How to “Win Gold” in the Dating Olympics

After the medals have been awarded at the Olympic Games in London, another kind of Olympics will once again dominate the thoughts of millions of people. This is the “Dating Olympics,” which consumes the hearts and minds of 99.6 million unmarried adults in America.

Chad Stone, author of a humorous guide to dating called Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet (www.middleagedbabemagnet.com), says there are many similarities between the Olympic Games and modern dating.

“For many single adults, dating is an Olympic sport,” says Stone. “Many men and women train for their dates as if they were competing in a world-class sporting event, and many singles aren’t happy until they have won the equivalent of a gold medal in dating.”

According to Stone, there are eight dating styles in the Dating Olympics:

Marathon Dater—Just as a marathon runner logs a lot of miles, the Marathon Dater goes on lots of dates. These dates are spread across many years, leaving the Marathon Dater exhausted. This is the “kiss a lot of frogs” approach to finding love. Sometimes, out of sheer persistence, this approach works. But sometimes Marathon Daters “hit the wall” and settle for a life of singleness.

The Sprinter—The Sprinter can’t stand to NOT have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Before his cell phone cools from the last breakup call, he is dashing off to find a replacement. When a female Sprinter finds someone she likes, she can’t wait to “cross the finish line.” We used to call women like this “easy.” Now we say she is behaving like a man.

Gold Medal Perfectionist—Have you ever known someone who is great at first and second dates, but never seems to find true love? Gold Medal Perfectionists hold out for that Perfect 10 that is sometimes (very rarely) achieved during an Olympic event, but almost never happens in real life. A Gold Medal Perfectionist is so picky that no mere mortal is ever good enough, so why bother with a third date?

The Coach—These know-it-alls freely share their vast knowledge of the opposite sex with anyone who will listen. They give great pep talks to friends who have just returned from a horrible date. They give free advice about relationships and what  their friends did wrong on their dates. But somehow these Coaches never take their own advice, and they rarely go out on successful dates.

Perpetual Training Mode—These singles seem to always be preparing for getting back into the dating game. A female in Perpetual Training Mode reads several dating blogs, always looks great and is probably addicted to mani-pedis, because you know how important first impressions are. A male in Perpetual Training Mode goes to the gym a lot to work on his biceps. (Your biceps can never be too big.) But all of this prep time leaves precious little time for actual dating.

Out-of-the-Medals—This type is the polar opposite of the Gold Medal Perfectionist. He or she isn’t nearly picky enough. Why wait for a Gold Medalist when you can go out with someone who didn’t make the Olympic team, but has a really cool Olympics souvenir t-shirt? Unfortunately, people who settle for anyone with a pulse quickly get bored with these losers. But when your standards are this low, at least you can always find someone to go out with.

Individual Medley Dater—Just like the swimmers who do four different strokes during a single race, Individual Medley Daters aren’t content to date just one person at a time. It may be fun for a while, but ultimately this type of dater gets himself into trouble when he gets the names of his dates mixed up.

Confident Competitor—The true champion in the dating arena combines the best qualities of the other Olympic dating styles. Like the Gold Medal Perfectionists, they are looking for quality—but they know that perfection is for fairy tales, not for real life. Confident Competitors are their own best coaches, but they aren’t afraid to put themselves in the game. Like Marathon Daters, they know that sometimes you need persistence to keep dating in order to find someone worthy of a commitment. The Confident Competitors don’t panic and don’t pull muscles from trying too hard. They finish the race at their own pace, and by knowing what they want and not settling for an also-ran, they find the man or woman of their dreams.

Chad Stone’s humorous guide to dating, Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet, contains lots of additional advice and observations about dating and relationships in the 21^st century. Chad Stone uses his post-divorce experiences to illustrate a series of “Babe Magnet Rules” that provide insightful advice on how to find, woo and win a modern woman. For women, the book offers a rare, uncensored look into the mind of a single man.

 

Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet by Chad Stone is available from as a trade paperback and an eBook from www.amazon.com. More information is available at www.middleagedbabemagnet.com.