^^^This is from from the sprite step off facebook page/group thingy. Apparently they're trying to right the "wrongs".

Welcome to the world of stepshows. They are learning that this isn't just an MTV spectacle.

While I respect their review, which often happens for stepshows and especially young stepshows, their show has absolutely no credibility. The money is great but there's not "BGLO cred" beyond that.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by Phrozen1ne

That same "scoring error" happened at in regional round in Chicago.

Is that the one where they they required a step-off for third place?

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

"wrongs"??

Do you think there was no scoring error?

I would call a scoring error a wrong--a BIG wrong.

[Phrozen1ne]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Is that the one where they they required a step-off for third place?

They announced a tie between Phi Beta Sigma and Alpha Phi Alpha for 1st place and told the teams they had to do a step off to determine who would take 1st place. They announced this tie before the other sororities had a chance to step.

The drama with the sororities came in when Sigma Gamma Rho came in 4th place, Alpha Theta Omega 3rd, Zeta Phi Beta 2nd, and AKA 1st. The crowd, from the reaction I observed and well as the one I gave, was shocked that Sigma Gamma Rho had not placed in 1st or 2nd place. They put on an excellent show.

After the competition was over, the news came in later that night that there was a scoring error and that Sigma Gamma Rho placed 2nd which bumped Zeta Phi Beta to 3rd. Some of the SGRHOs that were sitting with me at the show stated that they felt they just placed them anywhere after the judges made the scoring error, and that their members (who were present during the show) believed that SGRHO had actually won 1st place.

They also had an issue with the fact that Judges from each NPHC were not represented. I believe there were only five , with two coming from one of the other competing sororities. Sprite's rules never said that there had to be 9 judges.

[tld221]

Wow.

Sounds like the scoring and judging was a hot mess. The parts that MTV2 won't cover, I suppose.

Next year's Step Off (if it happens) will be interesting to say the least...

[Phrozen1ne]

Originally Posted by tld221

Wow.

Sounds like the scoring and judging was a hot mess. The parts that MTV2 won't cover, I suppose.

Next year's Step Off (if it happens) will be interesting to say the least...

I also heard it happened in NYC and that is why they allowed the Phi Beta SIgma team that performed in NYC at that regional Step Off to compete as a wild card entry in ATL.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Phrozen1ne

They announced a tie between Phi Beta Sigma and Alpha Phi Alpha for 1st place and told the teams they had to do a step off to determine who would take 1st place. They announced this tie before the other sororities had a chance to step.

The drama with the sororities came in when Sigma Gamma Rho came in 4th place, Alpha Theta Omega 3rd, Zeta Phi Beta 2nd, and AKA 1st. The crowd, from the reaction I observed and well as the one I gave, was shocked that Sigma Gamma Rho had not placed in 1st or 2nd place. They put on an excellent show.

After the competition was over, the news came in later that night that there was a scoring error and that Sigma Gamma Rho placed 2nd which bumped Zeta Phi Beta to 3rd. Some of the SGRHOs that were sitting with me at the show stated that they felt they just placed them anywhere after the judges made the scoring error, and that their members (who were present during the show) believed that SGRHO had actually won 1st place.

They also had an issue with the fact that Judges from each NPHC were not represented. I believe there were only five , with two coming from one of the other competing sororities. Sprite's rules never said that there had to be 9 judges.

THANK YOU for explaining this.

The article I posted, and comments section, made it seem like a fishing expedition against ZTA.

[Phrozen1ne]

The Sprite fan page on facebook has been out of control since the incident in Chicago. I can only imagine what the comments look like now that the competition is over and there is a "tie" for 1st.

[DrPhil]

Has this been posted yet? I can't keep up.

Originally Posted by Sprite Step Off just posted this on their FB via Twitter

The Sprite Step Off was initially created as a way to recognize talented college students and give out scholarships to help support their higher education. If we put on some entertaining step shows and brought people together along the way, all the better.

After the National Finals Competition this past weekend in Atlanta wrapped, we got together to do our post-competition review and found a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results. After looking at it and looking at it AGAIN, we determined there isn’t a definitive resolution.

Sprite is all about preserving the honesty and integrity of this competition. Because the scoring discrepancy can’t be resolved and due to the really tight margin between the first and second place sorors, we feel that the only right thing to do is to name both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter & Zeta Tau Alpha, Epsilon Chapter, co-first place winners of the Sprite Step Off.

With these revised results, we’re gonna increase Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter’s scholarship prize to $100K, consistent with what Zeta Tau Alpha also got for their first prize winnings.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make The Sprite Step Off happen. And to one last stroll in the name of unity...

Argh, shimber me timbers. Me wonders whether Sprite will do this next year. The profit may be outweighed by the troubles and cost. Welcome to the world of step competitions, Sprite.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Has this been posted yet? I can't keep up.



Argh, shimber me timbers. Me wonders whether Sprite will do this next year. The profit may be outweighed by the troubles and cost. Welcome to the world of step competitions, Sprite.

More importantly, if we are going to support the event like this with the D9 on all the advertising, then we need to demand some creative control and have a say in how things go. Please tell me how Chili (TLC), Luda, Monica, Ne Ne (Desperate Housewives of ATL), etc. are going to judge a greek stepshow? LMMFAO!!

Oh and the MC should also be greek or at least have gone to college. I hear that the MC for the national competition was very distasteful and made comments about AKA having weaves and ZTA having real hair. WTF!!!

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest

More importantly, if we are going to support the event like this with the D9 on all the advertising, then we need to demand some creative control and have a say in how things go. Please tell me how Chili (TLC), Luda, Monica, Ne Ne (Desperate Housewives of ATL), etc. are going to judge a greek stepshow? LMMFAO!!

Oh and the MC should also be greek or at least have gone to college. I hear that the MC for the national competition was very distasteful and made comments about AKA having weaves and ZTA having real hair. WTF!!!

Seriously though, do you have to be Greek to judge a Greek step show? Do you have to be beautiful to judge a beauty pageant. Do you have to be a singer to judge AI..., etc.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Seriously though, do you have to be Greek to judge a Greek step show? Do you have to be beautiful to judge a beauty pageant. Do you have to be a singer to judge AI..., etc.

Well, you do need to understand music if you're going to be giving pointers and judging people on their musical abilities.

I think it would have been helpful for them to have someone judging who knew what s/he was supposed to be looking for during the show.

[LatinaAlumna]

I was looking at the competition rules, and this struck me:

"All team members must be 18 years or over, a member in good standing of a nationally recognized service-oriented fraternity or sorority, and in good academic standing at an accredited 4 year college or university."

How is it that a NPC group met the eligibility then? I always see NPC sororities stating that they are social organizations, not service.