Nice Article on Sinclair

Christine Sinclair should occupy a place of honour in the wide world of Canadian sports, arguably the best female soccer player the nation has ever produced, a highly-decorated, amazingly-skilled young woman who should stand as a role model to the tens of thousands of young girls playing the sport.


She has won international acclaim and NCAA championships, been championed as one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the world, the winner of an astounding 119 Canadian caps and she should probably be someone whose name is instantly recognizable any time it's mentioned. But ask the 24-year-old Sinclair about her place among Canadian sports icons and she's a bit taken aback at the suggestion she should be on the list.

"I have no idea," she said yesterday. "I just see myself as this soccer player; I don't tend to think about that stuff too much."
Perhaps she should, given the list of accomplishments she's accumulated over the last eight years. A two-time nominee as FIFA's women's player of the year; a two-time member of NCAA champion University of Portland; an academic all-American who carried a 3.75 GPA in life sciences and a raft of other honours that began, really, when she won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball honours at the 2002 FIFA Under-19 championship in Edmonton.

But as accomplished as she is on the field – she'll be after international goal No. 92 when Canada faces Brazil in a friendly at BMO Field on Thursday night – handling the off-the-field fame is something she's still learning to deal with.

"It still takes some getting used to," she said at a news conference yesterday to announce her role along with TFC's Jim Brennan as the face of GolTV's new Future Footballer's program. "I'm not the most outgoing person but it's nice to see these young girls out here. When I was growing up there weren't too many young female athletes to look up to, I had to look to other sports and to male sports and I think it's great for them to know there's a future in the sport they love."

The attention on Sinclair and the other members of the national women's team is going to be ratcheted up in the next month as they prepare to represent Canada at the Olympics for the first time ever.

Canada goes into the tournament ranked No. 9 in the world and with legitimate medal aspirations after coming off a second-place finish in a tournament in South Korea where they lost the championship game 1-0 to the mighty United States on an injury-time goal.
Women's sport, especially women's teams sports, tend to get short shrift in Canada in non-Olympic years; the chance to play in Toronto – one of the few times they've ever performed on home soil – can act as a coming out of sorts for the women.

"I think it's a great opportunity for people to not only see myself but see our entire team play," said Sinclair, who conducted a mini-clinic along with Brennan at BMO Field for a handful of girls from the Oakville soccer club yesterday.

"We don't have many home games, especially home games televised, so I think it's a great opportunity for these little kids and people all over the country to be able to see what their women's national team is all about."

The native of Burnaby, B.C., knows she occupies a special place that carries a special responsibility as a role model for young girls. When she was growing up, Sinclair said there was a distinct lack of female role models, especially in Canada and particularly in soccer, and she became a self-confessed "huge Toronto Blues Jays fan" who idolized Robbie Alomar and still wears No. 12 because of him.
She knows the job but it's hard one for her to do.

"As I've gotten older and been exposed to more things, it's become more natural and a lot easier," she said. "It's not something I have to do but I do think it's part of my role to promote our sport and promote this team and get it what it deserves."
The game on Thursday against Brazil will be Canada's last tuneup before Beijing. Brazil crushed Canada 7-0 at the Pan Am Games the last time the two countries met.

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