Step Off part 2

That my earlier post shows up as the third entry when you google "sprite step off" is likely a clear indication that you have not done your media promotion correctly. I did return to the step competition just as some people I had met earlier in the day who, like me, foolishly thought actual competition started at 11:00 am as advertised, were leaving in disgust. It was 3 o'clock by that time and they were told there might be some actual step competition (imagine that) by 4. I was prepared this time with reading material so I hung out near the marina for a half hour or so and then slowly ambled back towards the competition. For my entire day of waiting, I saw 4 step troupes and one bizarrely dressed group of youth who should have been spared the stage although the cause they pursued (keeping kids out of trouble) was noble.

When the MC finally took the stage, he thanked the sponsors no less than 15 times and then stalled again with a rapper no one has ever heard of and some random girl group with Wolverine slashed pants that the crowd was not feelin. The crowd was pretty thin and generally annoyed at the entire day's worth of non-stepping. We weren't rude but we also weren't going to feign enthusiasm for yet another non-step related person on the stage. The artists weren't horrible but the point is no one was there for a music festival, we were there for a STEP COMPETITION. We saw two sororities and then we had yet another interlude of filler, allegedly to allow the judges to get their scoring together. That was some BS for real. There were only 2 sororities and one was overwhelmingly better than the other which consisted of 4 girls. Same thing with the guys. If the judges needed to confer on that or work some advanced calculus on their score sheet, Sprite needed to invest in some other judges.

It surprised me an event with such significant corporate sponsorship (as we were repeatedly reminded by the MC), Coca Cola (of which Sprite is a part), McDonald's, could be so poorly executed. Kind of soured me on the brands every time they were mentioned, which was often. I think the crowd was with me. In fact, the crowd was quite vocal about wanting to see less of the MC and everyone else. Random non-stepping artists would try to engage the crowd and receive lukewarm response. I sat down and read the newspaper I brought with me. I refused to answer the question "has anyone here ever been in love?" even once. I'm not even sure after the first musical act asked and got little to no response why almost every subsequent no-name artist insisted on asking the same kind of question. The only time the crowd got excited was when the MC asked if we ready for some more stepping (and when he stalled during one of the interludes with his own stepping) and when there were ACTUAL STEP PERFORMANCES. There were only 2 good teams of the 4 there and the fraternity from Temple performed what I thought was an ill conceived routine mimicking apes. No need to court associations that have such negative racial connotations.

But I am glad I went. The two routines that rocked the crowd were what we all thought we had come for a day of. They were fantastic showmen (and women), their routines were tight and hugely entertaining, and they made me proud. Both for them and for 'us.' I didn't join any Greek societies in college unless you count a national honor society for freshman students, Alpha Lambda Delta (aka, I Am a Huge Nerd) that absolutely don't count. I found myself wishing I had gone to a traditional school that had an actual campus and active Greek societies so I could have girlfriends like that. Of course most things look prettier from a distance and that ship has sailed. I would give them props but because I didn't attend a college that had that kind of stuff, their fraternity and sorority names were literally and figuratively Greek to me.

So Coca Cola, who visited my previous post, if you're checking on me again (likely to see if I'm using your logo or some other fair use/copyright issue), please take the time to read this and use it to improve the next stop of your tour. I met a family who drove from Easton, PA--that's an hour and half away from Philly, paid for parking and for admission, even rushing to get there by 11:00, who was disappointed and wasn't there when I returned. Many commented on the poor advertising and the lack of actual stepping. Again, we did not buy tickets to a music festival, your schedule on Facebook did not suggest at all that most of the day would be filled with non-step activities, and it seemed like you were making up the program on the fly. The MC did his best to vamp but he had far too much time to fill. Either you don't have your crap together or you don't care about this. I prefer to think you don't have your crap together because if what I experienced today was the best you have for my community, you can bet I won't quench my thirst or hunger with another Coca Cola product.