Welcome to The Daily Collegian's Thon blog. For the next two days, a staff of reporters will be documenting Thon live from the Bryce Jordan Center.

They'll be posting on this blog constantly -- telling you, our readers, how the dancers are feeling, what entertainment is going on, describing moments with Four Diamonds children and more. Use this as your resource to be at Thon even if you can't be here in person. And, if you're one of the thousands of students who make Thon possible, check here to see what you're missing while you're on what I'm sure is a very short break. Families and spectators, even if you can't be at Thon at 4 a.m., we will be, and we can't wait to document it for you.

But don't just check the blog, check our homepage -- www.psucollegian.com -- because we'll be posting updates, photos, audio and video throughout the weekend. Our Thon coverage this year is different than ever before because we'll be incorporating multimedia to really give you a picture of what a 46-hour no-standing, no-sitting dance marathon looks like.

Within the next few hours, you'll see introductions from our bloggers and coverage of the human tunnel as well as Thon kick-off. Plus, we'll have a video of the line dance. And we'll be posting the Thon total within seconds after it's announced, so check here first.

Thanks for reading. Bookmark the blog, and don't forget to pick up a paper Monday so you can see a recap of hope finding a way this weekend.

Rossilynne Skena
Campus Editor

The dancers are entering into the Bryce Jordan Center as a "human tunnel" of committee members welcome them, clapping and cheering them on.

As the dancers stretch, let me introduce you to this weekend's bloggers. All of our bloggers are from The Collegian's campus staff.

Heather Schmelzlen is The Collegian's senior greeks reporter. She's a freshman majoring in political science.

Caitlin Cullerot is one of The Collegian's junior greeks reporters. She's a sophomore majoring in journalism.

Jenna Ekdahl is the other junior greeks reporter. She's a freshman majoring in journalism.

Aubrey Whelan is The Collegian's senior student government reporter. She's a freshman majoring in journalism, English and French.

Stephanie Schomer is The Collegian's junior student government reporter. She's a junior majoring in journalism.

Jessica Turnbull is The Collegian's senior indepth/projects reporter. She's a junior majoring in journalism.

Tim Dooley is one of The Collegian's senior administration reporters. He's a freshman majoring in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies.

Liz Murphy is The Collegian's senior education reporter. She's a freshman majoring in journalism.

Erin Prah is The Collegian's senior diversity reporter. She's a junior majoring in journalism.

Make sure to check back for lots more updates and blogs from portals 23 and 24 of the BJC!

Lauren McCormack
Campus Chief

I was just outside to witness the "human tunnel," a double line of students and families cheering on the dancers as they jogged into the Bryce Jordan Center from the IM building.

Students jumped up and down and cheered as they welcomed the dancers.

"I love it," Kelly McCarthy (senior-physics) said, between cheering. "I danced last year and to run through it just gets everyone pumped."

Even though the rain turned to sleet and hail, the students' spirits didn't lag.

"I'm feeling pumped, things should be this way all weekend," Kyle Ferlic (junior-industrial engineering), said as he stood as a part of the human tunnel.

Among the cheering and clapping, students chanted modified versions of regular Penn State cheers that included "For The Kids."

Friends high-fived and hugged as the 708 dancers ran through the tunnel, and there was a steady level of applause for the 30 minutes I was out there.

--Jenna

As the last dancers make their way to the floor of the BJC, less and less floor is visible from press row.

The dancers are all seated right now.

Some stretched as they listened to a member of Four Diamonds advisery board speak about this year's Thon theme, "Hope Finds A Way" from the stage. After he was done speaking, the rest of the advisery board held up letters to form "Thank You."

This is the last time the dancers will have a chance to sit down for a while. In about 20 minutes, the dancers will rise to their feet and will stay on their feet for 46 hours.

Right now NOTA is performing "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"


Heather

The clock has struck six, and the entire mass of dancers has stood up. They're not going to be able to sit back down again for 46 hours. People are cheering and hugging each other. The countdown to the final total begins!

The lower level of stands is almost entirely full, and the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center is packed with 708 dancers.

During the pre-Thon introduction, the Nittany Lion, with the stage all to himself, did a performance to a compilation of well-known international songs, beginning with the opening sounds of The Lion King. The different songs all corresponded with international theme during pre-Thon. For example, he did a scottish jig. He also did a line dance to some country music. The whole performance ended with the famous lion's roar which fit in well with the roar of the crowd.

--Jenna

Dancers are now learning the line dance, and within Thon weekend, they'll perform it at least 45 more times.

The morale captains, wearing yellow and white striped rugby-style shirts, just rushed the stage, to teach the line dance.

The morale captain who's teaching the dance said to the dancers, "The purpose of the line dance is to help you stretch and move in different ways than you normally do when you're just walking around."

Even the groups in the crowd are participating in learning the line dance. Right now, they're a couple measures into it. After this, dancers will perform the line dance once each hour for 45 more hours of this weekend.

--Jenna

I just made my way onto the dance floor and was promptly caught in the middle of a watergun fight between a Thon child and a dancer. This wasn't the only time I got caught in the middle of a watergun fight.

Dancers are known for for wearing clothes and accessories that make them stand out so that their moralers can find them. The trend this year seems to be homemade capes. There were a lot of sparkly capes, like the one moraler Callan Bird (sophomore-supply chain management) was wearing. Her dancer was sporting a similar one so they can find each other on the crowded BJC floor.

Other students were wearing them for more meaningful reasons. Kelly O'Brien (sophomore-finance), dancing for the field hockey club team, said her tie-dye cape is a club tradition.

"We add dancer names and diamonds [to the cape] every year. It makes us feel powerful," she said.

The cape, which is three years old, is rotated among the dancers. O'Brien is one of four dancers from her team.

The Lion Ambassadors have a similar tradition, though dancer Jeremy Corbett (senior- biological evolutionary genetics) said his moraler made his cape for him. The back of his cape is decorated with signatures of other people on the floor.

"I'm saving the other side for people to sign when they're delirious," he said.

