THON dancers will not only experience the weekend of a lifetime, but they will also receive the multitude of perks that come with dancing for 46 hours in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Underneath the stands that houses thousands of spectators, dancers can escape to a place that is vast with resources and entertaining activities. Available to dancers are video blogging stations in which dancers or Moralers can record a message for THON’s YouTube page.

Michelle Stoltz, a Supply Logistics Captain, explained, “About a week after THON, the recorded videos will all be up on the YouTube page so that people can go and see how they’ve progressed throughout the weekend.”

A Snack Shack is also set up behind-the-scenes of THON to keep the dancers energized throughout the weekend. Dancers can visit this area run by the Hospitality committee at anytime, even if dancer meals are not currently being served.

“Snack Shack has a bunch of random snacks that dancers can come back here and get at any times so they have something to keep them going through the 46 hours,” said Morgan McDonald, a Hospitality Captain.

The most popular snack available to dancers from the Snack Shack is the peanut butter sandwiches, with either jelly or Nutella. The Shack also carries bananas, granola bars, yogurts, and a staple drink for dancers– Gatorade. One of Hospitality’s main initiatives is to provide as much nourishment to the dancers as possible and the Snack Shack provides that extra kick energy for all of the dancers.

The massage hallway is also offered to dancers. The hallway offers a quiet place for dancers to stretch out and even local businesses will be giving massages later on in the weekend.

If the dancers have any aches or cramps, they can also go to the training room. The Moralers can bring their dancers to this room at any time for a simple preventative stretch or for more extensive treatment by student athletic trainers.

There is also a nursing station, which is run by students of the College of Nursing, where dancers can pick up their medications throughout the weekend.

Emma Gregory, a Public Relations captain, also informed us of the “THON Salon.” She explained that this area is an essential to THON weekend, where the dancers get their hair washed by Moralers, with a line usually leading all the way down the hallway. Gregoy explained that this salon is “one of the most cherished opportunities of THON”, since it’s the closest thing to a shower.

Underneath the stands are also decorated “Pipes and Drapes,” which are decorated by the Dancer Storage committee, a subset of the Morale committee. This committee is in charge of creating the dancer storage atmosphere, choosing a theme, tracing all the images and then painting them and pinning them on the “Pipe and Drape”. The captains arrive early at the BJC, “to make it feel like a playground for the dancers,” said Emma Gregory, a Public Relations Captain.

The THON captains and committees work extremely hard all year in order to create a successful atmosphere for the dancers both on the floor and behind-the-scenes so that they can dance for 46 hours, FTK.