Among the many committees, organizations, sororities, and fraternities, there are parents here to support the 708 THON dancers.

Proud father Mark Stuart and sister Taryn are here to keep their dancer going through the crazy 46 hours.

Which dancer are you here to support?
“Tanner Stuart, dancing for the PGM group, [better known as] Professional Golf Management.”

How far did you travel to come to THON?
“435 miles, central Massachusetts…about 60 miles west of Boston”

Is this your first THON?
“This is my first THON, this is his fourth, [but] first dancing.”

What was your family’s reaction to Tanner dancing?
“We were thrilled he was going to do this,” he said. The family was not nervous at all, they’ve known [about THON] since he was a freshman and now he’s a senior. “We’ve met the families and [we were] involved right from the start.”

How long have you been here?
“We checked in around 9:30 [Friday] night, we will be here through Sunday.” Stuart said he will absolutely be here for the final four hours. “I’m usually watching the webcast, this is my first year seeing it.”

What did your dancer do in preparation for the 46 hours?
“I don’t think he’s had a beer in two months, he’s spent a lot of time at the gym…so he’ll do just fine.”

Have you been able to visit to the floor?
“It’s awesome, we’ve been in the stands since [last night], we just got down on the floor, it’s so much better on the floor.”

Do you know the line dance by heart yet?
“No I don’t, but by the time Sunday rolls around, I’ll probably have it down.”

What has been your favorite moment so far?
“So far, getting down on the floor and seeing [Tanner].”

If you could be a dinosaur, which would it be and why?
“I don’t know if I have an answer for that, probably a Tyrannosaurus Rex, cause he’s the big one.”