--Caitlin

Thon 2008 Line Dance Lyrics

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Figure eight 2,3,4,5,6,7,8
STRETCH reach that arm
Switch, reach that arm
Circle back 3,4
Chicka chicka yeah

Penn State this is Thon
Time to get your dancing on
14 committees
3,000 strong
BJC, all weekend long

On diamonds we will dance
Cancer does not stand a chance
With the Lion by our side
White House, we show our pride

Ticketmaster such disaster
Could they sell out any faster?
JoePa enters, Hall of Fame
Alamo, 500th hundred game

Women's v-ball serves it up
Men in tights, take the cup
Dancing better, faster, stronger
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Get out on that floor
All in this together
Thon '08
Family forever
Come on lions (aw yeah), move those paws (all right)
Now's our chance (uh-huh) to win this fight

BCS what a mess
#1 couldn't guess
Patriots, what a season
Must be easy, when you're cheatin'

Gladiator's tough and mean
Too much spandex on the screen
Top Model marathon
I hate that show, what time's it on?

Everybody's on strike
Why is everybody on strike

Harry Potter cast a spell
That's what who said?
Steve Carell?
We're McLovin' Superbad
Going green L.A. fad

Planet earth
Amazes all
Grab your iPhone
Make a call

Who spread rumors on the Hills?
i-d-k my bff Jill?
You crank that Larry Moore
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Get out on that floor
All in this together
Thon '08
Family forever
Come on lions (aw yeah), move those paws (all right)
Now's our chance (uh-huh) to win this fight

Dolla' dolla' bills y'all
For the for the kids, y'all
46, on our feet
Hershey's care
Can't be beat

Get low low low low
Yeah, yeah, yeah
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

VT in our heart
Honored to be a part
Blue and red start debate
Who will win the White House race?

CNN, news just in
Britney's in the looney bin
YouTube, post your own
Not now chief I'm in the zone

Anyone can be a star,
When you're rockin' on guitar

F T, FTK

Get out on that floor
All in this together
Thon '08
Family forever
Come on lions (aw yeah), move those paws (all right)
Now's our chance (uh-huh) to win this fight

1,2,3,4 Tell me what you're dancing for
BJC Thon '08
We are Penn State

Courage to win this fight
Strength both day and night
Honesty we will not stray
Wisdom Hope finds a way

Thon Express just arrived at the BJC. Fifteen people ran 135 miles from The Milton S. Hershey Hershey Medical Center starting yesterday at 6 pm.

This is Thon Express' second year. Runners complete the 135 mile run to carry letters from families and Four Diamonds children who couldn't attend Thon.

The runners went on stage carrying brown flags with red diamonds on them and, while they embrace, a video of a bunch of different movie clips and Thon pictures was played. One of the runners read a letter to the crowd from a Thon mother whose 4-year-old son was diagnosed last year and finished chemotherapy in December.

The dancers are about to get their first meal - a pasta dinner. Tables have been set up (no chairs though!) and the dancers look excited. A few of them are leaning against the tables. I hope their feet aren't getting tired already. They still have 44 hours to go.

--Caitlin

We just uploaded a video of the Thon 2008 line dance. Check it out.

--Ryan (Web editor)

I just made my first trip to the floor, and I found President Graham Spanier who said, "We're off to a great start."

He was walking around interviewing random students for a television show that will air on the Big Ten Network. He told me that it's a new program this year. In between the interviews he stopped to pose for pictures with students and families.

"I love Thon," he said. "It's the best thing that happens at Penn State."

--Jenna

The first time I was on the floor, I noticed some interesting hairstyles, so I decided to head back down and talk to some of the people who were sporting them.

Dancer Jeff Lavenberg (senior-psychology) has his entire head shaved except for four diamonds and the letters "FTK." Oh, and the parts that aren't shaved are turquoise.

The four diamonds and "FTK" seem to be a popular theme for hairstyles. Morale committee member Arthur Lim (sophomore-accounting) had them shaved into the sides of his head, and he also has a green mohawk.

Dancer Dave Glicini (senior-biology) was one of the first people I noticed. He has a blue and orange tri-hawk, so he's kind of hard to miss.

"I've been doing this to my head for the last few years," Glicini said. "The kids like seeing it. It's out of the norm. I try to outdo it every year."

Although I didn't see many girls with outrageous hairstyles, I did notice one girl wearing a bright green wig.

Wig wearer and morale committee member Catalina Rivas (sophomore-ecology) said she tried to dye her hair, but the piece she tested the dye on broke off, so she opted for a wig. She said she chose to do something different with her hair because "the kids love it" and she wanted to be noticeable.

She added that her dancer also has a green wig.

"We're rockstars," she said, as she put on her white "stunna shades."

Oh, and I've been hit by a giant ball four times now.

--Heather

RAM Squad, which stands for Raw Aesthetic Movements, just left the stage in the BJC. Their dancing was a modern type of hip hop.

Whiplash, a dance group, performed before RAM Squad. The girls performing were all wearing black sweatsuits and pink sneakers. Most of their dance moves were very trendy hip-hop.

A lot of the people on the freshly-mopped floor migrated toward the stage to watch the performances.

The stage this year is in the shape of the Four Diamonds logo. It's really engaging because the top diamond is raised higher than the outside two, and the front diamond is lower and reaching out into the crowd. Plus it makes for a new dynamic, compared to a flat square stage.

--Jenna

I just survived my second trip to the floor, though I can't say I made it out unscathed. It's difficult to see those big rubber balls coming.

While I was down there I encountered some interesting people, including a human robot! The RoboTech 2.0 was designed and created by the technology committee. He had aluminum foil tube arms and legs, with a big silver boxy body. The best feature, however, was the green antennae and lighted eyes. On his back he had the words "For our Robro Avi ... and the kids."

When I spoke with the robot, he told me that his purpose was to bring the kids joy and wisdom. So far, he said, they've loved it.

