Here are a few snippets of the people and moments from Thon 2012:

Dancer Kelsey Ginck, of Northumberland

Major: Public relations, senior Supporters: About 20 students in the Public Relations Student Society of America, who were clad in dark purple T-shirts

Four Diamonds Fund children: Colleen Scott, 13, and Emily Whitehead, 6

Favorite song heard: “We found love,” by Rihanna

Favorite Thon moment before starting to dance on Friday: “Definitely visiting Emily. I love getting to play with her in her environment.”

Thon 2013: Ginck graduates in May, so, she said, she won’t be on a committee or dancing. “I’ll be a spectator, which will be weird.”

• • •

Dancer Eric Ahrweiler, of Easton, with Tau Kappa Epsilon

Major: Industrial engineering, senior Pre-dancing Thon role: Letter-writer for donations and canning participant

Supporters: His moraler, sister and girlfriend, the latter two who came during the late hours when there weren’t as many people around. “We all kept each other company.”

Best moment before Thon started: “Every time you get a check in the mail or someone putting money in your can.”

• • •

Moraler Miranda Lingelbach

Major: Supply chain management, sophomore

Biggest challenge of being a moraler: Gauging the happiness level of the dancer

Foolproof way to keep up the energy: Cracking jokes

How to bond with a dancer: Go out to dinner, watch basketball games together

• • •

The “slides of strength” was one way to keep the dancers’ spirits up in the final hours. A white cloud of dust surrounded the crowd that gathered while event staff poured baby powder all over a long, rectangular mat, preparing for the dancers to slide on their stomachs into a 10 second massage.

Covered in baby powder, Sam Fanelli, a junior dancing for Pre-Vet club, said it was her favorite activity.

As she stepped up to the mat, Fanelli said: “I’m planning my attack. It’s a tactical maneuver to be in the best place for everyone to give you a massage.”

Allison Robertson is a Penn State journalism student. Mike Dawson can be reached at 231-4616 and mdawson@centredaily.com.