Last night, THON 2012 festivities kicked off for dancers and moralers in the form of Color Wars. Here’s a firsthand account from two of our staff members who will be dancing in THON 2012!

What We Did: The night began with a meeting for all dancers that covered preparation for THON and THON weekend details. Scooter races kicked off the games, with a “track” made of moralers linked arm-in-arm. Green took first place. Next came “crab soccer,” a form of soccer that required dancers to crab walk (or sit) while playing. Blue took care of business and won THON’s version of the World Cup. Finally, Red had its shining moment during the “Cops and Robbers” tag game, where each moraler pinned clothespins on their respective dancers and chaos ensued as dancers ran around the gym trying to grab the clothespins off members of the other teams.

Who We Saw: Before the meeting, Taylor Buckley, a former Four Diamonds child and current moraler, shared the inspiring story of how THON helped her beat cancer. Then, Sue Paterno addressed all of us before the Color Wars began. Dancers also saw their moralers, some of whom were meeting for the very first time!

What We Felt: Spending time with other dancers and our respective moralers has made the experience of dancing in THON 2012 seem more real as it rapidly approaches. Hearing Taylor speak reminded us of why we THON, and the presence of Sue Paterno felt more powerful than ever.

Our Favorite Parts: Scooter races and dancing with my moraler (John). Showing off my secret ninja skills by grabbing clothespins off of everyone I encountered during Cops and Robbers and doing last year’s line dance (Ally).

We THON in 8!

Seniors John Tecce and Ally Greer contributed to this report and will both be dancing in THON 2012 for their respective organizations.