Confessions of a speed dater

Three-minute dates highlight the woes of real dating

By Katrina Garcia
The Collegian

Speed dating encompasses everything about the wonderfully awkward world of dating —the good, the bad and the “was-I-unconscious-when-I-agreed-to-go-out-with-you?” moments.

There are times when you look into the eyes of the person across from you and imagine yourself in one of those TV dream sequences, laughing wildly, perhaps while walking hand in hand on the beach.

The times when you say, “Omigosh, you like listening to music? Woooow… ME TOO!” The times when you just click.

But of course, there’s the downside.

You know, that painful downside you feel in the pit of your stomach, when you actually debate excusing yourself to use the restroom halfway during the date, only to crawl out the bathroom window. (That’s not to say I’ve ever seriously considered that… ever…) But sometimes, there isn’t anything to say, so all that’s left is awkward silence.

And for anyone who’s ever sat across a table with a lukewarm dinner, wondering how you got yourself into this mess called a date, all it takes is one moment of silence to send someone over the edge, or out the window, depending on its proximity.

Monday night, I was able to laugh, cringe and drop my jaw out of sheer horror at USU Production’s inaugural speed dating at Fresno State.

Here’s what happened.

Students wrote down the names of each person they met. The female participants would sit at a table while the guys went around the room from girl to girl.

Each meeting would last three minutes. (Originally, I heard horrible rumors of — gasp — five minutes, at which point, after scanning the room, I almost neglected my responsibility to this assignment and left).

Next to their dates' names, each person was instructed to write either a “yes” or “no” regarding if they thought the person would be a good match.

At the end of the night, participants turned in their responses, to await the news, via e-mail, if they had made any matches.

Sina Tuy, the celebrations and festivals program coordinator for USU Productions, said around 30 students showed up, many who came at the last minute to participate in the event.

Many participants said they entered the Satellite Student Union Monday night with the expectation of meeting new people and making a new friend or two.

However, some students clearly wore their hearts on their sleeves, along with an eclectic tweed suit and tie, complete with paper flowers in the blazer pocket.

While some students signed up at the last minute either with a roommate or as a joke, a few participants walked in with the intention of meeting a potential partner, or as the MC for the event shouted excitedly throughout the night, a “looooooo-ve connection.”

Thaaaat didn’t make me feel awkward at all.

And neither did the few spectators who sat and watched the whole event unravel.

Were they there to write a paper on mating rituals for a psychology class, or simply out of morbid curiosity? Who knows, but fellow students watching their peers attempting to throw down their game is quite unsettling.

But USU Productions found a way to curb those awkward silences.

Questions could be pulled from bowls on the participants’ tables, ranging from “Where would we go on a first date besides speed dating?” to “If you were an animal, what would you be?”

Anything but pensive, but hey, it sure beats staring into space. For a majority of the time, anyway.

Because more females participated than males, occasionally a girl would have to sit out the three minutes without a partner. And sometimes, I welcomed the break.

While speed dating might not seem deep and intense, as one participant said, “In two hours, how many dates is that?”

A lot for a Monday night, no doubt, as another speed-dater said at the end of the evening when his voice hurt from talking so much to so many people about the same thing.

That’s not to say I wasn’t glad I could take a break from getting to know people who, say, may have been so preoccupied with their own extracurricular activities that they neglected to ask anything about me.

Isn’t the purpose of speed dating to get to know new people, not tell your partner your life story? How much speed dating time could you possibly devote to telling someone you’ve never met about your crazy hobbies?

The full three minutes, apparently.

Tuy, who said the idea to have speed dating on campus “just popped into my brain” during a USU Productions retreat, said she received positive feedback from the participants.

“I was told it was very fun, they loved it,” Tuy said.

Tuy said USU Productions plans to host another speed dating event for Valentine’s Day.

Some participants said they would sign up for speed dating again and the event was good for meeting new people.

Several also thought speed dating would be good at the beginning of the semester, especially for freshmen.

Speed dating is one of things I can check off my list of “100 things I Want to Do Before I Die.”

At the very least, speed daters find out fast what turns them on or off.

Like being a triple major. Now that’s definitely a turn-off.

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