Christine Sinclair Research Paper

Christine Sinclair born June 12, 1983 in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada is a Canadian soccer player.

For Christine Sinclair, January 6, 2006, was a day to remember. First, the Canadian Soccer Association named her the 2005 female player of the year. Then, later in the day, came the announcement that the British Columbia native had won the 2005 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy as the top female Division 1 college soccer player in the United States. The MAC Hermann Trophy is U.S. soccer's equivalent of the most prestigious award in American college football, the Heisman Memorial Trophy --- and Sinclair had won two of them back to back.

Sinclair's trophy case was already overflowing with booty from her 2005 season with Team Canada and the University of Portland Pilots. A Team Canada veteran, she had been shortlisted for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association Player of the Year Award and named scholar all-American athlete of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Adidas. She had also been named to all-American teams by the NSCAA and Adidas, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz magazines, and the College Sports Information Directors of America.

During 2005, her final year of university, Sinclair had led the Pilots to their second successive College Cup. She had also been named the
tournament's most valuable offensive player and had picked up a host of regional and conference-level honours. She had set a National Collegiate Athletic Association single-season goal-scoring record with 39 goals for the Pilots, who were undefeated in 2005, and her 110 career goals were the second highest in the history of the NCAA.

Setting records is nothing new for Sinclair. The Team Canada forward has been setting the soccer world abuzz ever since she made her Women's World Cup debut against China in 2000. "Christine is one of the best strikers in the world right now," Canadian national team head coach Even Pellerud told Dan Stinson of the Vancouver Sun. "She has a quiet confidence and extreme composure in all areas of the game. We're all looking forward to her next few years as she now moves out of university soccer to the more intensive professional level." Born in Norway, Pellerud coached the Norwegian national women's team to a World Cup championship in 1995 and to a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.

Sinclair was born June 12, 1983, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Her parents, Bill and Sandra (Gant) Sinclair, can fairly be credited with instilling a love of soccer in their daughter. Bill was a soccer coach, and Sandra's brothers were soccer veterans. A professional player for the Vancouver White Caps and Portland Timbers, Brian Gant played for Canada's national team. Bruce Gant played professionally for the Montreal Maniacs and the Portland Timbers, and Brad and Brent Gant were veterans of Vancouver's Metro League. The Gant family's devotion to soccer didn't end there. Sinclair's maternal aunt, Sue Jensen, also played for the national team.

Sinclair's brothers played, too, and by the time she was four, she was joining them as they kicked a soccer ball around. It wasn't long before she was begging to be allowed to practise with her brothers. They were members of the Metro League's South Burnaby Sounders, a silver-level boys' club coached by their father.

"Christine first practised with us when she was five and continued to do so until she was 10," Bill Sinclair told Dan Stinson of the Vancouver Sun. "We did a lot more advanced ball drills than girls of her age did, and she developed a lot of skill. She even played one league game for us when we were short a player --- and scored a goal." In the years to come, Sinclair would demonstrate an uncanny ability to score goals.

A higher level of skills training was only one of the benefits of practising with the boys. More important, according to her father, playing with the boys developed Sinclair's attitude toward the game. "She suffered her fair share of physical abuse," he told Stinson. "The boys didn't show her any mercy just because she was a girl, and that made her a much more aggressive and determined player. Without a doubt, she was ready to play with the girls after she left us."

Sinclair went on to become one of B.C.'s under-14 all stars. In 1999, she played for the under-18 national team. At 16, she made her debut with the women's senior national team during the 2000 Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal, where she led the team in scoring with three goals. On the pitch, she bore a striking resemblance to veteran Canadian striker Silvana Burtini. Physically alike, both were powerful runners with a talent for opening up space for themselves and finding the back of the net. Burtini took the rookie under her wing. That season, Sinclair played in both games in the Nike Cup, scored six goals during the Pacific Cup and played all five games in the Women's Gold Cup.

In May 2001, into her second season with the national team, Sinclair had just finished a season with the powerhouse UBC Alumni when she prepared to lead her Triple-A high school team, Burnaby South, into the provincial championships. Sinclair had already scored 20 goals in 24 games for the national team. "I've always been able to score goals," she told Stinson. "I think my scoring ability developed when I practised with South Burnaby and had to battle for every square inch of grass. My elder brother Michael played for the team, and I was a little envious about that. I used to beg my dad to take me along to training."

