If Susan Esser had known what she was getting into, she might never have started the Quad Cities' speed-dating service.
That first session, in April 2001, didn't go as smoothly as planned, as she was unsure how to facilitate the orderly flow of singles from one person to the next.
That first session, in April 2001, didn't go as smoothly as planned, as she was unsure how to facilitate the orderly flow of singles from one person to the next. "The first night was anarchy," Esser said. "I had never been to a speed-dating session."
Speed dating didn't originate with Esser. Rabbi Yaacov Deyo started it in Los Angeles and wrote a book about it, but Esser didn't have the benefit of that expertise. She had to learn it for herself.
Yet that first experience didn't scare her off. Since then, roughly 2,300 people have tried and 1,100 people remain active in her service, in which single men and women have seven-minute "dates" and then move on to another person. The casual, no-commitment evening allows people to have 10 or more "dates" with people in their age group in a single two-hour session.
In addition to speed dating, Esser also coordinates other events for singles, such as teas for women, a supper club, and a barbecue for singles on June 26.
Esser's service has a pretty amazing track record. At least 25 couples have gotten married after meeting at speed dating, Esser said. (And there's only one divorce so far.) And that's just the tip. "I'll go to the Beaux Arts fair and look around and see 20 of my couples," Esser said.
Roughly a third of the people who participate in speed dating have never been married, Esser said, and the largest age group is 35 to 45. Women once represented three of every four speed-dating participants, she added, but men now make up about 45 percent.
"It's just such an easy place to talk to people," said 33-year-old Lisa, who met her husband Tom at speed dating a year ago. They were married this past weekend. "I thought it was a great concept. It was very low pressure."
Lisa, who asked that her last name not be used, also had high praise for Esser. "I tell everybody [who's single] they should at least try it," she said. "Susan really takes the time to talk to people and ... looks at the kinds of people she's putting together."
Tom, Lisa's new husband, admits that he "wimped out" a couple times on speed dating. But he liked the face-to-face aspect. "I tried the papers, and the personal ads, and it seemed to be a waste of time," he said. He met Lisa on his first visit to speed dating but said he probably would have gone back if he hadn't encountered her.
In speed dating, the women arrive at 7 p.m. and get acquainted, while the men arrive at 7:15. The "dating" starts at 7:30. A person who's interested in somebody from speed dating can call Esser and ask her to pass along a phone number. That means that there's less embarrassment or awkwardness, and of course bad dates end quickly.
And there are bad dates. Lisa recalled that one of her dates answered every question with one- or two-word responses. The seven-minute encounter seemed like an eternity. "It was like a 45-minute date," she said.
Esser started speed dating because she was interested in meeting new people. Her husband Kevin died in 1999 from cancer, and their son was born four months later. She can therefore relate to the challenges faced by some people who come to speed dating.
"I'm really a therapist," Esser said. Many people who use speed dating are coming off a divorce or the death of a spouse. "A lot of people wish they were with their spouses," she said. "You're dealing with a lot of people who've been really hurt, a lot of people with a lot of grief."
For more information about Speed Dating, visit (http://www.7minuteyenta.com). Speed-dating sessions are held Fridays at 7 p.m. at Coffee Hound in Bettendorf. The cost is $25. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (563)355-7644.
Tickets for the June 26 singles barbecue must be purchased by June 20. The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Bettendorf's Middle Park Band Shell.
That first session, in April 2001, didn't go as smoothly as planned, as she was unsure how to facilitate the orderly flow of singles from one person to the next. "The first night was anarchy," Esser said. "I had never been to a speed-dating session."
Speed dating didn't originate with Esser. Rabbi Yaacov Deyo started it in Los Angeles and wrote a book about it, but Esser didn't have the benefit of that expertise. She had to learn it for herself.
Yet that first experience didn't scare her off. Since then, roughly 2,300 people have tried and 1,100 people remain active in her service, in which single men and women have seven-minute "dates" and then move on to another person. The casual, no-commitment evening allows people to have 10 or more "dates" with people in their age group in a single two-hour session.
In addition to speed dating, Esser also coordinates other events for singles, such as teas for women, a supper club, and a barbecue for singles on June 26.
Esser's service has a pretty amazing track record. At least 25 couples have gotten married after meeting at speed dating, Esser said. (And there's only one divorce so far.) And that's just the tip. "I'll go to the Beaux Arts fair and look around and see 20 of my couples," Esser said.
Roughly a third of the people who participate in speed dating have never been married, Esser said, and the largest age group is 35 to 45. Women once represented three of every four speed-dating participants, she added, but men now make up about 45 percent.
"It's just such an easy place to talk to people," said 33-year-old Lisa, who met her husband Tom at speed dating a year ago. They were married this past weekend. "I thought it was a great concept. It was very low pressure."
Lisa, who asked that her last name not be used, also had high praise for Esser. "I tell everybody [who's single] they should at least try it," she said. "Susan really takes the time to talk to people and ... looks at the kinds of people she's putting together."
Tom, Lisa's new husband, admits that he "wimped out" a couple times on speed dating. But he liked the face-to-face aspect. "I tried the papers, and the personal ads, and it seemed to be a waste of time," he said. He met Lisa on his first visit to speed dating but said he probably would have gone back if he hadn't encountered her.
In speed dating, the women arrive at 7 p.m. and get acquainted, while the men arrive at 7:15. The "dating" starts at 7:30. A person who's interested in somebody from speed dating can call Esser and ask her to pass along a phone number. That means that there's less embarrassment or awkwardness, and of course bad dates end quickly.
And there are bad dates. Lisa recalled that one of her dates answered every question with one- or two-word responses. The seven-minute encounter seemed like an eternity. "It was like a 45-minute date," she said.
Esser started speed dating because she was interested in meeting new people. Her husband Kevin died in 1999 from cancer, and their son was born four months later. She can therefore relate to the challenges faced by some people who come to speed dating.
"I'm really a therapist," Esser said. Many people who use speed dating are coming off a divorce or the death of a spouse. "A lot of people wish they were with their spouses," she said. "You're dealing with a lot of people who've been really hurt, a lot of people with a lot of grief."
For more information about Speed Dating, visit (http://www.7minuteyenta.com). Speed-dating sessions are held Fridays at 7 p.m. at Coffee Hound in Bettendorf. The cost is $25. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (563)355-7644.
Tickets for the June 26 singles barbecue must be purchased by June 20. The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Bettendorf's Middle Park Band Shell.
