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Home > Leagues > Bowler Achievements > Kayla Maselkevich
Miss Perfect HAHS freshman, 15, first woman to roll a 300 at Bowl Arena
BY KELLY KOSTANESKY
STAFF WRITER FOR THE STANDARD SPEAKER
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009 4:13 AM EDT
 Many people strive to get their 15 minutes of fame. But Kayla Maselkevich is just starting to achieve hers at age 15, and it's destined to last longer than a quarter of an hour.
Maselkevich recently bowled a 300 game and set a lot of firsts in the process, becoming the first girl in the USBC Anthracite Region Youth division and the inaugral woman at Bowl Arena to fire a perfect game. The achievement obviously left her feeling a number of different emotions.
"I was speechless. It took a while for it to sink in," Maselkevich stated. "It was hard walking in (to the bowling alley) that day because (Bowl Arena employee and friend) George Dippel passed away. Once I bowled it, I told my mom, 'That was for George.'"
Although she's been bowling for about 10 years, Maselkevich already has a long and growing list of accomplishments on the alley. She joined the Hazleton Area varsity squad this year and helped the girls' team to a program-best seventh-place finish in the Eastern Regionals, finished fifth at the 2008 Pepsi State Tournament and earned a $600 scholarship, and was named 2009 Junior Girls Bowler of the Year among the four area bowling houses.
It started out as something for fun but quickly produced a serious desire in the young girl.
"I started for fun but within a short amount of time it was obvious to me and my mom that I wanted to be serious," she said. "I used to come to her leagues and watch the people bowl. I admired watching them. I wanted to be as good as them and that got me motivated."
Maselkevich comes from a family of bowlers, which helps add to her love and excitement for the game. Her maternal grandparents, Emil and Ann Daniels, are both bowlers and Emil once worked in a bowling alley doing a variety of different tasks. Her parents Bob and Ann and brother Erik all bowl as well. She also gets encouragement from paternal grandparents Lawrence and Dolores Maselkevich, adding, "they've always been there for anything I need. They're always anxious to look in the paper to see my name."
Doing something she loves and being around family at the same time has been a big perk for Maselkevich. "(Bowling) is a lot of fun," she stated. It's almost addicting...when you can do it for fun and enjoy it with people you love, it's even better."
Although she's young and just starting out in the game, she hopes that she can encourage others, especially kids, to pick up the sport.
"A lot of people think it's easy but when you get serious there is a lot to critique mentally and physically," she stated. "I would encourage kids to pick it up because it's fun."
Maselkevich, who is currently carrying a high average of 194 in her league play, is proud to be the first woman to roll a 300 at Bowl Arena. She hopes to be the first of many to accomplish the feat, and wants to show kids that they can do anything they set their minds to.
"I hope many people, including my mom, follow in my footsteps. I hope to inspire kids my age and younger to do better and strive for their best," she added.
Even though she was the center of attention and the talk of Bowl Arena following her perfect game, the first person she thought of was her friend George Dippel.
"He was one in a million. You never heard anything bad from him and no one had a bad word to say about him," she said. "He was an asset to Bowl Arena because a lot of the kids knew him from intramural leagues and the Holy Family League. He's going to be missed. He deserved to be a part (of her 300 game) even though he's not here."
With her star just beginning to shine on the bowling circuit, Maselkevich is already looking to her future. In addition to continuing her play with the high school varsity team, she's looking ahead to bowling in college and hopes to make the women's pro series down the line. The most obvious thing about Maselkevich is her love for the game.
"I have a lot of fun with it. It's a hobby but it's also a sport to me," she said. "I said to my mom 'I know I really love bowling because I feel like bowling everyday.'"
Copyright 2009 STANDARD SPEAKER
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