I’d never heard of THON until I came to Penn State. While that doesn’t exactly set me apart from a huge amount of people, right now I just really have no idea what THON is. People have tried to explain it to me, but those explanations always end up with, “You have to see it.”

I’m in Press Row at the BJC looking on, still not really too sure what I’m watching. Right now the dancers are coming through the tunnel of people onto the floor, and I can only imagine what it must feel like to have such a huge array of people cheering you on, and cheering on the cause.

Needless to say, everyone is intensely excited, and I’m still not sure what for. For a dance marathon though, I’m surprised to hear a few of my favorite old classic rock numbers by Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Allman Brothers Band (tip of the hat to you, DJ Larry), instead of the endless stream of rap at the infamous middle school dances. This is different.

The kind of production this is amazes me though. The lights in the shape of the Four Diamonds logo hanging from the rafters, the gigantic stage, but most importantly the lineup of people who can’t stand still from excitement—I’ve never seen anything like it before.

So while I understand what this is all about, I still don’t quite understand what THON is. But I’m starting to get an idea, and I think I’m in for something incredible.