Perfection all that has eluded accomplished Badin senior

With a simple shrug of his shoulders and a wry smile, Kulifay turned around and accepted tempered congratulations from his teammates, coach and mom.

“It would have been nice to have,” Kulifay said of the close call on Jan. 29. “But hey, there’s not too many people who can say they have a 299.”

Fewer yet are the number who can match everything else Kulifay has accomplished. The Badin senior owns a 4.5 GPA and is ranked No. 1 in his class. He is a captain on the boys bowling team after filling the same role on the boys soccer team in the fall, earning Academic All-Ohio honors along the way as a forward and midfielder.

Kulifay also is the vice president on student council, a member of the school’s Clay Busters trap shooting club and a talented pianist with an affinity for pieces composed by Tchaikovsky.

“He has a very natural gift of being extremely intelligent, but he’s fought tooth and nail to be on top,” said Teresa Heinrich, a chemistry teacher and the academic dean at Badin. “He’s every bit as competitive in the classroom as he is on the soccer field or the bowling alley.”

The son of Joe and Angie Kulifay, of Fairfield Township, Michael intends to study accounting and finance at Miami University.

“It’s fun being involved in so many things, but it can be stressful,” Michael admitted. “There are some days where you don’t get home until 9 o’clock and you still have homework to do. It’s hard sometimes. But you learn how to manage.”

Kulifay didn't even begin bowling until a friend talked him into trying out his freshman year. Last year was his first full season on varsity, and he posted a 186 average to rank 32nd in the Greater Catholic League.

His goal for senior year was to average 200. And like most everything else he sets out to do, that goal was achieved with a mark of 200.1, ranking Kulifay 11th in the GCL and second in the CGL Central Division.

“He put so much thought and effort into getting better,” Badin boys bowling coach Ann Kordenbrock said. “He’s a prime example of how if you’re willing to put the work in, you can achieve anything. Most bowlers won’t achieve 299 in their lifetime, much less at his young age.”

Next up is the sectional tournament Friday at Colerain Lanes, where Kulifay said his goal is to qualify to district and then state.

The only thing tougher than actually doing that might be finding someone who doesn’t believe he can.