// TALES FROM SHEET NINE TV exposure aided
job security in 1988 Olympic curiosity turns into real media coverage
by David Garber, Emeritus Editor,
dj.garber@
charter.net
president was my boss, thus I had 21 bosses in 21 years, with advantages as well as disadvantages. I must say, it was wonderful working with so many talented and dedicated people. Bob Hardy of Seattle was USCA president when I started in the fall of
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1985. I’ll always be grateful for the consideration Bob showed me in an effort to get the new national office off to a good start. In those days, the USCA president generally had the Nationals in his region. And it was al- ways “he,” until the late Ann Brown broke that barrier in 1991 (four other women have since served as president). I thus enjoyed the 1986 Nationals in the Granite Curling Club, including its best curling action vantage point: the second story bar. Hardy oversaw the addition of women to the USCA board of directors.
Tis was accomplished by doubling the rep count from each region, politi- cally easier than cutting positions, with very little impact on expenses since directors paid their own travel expenses. Te board ballooned to about 45 members before being trimmed back. (Aſter 1992, in compliance with the U.S. Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, at least 20 percent of directors were athletes, who were elected by athletes.) Te USCA has had many ups and a few downs since 1985, including the
tragic deaths of two presidents while in office, Bob Sponaugle of the Her- shey (Pennsylvania) Curling Club and Chris Moore of the Mayfield (Ohio) club. Bill Pattinson of Milwaukee and Leland Rich of Fairbanks stepped in to fill the terms and serve one more. Back in the mid-1980s, administrative excitement for me included an
hour’s drive to Poynette, where the late Elgie Noble, then USCA secretary, assigned me the job of producing the annual USCA Directory. Ten, the excitement standard for admin work quickly rose with news that curling would be a demonstration sport in Calgary in February 1988, and maybe a full-medal Olympic sport one day. My then-boss Bill Pattinson took me aside and said, “Your challenge for next season is to take advantage of the Olympic presence to get media exposure for curling. Some of the board are concerned we can’t afford an executive director. If you are successful with the media, this will increase everyone’s comfort level.” Mind you, much pre-1985 curling print coverage was on the society page. I always appreci- ated Bill’s candor and direction. I went to work, and aided by great efforts by many curlers, I was able to
show a VHS tape containing more than 50 minutes of television coverage at the March 1988 USCA board meeting in St. Paul, from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and more. TV crews shot footage from Eveleth, Stevens Point, Madi- son and other curling places. As well, I passed around a thick three-ring binder full of print media coverage, including many national papers and
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usacurl.org ))
he recent death of former USCA president John Woodin, and the deaths this year of other curling stalwarts such as Frank and Chi- na Rhyme, evoke pleasant memories for this writer. Te USCA
magazines. (For our younger readers: I pre-date DVDs, the Internet and cell phones. But, I could once sweep a Blackjack with authority.) Yes, curling was a media curiosity then, but overall the coverage was quite positive. Te board applauded that video – that was the last time a USCA president talked to me about job uncertainties. In 1992, curling was admitted by the International Olympic Committee
to the program of the Olympic Winter Games. Many people had worked tirelessly toward this goal – and once achieved, the USCA and its volun- teers, athletes and staff had plenty of hard work ahead – but that story is for another column! n
// IN MEMORIAM John H. “Woody” Woodin
John H. “Woody” Woodin, 88, Elm Grove, Wis., died Oct. 29, 2012.
Woodin was president of the United States Curling Association from 1984- 85, and a USCA director for 10 years. During his presidential tenure the USCA continued its transition from a men’s organization to an association representing all curlers; also during his term the final groundwork was laid to hire an executive director, culminating in the hiring of this writer in September 1985, three months aſter Woody leſt office. Woody and his late wife, Betty, curled out of the Wauwatosa Curling Club. He was a member of the 1982 USCA Scotland Tour team. His resonant bass voice and outgo- ing, friendly personality were a hallmark of his love of the social side of the game. In the 1990s, Woody was a key player in developing the very popular
Senior Men’s National Bonspiel. Outside of curling, Woody was a Naval officer on a destroyer escort in
the Pacific Teater during World War II. He was an executive in financial services, insurance and investment business. According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal on Nov. 3,
Woodin’s son J. Scott recalled, “My mom and another lady got involved (in curling) and convinced their husbands,” which led to 40 years of curling. J. Scott said that Woodin highly valued the game’s integrity, epitomized by the practice of calling one’s own fouls. In addition to his son, Woodin is survived by daughter, Wendy Peche, seven grandchildren and a sister.
– David Garber
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