The old adage "[r]ecords are made to be broken" is broken, or, at least incomplete: A former athlete's take.

The Hook:

I've learned a few things about life having dedicated 15 years as a high level athlete in the shot put [what the heck is that? Great question. Think: chucking a 7.26kg metal sphere as far as humanly possible - and before you ask, no, not like in Matilda - that was Miss Trunchbull and it was hammer throw (alas, another highly technical Olympic sport)]. In fact, I would argue that I learned more in those 15 years than I ever did in 9 years of attending post-secondary (not to take anything away from either York U nor Western Law; which are fantastic institutions with stellar people and I'm a proud alum who'd glowingly recommend both universities to prospective students - seriously, just ask the people I work with - I still wear Lions & Mustangs gear!) there's just something about travelling the world; dealing with adversity; and finding ways to function at your athletic best though you may not be at your best.

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is not to sell you on why you should hire an ex-athlete because of our "transferable skills" (i.e., time management, teamwork, being obsessively goal-oriented and competitive, highly disciplined, etc.) nor to wow you with stats like "95% of Fortune 500 CEOs were College athletes" - which is 100% true, btw. This article is aimed solely at sharing one of the most valuable lesson I learned during my time as an athlete: records are made to be broken. These 6 short, but very powerful, words come with an underlying duality and complex disposition; the elegance of which I couldn't quite entirely grasp when I was in Grade 6. When I started and for the many years that followed, there were a lot of records: there was the City record, the Regional record, the OFSAA record, junior provincial & national records, the Canada Summer Games record, etc. These records were reduced to numbers. Numbers reduced to benchmarks. Benchmarks reduced to a plan. A plan reduced to working tireless with purpose every single day. Breaking these records, one by one, quickly became the goal and the motivation to train 60+ hours a week in fulfilment of this goal became the modus operandi. If you've ever wondered what the ground-level of an Olympic dream looks like, there's a little glimpse into its formative stages.

I became obsessed with striving to unlock my full potential since I knew records are made to be broken. Someone would break them & it would be me. Fast-forward to my time at York U (remember that duality I touched on earlier - here's where it becomes apparent). It was here that I had gained the (what I then called) "maturity" (and what I'll now call: "wisdom") to realize that accomplishments can be significant, but not permanent, which served as a constant reminder to be humble, because...you guessed it, records are made to be broken.

Side note: Track & Field is a strange sport. Although it's an individual sport, you rely heavily on your Team for success: your family & support system, technical coach, video coach, strength & conditioning coach, mental performance coach, athletic therapy team, chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, nutritionist, etc. Here's where it gets even stranger: the people you compete against are the people you train with. And, I don't just mean train with - I mean, literally spend over half the total hours a week with between practice, the weight room, rehab, video review, planning sessions, not to mention travelling & rooming with (Best....friends...ever!)

An Excerpt from my Training Log, circa 2014

"Am I upset that the school record I broke at my first competition as a varsity athlete has been broken at my last competition as a varsity athlete? Absolutely not. For one, I am incredibly happy for my best friend who has another year of eligibility ahead and so it serves as a special "passing the torch moment" we will look fondly upon, and secondly, I know I can come to terms with this quickly because I find solace in the mantra that has fuelled me for so long and driven me to break that very record in the first place: records are made to be broken."

Why it's an incomplete adage?

In simplest terms: Nobody tells you when. Look, I held the school record at York for 1,557 days. By contrast, the shot put world record was shattered on June 18, 2021 after standing for 31 years. The Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since '67. Then, you have records like the one below which get broken after one business day. Of course, we can't necessarily predict when, or by exactly how much, any particular record will be broken - and I guess that uncertainty is part of what keeps it interesting (Leafs fans: any Game 4 predictions tonight..too soon?)

How is this related to the work I do now?

A prime example: just the other day I had posted that Ontario had broken its record for invitations issued in a single draw [TL;DR - 1,863 invitations were issued to candidates with profiles in the Human Capital Priorities stream within Ontario's Provincial Nomination Program (PNP)]. 1 business day later, there's already a new record under the exact same stream:

• 2,349 invitations issued;
• CRS scores ranging from 427-482;
• Targeted Health Draw. Ironically, many of the professions I had the pleasure of working with during my time as an athlete and that I attribute much of my success to are on this list, for example: #dietitian and #nutritionists, #chiropractors , #kinesiologists, #physiotherapists, #massagetherapists, #optometrists.

I am thrilled, honestly. I am thrilled for all of the lucky souls and their families (and those who have supported and I hope will continue to support them) who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get to this exciting moment in their journeys. I understand and appreciate that behind records there are people with dreams; dreams that were formed in the days of yesteryear, nourished by passion & a deep-seeded craving for change, and commitment to a plan with the resilience to stay the course (+ having the foresight to rework the plan as needed) all glued together with a glimmer of hope with self-assurances throughout the web of uncertainties that it will all just work out. It's been said that "[a]?dream?doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, hard work....and favourable immigration policy" (okay, I added the last one but you get the point). Immigration is brimming with opportunities for growth, both personal and professional, and new (and I'd hope better) beginnings for generations to come. To the 4,212 who've been fortunate enough to pursue their immigration dreams and have received ITAs on Friday & Monday - my sincerest congratulations and I wish you and your families all the very best as you embark on this next step of your immigration quest. To those who patiently remain in the pool and wonder to themselves: when will I be part of a record? I can only offer these words of support: I understand the anxiety that comes with having to wait for your dreams - but, if it's meant to be, it will happen - the world has a strange way of making way for those who know where they're going. Stay strong and reach out to your support systems.

But, I am also thrilled because as an immigration lawyer with a background as a former athlete, I'm hard-wired for results, motivated by transcendent excellence, understand the intrinsic value of support, and I just love when records are broken.