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

Karma

October 17, 2025. A cool and breezy evening in Seattle, Washington. 48,000 rabid fans pack into T-Mobile Park. Scream and shout. Desperately urge on the beloved, hometown Mariners in their quest to reach the baseball’s holy grail. The World Series. The American League championship vs Toronto stands knotted at two apiece. Tonight’s winner to take a crucial one game lead in the hotly contested best of seven series. Momentum appears to favour the visiting Blue Jays, back on leve

hydesollie

Oct 234 min read

The Weapon

September 3, 1988. 33,000 fans, a sellout at venerable St. James’ Park. Home of Newcastle United, an English Premier League soccer team. Along with a friend, I join thousands of rabid local supporters in the Gallowgate end of the stadium. It is standing room only. Crammed, almost crushed together, quite literally pinned shoulder to shoulder, we fight to hold our positions. The energy is electric. The tension palpable. A sparkling new West Stand set to open. The excitement cap

hydesollie

Oct 156 min read

Time and Love

Late September. Not too bad, as weekends go. Plenty on my docket, but still time to focus closely on various international athletic events. First up is the Ryder Cup, a biennial competition between Europe and the USA. Twelve players represent each side. A head-to-head, match play event over three days. 28 points on offer. Plenty of spirit, drama, and tension, not to mention incredible golf. Alas, the 2025 version, held at Bethpage in New York state, is also not without signif

hydesollie

Sep 304 min read