New PWBA Superstar Daria Pajak

By Michael Cousins

Even in defeat, the PWBA has found its newest superstar. And her name is Daria Pajak.

Pajak didn’t win the 2017 Women’s US Open. She didn’t hoist the trophy above her head. She did not celebrate until all hours of the night. But what she did win, was the appreciation and respect of bowling fans around the world.

Earlier in the year, before Pajak even made her first television show, I placed her inside of my top 10 women’s physical games of all-time. Many believed this to be a bit of a stretch, given that she had not yet had any real success on the PWBA tour, and I took some heat for it. But despite that, though, I defended and stuck by my decision. Fact of the matter is that there just aren’t 10 women in the history of this sport that physically throw it better than Pajak, in my opinion.

In fact, I might even argue that I placed her a tad lower than she deserved. But I digress.

Back to my point: though Liz Johnson won the tournament, Pajak was, in no way, a loser.

Historically, there have been many women with the power to get in and hook it. There have been many “power games” in the women’s sport. But I don’t know that there has ever been a woman that creates the amount of power that Pajak creates as effortlessly as she creates it.

Pajak has the prototypical modern day power game. It is exciting, it is impressive, and, most of all, it is just fun to watch.

And most of social media seemed to agree with me on Sunday.

“Without a doubt the most physically impressive display of women’s bowling I have ever seen,” one friend said of Pajak’s physical game.

Another went on to say, “I have never seen a more physically gifted female bowler in my entire life. The future of the PWBA. No doubt.”

And, honestly, I don’t think either of them are far off from the truth.

What Pajak does is rare in the women’s game. And she undoubtedly has one of the most impressive physical games that the PWBA has ever seen. Without question. But more than that, she’s likable.

She bowls with passion. She bowls with a fire inside. She bowls the way the game is meant to be played.

She’s intense, no doubt. But she’s also always smiling and always enjoying herself. You can tell every time she steps out onto the lanes that she truly loves the sport and loves what she does. Which, as a fan, makes it hard not to get behind her and support her.

In addition to her physical attributes and her bubbly personality, she is, by all accounts, one of the hardest working bowlers on the planet. If you don’t follow her athlete page on Facebook, I urge you to take a look. She is constantly doing drills, working hard on her craft, and trying to, to the best of her ability, perfect her game at the Kegel Training Center, where she bowled collegiately for Webber International. And once again, as a fan of bowling, it is hard not to respect that sort of dedication and work ethic.

As I said earlier, Pajak might have lost the title. She might not have won this year’s US Open. But I can assure you that she will return. She’ll have more opportunities to win. And she’ll cash in on them. Because she’s to physically gifted and to mentally strong not to.

The PWBA didn’t gain a new Major champion on Sunday, but what it did gain was a young, new, and exciting superstar.