Being Greek
During the Week
January 23, 2008
If you tried hitting the gym over the last three weeks, you may have noticed
how hard it was trying to find a treadmill or other piece of equipment. College
students with nothing better to do, along with young professionals and others
working through their New Year’s Resolutions probably had a lot to do with
that. January is an interesting month in that there’s a huge emphasis on
sports and fitness in this country, both by participants and spectators alike.
The DC Greek community is not immune to this either, as January is typically the
start of the Greek League basketball season, which invariably has to be worked
around the NFL Playoff Schedule. We were pleased to hear that the YAL Basketball
Tournament earlier this month organized by St. George YAL was successful in
attracting both men’s and women’s teams for a weekend of basketball and
fellowship.
In beginning this year thinking about how life in the Greek community in this
area could improve, it’s natural to think about ways how people can come
together in a less event-oriented way. Coming out of the holiday season, the
traditional mid-point of the Dinner Dance circuit in DC, it’s hard to imagine
hanging out with Greeks without getting dressed up for a night in a church hall,
hotel or other venue; not that this is a bad thing. What our community is
missing for the most part during the year, with the exception of Greek League,
are opportunities for Greek young adults to come together or meet in low-key
settings. Going back to how this article began, with a trip to the gym, think
about how many people meet in the gym, or in the beer aisle at the Harris
Teeter, Social Safeway, or its neighborhood equivalent, or volunteering through
some young professionals society that give young adults an opportunity to give
back. There is no Greek gym or Greek Safeway, and outlets for meeting people
while doing good works (outside of the YALs, which unfortunately most Greek
young adults don’t get involved with consistently in this area) are absent.
For those of you who have ridden the Metro during the warm months here in DC,
think about how many of those colorfully loud WAKA (World Adult Kickball
Association) shirts you see people wearing, with guys and girls playing a game
for a couple of hours on a summer evening and kicking back at a local bar
afterwards. How great would it be to have some co-rec leagues of any sport in
the Greek community here in DC, or other organized ways of Greeks getting
together on a random Tuesday or Wednesday night after work, in a setting that
doesn’t carry with it the traditional pressures or expectations of a meet
market?
All of these thoughts are based on the premise that Greek-Americans would
prefer to perform these activities with other Greek-Americans around, whether it
is breaking a sweat, breaking bread, or giving back. Among those Greek-American
young adults who are still looking for that nice Greek guy or girl to settle
down with, it not like these increased opportunities to be around other Greek
young adults could hurt. We hope that this concept would appeal to those who
have either found someone or aren’t looking as well; that “the search” isn’t
the only thing that’s keeping them active in the Greek community in the first
place. These are just a few thoughts with which to start off the year, hoping
that some of these spur some discussion or change in the months ahead.
Read
past feature articles