"The sport of bowling has given me everything I have in my life- my career, my husband and family, my new job here at Storm Bowling in Utah, and all of my friends have all come from being involved in this great sport." –Leanne Hulsenberg
North Ogden—Leanne Hulsenberg moved from California to North Ogden last summer with her husband, Gary, and their son Barrett. Leanne retired from her professional bowling career in 2003 as the fourth woman ever to exceed $1 million as a professional bowler. Beginning in 1987, Leanne earned no less than 26 professional titles, putting herself in the position of third all-time career titles among professional women bowlers.
Leanne presently balances motherhood with her career at Storm Bowling, in Brigham City, where she acts as the marketing coordinator and handles their tournaments and sponsorships, as well as working with the pro staff. She said, "My husband and I love Utah and feel it's a great place to raise our 5 year old son, Barrett. Accepting job offers at Storm Bowling was a great decision on our part; and we are very grateful to be a part of such a great company."
Bowling is the number one participatory sport in the U.S. with an average of 69 million Americans bowling each year, and impacts the U.S. economy by more than $10 billion annually. But lessons learned in bowling can extend beyond the lanes. Leanne shares some of the things she has learned from the sport that have impacted her in parenthood, business, and life in general. She says, "As a young woman traveling the country trying to make a living, it taught me how to take care of myself and all the things that go with that. I have always been pretty self-sufficient because of that. Competing each week has taught me all about winning and losing and I have always prided myself on being a gracious loser and giving respect to others. This is definitely something I want to pass along to my son."
Leanne feels the importance of giving back to the sport that has given so much to her. She dedicates herself to the young kids who are now growing up in the sport and tries to educate them not only in how to carry themselves and be good sports, but encouraging them to give back to bowling as well.
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