As a member of Greek life at the greatest school on earth, a.k.a. Penn State, I participated in THON this past weekend. Now, if you've never been, it's hard to describe, but it truly is one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences out there — there is nothing like it. And if you have been to THON before, I'm sure you can relate to the stages that we all encounter while standing on our feet for unfathomable amounts of time.
Stage 1: Euphoria. This is the first few hours we stand at THON. Life is good, and you couldn't be more excited to be part of this amazing experience. The music is great, you dance wildly with your friends and take tons of pictures. You can go strong for five or six hours, and you feel ready to take on this whole, 46-hour thing. And then, the next stage hits, and you aren't too sure anymore.
Stage 2: Coasting. At this point, you've been standing for at least seven or eight hours, and now you're neither here nor there. Your feet are starting to hurt, but it's nothing you can't handle. Taking a half-hour stroll around outside sounds more than appealing and Dip 'N Dots is now a must.
Stage 3: Pain. Now you're about 12-14 hours into the process, and your feet are starting to throb. You consider giving up and are about ready to lie on the ground and not move again for the next two days. However, it's still too early in the game to give up, because, after all, if your amazing dancers can do the full 46, you should be able to handle this, right?
Stage 4: Delirium. How many hours have you been here? What day is it? What's your own name? These questions can't even be answered at this point, because you're so sleep-deprived you can no longer feel your feet, and everything seems to be funny. THON is now a great time once again, and you resume dancing like you've never danced before, even if it's only because you don't even know where you are anymore.
Stage 5: Zombie. The delirium starts to subside, and when that happens, you just start to stare off into space until someone snaps you out of whatever you've been gazing at for the past two hours. That's when you decide you'd better walk around and get something to eat before you pass out.
Stage 6: The Final Four. The final four hours are the greatest part of THON, and no matter how long you've been on your feet, experiencing it rejuvenates
you. All the pain in your body subsides, you're wide awake and everything feels great because you finally get to see what an amazing difference you've made and how much THON truly means to the families it helps. No matter how physically exhausted you are by the end, THON is Penn State's greatest accomplishment, and being a part of it is something I wouldn't trade for the world.
THON on, PSU, and remember that everything we do is For The Kids.
