A girl's guide to beer pong

Beer pong. It's a game that has brought children and families together for decades now. You throw a ball and end up with a friend.

Still, for some people, particularly girls, the game may be a mystery. You may wonder: why do others seem as if they're having the time of their lives, while I feel like I'm aimlessly tossing a ball into a cup?

Well, I'm here to say that I have often felt the same way. Sometimes it's hard to see the point. But having played the game for a few years now, I'm what some may call a "veteran," and I have determined a few secrets to making it more fun.

1. Find a good partner.

Make it someone you're interested in canoodling with later. It's the weekend, and it's time to get down to business. Beer pong is a purely social game - nobody actually gets excited about winning, it's just a vehicle for bonding with your fellow players without having to stand around making awkward conversation. One moment, you're talking about whose turn it is, the next you're discussing what to name your kids - it's easy!

2. If you want to play, sign up as soon as you can.

Don't let guys monopolize the table and shove you out of the way. You don't want to be the last person on the list who only gets to play when the table's already soaked, people are starting to file out of the apartment and nobody feels like doing anything anymore. Get on in there, girlfriend.

3. Be sure to make at least one cup.

I know you don't practice the game alone in your room every night like the guys, but you still have to hold your own. If you don't think you can do it, take the first turn when all the cups are still together and it's virtually impossible not to make one. You don't have to be a pro at the game, but you don't want to be embarrassed. If all else fails, you're allowed to practice in your room one night per week for two hours.

4. Be careful when bending down to get a ball.

If you're wearing a skirt or a dress, just don't get it at all. Your Fruit-of-the-Looms are for your viewing pleasure, and yours only (for the most part).

5. Stay out of the way of aggressors.

There will inevitably be a player in the game - not you - who gets overly aggressive: from cursing people out when the cups are a millimeter too far apart to pelting the ball at his or her rival's eye when asked for it. They will have forgotten that it's just a game and that they will (probably) survive if they lose. Once the balls start coming bullet-style, remember to duck.

Beer pong isn't the most amusing game in the world, but it's a classic that you will pass down to your children. Follow these simple rules, and you'll be able to have more fun, make a cup or two and end up with a canoodle at the end of a long match.