Secrets to a smooth children’s Sumo party
From Ash Jumping Castles and Sumo Suits Sydney
Make sure you have a Gyoji
This is the official Sumo referee; he or she should be skilled at crowd control – no matter how big or small your contestants!
Minimise distractions
The best parties are when everyone is focused on the ‘fighting’; it creates a human amphitheatre. Children can be distracted by the smallest things when they are waiting for their turn so you will do well to keep things like balls and balloons out of sight. Fortunately, having the party table laid out and ready doesn’t ever seem to act a distraction…more of an incentive!
Chairs aren’t needed
It is an important for safe Sumo that the area around the mat is clear of chairs. The children will be seated on the floor at the side of the mat supporting their team.
Don’t encourage the birthday girl or boy to pick teams.
Your `Gyoji` should sort out the teams by height so that everyone has the best chance of a good fight.
Sitting down
Your Gyoji is only one person in the midst of a dozen exited children. He or she should make a big deal about getting the children to sit down at the side of the mat whilst a fight is in progress. When the children keep this discipline he can spend more time on running the fights than on herding kids, resulting in more goes all round.
