High Hopes to Place at State: Interview with Maja Pechanach
Photo submitted by Maja Pechanach.
What are your future plans for the sport (are you playing in college or doing club)?
At the moment I have no intention of playing in college, but since bowling is a super accessible sport, I do plan on playing in the future no matter what.
How have you improved your game in the past year?
Absolutely! There are many things that I’ve learned this year, like improving my straight ball, that I would not have been able to get through the season without.
What expectations do you have for State?
I haven’t gone to state yet with the team, so I have no idea what to expect- however, we did extremely well this season so I have high hopes that we will place at state!
Do you play any sports outside of this one?
I play softball in the spring for Hamilton, and I participate in marching band in the fall.
What hobbies do you do outside of school?
I am an avid musician, which is the bulk of what I do outside of school and bowling! I also enjoy reading and writing.
When did you start playing this sport?
I started playing in 6th grade and actually took a break in my freshman and sophomore years.
What's your best score ever?
A 236! I actually didn’t get this at practice either- just bowling on my own for fun!
What's your warm-up routine?
We don’t have a specific warm-up routine other than stretching before practices and games. Our main warm-up is just bowling a few balls, and we get practice time before matches.
Is this the first sport you played/ was this your first choice? Describe your journey to finding this sport.
No, I actually played basketball for a long time before bowling. I found this sport in 6th grade when my parents signed me up so that I would meet more friends outside of school. I don’t think they expected that it would get so serious!
Why do you continue to play this sport?
I really love bowling, and both the mental and physical challenge it gives me. Somehow, it is both calming and infuriating, which I love.
What’s your favorite memory from this season?
My favorite memory is the match before conference, when we had our highest average and highest fill percentage. It was so fun to keep bowling so well, and we were getting super loud and excited during it.
What advice do you have for younger athletes playing your sport?
Don’t give up! It’s really hard to get consistent, and all of your balls aren’t going to be perfect. Missing a spare doesn’t automatically make you a bad bowler- if you keep practicing to make what you missed, you’ll improve so much.
