Huntington Alum Makes Most of Year in New Zealand
Kristen Boege is an adventurous soul so it doesn’t surprise those who know her best that for much of the past year the Huntington alumnus (Class of 2003) has been in New Zealand teaching lacrosse to a group of high school boys and working for a company that developed commercial Bungy jumping.
Following her graduation from Northwestern University in May 2007, Boege had originally planned to move to either Chicago or New York City and work in either advertising or marketing, but a five-week post-graduation hiking and camping trip to Australia and New Zealand led to a change of direction.
“After extending my stay [in New Zealand] from 1 ½ weeks to four months last year, I came home for about 2 ½ months over Christmas, saved a bit of money and then decided to come back to do a ski season,” she said. It’s been quite an experience.
At Northwestern, Boege played a key role in the Wildcats’ women’s lacrosse program that won three consecutive NCAA Division I championships. After each of the titles, Boege and her teammates were invited to the White House to meet the president. She appeared in all 82 Northwestern games over her four-year career. One of highlights of her college years came as a sophomore when she scored two goals in the NCAA finals against Virginia.
A love of all things lacrosse has been put to good use in New Zealand where Boege has been spreading the sport to eager novices. “It was kind of a funny story,” she said about how her coaching career got started there. “I contacted the Wakatipu High School sports coordinator to try and organize a lacrosse club. After a few weeks of liaising with the New Zealand Lacrosse Association and getting sticks sent down to Queenstown, and then organizing a time slot for the gym, I held my first practice, only to be met by a group of high school boys! A bit shocked, I decided to pursue the coaching and it has been going quite well. At the moment there is a consistent group of seven to eight boys between the ages of 12 to 17 that come.”
At Huntington, Boege, who was a high school Academic All-American, lettered four times in lacrosse for the Blue Devils and served as team captain. She was a two-time All-Conference and All-County player for coaches Mary Paar and later Tricia Martin and was an honorable mention All-American. She also earned four letters in soccer, playing on league championship teams as a junior and senior.
In New Zealand, Boege is teaching her players a hybrid lacrosse game that mixes aspects of men’s and women’s lacrosse. “We play with women’s sticks and there is no equipment,” she said. “We don’t even have real goals. We’ve been using handball nets! This is a benefit though because it focuses on stick stills and forces them to be competent at catching and throwing to play, but obviously there is an additional element of physical contact. One thing that the boys and I get a bit frustrated with is the lack of an actual formed team or potential opponents. The closest club is about a six-hour drive and is an open division, so to some degree there is no ‘goal’ to train for. But, the boys do enjoy it and I certainly enjoy coaching and getting a stick back in my hand.”
When Boege returned to Queenstown for the long-term stay that will soon end she needed to find employment. “I was fortunate enough to land a job with the AJ Hackett Bungy Headquarters (www.bungy.co.nz) through a temporary job agency,” she said. “While at AJHB I had a variety of different responsibilities but most were marketing, accounts and HR oriented. It was an awesome job and a great experience and I was sad when my contract finally did come to a close, but I still do work for them on occasion.” She recently conducted market research at the Kawarau Bungy Center for the company.
After a 3 ½ month stint with AJ Hackett Bungy came to a close, Boege said she has “been working mainly through my temp agency working administration-receptionist positions. I have worked at places ranging from construction companies to airport administration. It’s been a really good experience so far and I’ve met so many different people, and learned a lot about the way different organizations work. I do feel like I have it quite lucky, as one of the agency’s top temps I get first offer on office positions, so the flexibility to pick and choose where and when, usually dependent on the snow, is a great convenience.”
Beginning this week, Boege is returning to a full-time position at AJ Hackett Bungy. “The chief financial accounts officer is leaving so I will be back helping to fill her void,” she said. “I’m excited to be back at Bungy, but a bit sad I won’t have as much flexibility to go skiing!”
During her time in New Zealand, Boege has been able to take road trips to the visually stunning north and south islands. “The country is absolutely beautiful, photographs do not serve it justice,” she said. “Especially in Queenstown where I live, I wake up everyday and can’t believe I live somewhere so beautiful. Much of the beauty is attributed to the surrounding Southern Alps, on which my favorite New Zealand ski mountain is located. I do try to get up the mountain as often as possible. To say the least, my ‘park skiing’ has improved tremendously.”
Boege’s work visa is set to expire in October and since she doesn’t intend to renew it for another year, she is contemplating what will come next. “At the moment, I'm deciding between London (her boyfriend is from Great Britain) and New York City,” she said “You pretty much can’t go wrong with either city. My degree is in communications with a business minor which leaves me with several different paths or careers to potentially pursue. I do believe I will be looking into some type of advertising or marketing position.”
One of the perks of her job with AJ Hacket Bungy has provided Boege with an opportunity to experience seven bungy jumps herself. She’s also hiked all through New Zealand and has come to know the country quite well.
A year after her college graduation, Boege is not going to make a hasty decision about her future and she remains content with past choices. “I need to see what opportunities present themselves,” Boege said. “I am so happy about my decision to return back to New Zealand and not jump immediately into a career. This past year has been such an amazing experience. I have met so many wonderful people and done some amazing things. I’m loving it down here.”
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