At this point, it is beyond cliched to say that THON unites all of Penn State behind a common cause--the fight towards the eradication of childhood cancer. But for some involved with THON, the charity and the event take on a greater meaning. Count dancer Eric Clair amongst those who have a personal connection with pediatric cancer. "When he was 9 months old, Eric was diagnosed with cancer," his mother, Cindy, explains.
The physical tolls of THON can be challenging--Penn State's Dance Marathon wouldn't be so special if it weren't for the rigor of staying awake and on your feet for 46 hours. But while foot massages and piggyback rides can help alleviate some of the physical stresses, it's sometimes even tougher to stave off the mental monotony of nearly 2 days on the Bryce Jordan Center floor. That's where Color Wars come in.
I don't know about you, but there are a few songs that I and the rest of the Onward State staff are sick of hearing on repeat. We're looking at you, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys and Lady Gaga. So we've got some suggestions for DJ Larry Moore to add to next year's playlist. Check out our suggestions after the break.
College of Communications students have been producing multimedia stories from the floor of THON all weekend. Check out a few great ones-- including a story from our own Becky Perlow-- after the jump.
Those present in the Bryce Jordan Center in the dark, early hours of Saturday morning (between approximately 4 and 7 a.m.) may have looked on in wonder at the young man featured on the big screens pulling some seriously rad dance moves. Heck, if you saw him you might have even been one of the many people trying to mimic him.
We at Onward State had the opportunity to talk to Mike "Wiley" Barnes Saturday night. Wiley is an initiate of Alpha Kappa Psi and was at the BJC to support the fraternity's dancers. And he has decided to support them, as well as the rest of the 708 dancers, by doing a little dancing of his own.
"Since the people dancing for THON have to be here for 46 hours, I'm going to be here as much as I can and I'll dance 10 times as hard," Wiley said of his inspiration for giving his all in the stands. He added that he was, in fact, the very first person in line before the doors opened for THON 2011.
Social media has been instrumental in spreading the message of THON, and not just during the one weekend a year that celebrates the culmination of 365 days of preparation. How often does it seem that a celebrity is bringing to light the great cause that is Penn State's Dance Marathon, highlighting our accomplishment as the nation's largest student-run philanthropy? Hell, at this point, her continued advocacy of THON is probably Khloe Kardashian's lone redeeming asset.