ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Bonnie Yu

AGE: 21 | TIME PLAYING LACROSSE: 15 years

Future Stars Lacrosse athlete Bonnie Yu has trained with us during the offseason and competed in the Southern Cross Tournament playing against two touring teams from Japan. This experience and opportunity helped Bonnie progress her decision making, skills and confidence for her club season and U17 Nationals representing Victoria. Bonnie went on to be selected in the 2019 U19 Australian Women’s Team and was named as a co-captain. After the U19 Worlds, Bonnie was recruited to play college at NCAA Division I Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia USA.

Favourite lacrosse player:

I don’t have a favourite player in particular, but I can say I just loved watching the aussie players throughout the years, all with their own styles of play, yet the same grit and hustle all aussies have.

Aspirations in lacrosse:

I would love to continue to represent my country at the senior level, and hopefully make the 2028 LA Olympics if lacrosse is invited.

What keeps you motivated:

I would say the teammates who I play with keep me motivated. I play for them, and I know that they play for me, pushing one another to make each other better every day.

What drew you to Future Stars Lacrosse?:

It was a great opportunity to be able to play in the offseason. There had been nothing like it before, where you learnt so much with players from all different clubs. Having Sarah Mollison as a coach also really pushed me to join because I do love learning from her.

What are your favourite sessions at Future Stars Lacrosse?

I can’t pinpoint a session in particular, but I can say that the sessions we did were a lot of fun. I just remember having lots of fun during my time doing Future Stars and I would do it again if I could.

How do you think Future Stars Lacrosse helped you develop as an athlete?

Being able to play with players from different teams and ages really helped me improve. Playing with girls older than me was able to push me. Also having Sarah as a coach, and her bringing her experience to Future Stars also helped with my game as well as the other girls.

What did it feel like being named in the 2019 U19 Australian Team?

I would say I was pretty proud of myself being named in the team. Knowing all the effort and hard work it’d put into my training and the campaign had pulled off was a great moment.

Tell us about the friends you have made through training with Future Stars Lacrosse?

At the time I wasn’t too close with many people from other clubs, so it allowed me to make new friendships outside my club that I continue to have to this day.

What would you say to anyone considering joining Future Stars Lacrosse?

I would definitely say to give it a go, it really helped me improve on my skills and having a great coach that may be different from one that you may have, really helps with improvement, as you may learn different types and styles of play.

How was Sarah Mollison able to help you become a student athlete at a Division I college in the US?

She motivated me to pursue my lacrosse career, and seeing how far she went and how much she loved college in USA, pushed me into going down that same path. Her constant support was something that I really appreciated throughout the whole process, also pushing me to try follow those footsteps to getting to that level.

What do you do love most about going to college in the US as a student athlete?

I love college as it is something I hadn’t experienced before. The main thing that I loved was meeting a whole new group of friends who all love each other and are there for each other on and off the field. Also, being able to learn so much more about the game from different coaching styles that I hadn’t received before.

What are two of the toughest things about being in college?

It would be time management and being away from family and friends.

What advice would you have for players hesitant to sign up to Future Stars Lacrosse?

My advice for girls considering Future Stars, is to just give it a go. Future Stars is something that has contributed to making me the player I am today. Teaching me new skills that I would not have learnt just at club and allowing me to play with people I wouldn’t have had the chance to play with.