Covering a sport you know nothing about

I must be in some strange alternate universe. Can't get a thing out of the local wrestlng community unless we staff a dual match, which is about the only time they're at home. It's not like they don't know how to contact us, since I've been snail-mailing "how to get stuff in the paper" letters along with my card to every coach in our coverage area (about eight schools),but it's like they just don't care or want to be bothered.

Don't mean to theadjack (although any ideas are wonderful), mostly need to vent.

 

thing I learned early on about field hockey is that the girl who scores the goal picks the ball out of the cage and brings it to center field

 

I remember one of the first assignments I had in my first job out of school was a rugby game and I didn't have a clue about the scoring or any of the terminology — mind you, my editor was no help laughing when I reported a team went through three hookers in one game — but I talked to the coaches and figured it out. Soon I became the person parents were asking to explain the game and the coaches really appreciated my analysis on and off the record.

Another tricky one for me was volleyball. When I was in high school, which was the last time I'd been to a volleyball game, they used side out scoring and I didn't know anything about a libero, among other rules. It was hard to understand some of the scoring and follow some of the rotations until it was explained. Asking always pays off.

 

I have no idea how to cover lingerie football.

 

I would think going into the locker room for quotes would be of the greatest importance.

 

You can't go to the AD/principal of the schools about it?

 

I think you might have to feel your way around on that one.