I also was able to witness the spaghetti and marshmallow tower competition. The purpose was to make the coolest or tallest structure out of raw pasta noodles and mini- or regular- sized marshmallows.

The blue team's Kevin Swartz (junior-elementary education) said that he was trying to build something that didn't fall over.

"We want to go as high as possible and to rise above the rest," Swartz said. After he spent some time talking up the blue team, he broke a smile and told me that they were building the tower "to have some fun."

-- Jenna

I just made my second trip to the floor. I had to wait in line to get in forever because OPP was mopping the dance floor.

The floor is starting to get less crowded because the Four Diamonds families are leaving. The stands are also seeming less crowded.

I asked a few dancers if they had any idea what time it was. Surprisingly, most of them thought it was earlier than it actually was. Around 11:15, one person guessed that it was 9:15 and another thought it was 10:30. One dancer guessed it was 10:57 - I think he cheated.

-- Caitlin

I just got done talking to a group of sixth graders who participate in a different kind of dance marathon.

The group, from Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School in Wake Forest, N.C., will hold its third mini dance marathon May 9. The school has raised more than $22,000 from its first two marathons. The money raised benefits the Duke Children's Miracle Network and North Carolina Children's Hospital.

Michael Meyer, Class of 1999, started the dance marathon at the middle school.

He said Thon invited the group up this year to share their ideas on fundraising with other schools that do "mini-Thons."

When I asked the students -- 38 of them -- what they thought of Thon, they simultaneously answered "cool" and "awesome." They were accompanied by 17 adults.

One boy even dared to say, "It's definitely better than North Carolina."

"I think the kids are a little overwhelmed, but they're getting into it," Meyer said.

-- Heather

A Friday night staple made its way to Thon tonight. Pong -- water pong -- is being played on the floor.

About five tables on the floor had diamonds of solo cups filled with "shots" of water. One of many theme hours throughout the weekend, the theme is called "College Night Out," and it's used as a way to keep dancers hydrated.

It was your normal pong scene - coaches on the side, feigning throws and wiping up water that had spilled. Pitchers of water lined the side of the tables. The tables might have been the only noticeable difference - they are unusually high for pong and probably not "regulation" length.

Michelle Thiry (junior-secondary education), a dancer for Atlas Thon, said she did better playing pong tonight than she has on a normal night out and made one cup. Unfortunately her team still lost.

She said her only difficulty was seeing over the about four foot tall tables. She's about 5 feet, 2 inches.

"I couldn't see over the table well," she said. "The water was refreshing. It's nice because it's a game everyone knows."

-- Erin

OPP! Yeah you know them. They're keeping Thon spick-and-span (besides the orange peel I saw scattered on the floor. Shame, shame).

Since all OPP members wear navy shirts, they make each team distinct by wearing a certain kind of hat.

Some have cowboy hats, others wear yellow hard hats. Even more inventive are the Spartan helmets and the hamburger hats.

Natalie Keener (sophomore-energy, business and finance) is on Segal's Spartans OPP team. When she wasn't picking up trash, she was in a circle with her team tossing big bouncy balls in the air to each other. And when she wasn't busy playing, she was busy getting hit in the head with the bouncy balls.

"Everyone has a bouncy ball," she said tossing a ball. "They don't hurt. I've been hit and I'm OK," she said with a laugh.

Danielle Krueger (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) is a member of Beth Hahn's "Are You Hahngry" team - hence their hamburger hats.

Krueger said they got their hats online from Oriental Trading, adding that she intends to wear the hats for as long as her shift is.

"They kids love 'em," she said.

I was on the floor for about 20 minutes and was the accidental target of six squirt guns in that time. And in between talking to these two OPP girls, I was caught smack dab in the middle of the line dance, which was probably one of the scariest moments of my life.

-- Erin

I just made my third trip to the floor, and the scene has definitely changed from earlier today.

It's pretty crowded still but the Four Diamonds families have been replaced mainly by dancers' friends. The dancers are starting to get a little bit tired as Thon enters its ninth hour. A few of them were resting a foot on large rubber balls.

The Atlas house members are sporting pink fuzzy hats. I approached Chris Hanlon (freshman - meteorology) about the hats and he told me the group is wearing them because Victoria, their 5-year-old Thon child, "really loves the fuzzy hats." Chris is definitely an example of courage, one of the four Thon values, for wearing a pink hat.

"It's not the most masculine thing, but it's for Victoria," he said.

The dancers are in the process of eating their second meal of the night - something prepared by Java Catering. I saw the meal, but to be honest, I couldn't tell what it is. Poor dancers.

The morale captains are about to do the line dance again. As my co-reporter suggested, maybe they're trying to throw the dancers off so they can't tell what time it is. This is probably a good idea since every dancer I asked about the time was within 15 minutes of the actual time. I guess they're not delirious ... yet.

-- Caitlin

Every dancer I've talked to tonight is basically obsessed with their moraler - and with good reason. They've been providing their dancers with costumes, games, water guns, and giant beach balls (I've been hit about seven times now) all night.

There are dancers in hats shaped like hamburgers, fuzzy pink bucket hats, green hats with antennae, and striped top hats. There are more than a few feathered boas, and, as this blog previously mentioned, the new trend this year is apparently capes.

Michelle Thiry (junior-secondary education) was decked out in St. Patricks' Day garb from her moraler, complete with gauzy green cape and green-and-white face paint. "It's probably the most fashionable I've felt in a long time," she said.

Elton Armandy (senior-marketing), dancing for Penn State Erie, was dressed like royalty in an plastic crown and a personalized orange cape from his moraler. "I love crowns, and I'm Mr. Penn State Erie," he said. "And I was Flavor Flav for Halloween two years ago, so I still had the crown."

This isn't to say that moralers aren't getting creative themselves. All the morale captains have nicknames written on their shirts. My favorite by far has been Tom Chisena (junior-biology), who has "The Whomping Willow" written on his shirt. "I'm just obsessed with Harry Potter," he said, laughing.

