Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) was first introduced to the art of stepping 15 years ago by a local AKA chapter at the University of Arkansas.
“It started out as pure philanthropy,†said Kristin King, member of the ZTA step team.
Fellow ZTA team member Alexandra Kosmitis said, “We used to have local competitions every year and decided to venture out into more rigorous competition this year. We’re just amazed to be here. We were told we wouldn’t make it out the first round, and now we’re here getting a standing ovation.â€
That wasn’t all they got.
Zeta Tau Alpha defeated all opposition to claim first prize.
The announcement sent shock waves through the crowd creating an uneasy combination of cautious celebration and chagrin.
Tension was high. A white sorority had just won one of the largest step shows in history and, though some were impressed, many more were upset and confused.
“Sprite didn’t do a good job explaining the show; they manipulated the crowd,†said Oyetewa Oyerinde, a sophomore sports medicine major. “I thought the Zetas were more of a showcase. I thought this was a Divine Nine event.â€
Crowd participation was a major determinant in the judging, and though the crowd clearly appreciated the Indiana University AKAs, who went on to place second in the competition, they were outright boisterous after the Zeta performance.
“The ballots were extremely close, but in the end I think the crowd actually won the show for the Zetas†said an MTV representative who was working backstage.
He believed the decision was a last minute one, but there are some who believe the show’s outcome was a predetermined one.
Various participants backstage asserted that MTV and Sprite took the Cinderella story of the anomalous Zeta’s and ran with it.
Mentioning how the Zetas received a biased amount of television coverage and were treated more favorably than the other participating sororities, many felt after the Zeta’s made it to the National Final, MTV and Sprite became less concerned with treating all their participants fairly and more concerned with promoting the Zeta’s unlikely story.
“I’m upset MTV followed the Zeta’s around and capitalized on us,†said Francesca Hindmon, a senior economics major. “It seems to have been a setup from jump.â€
