Sports Traveler was founded in 2000 by
Anbritt Stengele (current President). Ms. Stengele, a former
competitive and professional figure skater, traveled extensively throughout the United States
throughout her career. Later she became a coach and trained dozens of figure
skating hopefuls in competitive programs in both Michigan and the
Chicago area.
It was in late 1999 that Ms. Stengele,
while at a national skating event in Dallas, Texas, attended a Dallas
Cowboys football game at Texas Stadium. An avid Cowboys fan, she
returned home and went on the Internet to search for a football package
to see the Cowboys again when they were to play the Indianapolis Colts...
"I set out on a search for a hotel package with good seats--but
couldn't find one. After a very long search on the Web and many long
distance phone calls, I gave up only to learn later that there was a
hotel across the street from the stadium that had a great package. So I
said to myself--there should be a Web site just for fans like me
searching for sports travel packages." (Source:
MyComputer.com interview Dec. 2000)
Using her background as a sports
marketing major, Ms. Stengele created the first Sports
Traveler website herself for football travel packages and tickets. The
site quickly took off and was voted Website of the Week by
MyComputer.com in December of 2000. In 2001, she developed the
current Sports Traveler website to include all major sporting events for
all types of fans. The network has now become the single largest source
for sports travel on the internet covering sports travel options for
virtually every sporting event worldwide.
She has also developed key new
additions to the company including corporate and group travel as
well as Sports Traveler VIP for luxury and celebrity clients. Additional
websites have followed including Sports
Traveler Europe, Sports
Traveler Tickets, and Cubs Fan
Tours.
In 2006, while attending the FIFA World Cup, Ms. Stengele launched Sports
Traveler Radio - a podcast radio program that gives live
on-the-scene reporting about sporting events for travelers. Sports
Traveler Radio, or STR as it has become to be known, has since covered
dozens of sporting events from the sports traveler perspective. The
program is hosted by professional radio personalities and includes
interviews on location from the sporting events host cities as well as
special features and segments devoted to fan travel.
Ms. Stengele has been interviewed
numerous times on XM Satellite Radio as well as on ABC
Radio and Fox Television for her insight and viewpoints on sports travel and the
sporting event ticket industry. Sports Traveler has also been featured
in the travel sections of The
New York Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, The
Globe and Mail (Canada), the New London Day, the Naples Daily
News, the Richmond Times Dispatch and the San Diego Union-Tribune as well as Men's Journal,
Travel
Age West, and Crain's Chicago Business magazines.
Ms. Stengele currently
resides in her home town of Chicago and travels often to see her
favorite sports teams play. She is a competitive tennis player and enjoys speaking to children at local
schools on the topics of becoming an entrepreneur and her motto 'Live
the Life You Imagine'. She is most thankful to her staff at Sports
Traveler and her family for their support of her dream to start a
successful business. For further information about Ms. Stengele
please contact info@sportstraveler.net |
