Alison Williams | SNN
Singing. Dancing. Grids. Synchronization. Welcome to Step Sing.
The popular Samford tradition spans the month of January and kicks off the spring semester in an energetic way. Step Sing, which is gearing up for its 73rd year, is one of the longest traditions on Samford’s campus and is open to all students who want to participate. Groups range from independent-only, Greek-only, class groups, gender-specific and a mix of it all.
“I just love how campus-wide it is,” said junior Ethan Henshaw. “I love that no matter what you’re involved in or who you may socially associate yourself with, you can do Step Sing.”
One group that has participated in the competition for years is Dudes-A-Plenty, also known as DAP.
Dudes-A-Plenty Traditions
DAP is a male-only independent group. Dudes-A-Plenty is highly decorated within the realm of Step Sing. They have five Sweepstakes wins under their belt from 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016.
But a tradition of winning is not the only thing DAP is known for. DAP has many traditions that students across campus can enjoy during Step Sing. Their iconic signature move always garners a loud response from the audience. They also open the final dress rehearsal with the singing of the Doxology.
These traditions and the love of Step Sing are cultivated from day one of signups, which is a unique process. DAP cultivates these traditions and a love for Step Sing from day one with sign-ups. Sign-ups allow for the men across Samford’s campus a chance to get to know each other heading into Step Sing season.
“Guys are spending a day, typically a Saturday in a specific room on campus from usually eight to five,” said Henshaw, who happens to be a Dudes-A-Plenty member. “They go hang out there all day and then at the end of the day names are called and they get to find out whether or not they made the cut based on nothing else but how many spots we had left. It’s a lot of fun. People bring Mario cart and they play it; they’ll bring card games. You meet new people because there are guys from all over campus that get to join so it’s a lot of fun.”
A Strong Brotherhood
The community DAP cultivates from the start is impactful for all the dudes who join.
“Dudes was very different than what I expected it to be,” said sophomore member Isaac Tate. “I honestly didn’t have a lot of expectation going in of knowing what I should expect but it was just really awesome to meet a whole bunch of upperclassmen that are super passionate about having a community of independent guys that just come from so many different backgrounds. Joining as a freshman, it was really cool to just look up to those older guys that are really dedicated.”
Even though none of the men in DAP are a part of fraternities on Samford’s campus, the brotherhood created during Step Sing is strong. The bond between Dudes encourages emotional and spiritual growth while also fostering healthy competition.
DAP is on the hunt for another Sweepstakes. They won several Participant Choice and Committee Choice awards last year and want to leverage that momentum.
Until then, see you on the Grid.
Alison Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Samford News Network.
