The best weekend of the year is also one of the most exhausting, but it all culminated in $10.1 million for the kids. The money is for a special cause that includes special people with special stories to tell. If you were caught in the whirlwind of THON and didn’t experience some of the weekend’s best stories, check out the most-read and shared from Onward State.

707 Dancers, 7 Features

707 dancers took the floor this weekend to stand 46 For The Kids. We profiled a few of this year’s dancers, from Blue Sapphire Rachel Reiss to former line dance leader Julia Magowan.

Blue Sapphire Rachel Reiss Dances & Performs At THON — Jim Davidson
Penn State Safety Nick Scott Prepares For First THON Weekend As A Dancer — Mikey Mandarino
A New Perspective: Going From Dancer Relations To Dancer — Matt Paolizzi
Penn State Softball’s Kristina Brackpool Gets Her Chance To Dance In THON — Steve Connelly
Cancer Survivor Returns To BJC Floor As A Dancer — Caitlin Gailey
Penn State Football’s Charlie Shuman Returns To Dance In Second THON — Mikey Mandarino
Former Line Dance Leader Julia Magowan Swaps Stage For BJC Floor, Dances In THON 2018 — Jim Davidson

Bonus:
‘Dancing In The Stands’: One Freshman Attempts The Ultimate Feat — Matt Paolizzi

Journey To THON 2018

It takes a lot to make THON 2018 happen and for all of the volunteers, orgs, and spectators to get there. Whether you came from France or Park Place apartments, we wrote about it.

Crossing The Atlantic To Experience THON — Steve Connelly
What Goes Into Making The THON Diamond Guide — Derek Bannister
SNAP And DKE Raise Superhero Letters For THON Child Lucas — Jim Davidson
Lottery Disappointment Leads IDC Couple To Deeper THON Appreciation — Jack Hargraves-Dix
Candelore Customs: The Company Behind Jesse James’ THON Cleats — Ethan Kasales
Boulevard Maintains Strong Stance As First Org To Light Up THON Letters — Elissa Hill

Nothing Else Like It

Think of the craziest things you can do at the Bryce Jordan Center during THON, and we’ve probably tried them, or at least witnessed them.

I Took A ‘Shower’ In The BJC Bathroom… And It Was Disgusting — Ali Richards
46 Cups Of Coffee In 46 Hours: An Ongoing Expedition — Alex Bauer
A Dive Into THON’s Official Rulebook — Janelle Rothacker
Overheard On The BJC Concourse — Matt Fox
What Happens When You Turn 21 During THON? — Steve Connelly
Overheard On The White Loop During THON — Derek Bannister
With A Little Coordination, The BJC Crowd Could Break Multiple World Records During THON Weekend — Janelle Rothacker
TETRA Anagrams To TREAT and TATER… What’s Next? — Ali Richards

Dancer Relations Captains, To The Stage!

Heading into the weekend, we predicted what would be in the line dance, and our list was fairly accurate. As always, THON included some surprise references and left out some things that Dancer Relations captains couldn’t quite fit.

Predicting The THON 2018 Line Dance — Lexi Shimkonis
‘Boom! Stomp!’: Your 2018 Line Dance Lyrics Are Here — Elissa Hill
‘Genius Lyrics’ Breakdown Of The THON 2018 Line Dance Lyrics — Lexi Shimkonis
[Video] The THON 2018 Line Dance — Trevor Hayes
The Official THON 2018 Line Dance Lyric Power Ranking — Matt Paolizzi
[Video] An Interview With Line Dance Leader Gina DeFrancesco — Trevor Hayes & Max Saltzman

Surprise! MisterWives Performs At THON

MisterWives Puts On Surprise Performance At THON 2018 — Nathaniel Pinskey
MisterWives Hypes The THON 2018 Crowd With Surprise Performance — Lexi Shimkonis
[Video] MisterWives Appears At THON For Surprise Performance — Max Saltzman
Four Diamonds Light Sticks Illuminate BJC Crowd During Surprise Misterwives Performance — Jim Davidson

Watch: THON Through Our Lens

[Video] What Happens At THON Before The Dancers Stand — Dana Lipshutz, Max Saltzman, & Trevor Hayes
[Video] MisterWives Appears At THON For Surprise Performance — Max Saltzman
[Video] The THON 2018 Line Dance — Trevor Hayes
[Video] An Interview With Line Dance Leader Gina DeFrancesco — Trevor Hayes & Max Saltzman
[Video] Men’s Gymnastics Rocks The Pep Rally — Trevor Hayes
[Video] The Final Four Hours At THON 2018 — Trevor Hayes

A list of our THON coverage wouldn’t be complete without this year’s total. All of the hard work over the year resulted in $10,151,663.93 FTK!

For the entire coverage of THON 2018, check out our live blog of the 46 hours.