Tough Mothers
It looms on the horizon. Just over two weeks to go. Basketball junkies get twitchy. “It” is the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup. 32 nations...
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A Life In Sport
A blog by Ian Hyde-Lay
About
ABOUT
Ian Hyde-Lay is a teacher who lives and works in Victoria, BC. He has been heavily involved in sport his entire life, as a player, coach, referee and administrator.
All Posts
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- Mar 28
- 4 min
The Shadow
Together, we watch. An old friend, wise beyond his years, does not say much. Yet, when he speaks, I listen. “Pressure is just the shadow...
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- Mar 3
- 2 min
The Kingfisher
A restless, sleepless night. A coach tosses and turns, his mind swirling. Processing information. “What ifs,” intangibles, game planning,...
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- Feb 7
- 3 min
A Cautionary Tale
2023. An early January evening in Salt Lake City. A professional basketball savant puts on a dazzling display, the capacity crowd’s...
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- Aug 27, 2022
- 3 min
Mistaken Identity
Summer, 1977. Up early each morning, I am at work on the municipal watering crew by 6am. All done eight hours later. On my bike, home as...
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- Aug 5, 2022
- 4 min
Icon
Our family sits around the kitchen table. Dinner reaches a conclusion. It is 1969, a lazy summer evening at the lake. The sun slides...
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- Mar 28, 2022
- 4 min
The Companion
A one-year Covid induced absence, for better or worse, is now just a memory. Indeed, despite some bumps in the road, the 2021-22 Canadian...
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- Oct 20, 2021
- 5 min
Not the Lone Ranger
Victoria. March 1976. An impressionable 18-year old, I sit mesmerized, high up in the bleachers. Down below, on the floor of the McKinnon...
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- Apr 26, 2021
- 3 min
Those Moments
March 15, 1980. Calgary, Alberta. But this is no regular Saturday. The clock strikes 9pm. Outside The Refinery, a popular nightclub, the...
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- Apr 6, 2021
- 4 min
"A" Private Affair
March 1975. The sports section in British Columbia’s main daily newspaper highlights an upcoming basketball game. Stags, Knights meet in...
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- Feb 23, 2021
- 4 min
Like The Gipper
For me, as a young boy growing up, he is the stuff of legends, his story one that stands the test of time. An American gridiron star, he...
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- Feb 9, 2021
- 6 min
Vindication
For those who enjoy travel and love hoops, there are worse ways to spend a summer. It is late August 2013. I journey to Puerto Rico and...
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- Nov 30, 2020
- 4 min
The White Moment
With his team’s NFL season teetering on the precipice, the Dallas coach has a novel idea. In advance of a recent game vs Minnesota, he...
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- Oct 14, 2020
- 3 min
Hoops 'N Hearts
The phrase "spend a lot of time together" is music to my ears. Six simple words...
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- Sep 18, 2020
- 2 min
The Hawk
Suddenly, he makes his way over. He looks fit and wiry, with sharp features. He introduces himself, then moves along to the next group.
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- Sep 5, 2020
- 3 min
"Run!!"
And so I make my decision.
“Sorry, this mess is on you” I reply. “RUN!!”
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- Aug 26, 2020
- 2 min
Plus Ca Change
It’s all part and parcel of BC high school hoops. Which, over 75 years, at its very core has stayed the same.
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- Aug 16, 2020
- 2 min
The Jewel
Like millions of others across the land, he is a shining example of a raw, untapped gem just needing further polish.
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- Aug 6, 2020
- 3 min
Gaping Hole
And then I throw the ball away. No rhyme or reason or excuse. I am not under pressure.
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- Jul 27, 2020
- 3 min
Never in Doubt
He first offers a sly smile. Then three words, which are all he needs.
"Never in doubt."
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