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Clara Gregory Baer's original rules of Newcomb ball

Clara Gregory Baer (b. August 27, 1863) is famous for her pioneering role in women's sports. Baer was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended college in Boston and returned to the South for a 38-year career in physical education and teacher training. She is best known as the author of the first book of rules for women's basketball in 1895. She first called the game 'basquette', a name later dropped in her first revision of rules called Sophie Newcomb College Basketball Rules published in 1908.^[1]

As a physical education instructor at Newcomb College in Louisiana, she also invented the game "Newcomb ball", now played as a variation of volleyball.^[2] She is a pioneer of women's sports. She took the game originally invented by James Naismith and adapted by Senda Berenson and turned it into a game of her own called basquett.^{[citation needed]}

Baer is also credited with inventing netball, albeit as a result of misinterpreting the early concept of basketball.^[3]

[edit] References

1. ^ NCAA Women's Basketball, access date 24 January, 2007
2. ^ Paul, Joan, A Lost Sport: Clara Gregory Baer and Newcomb ball, Journal of Sport History, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Summer 1996)
3. ^ International Netball Federation, Netball: History, access date 28 January, 2007

[edit] External links

• Paul, Joan. Clara G. Baer: Pioneer in Sport for Southern Women, access date 24 January, 2007