-- Aubrey

Wandering around the back of the BJC, I was surprised to find a sign advertising a "Thon Blog" by a row of laptops. Interestingly enough, it's not referring to the Collegian's Thon blog, but a blog on the official Thon Web site where dancers can post their thoughts about the weekend, send messages to family and friends, and even record videos.

The blog has published on the Thon Web site for the past few years, Technology Captain Ryan Dickson (junior-information sciences and technology) said.

"People really like the video blog," he said. "Some people like to see how they progress in the craziness."

While not too many people have posted on the blog yet, "word is spreading slowly but surely," Technology Captain Nikhul Patel (senior-electrical engineering) said.

On a completely unrelated note: the song currently playing is "Cheesburger in Paradise" by the great Jimmy Buffett. It is bliss.

-- Aubrey

Although baby powder might seem a little out of place in the BJC, the back corner of the arena is covered in clouds of it as dancers participate in the "Slides of Strength."

Members of the Office of Physical Plant (OPP) committee have spread gym mats along the floor and coated them in baby powder. Dancers take a running start, slide down the mats, and receive a ten-second massage from moralers lined along the sides of the mats.

It's only ten seconds, but it makes a difference, dancers said.

"That five seconds felt like the world," dancer Erika Karpman (sophomore-finance) said.

OPP Overall Chairwoman Rachel Henrickson (senior-biobehavioral health) slid down the mats dressed in a flying monkey costume.

"It was wonderful - it was the first time I've ever actually done it," she said.

-- Aubrey

I just talked to a girl on the floor who was on crutches. She looked flustered and said she just returned from the hospital.

Last night when she was playing volleyball here she fell and broke her leg. She said she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. She's a morale coach and sounded upset that she had to be here on crutches. It didn't look like going home had even crossed her mind.

She wouldn't give her name. "I just don't want it to be about me now," she said.

--Ashley

I just talked to Sgt. Cyprien Brien with the Penn State Police who said the citations at the Bryce Jordan Center last night for public drunkenness and underage drinking were "pretty standard" for Thon weekend.

"Unfortunately, this is for the kids, but they still have to come and get drunk," Brien said. "If it's really for the kids, how about not drinking for one weekend?"

Despite a sign posted at the entrance of the Bryce Jordan Center proclaiming Thon "an alcohol-free" event, Brien said Gary Grayek tried to enter the BJC near the posted warning and was told he could not enter the building. Grayek, who's listed in the Penn State directory as an economics major, proceeded to stumble into another door and was apprehended by University Police.

He was cited with criminal trespass and public drunkenness and released to a friend.

--Lauren Boyer

Penn State Juggling Club just left the stage. The group opened with a juggler in bright yellow shoes standing on another's shoulders.

After some ball juggling, they moved onto a synchronized pin routine.

One of the jugglers did a routine with what I think is called "the diablo," some form of Chinese yo-yoing, to a Paramore song.

After the jugglers performed, the magician who had previously introduced them went into a card-producing routine.

To end the act, the jugglers and the magician were joined by someone in a yellow Four Diamonds cape, and the two jugglers tossed pins back and forth over the magician's head.

Now a Young MC video on the projector screens is encouraging dancers to "bust a move." And many of them actually are.

--Heather

We've got some great video footage of Friday night's festivities posted at the link below. There's lots of shots of the line dance, on-stage performers and supporters in the stands.

Check out the footage.

My trip to the floor this time began with an interesting conversation overheard at the check-in table. It went something like this:

Rules and Regulations committee member at check-in: "Wow, don't you guys ever sleep?"
Student waiting to check in: "Sleep is for when you're dead!"

So, there's some great advice to remember when attending Thon.

This time, I'm sad to say, I was no better at avoiding the many flying footballs and bouncing balls, but I have aspirations to be able to dodge them by the end of the weekend.

After I weaved my way across the floor, I was fortunate enough to score an interview with the famous Thon DJ, Larry Moore.

Larry told me that he danced in Thon in 1977, the first Four Diamonds dance marathon. He said that he graduated from Penn State and "hasn't left yet."

Larry Moore Productions manages all of the entertainment for Thon, including all of the video for the Thon Web cast and the footage shown on the projector screens. He gave me a quick "nickel tour" of all the equipment and the students and members of his staff who run it.

"I laugh, I hug, I pat on the back, I inspire. This is what I like to do," he said.

Larry told me he stays on his feet and tries to be energized because he considers being on the floor being "on stage," and "[the crowd] sees you all the time."

"It's showtime," he said with a giant smile.

Here's an audio excerpt from the interview:

Click here to download the mp3 file.

--Jenna

I just got back from the floor for my first time today. Right now, people down there are doing a lot of hugging.

The Four Diamonds children are wearing bright yellow string necklaces, and the dancers are wearing different colored string necklaces. Each necklace has a bundle of short strings tied to it.

When one of the dancers hugs another dancer or a child, they pull a string off the other person's bundle and tie it to their necklace.

Morale committee member Aleana Kuhn (junior-nursing) told me the goal is to get as many hugs as possible and as many short strings as possible, especially yellow strings.

"We want the dancers to hug the kids," she said.

All of this hugging is part of the Color Wars competition, which will be going on all weekend.

--Heather

A warning to all considering a trip to the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center: prepare to get wet.

I made my first trip to the crowded, yet still energetic BJC floor, and got splashed on multiple occasions by the morale committee staple -- the brightly colored plastic water gun.

But the dancers are still excited, and though they might show some signs of fatigue, they are participating in activities with their moralers and supporters.

"I'm as sharp as a tack right now," Andrew Dorgan (junior-marketing), a dancer for Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, 321 E. Fairmount Ave., said. "If I start to feel messed up, all the better."

Dorgan said he likes to stay optimistic and guessed the time was about 11 a.m.

Dorgan's fellow fraternity member and dancer, Jon Etter (junior-industrial engineering) correctly guessed it was 10 a.m.

Mike Houlihan (junior-crime, law and justice), a dancer for Theta Delta Chi fraternity, 305 E. Prospect Ave., could see the daylight from the concourse level and guessed that it was 10:30 AM, just a half hour optimistic.

