Shane decided to keep tradition and dance his senior for THON 2021. His older sister danced in 2017, and now it is Shane’s turn.

To prepare, he talked to those who have danced in the past, including his own sister. He made sure to pay special attention to Dancer Relation’s tips about when and what types of food to eat prior to and during THON weekend as well as changing footwear as often as possible.

Along with six others, Shane is dancing for Epsilon Sigma Alpha this weekend. He explained how the difficulties of fundraising and coming together with his organization was difficult because of the pandemic, but their restaurant fundraisers at Roots and Chipotle were a big hit and some of his favorite fundraising events from this year.

When asked what kept him motivated to keep dancing, Shane talked about how keeping physically active and changing up music genres frequently help him stay engaged. He also said how helpful Zoom and phone calls from family members and friends have kept him dancing FTK.

I asked Shane what THON meant to him and he said, “THON is more than just an event or one weekend. It’s every day. It’s like a part of who you are. People don’t see that you’re always involved with families, organizations, clubs, and how everyone is somehow linked to THON. THON is like a living, breathing organism. It’s a friend that is there for you no matter what.”

He remembers his senior year of high school coming to the BJC to support his sister during THON weekend in 2017. A few days later, Shane learned he was diagnosed with Stage 1 testicular cancer. That year was certainly difficult for him, and he eventually beat it. His

experience fighting the disease really put everything in perspective for him for those younger than him. Shane dances so that no child has to go through what he has gone through.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen so many things happen, but at the end of the day we come together as human beings, and we are still able to dance.”