A-Game

I went on a first date with a nice, wholesome UVA boy last night. I showed him around some of the classic Arlington hangouts (draft house and Bob ‘n Edith’s). At the end of the date, we were discussing rendezvous number two, which we determined would involve other friends. My date, looking out for the happiness of his dudes, asked if I had any hot, single lady-friends like myself that I’d be out with, to which I responded I had several. I told him that all of the ladies of A.R.L. were gorgeous, successful, fun, energetic, intelligent, out-going and sweet; and if his friends wanted a chance with them, they better bring their A-game. His question to me at this point is a question that took me quite a while to answer. “What do you mean by A-game?”

What DID I mean? I wasn’t suggesting they needed to show up spinning a basketball on their finger, nor was I suggesting that they should show up with a harem of ladies on their arms. A guy with an A-game is the guy at the bar that peaks our initial interest, and keeps it after opening his mouth. A guy with an A-game is one to whom we’ll give our number and cross our fingers that he’ll call (The Waiting).

That being said, here are some Dos and Don’ts of an A-gamer (all of which came up while I explained to my date, in detail, what constituted an A-game…and of course, reassured him that he was on top of his the night I gave him my digits):

Do
· Approach the girl with something more to say than “hi,” but something less than “want to go home with me tonight?” I recommend a subtle compliment to get the ball rolling.
· Look her in the eye when you’re talking.
· Buy her a drink. One is fine. She’s a keeper if she returns the favour.
· Wear something respectable and clean. You don’t have to be Rico Suave in an Armani suit, but do you really think that a baseball cap, wrinkled shirt and flip flops is going to win us over?
· Have something interesting to talk about. Open-minded opinions on current events, music and culture are good starting points.
· Be courteous. Chivalry is NOT dead and will get you everywhere. We want to date a guy we can bring home to our moms.
· Pay attention to what the girl is saying. If you remember small details from your initial conversation, you’ll win big points on your first date.

Do Not
· Send a friend to tell the girl you want to talk to her.
· Be pretentious. You won’t get anywhere by flaunting your money. We like the idea of a man who is our financial equal, but subtlety is the key.
· Get so hammered that you can’t string a full sentence together without slurring or swaying.
· Be negative, rude, or curse every sentence. Again, we want to be able to bring you home to our moms.
· Tell a girl you think she’s beautiful while staring at her chest the entire time (sneak peaks are okay, but don’t ogle).
· Be too aggressive. Give the girl some personal space, and please…don’t grope us before we’ve had a chance to find out your last name. Gross! We want a guy who is interested in getting to know us, not a guy who is pressed!
· Flirt with several other girls after just having flirted with us.
· Call her 10 minutes after getting her number. She’ll think you’re desperate. Wait at least a day, and have a game plan in mind of where you want to take her next.