"I don't think I'll be hurtin' 'till early Sunday morning," Houlihan said. "I've stayed up 72 hours before but not standing."

So the dancers seem full of energy, still. It could be because of the "fantastic Subway food" DJ Larry Moore keeps telling dancers to retrieve. Or it could be those water guns.

--Tim

Morale captains just performed the line dance ... again.

But before they performed, girls from Spring Grove Middle School performed the line dance students do during the school's own 12-hour mini-Thon.

Like Penn State's line dance, Spring Grove's line dance included pop culture references, school references and Thon references, including this line: "Rockets, Lions, all the same. Fighting cancer is our game."

A slide show was shown during the dance, displaying photos from the school's mini-Thon.

A Thon committee member said mini-Thons raised more than $600,000 for the Four Diamonds Fund last year.

The kids' fashion show is about to start now.

--Heather

On my way to press row yesterday, I noticed a sign hanging up by an information booth. The sign says "10 Things To Do At Thon." Here's the list:

1. Cheer on a dancer.
2. Buy Thon gear.
3. Visit all of the info. booths.
4. Learn the line dance.
5. Visit the museum of Thon.
6. Go to the pep rally.
7. Watch the fashion show.
8. Dance in the stands.
9. Stay for family hour.
10. Donate.

By the end of the weekend, I will have accomplished numbers 6, 7, 8 (okay, I've been dancing on press row) and 9. And I am determined to be able to check number 4 off my list, too.

--Heather

Another Color Wars event just started. This time, it's human checkers.

The goal is to win points by jumping leapfrog-style over another player and crowning that player, "just like basic Checkers," the projector screen says.

Checkerboards with red and black squares are set up on the floor.

So far, the red team is in the lead for Color Wars.

--Heather

Tyler LeFevre never made it to Thon. Every year he was set to go, his cancer relapsed. Tyler lost his battle with cancer 10 years ago. But that doesn't matter to the dancers.

"These kids go through this for people they've never even met," John LeFevre, Tyler's Dad, said.
John LeFevre said Tyler would have loved Thon. He was a "ham," he said.

Some kids don't make it, but their families are embraced anyway.

"That's why we are here," he said.

LeFevre said he looks forward to the day that Penn State doesn't need to have a dance marathon anymore.

"It's refreshing to know that these kids can live for the ones here, as well as the ones not here," he said.

--Liz

The winners of the first ever Thonies were just announced. The winners certainly weren't sporting Roberto Cavalli dresses, but they were stunning in there own right. Joan Rivers - eat your heart out.

Dancers and Thon kids won prizes in nine different categories:

Best Hat
Best Cape
Best Costume
Best Shirt Saying
Best Smile
Craziest Hair
Best Dance Move
Kids' Choice Award
And the surprising, last-minute addition, Best Nose and Tail

The craziest hair award went to a dancer with a blue and orange tri-hawk (see the entry "The Last of the Mohawkans"). A dancer with a red cowboy hat, similar to that of Woody from Toy Story, picked up the Best Hat Thonie. The Best Dance Move is a little more difficult to explain.

I like to compare it to "The Chicken," but if the chicken had one crazy leg jutting about all the time. You really have to see it for yourself. Once you do, you will understand why she just had to win.

-- Liz

I left press row for a minute only to find a giant Tigger outside. Tigger was dressed in a bright orange shirt that said "Penn State York is For The Kids" on the back.

Tigger was on his way to the floor, but one of his escorts said he didn't make it very far before being stopped by some Rules and Regulations committee members who wanted a photo.

Earlier, one of the children, Dylan, danced on stage to "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Everyone clapped as he did the robot and some break-dancing.

Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky also made an appearance at Thon. In a video played on the projector screens, she encouraged dancers and threw in a line from Hairspray.

"You can't stop the beat," she said. "Keep dancing!"

--Heather

One of the easy ways to pick out a person in charge at the Bryce Jordan Center is to find someone with official Britney Spears-type headsets. The 100-plus captains all wear the sets throughout the weekend to stay connected.

OPPerations committee Captain Kevin Robinson (senior-psychology) said that on Friday, the 22 people on his channel were serious with their communications. As of Saturday afternoon, most of the conversations were ending in "your mom" jokes.

Robinson said the jokes have been a good way for the captains to keep each other motivated despite lack of sleep and excess of stress.

--Jessica

We just posted another round of video footage. We've got great shots of people performing on stage and dancing on the floor. Check it out!

And don't miss the latest updates to our Thon photo gallery. It's getting more awesome every minute.

--Ryan (Web editor)

Following an on-stage performance by Touch of Blue, the Blue Band's majorette ensemble, at Thon Saturday afternoon, the majorettes came onto the floor to teach dancers and Thon participants baton techniques. Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer was also present.

Jessica Harpster (junior-kinesiology) was one of the majorettes on the floor. "[The atmosphere] is very happy," Harpster said. "I like it a lot," adding that performing on stage was an amazing experience.

Thon dancer Josh Gehly (junior-archaeological science) learned some moves on the Thon floor. Gehly said it was a pleasure to learn from the Touch of Blue majorettes.

"It was a fun way to pass the time," Gehly said.

Touch of Blue will also be at Thon for the pep rally Saturday night.

-- Caitlin, with help from campus candidate Shannon Simcox

I visited the floor for the first time today. It took forever to get on because the floor was at capacity so even people with floor passes were stopped from going on.

I talked to Evan Vogini (junior-economics), dancing for Alpha Chi Rho fraternity, 425 Locust Lane, who seemed to be holding up okay, but he told me a lot of people were throwing up late last night and that you could tell who was struggling by talking to people.

I saw a lot of people getting foot and leg massages in the dancer storage area, and a lot of people were resting their feet on big rubber balls. I also had a dancer ask if I had any cough drops. It seems like some of them are losing their voices as Thon wears on.

