Penn State Safety Nick Scott Prepares For First THON Weekend As A Dancer
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Penn State safety Nick Scott will join THON mainstay and offensive lineman Charlie Shuman while dancing at THON this weekend.
Scott, Shuman, and hundreds of other Penn State students will spend their entire weekend standing, dancing, and running around the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center in the fight against pediatric cancer. These 707 individuals will not sit down for 46 hours, all #FTK.
Although the prospect of standing for 46 consecutive hours may be daunting, Scott is looking forward to joining Shuman at the BJC.
“It should be really nice,” Scott said. “If I have any questions, I’ll definitely find him. It won’t be hard. I’m sure he’ll be the tallest person in the building.”
Shuman, a walk-on offensive lineman for James Franklin’s squad, stands at a whopping 6’8″. There’s no doubt he’ll serve as a great resource for the safety. Scott isn’t exactly sure how he should prepare for nearly two full days’ worth of standing and dancing, but he said he’s adjusted his sleep pattern in recent weeks to ensure he’s well-rested for THON.
“I don’t really know [how to prepare] because I’ve never really done it,” he said. “I hope I’m doing the right things — I’ve been trying to get to bed by at least 9:30 or 10, and I’ve been trying to eat right.”
Eating right is clearly where Scott hopes to make the biggest change. Dancing in THON has forced him to adjust his diet; his self-proclaimed “passion” for candy has been limited in recent weeks as part of his preparation.
“I can’t say I’ve totally fasted from candy,” he said. “Candy is one of my passions. I love sour AirHeads; I can’t think of the exact name of them right now. I can tell you any candy by the bag, but I do always have a bag of those on game-day in my locker. I eat half before the game and the other half during halftime. It gives me a little sugar burst.”
This weekend will mark Scott’s third appearance at THON since he joined the Nittany Lions in 2014. The senior made a brief cameo at THON 2017 and appeared in the team’s dance routine as a freshman, but his time in the BJC so far doesn’t nearly compare to the task at hand this weekend.
Scott said he was moved by THON last year. He explained that it’s emotional and heavy-hearted in some sense, but that the magic of the weekend reminds people of why students get involved in THON. While he won’t participate in the football team’s choreography during the annual pep rally, Scott has been active in the production of their routine.
“They’re working really hard,” he said. “I’m a little bit involved, just making sure they’re staying on the right track, any questions they have on what to expect. I think these guys have a real shot [of winning]. We have some real personalities like [wide receiver] K.J. [Hamler] and [defensive tackle] Fred [Hansard]. Obviously we’re competing to win.”
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