UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – This weekend thousands will fill the Bryce Jordan Center to capacity similar to the crowd on hand for Penn State's dual against Michigan just a few weeks ago. One Penn State wrestler will be in the building for the entire weekend, but not for the same reason.
Instead, Francisco Bisono will be dancing in THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Bisono will be on his feet for the entirety of the 46-hour dance marathon supporting the fight to end childhood cancer.
"I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity," Bisono said. "It's such a great cause and one of the reasons I came to Penn State was for THON. This involvement, I think it's incredible what they do here."
While Bisono hasn't had to make that many adjustments to prepare for the dance marathon, he still has had to make a few changes to his lifestyle.
"What I've been doing is eating a lot of carbs," Bisono said. "Normally with wrestling, certain carbs you like such as fruits and stuff which I'm still eating, but they suggest carb loading and getting enough sleep."
"There's a lot of similarities, but the diet portion is a pretty big difference, just not eating nearly as much for wrestling as for THON. Other than that, I've just been trying to stay active and do a little more muscle endurance rather than really heavy lifts."
Whether it's cheering along in the stands or participating in an organization, Bisono suggests that everyone gets involved.
"Everybody knows someone who has been impacted negatively with any type of cancer, children and people of all ages," Bisono said. "So I think it's such an incredible cause and a great fundraiser. It's something that I would suggest everyone gets involved in."
And even with the team on the road, he knows he'll have the support of his team throughout the entire weekend.
"Everybody has been super supportive of me," Bisono said. "Everybody really understands that this is a passion of mine. We're all very close-knit here on the wrestling team, so it's great knowing that I have such a great support group and such great friends and teammates that I call them my family. Anything I need I know they've got my back."
About THON
THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world that began in 1973. This marks 46 years of the event which will see 705 dancers take the floor and 16,500 student volunteers. THON's sole beneficiary is Four Diamonds. Their year-long efforts culminate in a 46-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon.
