Hobbies can open the door to love
Many couples found each other when they made the decision to be a joiner, pursue a passion
“You have to put yourself out there if you’re going to meet anyone” is perhaps the most annoying phrase you can say to a single person. Unfortunately, it’s kind of true.
If you’re interested in meeting new people this summer, be a joiner. No matter your interests — sports, dancing, comics, art, comedy — there are clubs, meetups and events just for you. You might even meet someone who will change your life for the better.
I spoke with several Toronto couples who met their forever-partners while pursuing their hobbies and passions. The best part? Most of them didn’t even see it coming. Toronto Kickball (Torontokickball.com, Sundays in Alexandra Park)
In 2011, separate friends encouraged Elizabeth Robichaud, then 22 and new to Toronto at the time, and Saajid Motala, then 26, to join Toronto Kickball — a recreational soccer-baseball league that meets in Alexandra Park most Sundays, in order to meet new people. Motala says he was immediately drawn to Robichaud and sought out excuses to get to know her, such as taking her photograph for their annual fundraising calendar, but it took a while for their romance to blossom. “We met sometime in June or July, but didn’t start talking to each other until November of that year,” Robichaud recalls. The pair has now been together for five years.
“Group sports are a great way to meet new people and push your comfort zone while being active,” Robichaud says.
“It’s a great place to make friends, and sometimes more than friends,” says Toronto Kickball commissioner Mike Dalton. “It’s always great to start off with a common interest and it’s in a fun, low-pressure atmosphere.” Toronto Singles Dances (Singlesparties.com, next dance is at The Old Mill at 21 Old Mill Rd. on July 29 at 8 p.m.)
It was love at first sight for Peter and Diane Finch when they met at a rockthemed diner 30 years ago. Now, they’re helping other couples fall in love. For 25 years, they’ve been running weddingstyle dances for singles at classy venues across Toronto every Saturday night. The crowd currently skews to people in their 50s and 60s.
“The first time people come in, they’re kind of nervous, so we’ll direct them to a MeetUp table. That really helps to break the ice,” Diane says.
Retired schoolteacher Diana Wolczek, 59, met her husband at one of Peter and Diane’s events in 2009. “Tony asked me to dance and the rest is history. We hit it off right away.”
She says the event is worth attending, even if you’re a wallflower.
“(The dances have) more of a social feel rather than just going out to a nightclub. They’re warm and welcoming,” Wolczek says.
“The dance floor is packed all night,” Peter Finch says. “You can’t even move on it.” That’s a sweaty, surefire recipe for meeting new people, whether you like it or not. Second City Improv (secondcity.com, various dates and times)
Alex Crawford, 47, and Irina Mann, 29, started taking improvisation classes at Second City for different reasons. Mann had recently immigrated to Canada from South America and wanted to work through her anxiety. Crawford had been doing standup for a few months and wanted to sharpen his comedy skills. He was entering month five of sobriety and was looking for an activity to occupy his time. They met at an improv workshop.
“I’ll never forget the way she looked,” Crawford says. “She was stunning. Took my breath away.”
After performing a particularly awk- ward scene together, they became friends. Mann was in a relationship at the time, but when that ended, the two realized they had a lot in common.
The pair got engaged inside the head of the Statue of Liberty this past December.
“I am lucky to have found someone who enjoys my company as much as I enjoy his and that is a blessing,” Mann says. “It’s been a few years now, and we’re still enjoying each other’s company. You never know where you can find that one person who makes you want to discover the world with them.” Toronto Sport and Social Club (Torontossc.com, various dates and times)
It took Kristine Collins, now 38, a long while to develop a crush on her recreational basketball league teammate, Denton Levy, 46.
“In fact, I didn’t really love playing with him,” admits Collins, a former varsity basketball player. “He was a very good player, but too quiet for me and he was always telling me what to do. The idea of a man telling me how to play basketball made me go bananas.”
When Levy injured his knee and was out for the season, he found ways to keep bumping into Collins: “I’d see her at the gym while I was rehabbing my knee — or I’d try to go to the gym when I knew she would be there.”
“Frequency is key,” Collins says. “You never know who you will connect with. The fact that I saw (Denton) every week gave me the chance to get to know him.”
The former teammates have been married for 10 years and have a young daughter — a budding athlete herself. Nowadays, she’s the one who tells them both what to do. Sofi Papamarko is a writer and the founder of Friend of a Friend Matchmaking, friendofafriendmatchmaking.com. Reach her at facebook.com/sofipapamarko