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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
The Boot
Receiving the ball near halfway, the blue #12 cuts inside. Bumps off one would-be tackler, but then gets crunched, unceremoniously dumped...
Ian Hyde-Lay
May 15, 20234 min read
Listen and Hear
Spring 2023. A school assembly gets set to begin. The usual hum of activity. Bleachers and rows of chairs in the old gymnasium steadily...
Ian Hyde-Lay
May 7, 20234 min read
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...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Apr 20, 20233 min read
Second Opinion
Downtown Victoria, a decade ago. A shop assistant looks to fend off a frustrated female customer. Her irritation rises. She wants...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Apr 3, 20234 min read
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...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Mar 28, 20234 min read
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 22, 20234 min read
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
Mar 14, 20233 min read
The Kingfisher
A restless, sleepless night. A coach tosses and turns, his mind swirling. Processing information. “What ifs,” intangibles, game planning,...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Mar 3, 20232 min read
Dom
I never knew Dom. As was and is the case for millions of others, I only knew of him. Tragically, now he is gone. Learning the news is a...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Feb 22, 20234 min read
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...
Ian Hyde-Lay
Feb 7, 20233 min read
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