Select sports based on the abilities of your invited guests.

When we hear the word "party," most of us immediately think of the basics: food, beverages, a little music, and maybe some presents. But to beat the blues of the "ordinary" party, many people have been planning parties with interesting themes, like an arts and crafts party or a karaoke party. One alternative that both adults and children find very fun is a sports party, where the guests team up for a variety of games and competitions.

Rio Saken has been coaching youth sports for six years and is the director of Saken Sports Camp, which runs programs during summer, winter and spring breaks. Saken has been running sports parties for children for a decade and offers these basic tips for getting your sports party off the ground:

• Offer a variety of sports. For a successful sports party, Saken suggests choosing more than just one sport. Pick between two and four sports, and allot 20 to 30 minutes for each game.

• Select games based on ability. Consider the type of people you're going to invite. If you're hosting a group of ex-college jocks, they're going to be fairly competitive, so basketball or soccer might be good choices. On the other hand, if you have children or older adults coming over, you might want to select more cooperative games, like a relay race, egg toss or water balloon toss.

• Just have fun. It's no secret that most people need more fun in their lives. Saken sees a sports party as a way of bringing people back to a more innocent time, when the joy of playing was more important than serious grown-up matters. Throwing a sports party is an easy way to get together with friends, family, or co-workers and just have a good time.

For more help with planning a sports party, check out the following organizations and websites:

Games Kids Play
www.gameskidsplay.net

Party 411
www.party411.com

Evite.com
www.evite.com