Evening star., 1925-11-12

apt to be painful IN more TIL
old England is very deceptive to the {
when played by experts-too simple,
Apparently. there is nothing to it
outside knocking Il large white bali
up and down a field with crooked,
flat-faced stick. Aside from the
runner, almost anybody between the
ages of 10 and 70 ought to be able
to play it--or so it seems, until you
have tried it.
What II Requires.
Your first experience is apt to
prove "A revelation as astonishing as
ii is uncomfortable.
Perhaps YOU are told to guard the
goal as right haltbacll or some such
thing. Your instructions are to pre-
vent the other team from getting
the ball across your goal line. You
are TO run in on it when you see
it coming in your direction. Having
run in all YOU have to do is to
give the ball good whack and send
it back where it came from. 1t
seems absurdly simple. Almost
childish.
The first time the ball approaches
you raise your stick and take
cordng To Instructions. The force of
that blow. striking nothing but
atmosphere nearly throws you on
your head. The ball rolls merrily ON
IS way while YOU struggle desper-
itely to recover your balance. feel
ing very much like the base ball
PLAYER who had imbibed unwisely
before the game and insisted upon
hitting the middle BAH with the out
side bat.
ON top of the humiliation of missing
that sphere which suddenly has
seemed to shrink in size. foul is
called on you for using your hockey
stick like a golf club. You begin to
learn that there Is a certain amount
of science 10 the manipulation of
hockey sticks.
Many Fouls Made.
Practically every time you get into
action foul is called for some little
trife like Coliding with your OBJ
ponent. coming up on her left side, or
hitting with the wrong side of the
stick-not that YOU hit anything, but
YOU might have, and, anyway, using
that side of the stick is all wrong.
After a few thousand fouls have
been called, YOU begin to realize in a
confused sort of way that the old
game is not so simple after ALL You
scarcely dare to move for fear of per
petrating another foul against the
complicated system OF rules.
Then there is that little matter of
keeping Your footing. There seems TO
be quite a knack 20 it, Invariably.
your leet insist upon slipping from
under you just as you lift your stick
to strike. Once, YOU fall on top of
that ridiculously small bit of leather
winch every one is trying TO get a
"hack at. causing you to feel foolish
to the nth degree. Nor is your anguish
entirely mental. You collect quite a
number of bruises here and there be-
fore YOU contrive to scramble to your
feet and out of the path of whirling
sticks. And another foul is called for
impeding the progress of the ball
with the body"
Every time you attempt to get into
the general melee it seems that each
stick which misses the balI-yours in.
cluded-finds its mark somewhere be-
tween your ankles and your knees.
The whole affair is apt TO be quite
PAINFUL, as well as enlightening.
VIII Practice Today.
Members Of the Washington Field
Hockey Association will meet this aft
ernoOn at 4 o'clock on the E,llipse for
their regular practice period ANY
hockey players who desire to do so are
invited to join the group in their
games each Thursday and Saturday
afternoon.
NJ. Jean Reed, English hockey
coach, who has volunteered her serv-
ices as instructor in this sport in two
local seminaries. has very generously
spared some of her time to give point
ers to the members Of the Washing
ton association as well. Too much
cannot be said for the value of her
unSelfiSh service to all those interested
in learning hockey as it IS played by
its OriginatOrs. Miss Reed $ remark
able work in this field is another ex-
ample of the Britishers' traditional
love of sport for sports sake. 1t IS
this enviable trait in our European
cousins which makes the whole world
look to them as the supreme exem-
plifers of true craftsmanship.
Picked soccer squads from Friends
Schools intermediate and high school
departments clashed Tuesday after
noon in the second game of the inter
department series. The Intermediates
sprang a surprise by whitewashing
the high school team, to 0.
Mariana Thomas, captain and star
player on the high school eleven,