Thon kicks off
Thon starts first year in Rec Hall with ease

By CARRIE DZWIL
Collegian Staff Writer

The noise from hundreds of excited students rumbled through Rec Hall last night as dancers, committee members, families and spectators awaited the kickoff of the 1999 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

At the far end of the auditorium, two large projection screens presented a tape of people offering their support to the Thon participants. Stephan Jenkins, frontman of Third Eye Blind, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and Conan O'Brien, host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," were some of the celebrities offering encouragement to the dancers.

At 7 p.m., the dancers rose to their feet and began dancing to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which benefits pediatric cancer research and patient care. Brian Newmark, overall Thon chair, encouraged the crowd to make the most of the next 48 hours.

"Sing a song, rub some strangers' feet, and have a good time," he said.

Erin Flannery, a Thon public relations committee member, said she expects one of the best dance marathons the university has ever seen.

"Nothing can hurt us the way we are going now," she said.

Although some students did not support Thon's move to Rec Hall from White Building when it was first decided, the spirit of the event was not dampered.

Rumors of a bad ventilation system were quickly dispelled. The bathrooms and locker rooms are larger this year, so the building will not have too many odor problems, Flannery said.

Stan Sherfinski (senior-business logistics), a dancer for La Vie, said ventilation will not affect all dancers' noses, although it may become a problem later in the marathon.

"It'll get to me a little bit," he said. "It's only going to smell for the people who don't have colds."

Although Sherfinski has never danced before, he said he was pumped and ready for some serious action.

"I'm in the best shape of my life," Sherfinski said. "I'm gonna get a little sore, but it's no problem."

Some veteran Thon-goers who attended the event Friday night looked forward to the line dancing. Kaitlyn Good, 7 years old, has attended Thon for the past five years. Kaitlyn has Down Syndrome, and was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in 1994. The Four Diamonds Fund took over her medical bills when she was diagnosed with ALL, said Jacqui Good, Kaitlyn's aunt.

Kaitlyn said she was having fun at Thon and couldn't wait for the line dance so she could "rub butts."

This article was originally written for the Digital Collegian.