The highlights of the Taft winter are undoubtedly the freezing days, the dying hope for the arrival of Spring, and of course, the Winter Formal. Well, not so much the night of dancing and awkwardly sitting next to your date at dinner, but what got you to Formal in the first place: The Asks. We’ve seen some good ones, bad ones, embarrassing ones, and even unwanted ones in the past, but today, we’re here to cover the best of the best, and if you’re looking for an idea for a last-minute Formal Ask, this might just be your saving grace. So let’s ignore the cheesy lines, the name puns, and especially the two-word last-minute scribbled posters.
First, we have a 2023 ask from Lachlan Hawes ‘23 that involved a student rowing across the pond in a sailor’s outfit to woo his date. It’s certainly one of the most high-effort ones on this list and is not a task for the faint of heart. You will need to be able to row yourself, and being stranded in the middle of the pond would not be the optimal result. However, it certainly paid off, and even now, two years later, we still remember the time someone kayaked across the pond for a formal ask. It was a bit of a warmer winter, so I wouldn’t personally recommend replicating that one this year, but it’s nevertheless a strong start to our list.
Staying on the theme of vehicles, the Zamboni up on the hockey rink has seen a few appearances for formal asks. There’s one in particular in 2019, where a student lay on top of the Zamboni, holding a formal sign during his date’s hockey practice. This one certainly takes some high-up connections with the athletic center staff but would be worth the favors and IOUs to have your ask be driven around the ice. The pure surprise of someone riding into Odden on their Zamboni steed is sure to shock someone into saying yes to a night at Formal.
Another throwback from 2019 is one ominous image of a formal poster hanging just underneath the American flag on top of Wu. I’m still not quite sure how you would orchestrate such a task, but it would be quite the gesture. Just imagine yourself casually walking on Wu train and telling your date to “look up,” and there it is, your glorious formal ask flapping in the wind. You might not get to retrieve your flag, but it would be worth the time and effort.
We even had a few notable asks from last year, featuring our very own Papyrus staff: Malin Adams ‘25 and Quinn Leonard ‘25. Malin truly went above and beyond by shoveling “FORMAL?” on the snowy lacrosse turf, and with the help of some well-timed run practice, laid his love out. Quinn on the other hand, spelled out a formal ask with some cream puffs, making for a delicious and wholesome treat.
For some notable mentions, music has always been a perfect way to serenade your way to a formal date. Oriocos has been known to do performances in the past for a formal ask, and perhaps we’ll see a revival this year as well. Isaac Obeng ‘26 has also been a hit for the past two years with his ukulele, bursting into classrooms and dorms for beautiful renditions of ballads and love songs.
For those of you who are still debating whether or not to ask your crush out – put some effort into it, be confident and maybe you’ll find yourself on a spot on this list next year.
