How Do You Feel About High School Step Teams/Drill Teams?

25 replies · 20312 views · Started by C Nels · Jun 2007

C Nels

How do you feel about high school step teams and/or drill teams? Is it a sign of flattery or of disrespect when you see them performing your organization's steps, chants and signs? Do you think that they are giving themselves false hope by thinking that "if I can step I can easily get in a greek organization"? Do you simply view it as another way to keep kids out of trouble, and don't care? Can any of them step better than you? lol How do you feel? What are your thoughts?

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Blutifully Human from Washington, DC · Jun 2007

#11 Reply

C_Nels wrote:
How do you feel about high school step teams and/or drill teams? Is it a sign of flattery or of disrespect when you see them performing your organization's steps, chants and signs? Do you think that they are giving themselves false hope by thinking that "if I can step I can easily get in a greek organization"? Do you simply view it as another way to keep kids out of trouble, and don't care? Can any of them step better than you? lol How do you feel? What are your thoughts?

I don't mind them at all. When I was in highschool, I wasn't on the girl's step team, but I was president of Young Black Scholars and we hosted and planned a step show competition every year with various highschools in the area. Just as any other outlet, such as singing, dance, theater, or even sports...I see it as another avenue for students to express themselves creatively. Because lets be real, BGLOs did NOT invent stepping. Everything is recycled in some form or another, so who am I to put a patent on something that didn't initially belong to sororities and fraternities to begin with? However, I will say that when it comes to the hand signs, calls, and overt sorority/fraternity mimicking, I do think the line is being crip walked on a lil bit lol. I can look at some highschool step teams and tell after 5 seconds who their sponsoring Greek organization is (if they even have one). Sure imitation is a form a flattery, however...folks work very hard for their letters, so it can kinda be seen as an insult for kids to be mirroring these organizations and not know the background our understand the foundation. So I think it's important that these students are given a lil history on stepping, and that it's not just seen as cool new fad or simply a form of leisure activity. Only then is the shallowness and superficiality knocked out of the equation (for both parties, not just the younger group). Oh, and yes...wont even front, some of them can step better than me lol

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C Nels · Jun 2007

#12 Reply

Whoever thought of this topic is a genius! Smartass

Look at ya'll "conversatin". Gossip

lol But seriously I'm kind of in between, not really for it or not really against it. Knowing that it is a way of providing an outlet for children other than hanging out on the corner is a great thing....or under the shade tree for my country folk. lol The kids these days are looking for the next HOT thing and stepping is it. As long as they're being taught other things other than just 'stepping' when they get together, I can live with it. And it's too late to try and keep stepping from becoming a fad, Stomp The Yard ruined that. Disappointed

[indent] I do think the line is being crip walked on a lil bit lol[/indent] You're killin me! LOL

Well I think they Crip walked and A-Town stomped on the Alpha's line one day when I was watching 106 & Park. Like you said Blu, I can tell who's the sponsor org, most of us on the inside can. ...but anywho... This day they just yoked our stuff; steps, chants, hand sign, the only thing that they didn't have were our letters, I felt a little violated! Crying

So at the end they yell "Too cold!", pose and throw up the Phi! :o Eek

There was nothing I could do but change the channel. I haven't "stepped" in a true show since I graduated so yeah they can probably step better than me right now. lol Thanks for the responses...let's keep it goin!

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BlackBarbii3 from los angeles, CA · Jul 2007

#13 Reply

I would like to say that i am a member of a highschool Jr. Sorority. Our sponsor was an AKA as well as our principal, because of that we went under the name of Alpha Kappa Jr. Sorority. We were not allowd to have 3 letters because we found it to be disrespectful & we were not deserving of them. Im very happy that someone started this post so i could explain to actual greeks what some High School organizations actually do. Not all are just "step teams". Ours was a Jr. Sorority first b4 anything, we did pledge not to mock college greeks but to help us understand how we needed to be bonded, how to have respect and discipline as well as to weed out who was serious. Im sure it may not have been nearly as intense as the level of the actual Divine 9 but it was intense enough for the High School level. We didnt just step, we did community service & HAD to maintain a certain g.p.a to be able to engage in any competions or shows because that was considered a privlidge. Our Jr. sorority had 8 lines (from 1999-2006) before we were shut down because of complaints from AKAs that attended a University in my city. The previous year we suffered a major loss one of our girls was shot and ****, our Jr. Sorority is what held us as well as the school together when we lost her, us having that love for eachother and respect is what got us though that situation && to be shut down because a group of women whom we had nothing but respect felt that we were trying to mock or prace on their accomplishments hurt us. We felt that instead of putting up a guard or trying to close down they should have at least come to see what we were about first & im sharing this with you so you guys know that nobody is trying to disrespect you in ANY way. We were championship steppers, community service was our FIRST priority and we did have a lot of respect in our community for what we did contribute as young adults.

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C Nels · Jul 2007

#14 Reply

BlackBarbii3 wrote:
I would like to say that i am a member of a highschool Jr. Sorority. Our sponsor was an AKA as well as our principal, because of that we went under the name of Alpha Kappa Jr. Sorority. We were not allowd to have 3 letters because we found it to be disrespectful & we were not deserving of them. Im very happy that someone started this post so i could explain to actual greeks what some High School organizations actually do. Not all are just "step teams". Ours was a Jr. Sorority first b4 anything, we did pledge not to mock college greeks but to help us understand how we needed to be bonded, how to have respect and discipline as well as to weed out who was serious. Im sure it may not have been nearly as intense as the level of the actual Divine 9 but it was intense enough for the High School level. We didnt just step, we did community service & HAD to maintain a certain g.p.a to be able to engage in any competions or shows because that was considered a privlidge. Our Jr. sorority had 8 lines (from 1999-2006) before we were shut down because of complaints from AKAs that attended a University in my city. The previous year we suffered a major loss one of our girls was shot and ****, our Jr. Sorority is what held us as well as the school together when we lost her, us having that love for eachother and respect is what got us though that situation && to be shut down because a group of women whom we had nothing but respect felt that we were trying to mock or prace on their accomplishments hurt us. We felt that instead of putting up a guard or trying to close down they should have at least come to see what we were about first & im sharing this with you so you guys know that nobody is trying to disrespect you in ANY way. We were championship steppers, community service was our FIRST priority and we did have a lot of respect in our community for what we did contribute as young adults.

Thanks for the response! Keep doing what you do! Clap

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Jamaican Shawty · Jul 2007

#17 Reply

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mathematicia · Jul 2007

#18 Reply

@nels, yeah and i guess when some of that profit oozed into that org everything was cool.

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C Nels · Jul 2007

#19 Reply

Actually the money didn't "ooze into the organization", it's one of those things that you'd understand better if you were on this side of the fence. But I'll try to explain... The director/producer of the film is a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and I guess he felt that he had the rights and privileges as a member to use his letters in his film, but he doesn't, without prior approval. So when the executive officers of Alpha saw the film with the likeness of the fraternity included without permission, that's when things came to a head. To rectify the situation, the directors removed all references of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, except for some historical facts. The only things you can see in the movie that some may associate with Alpha are the colors, black & gold. And the money you speak of didn't go to the fraternity, it went to the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr National Memorial Fund for the momument being built in Washington. (Build the Dream) Did that help you understand the situation any better? Personal Note - I'm kind of glad that the letters weren't used b/c I thought the movie was whack. Some thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! Unsure