This weekend, support can be found from almost any source. Dancer Relations Committee Members help dancers to cope with their sleep deprivation and provide motivation for them to continue on. In addition to the countless student motivators, parents and family members are also a great source of inspiration throughout the weekend. We talked to one family, George and Louisa Alber, about their experience at THON and how they support their dancer.

Onward State: Who are you here supporting?

Albers: Our daughter, Amelia, is dancing. She’s in Ohana and is a senior this year.

OS: How far did you have to travel to get here?

Albers: We live on the shore in New Jersey, which is about four hours away.

OS: How long did you have to wait in line?

Albers: When we came last night, we had to wait outside for about ten minutes. But when we came this morning, we walked right in.

OS: Was your daughter nervous to dance?

Albers: She was a little bit nervous, but she seems to be doing fine. A little nervous is understandable.

OS: How did you prepare your dancer for this weekend?

Albers: We told her to drink lots of water and stay hydrated. We also told her that she should be getting plenty of sleep and eating the right foods. We sent her a package that she will get some time this weekend so she knows that we are thinking about her.

OS: Have you been on the floor yet? How was it?

Albers: It was a really fun experience and seems like it would be a good atmosphere.

OS: What are your plans to support your daughter throughout the weekend?

Albers: She is dancing a lot in the section right below us, so we have been able to interact with her and talk with her. We also sent her a package so that she knows that we are thinking about her. We found a time capsule that she made about 10 years ago, and we put that in the package. She has no idea that we still have it, so she will love seeing it.

OS: How long are you planning on staying?

Albers: We were only planning on staying one night. Now with the snowstorm that’s heading towards NJ, we definitely have to leave at some point today so that we can beat it back before the storm starts. We are supposed to get six inches of snow. Oh, and we left our dog at home by himself, so we have to go take care of him too.

OS: What has been the best part of your THON experience so far?

Albers: It was nice getting to see our daughter, and our other daughter is a senior here as well, so it was nice visiting her too. We’ve also grown so close with these kids over the years in the organization because they’ve stayed at our house for various things. We liked getting to see them too.

OS: If you could be a dinosaur, which would you be and why?

Mrs. Alber: That’s a funny question. I would say a T-rex because that’s really the only dinosaur that I know. I have girls, so they were never really into that whole dinosaur thing.

Mr. Alber: That’s what I was going to say too.