University of Minnesota Athletics
Unlimited Dance Marathon Set for Saturday
3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
By Rachel Timmerman, Athletic Communications Student Intern
On March 28, the Sports Pavilion will be the host of the biggest celebration on campus - the Unlimited Dance Marathon.
For 12 hours, no sitting or sleeping will be allowed in support of the children at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.
"The reason you're not allowed to sit is because we're showing the strength of the children at the hospital who can't be there to stand," Christie Clarke, co-president and athletic chair head for Unlimited said. "You have to stand the whole time but you don't have to dance."
Last year, the marathon went from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., but this year, the dancing will go from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Clarke said the change will help make Unlimited even better than last year.
"The families can be there because it's not too late for the children," Clarke said. "And it's in the middle of the day so people can stop by anytime and hopefully they'll love it enough that they'll stay."
Two years ago, Clarke went to Penn State and saw their university's version of Unlimited, called "Thon." After seeing how much they raised and how the entire campus was involved, Clarke wanted to bring that to the U.
"I wanted something that would build on for generations here," Clarke said. "I wanted a way to combine our community. Having this event, we're all doing something for a great cause that will help us become one university."
Clarke will be graduating this year, but sophomore Derek Wiebke is excited to continue the tradition in the coming years. He calls himself Clarke's "right-hand man", and will be taking over as co-president next year.
"[Right now] I'm doing a lot of behind the scenes work, helping out with fundraising efforts and raising awareness for the event," Wiebke said.
Clarke and her team of student athlete volunteers have been preparing and fundraising for Unlimited for almost a year now, and Wiebke said his favorite part of volunteering so far has been the people he gets to work with.
"Seeing how excited everyone is about it and how much they care about it, it's fun to work with other people who care about something as much as you do," Wiebke said.
Senior Luke McAvoy is also helping with anything that needs to be done before the event. One thing he said he really enjoys is canning - asking for donations at athletic events.
"The most fun part has been canning because part of it we're asking for money, but it's also a way to interact with the fans on a one-to-one level," McAvoy said.
During the event, the student volunteers will be busy making sure everything is running smoothly, but also plan on taking time to celebrate.
"I'm going to be helping organize, but I plan to get my feet moving as well," McAvoy said.
At the event itself, there will be food from local vendors, two bounce houses, and a DJ.
In addition, every hour will feature performances from student athletes and various student groups on campus. President Kaler, Goldy, the Vikings' mascot Victor, and the Vikings cheerleaders will make an appearance, and the families and children benefiting from the donations will also be introduced every hour.
It won't be until the final hour is up that the total money raised will be revealed.
"Our last hour is power hour," Clarke said. "It's gonna be a little more of the club feeling to get people really pumped up for that last hour until the final reveal of what we made for the year."
That moment is something Clarke has waited a long time for, but it's not the only thing she's eager to see.
"I'm excited to see how much money we raised, but really, I'm excited for how many people show up," Clarke said. "The more people show up, the longer this is gonna stay in our history and our culture at the University of Minnesota."
