Last week, my 13-year-old daughter hit me with some stunning news: "Mom," she said. "I'm going to try out for the school basketball team."

"Really?" I said. "You are?"

I know, I know...that's not exactly a supportive maternal reaction, is it? But you have to understand. My daughter is just under five feet tall -- not exactly what you'd consider basketball player stature. And did I mention that she's never played basketball a day in her life?

"Yup," she said. "I'm going to do it."

"OK," I said as neutrally as I could. "Just do your best."

For three afternoons, she went to try-outs, taking part in grueling exercises with names like "suicides," while also trying to learn the fundamentals of the game. Each night, she'd come home exhausted and one evening, she sat on the couch and said, "Mom, my legs hurt so much."

It sort of broke my heart to see her putting so much effort into this. After all, more than 20 girls were trying out for the team, and many of them were returning players. And with height being such a big part of basketball, frankly I figured she just didn't have the body for it.