Penn State President Graham Spanier is on stage now. His band, the Phyrst Phamily Band, is playing an original song, "Saturday Night." For those of you who don't know, Spanier is accomplished at playing the washboard. This should be an exciting performance...

-- Caitlin

I caught up with two guys wearing striped blue overalls, blue wigs and not much else.

Alex McSherry (sophomore-landscape architecture) and Eric Poris (elementary education) said they were wearing the costumes to entertain the kids.

"If we can put smiles on the faces of the families and distract the dancers from their feet for a few minutes then it's worth it," Poris said.

The two students originally hoped to dance independently for Thon, but their names weren't picked. They raised more $2,000 by canning and being "human juke boxes." As Poris explained, people would give them money and "pick a song" for the pair to sing.

While they won't be on the floor at all, the two students hope to entertain people from the stands.

-- Caitlin

A chance for kids to shine and dancers to remember what they're dancing for, the family variety show, just ended.

The show started with a duo of boys in karate outfits with red belts impressing the now filling Bryce Jordan Center with their synchronized karate moves. The kids even participated in a choreographed fight, which ended in a takedown.

When another child came out with three helpers to dance to "Thriller," by Michael Jackson, the crowd went wild from the first bass beat. Clearly comfortable with the large crowd, she thrilled spectators with plenty of trademark claw motions and side-shimmies.

Two kids then came out to sing "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," by Jackie DeShannon, to the enthusiastic clapping to beat from the crowd.

It is clear that the dancers, still on their feet after more than 26 hours, have plenty of love in their hearts.

Then a child came out to sing "Bubbly," by Colbie Caillat, followed by another child who sang "Heaven," by DJ Sammy.

By this point, the members of the floor moved up closer to the diamond-shaped stage, to show their support "for the kids" as another child came to the stage to sing "Cowboy Take Me Away," by the Dixie Chicks.

An enthusiastic performance of "You are the Music in Me," from High School Musical again got the crowd clapping, which was followed by another performance.

The emcee announced that another installment of the variety show will be presented tomorrow. By then, the dancers might need more encouragement.

--Tim

The excitement in the BJC is certainly increasing as people have begun to pack the stands in anticipation of the upcoming Pep Rally.

The curtain at the upper level of the BJC has been raised, and people have already started to sit there.

The familiar blue and white pom-poms are making their way across the Bryce Jordan Center as people start impromptu human waves. Much of the crowd is also sporting white T-shirts in anticipation of the "White Out" pep rally.

If you were planning on coming to tonight's rally, I'd suggest packing up and heading out now.

--Tim

The Blue Band is in the house.

After the conclusion of yet another "Water Social," an event which encourages everyone on the floor to chug a bottle of water, the band has started to fill the bleachers behind stage right.

Someone has started that Penn State fan favorite, the cowbell cheer, and the crowd has begun spontaneous clapping and "We Are..." chants. The volume has increased as pom-poms flash across the Bryce Jordan Center.

So far, it seems like the majority of the audience has changed their colorful Thon shirts to white T-shirts for the "White Out" pep rally.

The Blue Band has started to play some stadium anthems to pump up the crowd for the rally, and Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer is doing her thing on stage. Unfortunately, no fire batons are to be seen.

--Tim

The Nittany Lion is in a red bright sequin jacket, rivaling anything Micahel Jackson ever wore.

The crowd has been esctatic since various sports teams, including members of the football team, came running in. The Lion, and his typical dance moves, got the crowd excited for what DJ Larry Moore called the "first ever Athlete Music Awards."

As the Blue Band played in the background, spectators adapted the lyrics to one of Penn State's fight songs to say: "Go State ... Beat Cancer."

--Tim

Campus Candidate Neha Prakash rode the 24-hour Blue Loop this evening to hear what passengers were talking about:

"The beginning was overwhelming and unbelievable. I didn't think it would be that big."

"It was cool to actually see Thon and to see what our money's been going to."

"I want to be a dancer next year, but I would never make it without people cheering me on and lots of help."

"I'm looking forward to sleeping tonight because I was there all night yesterday. My friend who is a dancer couldn't stay awake, so I went to support him. I was on the floor with him and wouldn't let him lean on the tables."

"My favorite part is that the buses run all night long."

"Everyone gets so into it. It makes me proud to be a Penn Stater."

"I love Thon and the Four Diamonds. They supported my family when my brother found out he had cancer."

"I feel bad saying I'm tired. I was only there for like six hours. It would suck for 46 hours."

"I would hate not knowing what time it is."

"Some guy had the Four Diamonds shaved into his head. It was pretty sweet."

"I think the best committee is morale because it's kind of like being a dancer."

"Thon is intense."

The Nittany Lion's dance moves came in second place tonight as he lost a dance competition.

In the last round of the Athlete Music Awards, the men's golf team beat out the Lion and some of the female cheerleaders. The crowd cheered enthusiastically for the "Chippendales" dance rendition the golf team performed.

The audience was very receptive to the Blue Band. The crowd is thinning now, but during the pep rally almost the entire BJC was full.

Some dancers seem to be showing signs of fatigue from my vantage point at press row. Some moralers are holding their dancers on their backs. Other people are massaging the dancers. And dancers are stretching to keep awake.

--Tim

The morale captains just led the line dance for what feels like the one-millionth time. The entire BJC is doing the dance, since pretty much everyone knows it by now.

I've heard mixed reviews about this year's line dance. One moraler told me that a lot of people on her team hate it, but a dancer I talked to said he likes it because it's slower than it was in previous years, making it easier to learn. The most popular line seems to be the off-tempo line, "Everybody's on strike ... Why is everybody on strike?" Everyone on the floor gets really into it, and it seems to be the one line that everyone knows.

On the floor someone dressed up as a cup of Rita's Water Ice is walking around. Dancers and committee members keep stopping to take pictures with him. The Nittany Lion is here too, dancing to Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music."

Famed DJ Larry Moore just made an announcement about the rubber balls dancers are hitting up in the air. Apparently, if people don't stop hitting them into the lights they will be taken away. If that's the case, the dancers might be in trouble. A lot of them use those balls to rest their feet.

