Alumni Spotlight: Caroline Rath Finds Her Balance at New Balance
Today we’d like to shine the LtN Alumni spotlight on forLtN Panama’s former Program Director, Caroline Rath, who is making incredible strides - both physically and professionally.
After graduating from The Ohio State University as a Division I field hockey player in 2018, Caroline moved to Bocas del Toro, Panama, where she piloted Lacrosse the Nations’ second international site for 13 months. Since leaving LtN, she has dedicated her early professional career to the sports industry. With nearly five years of event operations management under her belt, Caroline now works for New Balance.
As a New Balance Technical Sales and Field Representative, Caroline is responsible for over 30 ‘accounts’ (stores) that sell New Balance products within her territory of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South Jersey. Since Caroline works in a hybrid manner - 2 days at an at-home office and the other days on the road traveling from her home in Philadelphia to her accounts every week. These accounts include a slew of New Balance stores, running specialty stores, REIs and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
So what does Caroline actually do? Caroline’s work duties range in scope and scale: she is the face of New Balance marketing for her territory regarding social media curation, she manages shoe launches, updates all store staff on new products through technical clinics and group runs (literally, a run) to demo the products, and assists with all major global run events sponsored by New Balance (ex: the New York City and London Marathons, Indoor and Outdoor Nationals, and several half marathons). Needless to say, Caroline is a busy bee, working hard to grow the New Balance brand and grow herself.
“What I love about this role is the flexibility and the bandwidth that I have to fine-tune my own discovery process, my strengths, and passions. I love working with people as I work cross-centrally within New Balance, raising awareness of the brand and tying it into my passions of mental health, nutrition, and fitness. This role allows me to develop personally and professionally because I can dip my toes into where I potentially find myself down the line.”
Caroline’s goal is to join the Global Marketing or Merchandising Team at New Balance. She is excited by the prospect of creating the blueprints for New Balance running events, acknowledging that “it would be an ideal setting for [her], and [her] current position puts [her] foot in the door in terms of reaching the next step.” Recently, Caroline has certainly taken many steps…
This past April, Caroline ran the D.C. Cherry Blossom 10-mile Race in dedication to Lacrosse the Nations. Through this race, she raised nearly $1k to kickstart an English support program at our site in Panama. Next up on her list? The New York City Marathon this upcoming season.
We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Caroline on all that she has accomplished and all that we know she will in the future. We are rooting for you Caroline, in all that you do personally and professionally! Thank you for being an incredible role model for all LtN student-athletes, volunteers, and our greater LtN Team.
-Maria McDonough, Panama Country Director
An Inside Scoop on F&M WLax’s Trip to LtN Panama
My name is Helen, and I am a recent graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, where I played on the women’s lacrosse team. In June, four of my F&M teammates and I got the opportunity to travel to Bocas for a week of service with LtN. I loved it so much, I even decided to push my flight and stay a few extra days. Here’s a look into how incredible our week was…
We landed on Sunday morning and spent the first two days getting to know Bocas and the LtN team. We explored the beach at Isla Carenero and took an excursion to Cayos Zapatilla on Monday, where we tried ‘deep boarding’ behind a boat and snorkeling in the nearby coral reefs. We saw tons of beautiful marine life, with the highlights being two nurse sharks and a stingray!
On Tuesday, we started our service project at the school on Isla Solarte. The school was in need of a new paint job on the surrounding fence and wall. We sanded down the rusted fence and painted throughout the morning, playing music and even getting to play a few games of soccer with the neighborhood kids. That afternoon, we had our first LtN lacrosse practice. It was amazing to meet the LtN kids, show them some of our own college drills, and play alongside them in practice.
Left to Right: Mary Pat, Helen, Sydney, Ally, and Sarah
We continued our service project at Isla Solarte on Wednesday and Thursday. When we finished, seeing the newly painted fence and walls was very rewarding and we were grateful to have made a difference for the school and its students. The school’s facelift brought a lot of smiles to the students and a revived feeling to the community.
That Thursday afternoon, we headed back to the main island for our final LtN lacrosse practice and watched in awe as a plane took off from the airstrip right next door, flying over our heads as we continued playing in the drills with the youth players.
On Friday, we visited the Wasteless World Recycling Center and learned about their work and mission to creatively combat waste issues on the island. We even got to try using some of their new machines! Throughout the week we took advantage of our free time by scheduling a group surf lesson and a scuba dive as well as trying local restaurants. We had a blast exploring the great waves and beautiful oceans surrounding the archipelago of Bocas del Toro.
Ally, Sarah, & Helen on their dive!
In my extra few days, I had the opportunity to help run English and P.E. classes at the elementary school since the students’ were fortunately back from vacation, as well as work on my newfound surfing skills and explore a jungle hike to a remote beach on Isla Bastimentos.
All in all, the five of us left Bocas with new friends, great experiences, and a deep connection to the Bocas del Toro community. We are so grateful for the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place and to support the important work of Lacrosse the Nations, and we want to thank the LtN Team for organizing this once in a lifetime trip and for showing us all that Bocas has to offer! We are looking forward to continuing to build a partnership between LtN and F&M Lacrosse and returning to Bocas in the future!
F&M girls with our LtN Panama staff and the principal of Escuela Solarte
Celebrate National Physical Fitness & Sports Month!
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is an opportunity to celebrate and promote physical activity and the benefits of participating in sports. Physical activity is key to maintaining health and well-being. Getting active can improve fitness, reduce stress, reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, and ease symptoms of anxiety and depression while also improving sleep. Youth sports also help kids and teens get active and develop valuable life skills like leadership, time management, and relationship-building skills.
In honor of Physical Fitness and Sports Month, we want to encourage you to move each day, and get your family, friends, and classmates to join you! If daily movement isn’t already a part of your routine, consider starting your day with a walk around the neighborhood or trading in ‘around-the-corner’ drives for bike rides. If you’re working in an office, make a point to take a break from your desk and walk around throughout the day. If you are a student seeking out more ways to move, look into intramural or club sports teams. A few 5-10 minute activities throughout the day can add up! Even small amounts of physical activity can make a significant difference in your physical and mental health.
Perhaps there were some activities that you picked up at the start of the pandemic, that you may have drifted away from recently. Consider renewing some of those quarantine-time activities, especially with family and friends! We were once forced to find new and fun ways to stay active and we shouldn’t let them disappear. In whatever way you choose to participate in Physical Fitness and Sports Month, it will be sure to lead to a better and healthier well-being and life.
#MoveInMay #PhysicalFitnessAndSportsMonth