Rosabelle Sinclair

Infobox Lacrosse Player
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league= School
team= St Leonards School
nationality = Scotland
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uslaxhof = 189

Rosabelle Sinclair, known as the affectionately as the "Grand Dame of Lacrosse", established the first women's lacrosse team in the United States. She was the first woman to be inducted in to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.cite web|url=http://www.lacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/view_profile.php?prof_id=189|title=Rosabelle Sinclair Hall of Fame Biography|publisher=Lacrosse.org|accessdate=2008-06-23]

Sinclair, raised in Scotland, attended St Leonards School in St Andrews, where women's lacrosse had been introduced by Louisa Lumsden. Lumsden brought the game to Scotland after watching a men's lacrosse game between the Canghuwaya Indians and the Montreal Lacrosse Club.cite web |url=http://www.stleonards-fife.org/Index.asp?MainID=4382 |title=History of Lacrosse at St Leonards |accessdate=2008-05-01 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=STLeonards-Fife.org |publisher=]

After leaving St Leonards School, Sinclair attended Madame Osterberg College of Physical Education in Dartford, England, before leaving for the United States. [cite book |title=Women's Lacrosse: A Guide for Advanced Players and Coaches |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8QXZFgaZxBgC&pg=PA1&dq=Rosabelle+Sinclair&sig=ACfU3U2dVv7psJeTK4cPqXj_nHdCEAmR9Q|last=Tucker |first=Janine |authorlink= |coauthors=& Yakutchik, MaryAlice |year=2008 |publisher=JHU Press |location= |isbn=0801888468 |pages=Page 1]

Sinclair arrived in the United States and became a physical education teacher at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland. She introduced lacrosse to the all girls school in 1926. She would continue teaching there and serve as Athletic Director from 1925 to 1951. [cite web|url=http://www.brynmawrschool.org/about/history.aspx|title=History of Bryn Mawr School |publisher=brynmawrschool.org |accessdate=2008-07-18] Women's lacrosse differs greatly from the men's version, and with emphasis on stick skills and proficiency. Sinclair believed the game should be played with feminine refinement, stating:

Sinclair's legacy remains as being responsible for the growth of women's lacrosse in the United States. In 1931, she helped form the United States Women's Lacrosse Association, which later was consolidated into US Lacrosse. [cite web|url=http://www.uslacrosse.org/info/aboutus.phtml|title=About US Lacrosse |publisher=US Lacrosse |accessdate=2008-07-18] Even after her retirement from the Bryn Mawr School, she remained involved in the development of women's lacrosse. In 1978, the Bryn Mawr School renamed their athletic fields in honor of Sinclair shortly before her death in 1981. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEFD61030F93AA15752C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=A Goalie Keeps Faith For an Iroquois Nation|last=Lipsythe|first=Robert|date=January 29, 1993|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=2008-07-22]

References

External links

* [http://www.uslacrosse.org/womens_div/pdf/timeline.pdf A Women's Lacrosse Timeline]

Persondata
NAME=Sinclair, Rosabelle
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Lacrosse player
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=Scotland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=1981