Now it is their turn.

Penn State athletes enjoy being the heroes. Fans sit -- and stand -- in the bleachers, clad in Nittany Lion armor, their faces painted blue and white, chanting, "We are Penn State" at the top of their lungs. These fans give the Lions the moral support they need for clutch plays.

This weekend, the tables will be turned, and Penn State student athletes will get their chance to support the people who have so often rooted for them.

Being at the Interfraternity Council/ Panhellenic Dance Marathon will allow these athletes to cheer on the families and dancers who are working to help win a battle that will not be in the morning paper's box scores. The dancers and families are helping in the fight against cancer.

"I think it's great that the athletes come," said dancer Amanda Bertelson (senior-public relations). "They come at a time when we need it. Everyone looks forward to that hour."

This is Bertelson's first time dancing at Thon, but she has been involved with the event since her freshman year.

The athletes, who usually arrive around midnight of the last night for a pep rally, provide a lift and a distraction during the next hour for the dancers. It is at this time that fatigue is really setting in.

"We really need the energy," Bertelson said. "So that we're not thinking about the pain in our feet."

Student athletes enjoy their roles as moralers. Other athletes are there for more personal reasons.

Penn State senior gymnast Leslie Bair was touched by Thon before she ever attended the university.

Bair attended Thon as a child because her younger sister Kelly was a Four Diamonds Child. Kelly passed away in 1992.

Bair, who remembers when Thon took place at the White Building, now works with the gymnasts and other athletes to raise money.

Kelly Streicher, one of Bair's teammates, said Bair works hard at inspiring others to work and give towards Thon.

"She takes a very noble angle with it," Streicher said. "Everything is for the kids."

Other athletes work with Thon for reasons that are not as personal.

Matt Schmitt, at 6-feet-4-inches and 301 pounds, is an athlete most adults have to look up to, but being a starting offensive lineman for Joe Paterno's football squad makes him someone most little boys look up to.

Schmitt, who is the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), has gotten used to 100,000 fans rooting for him at Beaver Stadium, but said he does not mind cheering on someone else for a change.

SAAB worked with the silent and athlete auctions that raised money for Thon earlier this year. Penn State's athletic teams have also worked to raise money through canning and other events.

Schmitt and many other athletes will also spend time with the Four Diamonds kids for an hour or so on Saturday. Last year the hour was not organized into events, the athletes just played with the kids, he said.

"We had lots of fun," Schmitt said. "We were running around and playing games, we really enjoyed ourselves."

This year, the hour that student-athletes will spend with the kids will be different.

Austin O'Neill, a member of the Nittany Lion fencing team, is one of the student-athletes organizing the hour and pep rally. She said the organizers have tried to improve the event.

The athletes and kids will play games and make crafts such as face painting and bracelet making, she said.

"I think it is really cool," said Julie Moffa (sophomore-film and video), who is dancing for Lifehouse East. "It helps get people motivated. It gets you excited. It helps to add to the atmosphere."

While athletes seem to be in the spotlight during the pep rally and athlete hour, it is the kids who are on the athletes' minds.

"Athletes really care about the obstacles these kids face," O'Neill said.

Schmitt admitted that many of the children are too young to know who the athletes are, but that does not stop Schmitt and the other athletes from cheering on their new heroes.