Constantly knowing the time can become torturous while standing for 46 hours. Although some THON dancers elect to know the time, most prefer to take in the weekend and all it entails without considering the ticking clock.

Despite THON’s best efforts, a few different things can clue dancers in on how long they’ve have been standing, whether they like it or not.

Amount of Spectators in the BJC

During the early hours of the morning, the crowd dies down and spectators go home to get a few hours of sleep. If it’s starting to feel sparse in the BJC, it’s probably around 4 a.m.

Number of Line Dances

Even though each line dance occurs at a different time, it still happens once every hour. If dancers really wants to know what time it is, they can keep track of the number of line dances throughout the weekend.

Floor Pass System

According to dancers, the pass system is notifying them when one of their guests will be arriving on the floor and what time. This one isn’t exactly “subtle” as it lets dancers know exactly how much longer they have to keep standing.

Musical Acts

Apparently some performers don’t get the memo that some dancers prefer to not know the time during THON. When a lead singer yells, “How is everyone doing tonight?” you can reasonably assume that it’s night. Unless they’re tricking you. Unless they want you to think they’re tricking you.

Evacuation of Family Seats

To get ready for the final four hours of THON, a section of the seats are evacuated to make room for families. Once dancers see an empty gap in the stands, they’ll know about what time it is.