So you’ve signed up to dance at HuskyTHON, now what? Dancing for 18 hours straight seems incredibly daunting, regardless of whether you’ve participated in HuskyTHON before or not. I’ve been a dancer for the past three years and I still know it will be the struggle of a lifetime. I have learned a few things over the years, and have compiled some tips for anyone participating in HuskyTHON this year:
Before:
Adjust your sleep schedule
You will be up from 6 pm Saturday until 12 pm Sunday and literally the worst thing you could do is act like it’s any other day. Everyone will need to do something different, but here is my successful sleep schedule: Start prep on Friday. Take a hefty afternoon-to-dinner nap and maybe even nap a little after dinner. Then stay up super late and go to bed around 2 or 3 in the morning. Sleep in on Saturday until early afternoon. Wake up so you have enough time to shower and not be groggy by the time you roll into the field house for your check-in time.
Get your work done!
After dancing, you most definitely won’t want to do school work for your classes on Monday, so make sure you get it all done Friday.
Last-minute fundraising
Post on Facebook, message family members who haven’t donated yet, even tweet to raise some more money For The Kids.
Eat
You probably don’t know when you’ll be getting food, so your best bet is to eat before check-in. I would recommend something light from the Union, or at the very least a smoothie.
Pack all the necessities:
Follow the “sleepover guideline” and bring anything you would need for an overnight (toiletries, hairbrush, deodorant, phone charger etc.) Here are a few other things I would recommend:
- Multiple outfits (bring clothes to wear for the theme hours) and make sure you have a variety: leggings, shorts, yoga pants; tank tops, short sleeves, sweatshirt
- Multiple shoes: sneakers, Uggs, slippers, anything that is comfortable
- Snacks (last year I brought a baguette and it was the second best decision I ever made, after deciding to dance in HuskyTHON)
- Energy (5 hour energy, Starbucks drinks, monster, whatever your fav is – BUT don’t try three 5 hour energies night of if you’ve never had one)
- Hat (for when your hair is no longer at its best)
- Advil
- Deodorant (this one is VERY important)
During:
Stay hydrated
Especially if you’re someone who gets lightheaded sometimes. Plus, the more you drink, the more you have to go to the bathroom, the more time you spend going to the bathroom and the less time you spend standing and thinking about how you are standing.
Stay moving
If your muscles start to relax, they’ll want to keep relaxing (this is science) so keep dancing!
Walk around
See what else is going on around the Field House because if you’re just dancing the entire night you might get bored. Even walking laps around the room can help give your dance moves a break.
Talk to the kids
Not only are they super adorable and fun, but they are the whole reason we’re there.
Photo courtesy of Jackie Weiss
Selfies
Take a selfie every hour (I like to selfie right after the morale dance at the top of each hour). Maybe this was a coping mechanism, maybe this was just something to do, but I’m sure all of my Snapchat friends enjoyed it.
Photo Courtesy of Jackie Weiss
Morale dance
Because the morale dance is a full 10 minutes, if you do it every time, that’s 3 hours already taken care of. And that’s not even counting the time you’ll spend between hours trying to learn it from morale captains.
Refresh yourself
If you’re feeling a little blah, take a moment to regroup. Wash your face, change your clothes, and maybe get some fresh air; whatever makes you feel like you haven’t been standing in the same room for 13+ hours.
Don’t look at the time
There’s nothing worse than thinking it’s been half an hour and checking the time to see it’s only been seven minutes. Live (and dance) in the present because time flies when you’re having fun and not when you’re staring at a clock.
Lean on your friends
Figuratively (because support systems are very helpful) and literally (because 18 hours is a long time to stand).
After:
Food
You’ll be hungry. I would recommend getting some food from the Union or having food (like a Lunchable) waiting for you in your room.
Sleep
This is very self-explanatory. You have been awake and standing for 18 hours and your body will most definitely miss your bed.
Shower
You’re probably gross (no offense) so do yourself and your friends a favor and shower. I would recommend sleeping first, as showering will involved more standing and you will not be in the mood for that.
Thank everyone who supported you
Make sure you thank everyone who donated to your HuskyTHON page, and include pictures if possible. This is a decent thing to do and it will already get people excited to support you when you do HuskyTHON again next year.
Good luck, collegiettes!