Search Party411:

• Party411 Home
• Using Party411
• Party Advice

Shop Online
• The Shops
    @ Party411.com

• Party Talk
    Newsletter
• Daily Dish Blog

Personalize Your Party
• Personalized Candy
• Banners
• Life-Sized Cutouts
• Photo Ops
• Caricatures
• Invitations
• Sign-In Boards and
    Sign-In Books
• Bottle Labels
• Centerpieces
• Seating Cards
• Personalized
    Mint Tins
• Favors, Accessories
    and more!
• Custom Party Plans
• Creations for You

Plan Your Party
• Theme Parties
• Special Occasions
• Holiday Parties
• Corporate Event
    Planning
• Party Decorating411
• Party Games
• Invitations
• PartyMenu411
• Planning Guides

Expert Advice
• Corporate Consultant
• The Party Girl
• The Etiquette Queen
• The Game Girl
• Invitation Diva
• Fashion Queen
• The Party Doctor
• Party FAQs

• Door Prizes
• Discussion Forums
• Your Parties
• About Party411
• Advertising
    Opportunities

• Site Map

A Sporting Life

It's hard to not think of sports when you think of certain graduates. Whether they were team captain or a great fan, they love the sport. I have one friend who cannot have a conversation without soccer coming up. Simply loves the sport. If you have a sports loving graduate, it's a good idea to use that sport as a theme for the graduation. This is especially effective with smaller parties or younger graduates, although it can work for anyone who's a fan(atic).

Graduation Invitation

For the varsity athlete the perfect invitation is a caricature invitation. Our amazing artist will create a one-of-a-kind caricature that will recreate the best parts of their career. Show them in uniform making the winning shot or ready for action. This caricature not only makes a great invitation but you can also use it for your centerpieces and sign in board

Or, we also have other graduation invitation options where you can add your graduate’s photo (maybe in uniform?).  Very popular this year is the “Varsity Magazine” cover.  A great choice with this theme.

Or go with our ticket invitations, they are perfect for this theme and they come in lots of colors. There are lots of invitations out there. Don’t forget if you plan on everyone playing a game of basketball, touch football, etc. make sure you tell everyone to dress appropriately. 

Welcome to the Arena

As people enter, place an easel sign welcoming everyone to "Play the Game". For basketball you can “Hoop it Up!” for the graduate. For soccer "Joey Graduated. What a Kick!" You get the idea.

Balloon bouquets are a wonderful, and inexpensive, way to decorate this area with the school colors. Have some pom-poms and noisemakers available so guests can cheer the graduate on. At the entrance add a custom cutout of the grad dressed in his or her favorite sporting gear. This is another way to use that great caricature you had created.

If your party is outside create a balloon arch mixed with sports theme balloons, or just have footballs, basketballs, or baseballs mixed with balloons in the school colors. Continue these arches throughout the hallway. Your guests will feel like they are coming through the tunnel and onto the playing field!   Another option is to have your guest walk under custom sports banner personalized just for the occasion.

The Playing Area

Start by having everyone check in at the scorer’s table. Have a sign-in board using a caricature of the graduate, so guests can write their congratulations. We also have sports sign-in boards. Have balloons tied to the easel. 

Centerpieces are important. You can use a personalized centerpiece, or turn over a plastic hat in either a football,  baseball, basketball, or soccer design (or mix them up!) and fill it with balloons and shredz or paper confetti available at party stores. 

You can set up a sports photo op and hand out personalized cameras to your guests for some great graduation day memories.  You can buy the large cardboard cutouts of famous sports stars for people to post with, or get a sports themed photo op so your guests can pose as the sports star! Or you can go with a more traditional graduation theme Class of 2009 photo op. Either way, everyone will remember the fantastic time they had with a photo memory of the graduation party.

It is also important to display memories of the graduate's life.  Maybe pictures of the graduate in uniform from little league when they were only six, or sports trophies they earned while on the school soccer team.  Display these throughout the rooms, or on one special table where guests can gather and reminisce. 

Don’t forget teammates!  One of the best things about playing sports is being on a team.  Teammates often become lifelong friends.  Sure your kid is the star on this day but include pictures of teammates and take plenty of group pictures.