THON – the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon – Last year the event raised more than $12 million to benefit the families of children with cancer. Each February the dance marathon fills the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park with 15,000 people for 46 hours.
These are some of their stories from Sunday. More stories from Friday and Saturday.
Math skills are the first to go
Members of Penn State's Blue & White Society have spent the last year canning, holding fundraisers and participating in various events on campus to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund. They help to sponsor two THON families, the Looses and the Demmys.
Part of the payoff is the opportunity to spend THON weekend in the alumni suite at the Bryce Jordan Center. Students like the society's logistics chair, senior Alissa Chessario, get to experience all the excitement of THON. They also get to feel the effects of a weekend of sleep deprivation.
~ By Victoria Faconti
Embracing the moment
Jaime Pritzker comes from a Penn State family. In her fourth and final year as a student, she has been a part of THON for as long as she can remember. Her parents, her brother and her sister all went to Penn State.
She has been involved with THON all four years through her sorority, Delta Gamma, including THON 2013 when she drove three hours to State College to spend 20 straight hours in the stands cheering on the dancers before immediately heading to the airport to travel to Sydney, Australia for a semester abroad. Finally a dancer, she is dancing independently with one of her closest friends. (Jaime Pritzker filed this video report from THON on Saturday.
~ By Frankie Greek
Dancer support improves with new pass system
The Dancer Support Pass is a conspicuous success this weekend for THON's Rules and Regulations committee. With a 30 minute time slot for two people to visit their dancer, the support system provides a late night/early morning break for dancers.
~By Cassie Hart
The Tech Behind It All
Behind THON is a system of complex computer systems keeping track of visitors and passes. Key componenets are technological -- like the Think network -- and human -- the countless volunteers involved with THON. Juan Munoz is a tech captain who's in charge of working on and maintaining these systems throughout THON weekend and making sure that everyone has a positive experience when receiving their passes and using the Think network.
~ by Matthew Faigman