Saturday night’s THON 2012 Pep Rally was billed as a Whiteout. The Whiteout failed and honestly I’m not surprised; just look at a picture of the floor at anytime during THON weekend. That was the only let-down of the night though as the Men’s Gymnastics squad won the event with some awesome moves from Rihanna along with a full rodeo show when “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” came on, ending football’s two year reign of dominance.

Lebanon Valley College freshman Nick Pantalone who spoke during Family Hour of THON 2011 hosted the event and reminded everyone why they were dancing and volunteering their time at the Bryce Jordan Center. “My hair went from the color brown, to invisible, to blonde, to black, and now back to brown again.”

While Pantalone may not be the household name of Jay Paterno or P.J. Maierhofer, his story is one to be recognized. Pantalone knew his role, reiterating his line about wanting to not only survive but live while also allowing the athletes and entertainment acts to be the main focal points of attention.

The Lionettes got things started with a mash-up of “We Found Love”, “Pumped Up Kicks”, and “Rolling in the Deep.” It might not have been spectacular but it was an appropriate way to begin the night for sure. Field hockey and softball would follow with two average acts before fencing exploded onto the scene dancing to music that ranged from Michael Jackson hits to “Stacy’s Mom.” I really did not know what to expect from fencing at the onset of their act, but they brought it from start to finish and had the dancers and spectators roaring in approval.

Men’s Soccer would have a tough act to follow after fencing, but I was hoping they would get a little more love than they did. It is tough not to like Mambo Number 5, but apparently the applause-o-meter would think otherwise.

I can’t hate on anyone for performing in a pep rally, but I was hoping for a little more than women’s hockey provided. They had decent music with “Celebrate” and “Love Train” but just never seemed to get off to that good start that a team typically needs in a dance-off.

Behind men’s gymnastics and fencing, the Icers could make a case for the third best performance with a skit that involved “Thriller” and Whitney Houston’s “Dance With Somebody.”

Between men’s swimming, women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics, women’s volleyball, and football, the two-time defending champions would be the fourth squad to advance, but many expected more after the past two years. Where was Rob Bolden when you needed him?

Pantalone began to read off the final four and while fencing received a good amount of applause, deservedly so, it was no contest once the men’s gymnasts names were called.

Those in attendance roared as a new champion was crowned and will hold bragging rights for the next year.