Feather Duster
August 6, 2021. A steamy Friday evening in Yokohama, Japan. The Olympic Women’s soccer competition, delayed a full year by Covid and...
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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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- Jul 25
- 4 min
Raining Champions
The Ashes. Two simple words which, for cricket aficionados at least, always get the heart pumping. Two simple words that reference highly...
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- Jul 18
- 4 min
Enough
July 2023. A summer rant. Because, surely, enough is enough. The world is a mess, a global pandemic barely in the rearview mirror. In its...
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- Jul 6
- 4 min
Perspective
Easter Sunday 1969, a few months after my 11th birthday. The date crystal clear in my memory. Shiny clubs, a starter set comprised of a 3...
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- Jun 19
- 3 min
Money Talk
Pound for pound, he is the most powerful golfer in the world. Riveting to watch. I admire the flawless simplicity of his swing, the hip...
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- Apr 20
- 3 min
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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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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....
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- 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...
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- 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,...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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