Forty-six hours on their feet. Forty-six hours without sleep.
That is what more than 700 dancers will experience this weekend as they take the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center for the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, which begins at 6 p.m. Friday and lasts until 4 p.m. Sunday.
In order to ensure their safety, dancers received the Thon 2008 Dancer Survival Guide, and overall morale chairman Mike Ducker said the dancers have been preparing their bodies for the weekend.
Ducker said dancers are advised to exercise regularly before Thon, adding that workouts should include exercises that focus on endurance and on the legs and back.
Jessica Bowell (sophomore-nutrition) is a first-time dancer for Schreyer Honors College. Bowell said she has been most concerned with getting enough sleep in the days leading up to Thon.
"I tend to feel very run-down if I don't get enough sleep, so I've been trying to get at least seven hours each night," Bowell said.
Dancers should load up on carbohydrates the day before Thon and stay away from fatty and sugary foods, Ducker said. Dancers are also encouraged to take vitamins to strengthen their immune system.
"We want all of the dancers to be as healthy as possible coming into Thon weekend," Ducker said. They should also cut down on caffeine and alcohol the week before Thon because they cannot have either during the weekend, he added.
Instead of drinking caffeinated beverages, dancers are encouraged to drink water and Gatorade during Thon weekend.
Rachel Walla (sophomore-actuarial science), a first-time dancer for the Student Red Cross Club, said she cut caffeine out of her diet after she found out she would be dancing. She added that because she usually drinks about two cups of coffee a day completely cutting caffeine out has not been easy.
"I know I can't have caffeine this weekend, so it was worth the couple days of headaches and withdrawal to quit cold turkey and get it out of my system," Walla said.
Water socials, during which each dancer is given a bottle of water to chug, are held throughout the weekend to keep dancers hydrated.
Shelley Haffner, nurse manager for infection control at University Health Services (UHS), said Thon dancers and spectators should take precautions to prevent the spread of colds and the flu during Thon weekend.
"You've got a large crowd of people; it's the peak of cold and flu season; you have dancers up for a significant amount of time without sleep; and nutrition may not be as optimal as you'd hope it would be," Haffner said. "All of those factors together are a cause for concern."
Beth Collitt, marketing manager for UHS, said UHS is providing more than 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer for dancers and is also putting fliers concerning hand hygiene in the dancers' bags, encouraging them to, "Don't Get Caught Dirty Handed!" and "Don't Pass It On At Thon!"
Collitt said it is important for anyone with cold or flu symptoms to stay away from the BJC during Thon weekend, adding that dancers and spectators who may be sick only put others at risk, including Four Diamonds children, some of whom have lowered immunity.
"The dancers need to be cognizant of the kids that are there," Ducker said. "They need to do everything they can to keep themselves healthy and to keep the kids healthy."
