Good morning, THON! The sun has risen (though you might not be able to see it through all of the clouds), and we have entered the second day of THON 2015. At this point, the BJC isn’t even close to capacity. Whether your org is special interest, Greek, or general, you’re probably surrounded by a few empty seats. It can be pretty disheartening, especially for dancers, to see a sparse BJC.

But there are some unexpected benefits to being one of the lone early morning survivors. We came up with a few of them for this chilly Saturday morning:

 1. Stretch

If you haven’t left the BJC by now, you’re most likely feeling pretty stiff. The good news is that you have all the room in the world to move around (Alright, more like three seats of space. But you get the idea)! Now’s your chance to do a modified version of those sun salutations from fitness yoga.

2. Actually, Successfully Do The Line Dance

This year’s line dance was very clearly not designed to be performed in the confinements of the stands. There’s a lot of jumping back and forth, which isn’t ideal when you’re squished in the middle of a row. But the lack of a crowd in the early morning allows you to master the dance before everyone else wakes up. You’ll look like a pro compared to all of the plebeians who went to sleep at a respectable hour.

3. Recollect Your Personal Belongings

Losing your stuff at THON is practically a rite of passage, especially at the beginning. Coats, drawstring bags, and water bottles are strewn across the rows to save seats. But now, since no one is using those seats, you can reclaim your rightful belongings.

4. Pace

It’s tough to stay still for such a long time. Hell, even the dancers are told to constantly keep moving! So why should the people in the stands be forced to stand still for so long? Even though pacing back and forth can get pretty monotonous, it’s good for your tired legs and swollen feet.

5. Put down the letters

Though I’ve never held one myself, those huge Greek letters look like a real pain. I mean, they can’t be easy to hoist up for hours on end. When the stands are on the empty side, you actually have the space to store the huge letters. So give your arms a break, they deserve it.

6. Dance

Isn’t dancing the whole point of a DANCE marathon? Inhabiting a relatively empty row means you can finally debut those sweet moves you’ve been keeping to your living room.

7. Sit down

I kid, I kid.