THON 2012

Coming to Penn State, I knew what THON was and that it was a big deal. Considering my sister graduated from the Smeal College of Business in 2007 and watching Penn State football games since I can remember, thon was nothing new. In fact it was one of the reasons why I chose to spend my next four years at Penn State. Thon is one of those things you can never truly describe until you've attended one yourself. Even then, words cannot describe everything you see including the multitude of emotions experienced. My Thon experience started at 2 pm Friday afternoon when I met my fellow ATO brothers at the BJC to block off the section for our org. At 4:00, the doors opened and we rushed to the section we annually occupy to reserve spots for the many supporters that would attend throughout the weekend. For 24 of the next 46 hours, I was on shift for my R&R committee doing security, and checking people on/off the floor, but the entire time I wished I was back with ATO/ZTA. When my final shift ended at 12:30 Sunday afternoon, I ran back to the sea of orange that is ATO and forced my way into a crowded section to be with my brothers. Supporting such a great cause with all my friends made those last four hours one of the most memorable times of my life. The best part was when the total was announced. After the scandal and a canning weekend cancelled, it was going to be hard to beat last year's total. ATO/ZTA worked extra hard this year because of these reasons. Not only did ATO/ZTA once again raise the most money out of any greek organization, but THON as a whole beat last year's total by $1.2 million. During a time when $10 million seemed impossible, we proved that anything is possible especially when the kids are at stake. FTK!

It's hard to believe that in 10 days I will be experiencing my first every THON here at Penn State. I've heard many stories from friends about their past experiences with thon and, not knowing what to expect, am nervous but excited to make my own. Beside my fraternity, I am on an R&R committee for thon which has been a great experience. It has been great to meet so many new people and make lots of friends in the process. Coming from a graduating class of 1000+, a large school is nothing new, but at the same time it makes a person feel small. I am grateful to have met so many cool people. So back to the committee, tonight we learned what shifts we would be working thon weekend. As a pass team member of R&R, I am responsible for security and checking people on/off the floor during thon weekend. I am working four 6-hour shifts during the course of the weekend with 6 hour breaks in between. This would not seem like a terrible thing until you realize you cannot sit (which I did tonight). It never crossed my mind that I would be standing every single moment I would be at the Bryce Jordan Center during that weekend. Compared to the dancers who must stay standing for 46 hours straight, four 6-hour shifts seem like nothing. Afterall, next weekend will be my first thon experience and I would not trade it for anything. I am trying to make the most out of my experiences here at Penn State and thon is definitely one of them. This weekend I will be going away with my fraternity to raise additional funds for thon. Like canning, we will be staying at brothers' houses but going door-to-door instead of standing on street corners. Pledgebooking, as this is called, is what sets ATO aside from many other organizations in thon. It is that extra push that takes us that much closer to a cure. FTK.