Senda Berenson Abbott

Senda Berenson Abbott

Senda Berenson Abbott (March 19, 1868, Butrimantsy, Vilno gubernia, Russian Empire – February 16, 1954) was a pioneer of women's basketball, authoring the first Basketball Guide for Women (1901–07). She was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on July 1, 1985, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, and into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

She modified existing men's basketball rules for women in 1899.

Abbott was the sister of the art historian Bernard Berenson and a great-great-aunt of the photographer Berry Berenson and the actress and model Marisa Berenson.

Senda Berenson was the first person to introduce and adapt rules for women's basketball to Smith College.

Biography

Born in Vilno gubernia (now in Lithuania) as Senda Valvrojenski, she immigrated to the United States with her family when she was seven years old, settling in the Boston area, and becoming Senda Berenson.

Berenson did not have much interest in athletics as a child, and preferred music, literature, and art. Back problems forced Berenson to give up the piano and in 1890 she decided to enter the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics. She spent much of her time enduring an exercise to strengthen her back, lying across three stools for hours at a time. At first, she hated exercise of any kind, but after her back improved, she grew to enjoy exercise, to the point that when a physical education job opened up at Smith, she was recommended for the position. Berenson would remain at Smith for 21 years, as a teacher of physical education, and the organizer of many sports. She introduced fencing to the school in 1895.

Berenson was active in developing the gymnastics program, attending the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastic in Stockholm, and organizing the Gymnastics and Field Association at Smith in 1893. After her return from Stockholm, she started a folk dance program at Smith, and in 1901, introduced field hockey with the help of Lady Constance Applebee of England.

Berenson read about the new game of basket ball, invented by James Naismith, in the YMCA publication Physical Education. She felt the rules as developed were not appropriate for women, so she modified the rules, and introduced the game to Smith students in 1892. She divided the court into three regions, and prohibited players from leaving their assigned region. Players could not dribble more than three times, could not hold the ball for more than three seconds, or snatch the ball away from an opponent. Berenson formalized her rules into a set of official rules, in 1899, and continued as editor of the rules for eighteen years. The rules would remain in use, with only minor modification, until the 1960s.

She later also adapted volleyball for women.

In 1911, she married professor of English at Smith, Herbert Vaughan Abbott. Soon afterward, Berenson resigned from her position at the College, although she continued her interest in sport by serving as the Director of physical education at the Mary A. Burham School located in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Known as Mother of Women's Basketball, Berenson was the first woman enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. She remained editor of the Basketball Guide for Women and as chair of the U.S. Women's Basketball Committee for six years.

References

• Grundy, Pamela (2005). Shattering the glass. New Press. ISBN 978-1565848221. 
• David L. Porter, ed (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313309526. 

External links

• Basketball Hall of Fame page on Abbott
• Hoopedia article