-- Caitlin

Outside one of the women's bathrooms on the concourse level is a Facebook.com Picture Upload Center. At the Center, there are four laptops and one large computer monitor.

"Keep friends updated with Thon weekend by uploading pictures onto Facebook, brought to you by Dell," the sign above the table says.

There are also two guitar controllers at the station so visitors can play Guitar Hero. When I went to check out the Upload Center, two students were taking advantage of it and rocking out.

On my way back to press row, I spotted yet another robot and felt it was my journalistic duty to investigate.

When I asked Mike Ganci (junior-mechanical engineering) what was up with the costume, he coolly replied, "It's a first-generation Gundam."

I didn't know what a Gundam was, so I asked, and Ganci told me it's a "giant fighting robot" from Japanese anime.

Ganci said he spent a week building the costume for Halloween and didn't want all that time to go to waste.

"Why spend a week making it to only wear it once?" Ganci said.

Before I left, "Gundam" told me he was trying to come up with a scheme to get on the floor. Then he asked if I wanted to get a photo with him. If only I had a camera ...

-- Heather

Good evening, or morning, if you'd rather. I entered the floor recently to the spirited sounds of 'N Sync music. It may be old and cheesy, but '90s pop sure does wonders to pump up the dancers. I'm amazed at how energetic the atmosphere is every time I venture onto the floor.

I witnessed a couple cool things during this trip. First, I was drawn to one side because I saw a strange red and white striped costume shuffling around. It turned out to be a large, human-sized Rita's Water Ice.

The Water Ice was listening to some members of the Blue Band drumline rock out with drumsticks on one of the tables.

After that Penn State offensive tackle Gerald Cadogan assisted the Blue Band members in leading the well-known "cowbell" cheer.

"This is an amazing experience," Cadogan said. "This is larger than life."

Click here to download the mp3 file.

I also took a detour from the floor back behind the scenes to witness the Nittany Lion helping out some moralers to give dancers much-needed full-body massages in the South Annex. Down the hall I stopped to observe the many posters profiling the Four Diamonds families.

One in particular struck my eye because it was of a family from my own home town of Gettysburg, Pa. The family, the Baker's, has been attending Thon since 2000, and Thon child Levi has a tradition every year. He spray paints his hair blue and white for Sunday of Thon weekend.

At the end of the hallway there was a poster hung up that said, "Faith sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
-Unknown."

Also, they're setting up for slides of strength again.

-- Jenna

The Dreamers, an acapella group made up of members of Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity, are on stage now.

The group is well-known for delivering "Singing Valentines" around Valentine's Day. In fact, the group stopped by two of my classes on Valentine's Day to deliver a rose and perform a song.

The Dreamers opened their tonight with "Brown Eyed Girl," changing some of the lyrics to include Penn State references.

After they leave the stage, the group will make its way to the floor, where it said it will sing songs to any dancers who need a pick-me-up.

-- Heather

I was just on the floor for a couple of hours and the dancers are definitely starting to struggle.

A moraler told me she heard one person was taken to the hospital by ambulance after passing out, and I saw one dancer sobbing on her boyfriend's shoulder. She wouldn't give me her name because she said she was embarrassed.

I also saw another dancer cheating while he was getting a massage! Usually when dancers are getting a foot massage, they kneel on a giant rubber ball. The dancer I saw was resting his head on his rubber ball, and the rest of his body was laying on the ground. I hope he makes it.

The massages take place in the dancer storage area. The lyrics to the line dance are posted on the wall and there's a giant New York Times crossword puzzle hanging up.

A sign hanging nearby says it's the world's largest crossword puzzle. This is probably not true, but the puzzle is easily taller than me, probably about 6 feet.
Only 11 and a half hours to go!

-Caitlin

Who said you have to be on the floor to have a good time at Thon?

John Gaston (junior-psychology) certainly proves that fun happens all throughout the Bryce Jordan Center on Thon weekend.

I found Gaston sitting against the wall by himself outside portal 25 a few minutes ago. He said he was playing some of his own music.

"[Our dancer is] really into guitar," Gaston said. "He likes jamming, so I'm here to lift him up a little bit."

Gaston, a member of Zeta Psi fraternity, 225 E. Foster Ave., told me he was down on the floor earlier and everyone really enjoyed the jam session, including "little kids" and "old people" alike.

While the theme song from the television show Friends, "I'll be there for you," blared from inside the stands, it was refreshing to hear a little homemade acoustic tune.

A little less than 12 hours to go. I can hardly wait.

Here's a recording of Gaston playing:

Click here to download the mp3 file.

-- Jenna

Rocking out on paper guitars and wearing bold sunglasses, the moralers just led the crowd in an '80s sing along, touching on some fan favorites such as "Love is a Battlefield," "Like a Prayer," "Don't Stop Believing" and "Livin' on a Prayer," which earned a great crowd reaction.

Wearing a red vest and black wig, one moraler's enthusiastic impression of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" also drew laughs from the crowd.

The lyrics were projected on the screen as the crowd sang along to the songs that many already knew by heart.

Normally, if I heard all of these songs clumped together in a 20-minute set I might object, but at 6:30 a.m. Thon weekend? A perfect way to wake up.

-Stephanie

Chanting and stepping in unison, members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity performed a step routine that energized and impressed the crowd, Stomp the Yard style.

The crowd danced along with some of the group's hip hop moves, doing their best to keep up with the steppers' quick moves.

With no background music, the rhythms produced from the group's steps resonated throughout the Bryce Jordan Center, and received a great reaction from the crowd, re-energizing the dancers and giving spectators and pretty good jolt as well.

-Stephanie

None of the Above, the oldest co-ed student run a capella group at
Penn State, is on stage once again. The first song they performed was
"Love Song," by Sara Bareilles

While OPPerations is mopping the floors, students have a little
something to keep them occupied. The stands aren't very full right
now, but within the next few hours they'll surely be jammed.

