THON endures amid challenge of pandemic

People outside this state may be under the erroneous assumption that everyone in Pennsylvania roots for Penn State University when it comes to college sports.

Dance marathon led by Penn State students raises money for pediatric cancer research and patient support.

It does seem that way sometimes given PSU’s huge and proud alumni and fan base, but fans of Temple, Pittsburgh and the state’s many other colleges with athletic programs would surely beg to differ.

But for one weekend every year, everyone should be a Penn State fan regardless of their normal allegiances.

Each winter University Park’s Bryce Jordan Center, normally the home for Nittany Lions basketball and other indoor sports, is put to a far more significant purpose as the headquarters of a remarkable charitable endeavor.

THON, a 46-hour dance marathon led by Penn State students, raises money for pediatric cancer research and patient support. Billed as the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, it’s brought in nearly $200 million for a great cause in its nearly five-decade history.

As with most fundraisers, the normal goal each year is to exceed the amount of money brought in 12 months earlier. That didn’t happen this year, but due to the circumstances the event was an even bigger triumph than ever before.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced big changes to the event. The Bryce Jordan Center was not packed with people in a party atmosphere. There were some entertainment activities in the Penn State arena, but no spectators or packed floor. The event was livestreamed, with 592 dancers participating individually in their homes.

In the absence of medical staff on call, participants were encouraged to take breaks from dancing and participate in other, less strenuous activities for part of the time.

Despite these changes, the event raised $10.6 million, only about $1 million shy of what it collected in 2020.

THON Executive Director Katie Solomon, a fifth-year senior from Harleysville, summed up the situation well during the opening ceremony when she said, “THON will not stop for literally anything but a cure,.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. This year’s fundraising total is a remarkable accomplishment, especially considering the financial hardships so many people are facing amid the pandemic.

The students involved in organizing this year’s event deserve enormous credit for persevering at a time when it’s so easy to become discouraged, and amid an upending of normal campus life.

Keep in mind that the money raised wasn’t just a result of the weekend activities. THON fundraising has been going on since last summer through online giving, merchandise sales, donor drives and corporate sponsorships. It’s a major undertaking.

Consider also how THON has endured amid past challenges, including the loss of a major fundraising stream when the dangerous practice of traveling to solicit money along Pennsylvania roads was wisely abandoned.

This year’s success went beyond the financial aspect. Not only did the event raise an impressive amount, but organizers saw some benefits in the virtual presentation. Organizers said the livestream helped THON connect well with an online audience. The evidence was clear, as 165,000 unique viewers from more than 70 countries tuned in, about 35,000 more viewers more than in 2020. Expect to see some of this year’s ideas adapted for future THON celebrations.

It’s appropriate to stop and celebrate this year’s astonishing success, but it won’t be long before the work begins again. We encourage readers to support the work of THON, whether it be through the event at University Park or the smaller versions held at Penn State branch campuses, area high schools and other places. The money raised supports the Four Diamonds charity, which supports research for a cure and helps families with children undergoing cancer treatment at Penn State Children’s Hospital at Hershey.

The continued success of THON is a bright spot in this grim winter and a reminder that whatever our challenges, there is reward in perseverance. Hearty congratulations to all involved.

Mark Friedman has NHL dreams, and for good reason. He’s young. He’s a bubble player, bouncing back and forth as a Flyers and Phantoms defender over these past two COVID-19 seasons.

Yet he seemed to have his skates on the slushy ground Sunday as part of the makeshift Flyers contingent plopped on a fake sheet of ice dubiously constructed in the middle of the 18th fairway of a golf course on the CaliforniaNevada border.

Only in the NHL can sports get as weird as that.

To make it all the weirder for the Flyers, they were to face the Boston Bruins Sunday night for a delayed outdoors game at Lake Tahoe without six regulars, due to “virus protocols,” whatever they might be. Those regular players included team captain Claude Giroux, longtime partner Jake Voracek, fellow scoring star Travis Konecny, and forwards Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton, and veteran defender Justin Braun.

So among the callups and taxi squad grads came Friedman, 25, typically low-key Canadian, but ready for anything ... even when it comes to playing out of position at a once-in-a-career kind of venue.

Friedman was told he’d play some fourth-line forward along with being an alternate defensive option. Sure, no problemo.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Friedman said via Zoom prior to the game. “It’s a new opportunity for me. The last time I played forward, I was 10 years old. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll just keep it real simple if I get the opportunity to play up there and on defense I’m just going to play my game and have a fun time doing it.

“My game,” Friedman added, “is me being a little feisty out there, like a little rat. I’ll see if I can get under some guys’ skin.”

Like he said, fun. Fun in this instance included a five-hour plane ride, followed by a oneplus hour bus ride to the hotel near the game site, followed by a denial by the NHL to have the club practice as scheduled on the makeshift ice rink Saturday, instead moving them indoors at a local rink described by Shayne Gostisbehere as “probably one of the coldest rinks I’ve ever played in.”

Friedman, sitting next to him Sunday, halflaughed and half-grunted in agreement when Ghost said that.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s game of Vegas vs. Colorado had to be delayed several hours partway through because the beating sun started melting the ice. So it wasn’t a bad idea to move the Flyers’ practice indoors after all.

“The first period of that was pretty funny,” Gostisbehere said of Saturday’s Golden Knights Avalanche game. “I’m glad no one got hurt.”