My youngest daughter started high school this year.

She was interested in trying a sport, but hasn’t played a sport since softball when she was very little.

…me watching field hockey trying to figure out what’s going on.

She settled on field hockey, which she has never played before.

I hope it turns out that she loves it and is very happy…but this post is not about her, because I don’t want to write about my children unless, like Major League Baseball over the years, they give me express written consent.

It’s about me.

I can’t help her learn the game at all, because I do not understand field hockey.

Back when I was teaching and coaching the cross-country team our finish line was next to the field where the field hockey team practiced and played. Even with all of those years of close contact, I never figured out the game.

During the last Summer Olympics, field hockey was one of the sports we dabbled in to cheer on Team USA…but I only understood ‘get the ball in the goal’ - not the finer points of the game.

I have watched enough field hockey to know that it seems like almost everything causes a ref to blow the whistle.

I went with my daughter to buy her equipment - that all seemed straightforward enough.

My middle daughter has a friend who played - she lent a stick and some pointers…but maybe eventually we’ll buy a stick, if my daughter decides to keep playing.

I’ve told her I’m willing to help her practice her skills, if we had a couple of sticks to pass the ball (is it a ball? it looks like a ball) back and forth…and she told me what to do.

I kind of hope she takes me up on that at some point.

Because even though I have no idea what’s going on…it kind of looks like fun.