Sports Tag

As the Augusta National finished hosting the Women’s amateur tournament this past weekend, my thoughts are about the continuing growth of women’s sports and women's golf, and also about the women that have lead the sport throughout history.

I remember seeing the name Patty Berg for the first time on the clubs in my mother’s golf bag. From her first clubs when she was a teen, all the way through her adulthood, my mom's clubs were Patty Berg’s woods and irons. I started golfing when I was 3 years old and even before I was big enough, I was obsessed with those Patty Berg’s! I was convinced my little kid clubs were holding back my game.

In the summertime, I golfed every week with grandparents and recall being told numerous times by them that Patty Berg was the greatest female golfer in history. She was a founding member of the LPGA, and from 1937 to 1961, she dominated the game with 57 LPGA and WPGA tournament wins. She won 15 majors during her career

I want to express my gratitude to all our guests who have entrusted my team with planning their sports travel adventures over the years.

In this blog I'm sharing many of our memories (in no particular order) as we celebrate this business milestone. I invite all our past guests to share your special Sports Traveler trip memories and experiences by posting below, on Twitter using #SportsTraveler15 or on our Facebook page.

Here’s to another 15+ years!

Cheers!
Anbritt

#1: 2003 Eagles at Dolphins. The tour was successful for our guests, but what many people don’t know is what happened during our opening night reception. I choose a large dock for our groups evening meal overlooking the intercostal waterway. At some point during the event, one of our guests fell or jumped off the dock and onto the deck of one of the super yachts parked below. He was found alive by the crew, remarkably uninjured, and eating a pork chop in the galley. They returned him to us and I somehow convinced the captain of the boat to not call the police. The rest of the weekend went great, but to this day I have never done any of our receptions on a dock!

#2: Cubs Fan Tours 2002-2007. My family raised me a Cubs fan and in the mid-2000's I started a second company to focus on travel to Chicago to see Wrigley Field. We still offer similar Cubs tours every year at Sports Traveler and I’ll always be a Cubs fan no matter what my southsider friends say.

#3: Sports Traveler Chicago - Book Launch. Lydia Rypcinski and I wrote this book together and it won best non-fiction awards both in Illinois and National competitions! Our book launch party is still remembered fondly by those who attended. It was at Harry Caray’s, featured several sports mascots, and our guest of honor was the now late Minnie Minoso.

#4: STR: Sports Traveler Radio. For some reason in the early days all the college kids from my university’s radio station ended up working for my company. We launched our own podcast and had opinions about sports travel for 6+ awesome years on iTunes.

#5: Cowboys vs Redskins 2014. Our first marriage proposal! We were standing on the field at AT&T Stadium when he got down on his knee and she said yes! So sweet.

Before we get into the heart of this month’s travel blog I feel it would be best to introduce myself to you all. My name is Jake Alleruzzo, the newest addition to the Sports Traveler staff. I myself have a very deep passion for sports travel and thought writing our latest blog entry would be a great way to share my experiences with you fellow sports travelers.

About a month ago I took a trip to Missouri to a beautiful region called Lake of the Ozarks, located just a few miles south of Kansas City. Being in the far western edge of Missouri is quite a unique experience, considering the mixed fandom between Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals fans. While we were in the western tip of Missouri I could have sworn I was in the heart of Kansas City as I drove through town and saw Royals flags hanging about. This goes to show you that you never know what kind of fans you can find as you travel through any given town.

Now going through this town you would figure there is not much to do besides

Are you a soccer fan?  Well I guess most soccer fans around the world refer to it as football but to save confusion I'll just stick with calling it soccer.  Besides, its pretty clear that there is only one sport of football in this country.  Anyways, if you are a soccer fan then you should know all about the Gold Cup.  If you don't know about the Gold Cup then you might need to re-commit your fan-hood and get with the program.  The Gold Cup is a very popular event and crucial in determining the best team in North America.

It seems like just last week we were anxiously waiting for the Belmont Stakes in hopes that I'll Have Another could complete the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.  As fate would have it the Triple Crown was not meant to be and I'll Have Another was pulled from the race with an injury.  Now we embark on a new journey.  Tomorrow will mark the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.  Louisville has already had the pleasure of crowning a national champion in college basketballand just 1 month later the city finds itself amidst intense excitement once again.

The Kentucky Derby has long been one of the most exciting events in sports and this year will be no different.  The field appears to be wide open with a the usual group favorites.  I have provided our readers with odds and post position for each of the Derby contestants.

I can’t believe it’s time to start talking about planning trips to the 2012 Summer Olympics. Wasn’t it just 2010 and we were talking about Vancouver and what type of winter boots to pack when I go watch bobsleigh? Now, suddenly we are one year away from the London Olympics! 365 days!!! Ok people, remain calm, I repeat remain calm.

I have assisted over 700 travelers in the past 5 Olympics in planning their trip to the Olympics Games. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I will say I feel I have heard from nearly every type of Olympic sports fan possible – from the Biathlon fan from Istanbul to the Fencing fan from Finland. The one thing I am certain of: that no matter the destination or distance, Olympics sports fans are willing to cross oceans and trek up mountains every 2 years to see the sports they are passionate for.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to travel to Dublin, Ireland for a September 1, 2012 game versus the Navy Midshipmen. This will be the first time that Notre Dame will be making this trip to the Emerald Island. Sports Traveler has set up two new Notre Dame Fan trips to help fans get there. Our first two trips sold out in less than 3 months before the summer began. Due to the unbelievable demand, we have been able to secure additional hotel rooms and tickets to this once in a lifetime event.

Below are the itineraries that are now confirmed for Wave 3 and 4 of this historic trip!

Taking your clients or top sales associates to The Masters Golf Tournament will not only impress them but also help build relationships that could last the lifetime of your business. But beginning to plan a trip to the most famous golf tournament in the world can also be intimidating. I've been planning corporate outings to the Masters for the past 11 years for clients from all across the globe.

The NFL lockout is a hot topic in the sports world this summer, but the impact of the lockout can potentially spread much further than the NFL. Current rumors predict that the lockout could be coming to an end by July 15.  If these rumors hold true than there will be practically no harm done to the League. Player development might be hindered but if the entire 16 game season lives on then everyone is happy. However, if the lockout continues into August