The Vancouver Warriors are making history this spring break with their first-ever all-girls camp day.
The week of March 17-21, the Warriors’ spring break co-ed camps return to Langley Events Centre, but Friday will be dedicated exclusively to female athletes. This special all-girls day will be highlighted by Team Canada and NCAA lacrosse standouts, Ashley Bull and Harlowe Steele, who will serve as guest coaches.
Both Bull and Steele bring impressive playing and coaching resumes in both field and box lacrosse.
Bull, who works for Lacrosse Canada, has coached Team BC field lacrosse for 12 years, spending the last five years as the program head coach, overseeing all age groups. She also played a pivotal role in coaching box lacrosse when the sport made its debut at the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
Steele, a Coquitlam native, has coached box lacrosse in high school and for a couple years in her hometown. Since finishing her collegiate career at San Diego State University (SDSU) she’s focused on coaching field lacrosse the last five years, working alongside Bull as an assistant coach with Team B.C. over the last few years.
Together, the duo has led Team B.C.’s U19 field lacrosse team to back-to-back Jenny Kyle Cup championships and is aiming for a three-peat this summer.
As a player, Bull first represented Team Canada when she was 16 years old at the World Cup, winning bronze with the U19 Canadian women’s field lacrosse team in 2011. She and Steele played at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships, winning silver in the first women’s international box lacrosse championship.
Lacrosse runs deep in both of their families. Bull’s grandfather and father instilled their love of the game in her and her brother, while Steele followed in the footsteps of her father, brother, and sister.
For Steele, working with the Warriors is another way to introduce the sport to more kids and make it more accessible.
“I’ve always really loved working with young kids and being their first exposure to the sport. Like Ashley said, it’s really fun to be able to coach someone from the very beginning and see that excitement, show them what lacrosse is all about, and hopefully they fall in love with it,” Steele said.
Bull emphasizes the importance of developing good habits at a young age but also encourages creativity and risk-taking. She believes the stick skills learned in box lacrosse are invaluable for field lacrosse players.
“I think one thing that’s really important for female athletes playing box lacrosse is that the skills that we’ve learned playing box are transferable to women’s field which is a flawless and seamless transition,” Bull said.
“Every skill that you learn at this age with box lacrosse is going to just set you up for how you want to play, where you want to be, and for the future of women’s field lacrosse.”
That skill transfer is crucial for female players aspiring to earn NCAA field lacrosse scholarships. The deeper pockets in box lacrosse sticks help develop finesse and ball control—skills that translate well to the field game.
Most female lacrosse players born in the mid-to-late 90’s played boys’ box lacrosse until physical size differences forced them to seek out women’s leagues – like Steele, who traveled from Langley to New Westminster to play.
Both Bull and Steele are grateful for the coaches they had growing up as well as the people that dedicated their time to the sport. Most of their coaches were men and they both agreed that seeing women coach and grow the sport was a gamechanger for them. For the next wave of female lacrosse players, having female role models is important to understanding what is achievable.
“When we grew up, it was mostly dads coaching, and they’re great lacrosse players and super knowledgeable, but men’s field lacrosse and women’s field lacrosse and even box lacrosse are different games,” Steele said. “Men and women play differently and so it’s great to learn from someone who’s been there and had the experience.”
“It’s great to bring that knowledge back to the girls and have them know that it’s attainable to go to college they can train for it, look forward to it and go through that experience over time.”
Bull said her generation and younger who played NCAA women’s lacrosse are part of this change, but seeing Michelle Bowyer get women’s box lacrosse into the World Championships last year in Utica was a huge moment for her.
“Michelle Bowyer’s been a huge pioneer in the game. She really spearheaded women’s Team Canada, I didn’t think that would ever happen in my lifetime and then all of a sudden, we had a 2024 World Championship,” Bull said.
Bull has a passion for helping elevate the women’s box lacrosse and learning new coaching techniques, sharing some tips that she picked up from legendary Canadian lacrosse player Dana Dobbie.
Dobbie pushes players out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to try ‘wicked backhands’ and ‘around-the-worlds” moves without fear of making mistakes and applying that creativity to game situations.
The Warriors’ first-ever all-girls camp is another step in growing the game and supporting the next generation of female lacrosse players. With accomplished coaches like Bull and Steele leading the way, young athletes will not only develop their skills but also see firsthand that a future in lacrosse—whether in box or field—is well within reach.
“This is exciting that there’s more camps and the opportunity to learn from someone who’s gone through it before is really great for the kids, and that it’s a very exciting time for women’s sports,” Steele remarked. “It’s great to push young girls to get out of their comfort zone, try new things and try a physical sport, something that maybe is more attributed to the boys.”
By providing more opportunities for girls to play, learn, and be inspired by female role models, the Warriors are continuing to help to shape the future of women’s lacrosse in British Columbia.
For information on spring camps, please visit the Warriors’ website here.
