Hours before THON was to start, students and THON supporters lined up at the gates of the Bryce Jordan Center.
At 4 p.m., the doors opened and students entered, some wearing nothing more than shorts, a T-shirt and knee socks. Inside, the stands filled quickly with colorfully clad supporters. Posters used as placeholders littered the stands while moralers waited, chanting, ‘We want dancers!’
At 4:30 p.m. their request was answered as more than 700 dancers filtered through the Human Tunnel. They looked like they were set for a sleepover with backpacks in tow. The screaming and cheering were in a constant battle with classic rock tunes blasting from the speakers. After settling in, dancers plopped down on the floor for the last time to stretch, take photos and greet families that began to enter the floor.
THON officially kicked off with the national anthem sung by a member of a Four Diamond family and a thank message from the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital Staff. The response was deafening as the crowd cheers ‘FTK!’ It’s clear that Love Belongs Here.