Given Sinclair's schedule, her high school teammates would have forgiven her for giving the Triple-A tournament a pass. But that wasn't Sinclair's style. "I just love it," she told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. "I get to play with my friends. That's great. Some of the games are kind of slow, but once you start playing the better teams the games gets more intense."

Larry Moro, coach of the defending Triple-A champion, Centennial, told Ewen: "I think it's a real nice testament to her character. She's been in a lot bigger games than this and she's awfully busy. But coming out and wanting to be a part of what's going on at the school is really something. It says a lot about her."

But for Sinclair, there could never be too much soccer in her life. "Soccer keeps me very busy, but I love playing the game," she told Stinson. "It's pretty much been my life since I was five years old and my dad let me practise with the boys. It was a rough initiation, but a great learning experience at a young age. I've just tried to get better every step of the way."

In August 2001, Sinclair enrolled at the University of Portland on a full athletic scholarship, hoping to make the Pilots' starting lineup in her freshman year. It didn't take long for the team to discover that the Canadian was an outstanding addition.

At the inaugural FIFA World Cup Under-19 Women's Championship, held in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in August and September 2002, Sinclair's performance set the pitch ablaze and stunned spectators. She scored five goals against the U.K., single-handedly sending her team to the semi-final against Brazil. The Canadians then beat Brazil to face the juggernaut U.S. team in the gold-medal final.

Reluctantly, Sinclair found her self the centre of a lot of attention from the press. "I'm just an ordinary kid," she protested to John Korobanik of the Edmonton Journal. When Korobanik pointed out that she was the hottest goal scorer in the tournament, Sinclair told him: "I just feel comfortable in front of the net with the ball. I think it was something I was born with. I have always been able to do it."

To everyone's surprise, Sinclair and her teammates held the U.S. team scoreless during the gold-medal game. The scoreboard read 0-0, and there were 10 seconds left in regulation time when Sinclair found herself at the U.S. net in possession of the ball. Sinclair booted the ball and --- along with everyone in the stadium --- watched it sail harmlessly over the crossbar. It took two hard-fought extra periods for the U.S. to dash Team Canada's hopes with a 1-0 victory.

"I let 'em down," Sinclair told Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal after the game. "My job is to put the ball in the back of the net and I didn't." National team head coach Even Pellerud wasn't buying it. "I just think she was tired," he told Barnes. "She had not much left to give." And nobody was really complaining.

Barnes described the impact of the tournament: "We watched in wonder as [Edmonton] and the country decided it couldn't get enough of an exciting, affordable brand of soccer. Along the way they fell in love with a bunch of teenagers from home towns as diverse as Salt Spring Island, B.C., and Brossard, Quebec." Even after the loss to the USA, the fans swarmed the team wanting souvenirs: everything from hairbands and shoes to autographs and handshakes.

"Look what we did," Sinclair said. "Maybe we'll get the World Cup in 2007. I mean, that's huge. The future of women's soccer in Canada, who knows how big it can get? I think we started it." And nobody was complaining --- the Canadian women had held the U.S. to a 1-0 game, proving that they were competitive with the world champions.

The team may not have won gold at that World Cup, but Sinclair did. She had racked up 10 goals in five games, and FIFA presented her with the Golden Boot trophy as top goal scorer and the Golden Ball as the tournament's most valuable player. Ever the team player, though, Sinclair was disappointed. "I would trade in [the individual trophies] just to get the gold," she told the Vancouver Province. But even Team Canada's opponents were not inclined to hide their respect for Sinclair. "She played outstanding," the U.S. team's head coach, Tracy Leone, told the Province. "She's a world-class player. She's fantastic."

It was only after the tournament that sports writers and fans discovered that Sinclair had injured her ankle during the semi-final --- and had played through the pain without mentioning the injury to anyone. "Someone like that totally deserves all the glory," teammate Michelle Rowe told the Province. "I am really proud of her."