Some dancers look absolutely exhausted, but I see others still full
of energy, bouncing around and the like.

The group just sang a compilation piece including songs like
"Everytime We Touch," and "Listen to Your Heart." The crowd is getting
really into it.

Right now they're doing a rendition of "Time After Time." Speaking of
time, there's not much left until the total is revealed!

--Jenna

For Thon, it's not enough to be the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, to be one of the definitive events of the Penn State experience, to touch the lives of countless children.

No, on top of all that, it now has a personal theme song, too.

This is all thanks to Charles Millard, Four Diamonds Founder, who commissioned a song from his son-in-law, who he calls his Thon-in-law, a songwriter. It's just been performed on the Thon stage.

The chorus includes the line "For the kids, we can take a stand - we can keep the hope alive ... "

I don't know if it's going to become a feature at the next Thon, but for now, it's pretty cool.

Also, the second family variety show just started. The entire crowd is rocking out to Hannah Montana. I won't lie - I am dancing in my seat on press row.

--Aubrey

Right now everyone in the Bryce Jordan Center is getting a bit of a blast from the past - Thon alumni are performing past line dances on the stage.

Most of the dancers are dancing along, and judging by the moves of some in the stands and on the floor, there's more than a few past dancers here.

This is my first Thon, so it's interesting to hear how far we've come even in a few years. I've heard references to Rec Hall - where Thon was held until 2007 - and 48 hours of dancing instead of 46. The 2006 line dancers bounced to Zombie Nation - obviously a reference to the song's role in the bleacher-breaking Ohio State football game in fall 2005. 2003's dancers sang about Winona Ryder's arrest; 2004 alums cheered for Johnny Depp in the original Pirates of the Caribbean.

The line dancers seem thrilled to be here - 2007's dancers just took the stage to the James Bond theme song.

--Aubrey

With the final four hours upon us, the dancers are starting to show definite signs of fatigue, but remain optimistic as the Bryce Jordan Center once again fills up.

I ran into a pair of dancers and a moraler from the club field hockey team. Dancer Kate Barba (senior-Russian and Spanish) was on the back of moraler Victoria Thompson (senior-international studies).

"I have a swollen knee, see." Barba said.

Barba said that the rests on her friend's back are one of the greatest treats she has gotten all week. I asked how long a tired dancer needs to be on the back of a friend.

"In total, about an hour," Thompson said, as Barba laughed. "Right now, about ten minutes."

The big bouncy balls are still flying, albeit lower, as we pass the forty-two hour mark.

"Heads up!" someone shouted as yet another ball bounced off my head.

For one tired dancer, the flying objects have gotten to be too much.

"I can't play with the balls anymore," Jessica Walter (senior-biobehavioral health). "I can't have stuff flying at me."

Lauren Holt (senior-kinesiology), dancing for West Halls Resident Association, was getting an arm massage from her friend.

"My feet hurt. It's hard to get a foot massage when you're on your feet," Holt said.

Her friend left her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I just want to sit down," Holt said.

Her friend smiled. "You're almost there," she said.

-- Tim

The curtain surrounding the upper level of seats has been raised again since it was last raised at the pep rally last night. The upper levels of the Bryce Jordan Center are beginning to really fill in.

There are blocks of colors in the stands where different groups are standing and dancing, cheering on their dancers. Greek letters and signs for dancers speckle the crowd, and there are cameras constantly flashing.

It feels a lot like the pep rally did last night, except with even more excitement because within hours the total will be revealed.

A group on the floor with maroon shirts is lifting dancers up and down, like people do to count the score at football games.

The morale captains just left the stage after they led the line dance for one of the last times at Thon 2008.

The whole BJC is really getting pumped up, and, truthfully, it's contagious.

--Jenna

Family Hour is now underway.

After an emotional speech from a mother of a Thon child, the crowd watched the "The Road to Thon," a video showcasing activities with the Thon children in the past year.

The Bryce Jordan Center is filling with the largest crowd I've seen yet, and members of the rules and regulations committee are making people move from the stairs.

A medicine call for the dancers by DJ Larry Moore happened again before Family Hour, but this time Moore said, "Like you're going to get them anyway."

Check www.psucollegian.com for a full update about Family Hour soon.

--Tim

With just two hours left until grand total, the dancers and crowd have a renewed energy. There are about 30 bouncy balls and beach balls being tossed into the air.

Family Hour just ended, and nearly everyone on the floor held onto one another's shoulders and swayed in rhythm to "Angels Among Us."

Click here to download the mp3 file.

The emotional level, in the now cramped Bryce Jordan Center, peaked during Family Hour. A video showcasing the lives of Thon children who died during their battle with childhood cancer brought noticable tears to a great number of audience members.

DJ Larry Moore just called the morale captains to the stage. Looks like its time to do the line dance again!

The crowd is energized, and the dancers are clapping in time with the rest of the BJC. If they were tired before, the reminder of why they stand for 46 hours just gave them a second wind.

--Tim

Forty-five hours down -- less than one to go! The Bryce Jordan Center is full of singing, dancing, clapping, laughing, crying people. After an emotional Family Hour, the dancers I talked to said that they're feeling energetic.

"I'm pretty exhilarated," said Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council dancer Richard Shermanski (junior-history and political science).

He told me that he was sad that Thon is almost over.

As I navigated my way around the floor for the last time of Thon 2008, balls were flying around like corn kernels in a popcorn popper. I even saw one dancer holding his hands out over a friend to protect her from the flying objects. I stopped counting how many times I got hit because, really, it just doesn't matter!

The dancers were all grooving to the loud, upbeat tunes that Larry Moore is cranking out.

Nearly everyone on the floor sang along as band J.R. and Natalie sang, including "Sweet Caroline" and "Don't Stop Believin.'"

A huge train of dancers formed and was weaving its way through the very crowded BJC floor.

I even got squirted by some of those little kids, but it only made me smile more.

--Jenna

The total's been released! $6,615,318.04. Thanks for reading and check out our coverage in tomorrow's print edition.