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Sports Traveler History

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.

In 2008, Ms. Stengele signed with Lake Claremont Press in Chicago to publish her first book, Sports Traveler - Chicago (due out in 2009). The tour book is a "Sports Traveler's Guide to Chicago" and covers everything travelers will need when planning their game day experience in the Windy City.

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 Wall Street Journal, 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 Best Life, 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 and universities 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.

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