February 16, 2013 at 1:12 PM
Names on the back of dancer shirts vary in meanings
Rather than dancers simply sporting their last names on the backs of their shirts, many have chosen nicknames for THON 2013.
Julie Litz originally wanted to have the nicknames "Timon" and "Pumba" with her dancer, on the back of their shirts this weekend. But her organization members didn't understand.
"Everyone calls me Litzer," Litz (senior-accounting) said, so her organization members made sure that was what was on the back of her shirt.
But Teresa Ricotta, along with her dancer partner, was able to have their preferred nicknames on the back of their shirts.
Ricotta (sophomore-finance) and her dance partner were roommates their freshmen year, and for Halloween that year, they were "Tweedle Dee" and "Tweedle Dum," the names written across their backs.
While some have gone with fun nicknames, others have chosen nicknames that are more meaningful to them.
Andy Georgeson, dancing for club baseball, chose "rELIsh all 46," in memory of his organization's THON child, Eli, who passed away last year. One of Eli's favorite sayings was live life to the fullest, he said. Georgeson wanted something that would reflect that as well as incorporate Eli's name, he said.
"For me this really means that I should enjoy these 46 hours and just enjoy my time dancing," George (senior-biology) said.
Andrew Bonnar, member of Raw Aesthetic Movements, or RAM Squad, and his dance parter Reinhardt Swart chose to combine their nicknames with quotes that are meaningful to them.
Bonnar’s shirt reads “FTK In My Bonez.” The members in his dance crew call him “Bonez,” and because he is very passionate about THON, he thought this would be a great way to represent his dedication, he said.
Swart’s shirt reads “FTP In My Hardt.” The “FTP” stands for “for the Polizzis,” which is their organization’s THON family, he said. Hardt comes from his nickname which is “heart,” and because it is part of his name, he said.
“We just want to show our families that we support them this weekend and that we’re doing this for them,” Swart said.