In 2002, Sinclair played for four teams --- the national World Cup team, the under-19 national team, the Portland Pilots and the W-League Vancouver Breakers (now the Whitecaps). She captained the under-19s to the world championship final. In the NCAA tournament, she scored 10 points, including the overtime winner in the final game that won the championship for Portland. With the World Cup team, she scored 76 goals in 56 games. She was named West Coast Conference player of the year, as well as women's college player of the year by Soccer America magazine and player of the year by Soccer Buzz.

By the summer of 2003, however, the pace was beginning to take its toll.
In June, Sinclair came down with mononucleosis during a two-game tour of Mexico and was consigned to bed for a week. She decided to give the W-League club season a pass so she could fully recuperate and rest up for the World Cup in the fall. It was a slow process, and she missed eight weeks' training. In addition to Sinclair's own health problems, her mother was ill, and in August, the Pilots' head coach Clive Charles --- Sinclair's mentor and a family friend --- lost a three-year battle with prostate cancer and died. It was an emotionally draining time for
Sinclair.

National team head coach Even Pellerud wasn't thrilled by Sinclair's layoff. "To be honest, I think she would have been better prepared by playing more games this summer," he told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press. "I have never met a Canadian that played too much soccer," the Norwegian native added. "The problem is that they play too little soccer."

Early in the summer, the national team had begun its preparations for the fourth World Cup with a series of two-game sweeps over Mexico, Brazil and England in exhibition games. "I'm hoping to play a full season with the Whitecaps next year," Sinclair told Stinson mid-summer. "I love Vancouver and my club team, but my focus right now is obviously on the World Cup. It's definitely a case of first things first before I decide what I'll be doing beyond this year."

The World Cup was scheduled to take place in China in September. But after the SARS outbreak there, the tournament was hastily rescheduled to take place in the U.S., judged to be the only country that could organize such a large event on such short notice.

Canada started off badly, losing its opening game to Germany 4-1. The solitary goal came from Sinclair. The team recovered to beat Argentina 3-0, but all was not well. "They are not playing up to their potential," assistant coach Ian Bridge told Korobanik. "When we're playing well, everything is fast, everyone's on the same page and our attacks are intuitive. We've had few moments in this tournament where the players up front have looked sharp."

Up front, Sinclair and fellow forward Christine Latham were suffering a lack of quality time with the ball --- Canada's midfield was being badly outplayed. "It was so frustrating against Argentina," Sinclair told Korobanik. "Christine and I barely ever got the ball."

But Team Canada made it out of its group to the quarter-finals. There, they would face China, and the outcome was far from certain. One of the best teams in the world, China had held the U.S. to a tie in the 1999 final, only to lose the game in a shootout.

When Team Canada beat the Chinese team 1-0, the FIFA Website ran its coverage of the game under the headline: "Beasts Beat Beauty." It didn't faze the Canadians. "I would rather be the beast if I get the win. I would rather win looking ugly than lose looking pretty," forward Charmaine Hooper told Korobanik. "You know, people talk about pretty soccer and say Canada plays ugly, but no one remembers how you played: they remember the result. We're not concerned because someone plays prettier than us: we're just concerned with winning."

Sweden beat Canada 2-1 in the semi-finals, relegating Sinclair and her teammates to the bronze-medal game against the U.S. Before the game, Sinclair's coach expressed his satisfaction with her. "She has given me all I expected, based on her summer," Pellerud told Korobanik. "She's been sick, she's had emotional distractions. There are a lot of things going on in her life: a lot of distractions. I'm really impressed with what she's done."

But Team Canada never did quite get its game together. The Americans beat them 3-1 to take the bronze medal. The Swedes lost their final to take silver. And the Germans took home World Cup gold.

Despite the disappointment, the tournament had been a lesson to Sinclair on the impact women's soccer was having in Canada. Looking over the stands during the game with China, she had noticed young women wearing Team Canada jerseys with her name on the back. "It's pretty cool," she told Canadian Press. "It's one thing to look up in the stands and see flags and things like that, but to see people wearing Canadian jerseys.... If it happens to be one with your name on the back, it's amazing."

After her record-setting final year at the University of Portland, Sinclair has shifted her focus to ensuring that Canada qualifies for the 2007 Women's World Cup tournament in China. "The national team is going to take up a lot of my time, but there might be a chance to fit in some club side games over the course of the year," she told Stinson.

