They not only came to compete, but they came to battle. The 2011 Dorm Step Show left a lot of students with smiles and others with frowns.
The Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center was packed to the top of the bleachers Tuesday night as students whole-heartedly cheered for their favorite dorm team.
The show kicked off with last year’s champions, the PaddyFote soldiers. They were ready to regain the throne. The act had the signature aggressive soldier theme and came up a bit short in points from the judges. Although they came in second place, some feel that PaddyFote should have won.
“I was really rooting for Paddyfote and I just knew they were going to win,” said Jessica Tabbot, a second year business administration student.
One thing that was certain was, Pattyfote had the most vocal fan base. They were the loudest and most energetic throughout the night. Their dorm was even awarded the Spirit Boot at the end of the night for having the most team spirit.
The next performance was from TWC (Truth, Wheatley, and Cropper Halls), who went along with the TRON theme. They stomped in all black jump suits outlined in neon green glow-in-the dark stripes. After them came MAD, made up of McGuinn and Diamond Halls. They kept it flashy with their shiny red suits and I-robot theme.
Larraine Derizzio from Fort Lauderdale Fla., said although she was rooting for MAD, she has to give credit where it’s due, “You know the show was good, lots of energy… I was definitely rooting for MAD, I stepped with them last year, I don’t know what happened, but its okay everyone did really good. “
Next was Palmetto, who placed third and kept it simple with black and white costumes. Following them was the first place team G-5, also known as Gibbs Hall. They were more creative with high quality video and the creative “Last Air Bender” theme. One thing that was hard to do was keep the audience’s attention and that is just what G-5 was able to do.
“Their video was amazing and their precision was great,” said Stacey Holloway, a third year education student from Jacksonville, Fla., who had the pleasure of judging the show.
As students left the venue, the champions hung around to rejoice and let their victory settle in.
“This means so much we have been through so much, this win is like a blessing from God, we would practice until eight in the morning,” said Jared Villalabos, first year pre-engineering major.
Joshua Smith Benson, residential assistant at Gibbs Hall, “Gibbs Hall got the title back this year, its been a couple years since we’ve won and I’ve seen them give blood, sweat and tears from day one.”