Emma Lunnie with the U11 KW Lacrosse Girls Team After Practice Thursday Evening

Emma Lunnie was not shy when speaking about how happy she is to see the girls grow and seeing how much fun they are having playing field lacrosse. The coach of the U11 girls’ team was not shy about speaking about how happy she was to see the girls grow and seeing how much fun they were having playing field lacrosse. While Lunnie put a lot of emphasis on the success of the girls on everyone but herself, when we stepped foot on the fields at Westmount Sports Park on Thursday evening and I watched her get rushed by four of her players who were all screaming “coach Emma!!,” you could tell her impact goes much deeper than what her words were saying.

The eighteen-year-old started her lacrosse career with Kitchener-Waterloo at the U11 level where she and her team won a provincial championship. It was after that season that Lunnie fell in love with the sport and has led her to the success that she has enjoyed today. A recent selection of the U19 Team Ontario Field Lacrosse Team, Lunnie is honoured to be a part of the team and excited to live out her dream.

“Throughout the years I have practiced hard, played, hard, and even coach for KW all while striving to reach my goal of Team Ontario, it really showed me that dreams do come true, and I can really do this.”

While her own personal successes is a fantastic story in itself, it was Lunnie’s dedication and commitment to give back to the community and organization that had helped her reach her goals that has truly set her apart. Amy Hastings, who coached alongside Lunnie this year, was very complimentary of Lunnie and she spoke highly about how this young group of girls has an outstanding role model to look up too.

“Emma has been a fantastic role model for these girls to look up, she is just such a great person.”

The Cameron Heights product has not only exemplified outstanding commitment to her coaching and playing roles, but has also been a fantastic student, as she is currently completing her Pre-Service Firefighters Education and Industrial Fire Training program at Lambton College in Sarnia. Through all of this busy schedule, Lunnie says that giving back to the young girls on her team has always been something she has prioritized.

“I do it all for the girl’s sake. Just seeing the joy on their faces, seeing them improve, and letting them know that they have support behind them makes it fun to be a part of.”

While Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse continues to grow, volunteer coach Josh Collins says that it is people like Lunnie that really help attract new players and help demonstrate that girls can play lacrosse and do great things both on and off the field.

“We are so thankful that Emma gives her time back to the girls, it really means a lot to them. She has had such a positive influence on so many of our girls, she has just been outstanding for our program.”

With the field lacrosse season wrapping up in the coming weeks, Lunnie and the entire coaching staff are happy with how the girls have progressed and grown together as a group and are excited for next season. With everything going on in her busy schedule, Lunnie was reassuring when saying that she will continue to help the amazing KW girls lacrosse players as much as she can.

“It makes me feel good that the girls have picked up all of the things that I have taught them and that they enjoy being here just as much as I do.”