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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
Sense of Humour
A few weeks ago, somewhat out of the blue, I receive a note from a friend. I learn that an Australian, Andrew Cole, is to win the...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Dec 30, 20214 min read
The Joy of Team
A late afternoon some ten days ago. I arrive at a school, tasked with collecting an athletics trophy from the PE office. A vicious rain...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Dec 19, 20214 min read
Rock and a Hard Place
04.45. The bright red digits on the bedside clock stare back at me. Normally a sound sleeper, I toss and turn. Memories, emotions,...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Nov 17, 20214 min read
Remembering "Weary"
Down Under, March 2018. I arrive in the Capital Territory, the manager of a high school rugby tour group. As part of our itinerary, we...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Nov 9, 20214 min read
Lost in Translation
Rugby, a rainy evening in southwest France, some twenty-five years ago. I am the referee. The game, a Top 14 local derby, is only a few...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Oct 28, 20214 min read
Not the Lone Ranger
The 2026 Canadian University (CIS) Men's Basketball playoff finals loom on the immediate horizon. Set to be played March 5-8 in Calgary. Media coverage of the event takes me back nearly 50 years ago, to my own appearance in the same competition. ----------- Victoria. March 1976. An impressionable 18-year old, I sit mesmerized, high up in the bleachers. Down below, on the floor of the McKinnon Gym, players ready for the Canadian Senior “A” Men’s Basketball tournament. One capt
Ian Hyde-Lay
Oct 20, 20215 min read
An Orphan
A coaching career stretches into its 40th year. A mixture of rugby and basketball, mostly at the high school level. Add in various university, club and representative fixtures and the total reaches somewhere north of 2500 games. Many more wins than losses, though plenty of both. Inevitably, there are high and lows, pressure and tension, joy and heartbreak. Yet, for a large part of my life, I enjoy the best seat in the house. Watch dominating performances, fantastic finishes a
Ian Hyde-Lay
Oct 11, 20215 min read
The Messiah
1989. The CANZ series, a round robin, rugby union competition featuring Canada, two Argentinian club teams and three New Zealand...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Oct 4, 20214 min read
What If?
Mercifully, it finally ends. The Ryder Cup is a biennial Men’s golf competition between USA and Europe. The recently completed 43rd...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Sep 29, 20214 min read
Baby
Victoria, BC. A mid-September morning stroll takes me through the Uplands, past Cattle Point. The soaring heat of the summer gives way to...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Sep 22, 20213 min read
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