// IN MEMORIAM
Refl ections on the curling life of
Mary ‘China’ Rhyme
by David Garber, Curling News Editor Emeritus (Editor’s note: Please refer to the cover story in the July, 2012 e-edition of
the U.S. Curling News. Much of the content of that story regarding the North American Curling News applies equally to China.) It is sad to hear of China Rhyme’s passing, at 88, so soon aſt er Frank. At
the same time, it is satisfying to consider China’s long and productive life. T e sport of curling was a major part of China’s life. It is through curling that China’s and Frank’s and my paths crossed in a major way, decades ago, to work on curling and to enjoy curling around ice houses across North America and Europe. I can’t recall when I fi rst met the Rhymes. It could have been as early
as the 1960s, when I curled as a teenager, with my dad, in a “home and home” series with Portage curlers. Our club, Stevens Point, was founded by a Portage native, Howard Woodside. But for certain, I started working with China in 1985, when I was hired by the United States Curling Association. From the start, it was evident that China and Frank would use their infl u- ence as publishers and opinion leaders to support the fl edgling national of- fi ce, just as they had always worked to support curling at the local, Wiscon- sin and national levels. China was skilled—and she was both businesslike and sociable—at the appropriate times! I heard stories from several USCA veterans that the Rhymes had stepped
up to save the struggling North American Curling News in 1979. Not that China ever mentioned that, or ever mentioned to me that she had a degree in journalism from the UW. China exemplifi ed my parents’ generation— hard working, successful, yet modest. T e Curling News thrived under Chi- na’s editorship. China asked me to contribute a column, which I appreciated and enjoyed. When in 1991 China and Frank retired, I was fortunate to assume the editor duties. During the transition and for years aſt erward, this warm and dedicated couple was extremely and consistently helpful, includ- ing generous provision of valuable, candid advice. I will be ever grateful to China and Frank Rhyme for their friendship and support. In later years, appropriately, the USCA honored China and Frank with
its Bruce Bennett Media Award for their lifetime of contributions to curling. China’s passing reminds us of her great legacy of support for curling in many forms and places, from kids to world champions. ■
// IN MEMORIAM Mary “China” Rhyme (nee Chynoweth) died August 15, 2012, at her home
in Portage, Wisconsin. China was born in New York, living in Staten Island until age 10. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1945 with a degree in Journalism. China worked at the then-Milwaukee Journal on the society page. She met Frank Rhyme at a friend’s wedding and married Frank in 1948, settling in Portage. Frank died on June 3, 2012. China was active in the community, especially as a two-term president of the school board; China golfed and curled well into her 80s. She was co-owner and editor of the North American Curling News from 1979-1991. China is survived by sons William, Richard and Robert, and daughters Margaret and Nancy. Memorials may be made to the Portage Public Library Fundraising Campaign.
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usacurl.org ))
Wisconsin curlers Frank and Mary “China” Rhyme were the original pub- lishers of the U.S. Curling News. Both passed away this summer.
rocket exhaust By Richard Maskel
Top 10 Complaints Made About Sherlock Holmes By His Former Teammates
10. Ends up fouling way too many key shots when that pesky trademark deerstalker cap invariably falls off his head and lands on top of the stone that he is sweeping.
9. Will outright reject any suggesti on that his so-called “seven-percent soluti on” should be subjected to testi ng as a potenti al performance- enhancing substance.
8. Never quite comprehends that all the astute observati on, deducti ve reasoning, and forensic skills in the world will not matt er much if you cannot make a simple outt urn takeout to save your life.
7. Refuses to go on any out-of-town bonspiels unless that insuff erable sidekick-cum-scribe of his, Dr. John H. Watson, gets to play third.
6. Cannot get through a single strategy session without drawing everyone’s att enti on to the “curious incident of the icemaker in the night-ti me.”
5. Keeps deducing that all of his misses are the result of “picks” caused by ti ny, almost impercepti ble stray hairs left behind by an extremely rare species of albino feline that is reputed to exclusively inhabit the interiors of ice-related sports faciliti es in various northern climes.
4. Insists on referring to the Halloween Spiel as “The Adventure of the Hard-Partying, Bizarrely Costumed, Trick-or-Treati ng Curlers.”
3. Takes perverse pleasure in needling defeated opponents by frequently interjecti ng his signature catchphrase, “Elementary strategy, my dear Watson,” into the post-game discussion.
2. Opines that the sensor handles may actually be a sinister inventi on devised by a certain “Professor James Moriarty” who has a nefarious scheme to secretly undermine the very rules of the game and thereby gain unchallenged global supremacy over his rivals on the ice.
1. Supposed to be a world-famous master sleuth, but cannot solve the relati vely “no-brainer” mystery of who is responsible for all those “stolen ends” that his teams seem to surrender whenever he happens to be skipping.
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