Speed dating...

...is the new adrenaline rush for today’s singles and is happening in major urban centres across North America. Eligible men and women gather in trendy restaurants in search of multiple quick and painless introductions to members of the opposite sex. Most event organizers promise an even number of men and women.

Typically, the women sit while the men rotate. Faster than it takes your nails to dry, each person has just minutes to outline the basics of their personality, career, hobbies and goals in life.

Both parties keep a scoresheet. Each person privately checks off either a ‘yes’ if they want to meet again, or ‘no’ if they don’t. Score sheets are collected and within days, your matches, if any, are e-mailed to you. Full contact info is only revealed if both parties said 'yes.' If either person declined, no information is traded and feelings are spared.

Essentially, you could meet dozens of members of the opposite sex in less time than it takes to have highlights done.

“My biological clock is ticking,” says 33-year-old Julie, who works as a financial planner. “I don’t have time to waste in bars, laundromats or bookstore cafés. Speed dating is an efficient way to meet lots of single men in one night out.”

“It was a blur,” says 27-year-old marketing co-coordinator, Alicia. “By the time I met guy number 11, I couldn’t remember anything about guy number two.”

“It was like an all-you-can-eat-buffet,” says 29-year-old Doug, a pharmacist. “There were lots of women, but it was almost too much of a good thing. I prefer to order a-la-carte.”

Never have first impressions mattered more than with speed-dating. The rendezvous rush can be extremely high-pressured. A speed-date faux-pas can easily put the brakes on a second meeting.

“The third guy I met was really handsome. I was in heaven,” says 23-year-old student Katherine. “Then he asked me what my measurements were and I came crashing back to earth. Luckily, I met a few other interesting men that night and am still dating one of them.”

In a world of high speed Internet, instant mashed potatoes and drive-through banking, many women are looking for and finding simple solutions to expedite their love life. Speed-dating delivers quantity, if not quality, and has taken dating to a new level of fun, excitement and efficiency.