Rebecca to compete in 2018 curling nationals

Curling is enjoying a surge of popularity following the Olympic Winter Games, where the U.S. men's team won its first-ever gold medal in the sport.

Next week, the focus will be on the USA Curling 2018 National Championships.

Rebecca will be there, as a member of one of eight teams competing for the women's championship in the tournament, March 3-10 in Fargo, N.D.

Team Rhyme - Rebecca, Kim from Minneapolis, Katie from Brown Deer, Wis. and Amy from Blaine, Minn. - will start round-robin play on Sunday, March 4, playing one or two games a day through Wednesday in hopes of making the playoffs Friday and Saturday. (Updates and results will be posted on the USA Curling website, which will also have live webstreams of at least some of the games.)

Rebecca previously competed at Nationals in 2014 and 2016, as well as Junior Women's Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012 - and was on the team that won the Mixed National Championships in 2013. She'll be returning to the Mixed Nationals this year as part of Team Maroldo, which won a regional championship in January. That competition was held on Rebecca's home ice at the Rochester Curling Club.

The Mixed Nationals competition takes place March 23-31 in Lakeville, Minn.

Correction: An earlier version of this post said the Olympic men's team would also be in the tournament. Although the USA Curling website lists it among the teams that qualified, Rebecca informs us it will not be competing in Fargo.

More musical events for Stephanie

Stephanie with Columbus Youth Symphonic Band

This month, Stephanie performed in two concerts with groups of select student musicians.

The Darby trio

The first was a performance by the Ohio Music Educators Association All State Band. Student musicians from around the state rehearsed for two-and-a-half days and then performed their program in conjunction with the annual OMEA Conference for music educators, held at the Columbus Convention Center.

Cathy writes: "Stephanie was one of three students from Darby High School that was selected to participate. She enjoyed meeting other band students from all over Ohio and having the opportunity to perform with guest conductor Alfred Watkins, a retired band director from Georgia."

No photos or recordings were permitted during the performance, but Cathy took the picture above during warm-ups. Click here for more photos, from rehearsal and after the show.

The following weekend, Stephanie performed with the Columbus Youth Symphonic Band. Stephanie auditioned last year and was accepted to the group of Columbus-area high school musicians.


The group held weekly rehearsals starting in November to prepare for the first of two concerts, presented at Capital University.

Here are two videos from the program:
Variations on a Korean Song by John Barnes Chance
Country Gardens by Percy Grainger

The musicians are now learning new music for another performance in April.

In memory of Ted Sr.

The family is saddened by the passing of Theodore, grandfather of Genevieve, Vivien and Patrick and their cousins Alexander, Nicholas and Christie. "Ted Sr." died on Feb. 14 at home. He was 89 and had been managing the aftermath of a stroke for several years.

Ted Sr. with great-granddaughter Beatrice at her christening celebration,
June 28, 2015

The following is excerpted from an obituary published in The New York Times on Feb. 16:

Ted was born in New York City on February 3, 1929. He obtained a degree in civil engineering from Manhattan College in 1951 and served in the army in 1956. After being stationed in England, he returned home in 1956 to join his father's construction business. For over 50 years Ted was involved in foundation and construction projects that helped shape the New York skyline and played an integral role in shaping some of the largest public infrastructure and private developments in all five boroughs of the city. He was President of the General Contractors Association in 1984 and 1985 and remained active in the construction industry until his stroke.

He is succeeded in his family business by his two sons, Ted Jr. and John G., his brother John, and other family members. Ted leaves his wife of 64 years, Celestine, their son Theodore Jr., daughter Margaret, son John and his wife Diane; six grandchildren, Genevieve and her husband John, Alexander and his wife Tess, Vivien and her husband C.J., Nicholas, Christie, and Patrick; step-granddaughter Emily; and two great-grandchildren, Beatrice and Rowan.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale.

Stephanie debates ethics in regional competition

Stephanie participated in the National High School Ethics Bowl Ohio Regional competition, held Feb. 3 at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

Cathy writes: Hilliard was represented by three teams from two of its high schools -- Darby, where Stephanie is a senior, and Davidson. These students, all seniors, have been practicing for months in preparation for the competition.

In timed segments, each team faced off with another team to discuss a hypothetical case study, and presented their opinions. They were then questioned by the opposing team and by a panel of judges in order to support their decision regarding the ethical nature of each case.

After three rounds of two case studies apiece, the team from Hilliard Davidson ultimately prevailed in the final round and won the day's event, moving on to the next round.

This was the first time any Hilliard students have ever participated in this event so it was a new and exciting experience for all of them. Stephanie greatly enjoyed this opportunity to discuss and debate difficult scenarios with fellow students.