PRE-STEP SING
As classes began and snow fell, a longstanding Samford tradition awoke under the cover of night: Step Sing. For students such as freshman Lily Layman, she came into Samford with a rough idea of what Step Sing entailed and saw it as an opportunity to meet more people and make friends.
“It just sounded like the most fun thing ever and something I definitely wanted to get involved in,” Layman said. “Especially as someone with a background in musical theater.”
Layman was placed in the Freshman Girls show after filling out a form and being chosen by the lottery. Before practices began, Layman most looked forward to the reactions to their performance as someone who loves to perform.
BANNER DROP
When Banner Drop rolled around, Layman sat excitedly in the audience appreciating the artwork of the banners and enjoying the excitement of not only seeing her group’s banner but also Tri Delta’s, her sorority.
“Banner Drop was such a cool experience because I got to try and figure out what they could be about,” Layman said.
While Layman had her own guesses, she also saw many posted on the social media app Fizz, leaving her the question of whether the guesses posted were planted to distract from real themes or were truly exposing them.
Layman looked forward to finding out what the Freshman Girl’s theme truly was when the first day of practice rolled around.
WEEK ONE
“The first practice was long, but the directors have done a great job of making us feel like we are doing a great job,” Layman said. “The environment is also really fun; everyone is so talented and had such big smiles on their faces.”
Layman also mentioned that even on the first day, she was already making friends with the girls to the left and right of her on the grid.
As she went through the first week of practice, Layman found it to be fun, but also physically draining, with nearly every rehearsal going to 11 p.m.
For Layman, the implications of this were getting behind on work, feeling sore and being tired.
“A lot of girls have been saying they are really tired and physically sore, some talked about how their knees and feet hurt. Girls have also been getting sick, though my health has been fine,” Layman said.
WEEK TWO
As she finished up the second week of practice, Layman found it easier to balance schoolwork, though the exhaustion continued; it was one of the things she said was the hardest.
“It’s been kind of exhausting but overall, it’s going to be worth it in the end,” Layman said.
One of the highlights of week two for Layman was getting to see their tech rehearsal on a projection screen in the rehearsal room.
“We had such a fun time cheering ourselves on,” Layman said.
WEEK THREE
As she finishes preparation for the show, she looks forward to performing and showing everyone what the Freshman Girls are capable of.
“There are a lot of super super talented people,” Layman said. “Overall, doing Step Sing has been a really, really great experience.”
First performance
A lot of the Freshman Girls group felt extremely nervous for their Wednesday night dress rehearsal. Having done musical theater in high school, she felt confident in herself to perform on the grid for the first time.
“I really loved the amount of crowd response. I loved the cheering for the ‘Sig-moves’; it was a lot of fun,” said Layman.
Staff Writer
