Records were made to be broken – or so they say.

On a personal level, the SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools Athletic Association) Track & Field Championship that was contested in May of 2004 will always be special.

For starters, it was the very first city meet I had the privilege of covering, having launched SudburySports.com just six months earlier.

Strangely enough, this was the very year that OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) implemented new age classifications for what were then midget / junior / senior divisions - and also adopted stricter guidelines regarding an athlete’s age limits.

Because of all of the above, existing track and field records established in 2003 or earlier were retired, with a new record book born one year later.

Understandably, SDSSAA also followed suit – meaning that every single event champion in May of 2004 were now the proud owners of a new city record.

This week marks the 20th running of the city high-school track and field championships since that watershed season, an ideal time to take a deep dive into some very interesting historical standards.

For starters, only three records that were set in 2004 have withstood the test of time over the ensuing two decades – all three in the grade nine grouping of athletes; two of which are the property of one Rebecca Johnston.

(* let me note at this point that the entirety of this column is based on a painstaking and quite thorough review of all available data – which does not make it infallible. I will most gladly acknowledge any errors in this public forum – should any exist – so feel free to email me at info@sudburysports.com if the readership picks up on any mistakes)

Rounding out the troika is a far more unlikely candidate.

Dowling native Yves Bastien followed up a highly productive “AAA” hockey career in the region with an outstanding underage season with the North Bay Skyhawks, leading to a four year OHL career.

Yet right in the middle of all that, Bastien blasted his way to a time of 11.20 in the midget boys 100 metre final, a clocking which is not only faster than all but three of the senior boys gold medal winners since then in Sudbury, but also was 0.20 seconds faster than the retired record set by Nick Koutsoukis of St Charles in 1995.

In fact, all three of the 2004 records that remain on the books are, in fact, all-time records.

Rebecca Johnston remains, to this day, the only local grade nine girl to cover one lap of the track in less than 60 seconds. Her time of 59.10 has honestly never really been challenged in the past 20 years, with Barbara Ceccon (1:01.94 in 2023) the only female to come within three seconds of the record.

Not that Johnston requires any more ammunition to make a case for all-time greatness at the Sudbury H-S level in the track and field ranks, but stop to consider the fact that of the 17 records that were set in either 2004, 2005 or 2006 and that are still in the books, Johnston either single-handedly, or as part of a relay team, was part of almost half of those (eight records in all).

Those early years of the new era of OFSAA track (for lack of a better description) would see local stars like Paige Leclerc (JG hurdles – 80m/300m), Justin Richardson (shot put – MB), Andrew Lalonde (100m hurdles – JB), Austin Roy (shot put – JB), Elijah Allen (110m hurdles – SB), Josh Haslam (discus – MB) and Dan Gardiner (long jump – SB) all making a name for themselves – with a great many of the above moving on to do wondrous things in other sporting pursuits as well.

But what of the now “untouchables”, those records which might span generations before being erased?

The Rebecca Johnston novice (midget) girls 400 metre standard certainly fits the bill, but it is hardly alone.

Ross Proudfoot would layer one of the most successful distance running careers in U Sports history while attending Guelph University upon an illustrious final few years at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. In 2009, Proudfoot set the bar in the senior boys 3000m distance (9:38.18), only to take almost a full minute of his own record one year later (8:38.76).

While the 2009 mark would have eventually been shattered by the OFSAA XC bronze medal winner Liam Passi, the truth is an impressive time of 9:12.68 by the latter would have still left him a full half a lap behind Proudfoot in 2008.

There will always be a special place for those who best a round-figure mark: a sub four minute mile; sub 11 second 100m dash; a throw that is distinguished by landing in a decimetre bracket of its own.

The 43.85 metres that the discus tossed by Josh Haslam sailed in 2006 is a full six metres further (roughly 18 feet) than the second best midget boys throw since 2004 – which also sheds some light on just how good an overall athlete future NCAA football lineman Kari Yli-Renko was during his time at Lo-Ellen, his record of 46.10 metres (1975) retired in 2004.

Allison Byrnes (only midget girl to exceed five metres in long jump – 5.06m in 2008), Andrew Lalonde (only sub 15-second junior boys 100m hurdles – 14.97 in 2005) and Ryan Taylor (only junior boy to exceed 13 metres in triple jump – 13.31 in 2014) are among that group of athletes whose records are linked by even numbers that have not yet been matched.

Even when we think we might be seeing somewhat generational talent coming along, the door is always open for that next one who makes us re-think our mindset altogether. The female throwing trio of Adriana Duncan, who gave way to Lauren Fearn, who now appears likely to give way to Blaire Rickard, are all well beyond all those who have come before or between them.

And let’s not leave the current crop out of this discussion.

The mere fact that the likes of Melina Doiron (JG – 100m – 12.40) and Annabelle Richardson (MG – 200m – 25.61) bettered times that were run by Rebecca Johnston tells you all you need to know about just how talented they are.

Twenty-years from now, it’s entirely possible that Ty Dubreuil (MB – 400m – 53.43; next fastest since 2004 = 54.95), Julian Luoma (MB – 3000m – 9:31.20; next fastest since 2004 = 9:50.79) and Levi Blouin (MB – 300m hurdles – 42.67; next fastest since 2004 = 44.37) might well be looked upon as an extremely special co-hort of local track athletes whose records remain in the books.

Or maybe they too will have been eclipsed.

Because records are made to be broken, after all.