University of Maryland College Park - Terrapin / Reveille Yearbook (College Park, MD)

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The Annual Hop When you walk into Ritchie Colise- um you notice the distin ct odor of Ben- Gay and Baby Powder, and there are more ace bandages in there than the football uses in one week. But this is not the usual football game or wrestliing match. Neither does it involve selling tickets and having cheerleaders present. What it does in- volve is much stamina and strength of heart and many people who care. Such an event was the 1982 Dance Marathon for the American Cancer So- ciety. Each year, hundreds of students begin by getting pledges from their par- ents, friends, and faculty to sponsor them on this four-day marathon. After this, it begins Thursday night at 6 o ' clock with a banquet for the dancers. The bands then begin to play and the dancers begin their grueling, but fun workout. Their strength, stam- ina, and a good pair of sneakers will have to carry them until early Sunday evening when the Dance Marathon is concluded. Several bands play during the course of the Marathon and this year WKYS Radio provided great music and T- shirts for the dancers to keep them moving and in groove for 48 hours. The popularity of the Marathon has grown over the past several years be- cause everyone involved is working for a good cause. Each year, many thou- sands of dollars are raised for the American Cancer Society and each year they raise more money. It takes a few weeks to gather up all the pledges, but the University of Maryland ' s Dance Marathon is always very successful in raising funds for the Cancer Society. The dancers themselves, although completely exhausted when the Mara- thon is completed, really enjoy helping the Cancer Society and enjoy them- selves while they are dancing. When you enter the Coliseum in the beginning you may wonder why anyone would be interested in doing something like this, but by the time you leave, everyone is convinced that the cause is worth the effort and that it is really fun for dancers and spectators alike. David Heneberry 28 Fall

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3 Jeff Linck 3 Fall 27

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Dance Marathon Fall 29