Ian Hyde-Lay
Longshot
Victoria, late April 1979. University exams finish. A glorious summer stretches out in front of me. Money in the bank thanks to a not...
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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
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Mar 22
- 4 min
Ain't As Good As I Once Was
Bed beckons, but I take a last, quick surf of the Internet. Suddenly, a Youtube video pops up on Facebook. It leads me back down memory...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Mar 14
- 3 min
Contradiction
March 10, 2023. A birthday slips quietly by. Debbie Brill turns seventy. An awfully long time ago, back in 1970 and her barely seventeen...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Jan 28
- 4 min
My President
1978, the middle of June. My father and I agree to disagree. He remains unconvinced that a teen aged Canadian ice hockey sensation named...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Dec 23, 2022
- 7 min
Dial "M" for Magic
FIFA. The international governing body for association football (soccer). Its membership totaling 211 nations, its mission to grow the...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Nov 24, 2022
- 3 min
Sweep The Sheds
Russia. July 2, 2018. The Rostov Arena comes alive, the business end of the FIFA World Cup at hand. A commanding Belgium side, loaded...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Oct 18, 2022
- 4 min
Waiting For Coach
Years ago. A somewhat pretentious friend provides advice. You need to broaden your academic horizons, he tells me. And with that, he...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Oct 10, 2022
- 4 min
Curtain Call
It seems an odd comparison, but then comparisons often are. It is the middle of June. 1985. The Canadian Men’s Rugby team arrives in...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Oct 1, 2022
- 4 min
Too Much Pudding
Steve Nash promotes “it”. Wayne Gretzky concurs. As does Gareth Edwards. Roger Federer, Derek Jeter, Babe Zaharias, Ash Barty also....
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Aug 17, 2022
- 4 min
Home Comfort
July 23. My son takes his place on the sideline at an electric Melbourne Cricket Ground. The iconic “MCG” is one of the most famous...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Jun 15, 2022
- 3 min
Father Time
A teenager, thin and wiry with a shock of brown hair, steps up to the tee. Driver in hand. No fuss, just a couple of waggles and a final,...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- May 30, 2022
- 4 min
Field of Dreams
Hampden Park. Situated in the south-east of Glasgow, it is, quite simply, one of the biggest and best stadiums ever built. For well over...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- May 14, 2022
- 3 min
Breakfast of Champions
Praise, a confidant tells me, is the breakfast of champions. Now I like a heaping plate of praise just as much as the next person, even...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- May 5, 2022
- 4 min
A Lonely Place
June 1968. The school year winds to conclusion. Still, for me at least, ten years old and finishing grade 6 at the local elementary, one...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Apr 6, 2022
- 3 min
The Right Thing
A fine spring morning in Victoria. The sun climbs a cloudless sky. Cherry trees line the street, bursting with pink and white blossoms. I...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Mar 17, 2022
- 4 min
Black Power
Updates on the war dominate the world press and social media. We watch and read as ground troops look to encircle and advance on the city...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Mar 4, 2022
- 3 min
Estadio da Luz
We watch, aghast and horrified. A dark, ominous cloud hovers over Eastern Europe, by extension over the entire globe, as Russian troops...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Feb 15, 2022
- 4 min
Medal Table
The Olympics. An often-captivating jumble of global sport, they are held as separate winter and summer events in different countries...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Jan 20, 2022
- 3 min
Not Seeing is a Flower
Zac Taylor is not necessarily a household name, but, if you coach a team in the National Football League to a 6-25-1 record through two...
Ian Hyde-Lay
- Jan 12, 2022
- 4 min
Six
It took place decades ago, but, in retrospect, it might be the most memorable practice I ever attend. The venue is not particularly...
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