Kara Koolage grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, and started playing lacrosse at the age of 6. Growing up, she attended dozens of clinics to improve her skills as a lacrosse player.
In 2005, Koolage joined one of the very first girls’ travel lacrosse clubs in the country, Chesapeake Club Lacrosse (CC LAX). She played with CC LAX for four years while also playing for St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis.
Koolage graduated high school in 2009 and continued her lacrosse journey at Salisbury University where she won two NCAA National Championship titles.
Koolage graduated from Salisbury in 2014 with a degree in exercise science. Following her collegiate playing career, Koolage stayed at Salisbury as an assistant coach under the tutelage of Hall of Fame Coach Jim Nestor. During this time, she also coached for Beach Lacrosse, a local rec league in Ocean City, Maryland.
In 2016, Koolage relocated to Lakeland, Florida, where she had accepted an assistant coaching position at Florida Southern University. She spent one season at Florida Southern where she helped lead that team to a second-place finish in the NCAA National Championship.
In 2017, Koolage moved to Jacksonville Beach and immediately recognized the lack of awareness surrounding the sport she had grown to love. She created DuVall Lax (now Beach Lacrosse LLC) to help fill that gap. She also started Thrive Lacrosse Academy which offers personal one-on-one skill development to focused aspiring female athletes.
Koolage entered the world of high school sports in 2018 when she became the head coach of the Fletcher Senators girl’s lacrosse team. She coached at Fletcher until 2020 and said she wants to help create a positive experience for all the young athletes she coaches.
“Lacrosse created so many positive experiences for me growing up, and that fuels my passion to help kids create their own positive experiences,” said Koolage.
Last year, she was the assistant coach of the girl’s lacrosse team at Ponte Vedra High, and this season she stepped into the role of head coach for the Sharks.
Koolage is driven by her desire to inspire young female athletes and to help them build confidence, develop a strong work ethic and to live with integrity. She aims to be not just a lacrosse coach, but a mentor who empowers the next generation of young female athletes to overcome life’s challenges and believe in themselves.
“I am passionate about helping kids develop their talents, and I love helping people find what they are passionate about,” said Koolage.
