Sarah (Geske) Pettenger was about seven years old when she started bowling in a league. She along with her 3 sisters joined youth bowling leagues. Their parents introduced them to their favorite family sport first at Miracle Lanes and then at Michigan Lanes. Her parents took them bowling each week and were their coaches, cheerleaders, and staunch supporters. Sarah credits her mom and dad and all their devotion and love with her success on the lanes. Sarah and her sisters would go on from youth bowling to become a real force of nature in the Grand Rapids bowling world. The Geske family joke is “If you want to be a part of the family, you have to bowl”. Sarah would even pick her own spouse, Jeremy from the bowling world. They met while bowling in junior bowling leagues together.

Sarah is a yearly participant in the Michigan State USBC Women’s Championships and she bowls with her “crew”. Sarah believes finding a good group of people to bowl and hang out with at tournaments is key to having fun and staying competitive on the lanes. Her “crew” of lady bowlers include Michigan Hall of Famers Robin Orlikowski and Julie Oczepek to name just a few. Sarah loves the camaraderie and the competitive spirits the ladies bring to the game. For Sarah, “Winning is fun” and as a group they have seen a lot of titles come their way. In 2019, Sarah was a member of the 5 women which captured the Team Handicap and Actual Championships. That same year she was also a member of the 4 woman Team Actual Champions.

Sarah competes annually in Grand Rapids local tournaments, the state Queens Tournament, and the State Mixed Tournament. She has numerous titles in local tournaments. Sarah has won three State Mixed titles. Sarah has been a Sunday morning qualifier in the Queens tournament many times. Another highlight of her bowling career came in the 2020 – 2021 season when she was a member of the team with the highest score in the nation for a 1 – man, 4 – woman roster, a series of 3661. Sarah has three 300 games to her credit, a high series of 802, and has recorded a 221 as her highest average.

As part of the current induction class of the Michigan State USBC Hall of Fame, what is left on Sarah’s bowling bucket list? Sarah would still like to add the Michigan State USBC Queens title to her list but now, there is an even bigger title that she has in mind. At the USBC Women’s Championships this year, Sarah and her teammates would take over the lead in the Diamond Division Team event for a short time. The taste of a national title has sparked a new goal, to win an Eagle.

Congratulations, Sarah Pettenger and welcome to Michigan State USBC Hall of Fame for Superior Perform