Newsday Athlete of the Week is Longwood bowler Tyler Uss

Tyler Uss of the Longwood bowling team. Credit: Doug Dwyer
Tyler Uss wrote his name in the Longwood history books this past Wednesday.
Uss became the second player in Lions boys bowling history to clinch a spot for the Suffolk sectional team that will compete in the state tournament at Syracuse in March. The first was Craig Lindahl in 2003.
"His work ethic is awesome," coach Douglas Dwyer said. "The amount of time he puts into practice from his ninth grade year to this year has been amazing."
Coming in as a No. 5 seed, Uss rolled a 227 in the first round and a 237 in the semifinals to reach the championship. He rolled a 196 in the final, defeating Central Islip's Luke Vlahakis by four pins in the Suffolk singles tournament.
"The first round was the most challenging because I had to beat out two great bowlers," Uss said. "I felt that if I could bowl a 227, I could do it again. That 227 put some confidence in me and helped me get through the other rounds."
For his efforts, Uss is named Newsday Athlete of the Week.
"His game is very versatile, and he knows how to adjust. His game has changed throughout the years," Dwyer said. "His mental game is utterly amazing. Little kids go up there and throw the ball, but Tyler knows lane breakdowns and what ball to use. He picked up on everything in the last three years."
Carrying on the family tradition from his grandpa, Uss picked up bowling when he was 4-years-old. He and his dad bonded over the sport, and from then on, the junior's passion for the sport grew.
"Every time he would learn something new, he would want the whole family to know so he can show them how good he was," his dad, Kevin, said. "I would go down (with Tyler) bowling almost every Sunday like my father used to take me when I was younger."
He added, "It was so enjoyable to watch him bowl and see how excited he got every time he beat his previous score."
On his off days, Uss is part of the Best Buddies program, where he does fun arts and crafts with kids who have special needs. For Halloween, they went out pumpkin picking and decorated the pumpkins, and during Christmas, they got to pick out trees and decorate the school together.
"I see it as making friends and brightening someone's day," Uss said. "I love it when they smile; it makes me so happy when I see them happy."
Although excited to go to Syracuse, his main focus is to bring the county championship to Longwood so his teammates can be there with him.
"I want all my teammates to be happy," Uss said. "Even though I'm going up to Syracuse with the sectional team, I want to win the county championship so we can all go up together."