2024-25 NewsTribune Girls Bowler of the Year: L-P’s Kamryn Oscepinski

Kamryn Oscepinski comes from a bowling family.

Her mother was a state medalist bowler and now an assistant coach at La Salle-Peru, and her grandfather has his own pro shop.

But she didn’t take to bowling right away,

Oscepinski tried the sport when she was young but didn’t pursue it and instead focused on soccer.

Eventually, she was drawn back to the family pastime and gave up soccer.

“I think I just wanted something different,” Oscepinski said about giving up soccer to go back to bowling. “I knew I could get a lot benefits from the sport with my mom being a bowler and my grandpa having a pro shop.”

While Oscepinski acknowledges her family has certainly helped, they’re not the only reason she’s successful.

“I think it’s important to remember that family does help you, but you also have to give yourself some credit for where you are,” Oscepinski said. “Obviously, I wouldn’t be where I am in my bowling without my mom or my grandpa or my stepdad or anybody that’s in my family. But my accomplishments, my mom likes to say, I earn them by how I bowl.”

Oscepinski had plenty of accomplishments this season.

She finished with a 185.6 average, rolled her first career perfect game, placed third at the Cavalier Classic, finished fourth at the Belvidere Buccaneer Girls Invite and took ninth at the Oregon Sectional. She placed eighth at the state tournament, becoming only the third L-P bowler to medal at state along with her mother, Kristi Tapscott (2003), and Melanie Decarlo (2008).

She also helped the Cavaliers win their third consecutive regional title, place fourth at the Oregon Sectional and fifth at the state tournament for the best finish in program history.

For all she accomplished this season, Oscepinski is the 2024-25 NewsTribune Girls Bowler of the Year.

“Kam had a good season overall,” L-P coach Aaron Guenther said. “It ended on probably the highest note that it possibly could. She had some bumps along the way. This year she was taking a leadership role where as a freshman and sophomore she was more along for the ride. She came in with that expectation [to lead], and it took her a little bit to adjust to that pressure and responsibility, but as she got more comfortable with it, you saw her scores just go up and up and up, so that was really neat to see that improvement over the course of the season.”

Oscepinski said she was “really nervous” going into the season after the Cavs lost three-time NewsTribune Girls Bowler of the Year Olivia Weber and fellow NewsTribune All-Area bowler Makenzie Hamilton, and she stumbled at the start.

She rolled a perfect game Feb. 1 at the Belvidere tournament, which she said propelled her into the postseason.

“I definitely had some ups and downs,” Oscepinski said. “At the beginning of the season, my scores were lower than I would want. I think where I gained the most confidence in myself was probably my 300. Bowling like that really gave me that push and that confidence that I can do good. I think that’s why I bowled good the rest of the year.”

Oscepinski shined in the biggest moments.

She bowled a 1,219 six-game series at the sectional. At state, she rolled a 1,233 on the first day and capped the season with a 1,224 on the final day, including a 695 series with games of 255 and 242 in the third round.

“Kam is one who when she wants something, she really puts her mind to it and she really locks in,” Guenther said. “She really did up her game when it came playoff time. She did the same thing last year. Part of that is her and part of it is her support system around her really helps and encourages her to focus and help draw the best out of her come playoff time.”

Oscepinski said she’s motivated by helping her team in the postseason and said it was “indescribable” to end the season like she and the Cavs did.

“It felt really, really good,” Oscepinski said. “I’ve worked so hard the past four years in bowling, so to see your hard work and your dedication pay off is just an amazing feeling. We didn’t go to state last year and going to state this year and placing the highest we’ve ever placed was the cherry on top. Placing as an individual was great, but placing with my team was even better.”

Oscepinski hopes to have another successful season as a senior.

“My expectations are big for myself,” Oscepinski said. “One thing I’m trying to keep in my mind is don’t compare next year to this year. Next year will be a different season, a blank canvas. I feel like it’s important to look at what’s in front of you and just bowl the best you can. This season will be pretty hard to beat for me, but I still hold myself accountable to make sure I bring what I can to the team.”