LJ water polo: Lacey and Zambia

Tudor Lacey (left), Vikings' conditioning coach,

with Coach Tom Atwell before

La Jolla's match Wed., Jan. 29

at Coggan Pool.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

We had a long afternoon, and time to use before the Vikings girls' varsity polo game, so a conversation with conditioning coach Tudor Lacey seemed very appropriate.

This outlet interviewed him last year, but we wanted to know more about the former Rhodesia/now Zambia and the copper mines his father was involved in.

"When the queen came by (televised?), everyone stood and showed respect," Lacey said in answer to what background his parents were and what culture predominated in the former southern African nation, renamed after apartheid fell and the colonial period ended.

As a boy, Tudor lived near the Kafue River, and this was the setting where he ran, jumped, and swam in waters that were safe--not where the crocodiles were.

"I was born 30 miles from the (family ) farm. It was a mining town. They found copper in north Rhodesia."

"To get (white) people to go to (work) the mines, you had a house, swimming pool, cricket fields, hockey fields..." Tudor said. The colonial government and the people basically re-created what they had in western Europe.

The men worked alongside the blacks, who, under apartheid, were not afforded education and lived a much different life than the white minority.

"My grandparents were farmers about 300 miles away in a farming district," the Viking conditioning coach remembered. "They went there in 1910."

What was the wildlife like? "On our farm, we had elephants, lions, a lot of hippos, crocodiles, antelope, and all sorts of ducks and geese."

The story of the day was about the Lacey family's dog Zippy. "I was still in boarding school (away from the family farm)," Tudor said, about 14 years old. So he got told about what happened to the beloved pet/hunting dog.

"One of my favorite dogs (Zippy) was taken by a croc. He was a Ridgeback and Bull Mastiff (mix). The croc kept chasing (people and animals). The boys (indigenous) dug out canoes. The croc would chase them.

"My sisters (Sandra, 18 at the time, just out of high school, and another) were there. The river (Kafue) had a bend in it.

"Whenever there was a gun, Zippy would (alert). My sister took a shot at the croc. It went underwater. Zippy came out of the water. He went down to the bend.

"As soon as (Sandra) shot, Zippy went. My sister went into the water up to her waist. She grabbed Zippy by the tail, and said, 'Come on.' Zippy ran out.

"There was a tree (in the water). (Zippy) got his front legs on the tree (to protect Sandra). The croc was underwater. He pulled Zippy under.)"

About his father Norman, Lacey recalled, "He was born in Zimbabwe. He moved to Zambia. My mother (Dorothy) was born in South Africa. They had a British accent, to an extent. She moved to Zambia when she was about 19."