By February 2006, a couple of Swedish First Division women's teams had offered Sinclair contracts. Declining to name them, she told Stinson: "I'm not ruling anything out, including the possibility of playing a few games for the Whitecaps. But national team play comes first for me this year, and it's a matter of seeing how the club side of the game fits in. I didn't expect the offers from Sweden, so that's something I'll deal with when I get a clearer picture of the national team program this year."

In the end, Sinclair signed with the Chelsea Ladies Football Club of the F.A. Women's Premier League. Club officials hoped that the Canadian striker would help the team, which stood next to last in the league, avoid relegation. Sinclair also signed with the Whitecaps. Her duties with the English and Canadian clubs won't clash because their seasons occur at different times of year.

Combined with her goal of helping the Canadian national team qualify for World Cup play, the club duties ensure that 2006 will be an extremely busy year for Sinclair. But this is the way she likes it. Even after playing soccer for 18 years, she still can't get enough of the game she loves.

AWARDS

All-American, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz, 2001; Soccer America Freshman of the Year, 2001; UP Female Athlete of the Year, 2001; West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, 2001; FIFA Golden Boot, FIFA Golden Ball, FIFA Under-19 Women's World Championship, 2002; Player of the Year, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz, 2002; Honda Award, top women's collegiate soccer player, 2002; UP Female Athlete of the Year, 2002; MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, 2002; All-American, NSCAA, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz, 2002; named to first team, All-West Region, NSCAA and Soccer Buzz, 2002; West Coast Conference Player of the Year, 2002; All-WCC first team and WCC All-Academic list, 2002; Offensive MVP, College Cup, 2002; named one of 25 most influential people in Canadian sports, The Globe and Mail, 2002; named to All-Tournament team, College Cup, 2002; MAC Hermann Trophy, 2004; named to MVP team, NSCAA and Soccer America, 2004; All-American and West Region Player of the Year, Soccer Buzz, 2004; named to first team, All-West Region, NSCCA, 2004; College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America third team and CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team, 2004; UP Female Athlete of the Year, 2004; Scholar All-America first team, NSCAA, 2004; West Coast Conference Player of the Year, 2004; All-WCC first team, 2004; WCC All-Academic Team, 2004; shortlisted for FIFA Player of the Year, 2005; NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-America Athlete of the Year, 2005; Honda Award Winner, 2005; NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-America First Team, 2005; Athlete of the Year, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz, 2005; All-American, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz, 2005; Academic All-American of the Year, CoSIDA, 2005; named to Academic All-America First Team and Academic All-District 8 First Team, CoSIDA, 2005; West Region Player of the Year and named to All-West Region First Team, Soccer Buzz, 2005; named to NSCAA All-West Team, College Cup, 2005; named to WCC All-Academic Team and All-WCC first team, Region First Team, 2005; Offensive MVP, College Cup, 2005; named to All-Tournament 2005; Player of the Year, WCC, 2005; MAC Hermann Trophy, 2005; Female Player of the Year, Canada Soccer Association, 2005.

CAREER

Began playing soccer at age four, 1987; practised with boys' team, 1988-1993; played for British Columbia Under-14 All Stars, 1991; played for B.C. provincial team and under-18 national team, 1999; scored first international goal against Norway, 2000; made debut with national World Cup team and led team in scoring at Algarve Cup tournament, Portugal, 2000; played in Nike Cup, Pacific Cup and Women's Gold Cup tournaments, 2000; played in Algarve Cup, 2001; played for W-League Vancouver Breakers (now Whitecaps) and, as freshman, joined University of Portland Pilots, 2001; played for Whitecaps and in Algarve Cup and Gold Cup, 2002; led women's national team to final against United States in inaugural FIFA Under-19 Women's World Cup, 2002; took year off from Whitecaps, played with Pilots and in Algarve Cup and World Cup, 2003; played with Whitecaps and in Four Nations and CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournaments, 2004; played with national team and Portland Pilots, 2005; signed with Chelsea Ladies Football Cub, England, 2006; will also play for the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Canadian national team.