By Victoria Irwin
Senior Correspondent
You glance across the room at the Jedi in his movie quality robes, clutching awkwardly at his replica light-saber. For a moment, you wonder if there’s a spark, but know that it’s going to take all of the courage inside your TARDIS-corseted chest to say hello. If there’s one thing this geek girl has never been good with it’s the subtle and confusing art of dating. Thankfully, there’s Sci-Fi Speed dating to help get all that awful introduction stuff over with quickly and semi-painlessly.
Sci-Fi speed dating is the brain child of the hilarious Ryan Glitch of New York. Founded in 2010, Sci-Fi Speed Dating aims to get those shy guys and girls at conventions across the country to talk to each other, rather than hide behind their intricately detailed replicas. Glitch, a large jovial man, is often seen clothed in both his formal and informal Jedi robes. Using a standard speed dating format- 3 minutes with each person before switching on- the particular session I sat in on had over 35 girls vying for attention. He jokes quite frequently that he loves his job because it allows him to go to comic conventions for free. Sci-Fi Speed Dating is not just reserved for those of the heterosexual persuasion. At Phoenix Comic Con there was a special session geared especially for the LGBT community.
There is nothing quite like being surrounded by cosplayers nervously asking questions of their possible suitor sitting across from them. Here, a woman dressed as the TARDIS can ask a Professor about their particular love of Star Trek. Across the room, a gentleman dressed in a full Steampunk ensemble can ask Raven of Teen Titans what her favorite color is (purple of course!). When things get too awkward, Glitch knows when to take a comedy break; he peppers up the moments of nervous staring and slight hyperventilating with stories about everything from terrible first dates to the time he gave someone CPR and broke 5 of their ribs in the process.
To schedule Sci-fi Speed dating for your Con, or to just check out where they will be next, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SciFiSpeedDating