To energize dancers during the exhausting final hours of Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, fans brought fashion, prayer, motivation and dance skills to a new level in a packed Rec Hall.

For many supporters, Thon became an all-day event, and for those like Brenna Terry (senior-public relations), a Theta Pi Alpha sorority member, it was a sleepover.

Terry said she only left for an hour to take a shower.

"I don't plan on leaving the Rec Hall very much at all; I'm here to stay," she said.

Sarah Popky (sophomore-applied behavioral science) traveled from the Wilkes-Barre Campus to show her Penn State pride with blue face paint.

"We have about 10 people from Wilkes-Barre. We are all taking shifts; I slept over at a friend's house and got here at 11 a.m. I am going to be here all day," she said.

The "super fans," headed by Derek 'Captain Fan-O' Angel (junior-media studies), who normally appear at Penn State basketball games, showed some big support for the pink team with their hair-raising blue wigs.

"We are the super fans that go to all the basketball games," Angel said. "We decided to drop in and show our support for the kids."

Shaddy Younes (freshman-computer science) and Matthew Kulp (freshman-mechanical engineering), students from the Berks-Lehigh Valley Campus, were decked out in green and wore huge hats to support their two dancers.

"I'm up here cheering on our dancers. I am going to try to stay here all 48 hours; that means I have to go the whole weekend without smoking," Younes said.

Kulp dedicated his weekend to show his support for Thon as a fan.

"I have been here for the whole time, except for three hours," Kulp said. "We are going to have people up in the stands for all 48 hours."

Wearing maroon, Erin Evans (freshman-communications), member of a Theta Kappa Pi,cheered for her friends and dancers from her sorority.

"We motivate them by making sure they see our colors in the audience and know we are cheering them on," Evans said. "The mood here pumps me up. Knowing that they keep up, pumps me up."

Elissa Diehl (sophomore-meteorology) from Penn State McKeesport showed off her dancer's Lego-building skills.

"We brought [the dancers] all sorts of toys," Diehl said. "[One dancer] said it took him three line dances to make it," referring to one of his Lego creations.

While others mastered the art of colorful threads and Lego building, some turned to prayer to support Thon. Members of many Christian fellowships on campus held a 48-hour prayer marathon.

Russ Shelly (graduate-journalism), who has attended Thon for four years, explained the fellowships' purpose.

"As Christians, this kind of love is a reflection of God's love for each one of us," he said. "Just trying to shine a little light out there."

Joe Budd (sophomore-finance) and Robert Dinkelspiel (sophomore-business management) participated in the Thon line dance on the track as they supported their friends.

"We got the dance going on," Budd said. "We were here Friday night until about 4 a.m. We were on the floor, and you could just feel the energy."

As Thon participants danced the hours away, one fan in particular, Meredith Goodge (sophomore-premedicine), Alpha Phi sorority Thon chair, was considering career goals.

"After participating in Thon, I realized that this is what I want to do for a career, be a pediatric oncologist," she said.

Thon sparked an interest for Bill Blansett (freshman-industrial engineering and advertising) and Kevin Burnett (freshman-public relations), who said they were in awe of the dancers' willpower.

"It's pretty wild to see how people can commit their the whole weekend. It's pretty impressive," Burnett said.