Come February 19, Matt and Rachel Krott will dance with 706 others for THON 2016. The siblings will stand for 46 hours representing Special Interest Organization Springfield.

The two hail from West Deptford, New Jersey and were the only two from their family to attend Penn State. Matt, the first to come to Happy Valley in 2009, is seeking his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. This will mark his seven^th year participating in THON. Following in her brother’s footsteps, Rachel is currently a junior at Penn State, pursing a degree in Secondary Mathematics Education.

The Krotts have been heavily involved with Springfield during their time at Penn State. Not only will Rachel dance for Springfield this year, she currently serves on the organization’s executive board as the Family Relations Chair.

Aside from Springfield, both Krotts have participated in various Committees and organizations on campus. Matt earned a spot as a Communications Captain in THON 2013 and Rachel was on R&R. Matt also invests a bulk of his time to Engineering Ambassadors, an outreach group for the College of Engineering.

Although Matt laughed when asked how the relationship is between the two of them, both brother and sister look forward to having each other on the floor. Rachel said that Matt will be a great motivator for her during the 46 hours.

“Matt is an incredible older brother and role model. He has done so many amazing things with his life, especially at Penn State, and I really look up to him for that. Matt has always supported me in everything that I’ve tried to do, and I can’t imagine having a better dancer partner for THON 2016,” Rachel said.

Not everyone has the willpower to stand for 46 hours straight, but Rachel said that to prepare she loves participating in Power Remix Fridays with Springfield. She also couldn’t stress enough how important it is for the dancers to stay hydrated from now through THON.

The Krotts made it clear that they are proud Penn Staters. Matt and Rachel are both deeply committed to the cause and are anxiously anticipating the Friday when they can finally stand for THON 2016.

“I wanted to dance this year to try and give back an ounce of what our families and Springfield have given me,” Rachel said in anticipation of the event. “I want to give everything I have for 46 hours to stand in solidarity with the THON community against the monster that is cancer. My favorite part of THON is when we do all of the line dances from the previous 5 years. It reminds me how large this THON community is that I am a part of and how much support is always there for all of the Four Diamonds families.”

Matt on the other hand is excited for his fellow Springfield members. Having watched many of them grow from freshmen to seniors he can’t wait to see them dance. Matt also shared how important this event was to him: “I think dancing means something different to everybody. I’m dancing because so many of the Four Diamonds Families have inspired me, so I just want to thank them and let them know that we’re out here to fight for them in any way that we can.”

Like many others who will participating in THON this year, the Krotts say that they are hopeful for the day that Penn State will be able to dance to celebrate a cure, but until then everyone must dance for hope.