My name is Jimmy Sorel, I’m a lifelong athlete, and 212 helped me change my life and find my future.
Before I get into the life changing parts, here’s my sports origin story.
I grew up in Brockport, New York, and joined my first soccer league when I was five. It was the only sport that stuck with me until middle school when I chose to run track “because it will help me get better for soccer.” I fell in love with Track and Field. Triple Jump, 400 meter run, relays, but most importantly, hurdles. Track and field opened a new world of sport for me. It was a different kind of team sport. Track offered me the support and camaraderie of traditional team sports; but when the gun went off, it was my effort, my discipline, and my excitement that got me over that finish line. In high school, I competed indoors and outdoors at the New York State Championships, and at the indoor National championships my senior year. At the Sectional level, I took the top spot in Triple Jump my senior year, but I never got the elusive hurdle win: I placed second three years in a row to two different people from the same school.
After high school, I went to Rochester Institute of Technology for a degree in Packaging Science, but the education aspect of college was never as important to me as being able to continue competing in the hurdles. College track was amazing. RIT built a brand new field house that felt like a home to me. I was able to travel the country, and run with and against some of the best in the world. I competed in the NCAA Outdoor DIII National Championships in my first two years in college, but due to injuries, never qualified again.
My biggest heartbreak came in my senior year, when I missed qualifying but 0.01 seconds. But because I was on the edge of qualifying, I didn’t know that my last meet was going to be my last meet, I didn’t know my last race was going to be my last race, that my career had ended and I was still checking the rankings online hoping I made the cutoff. Graduation day was a little bitter for me; it was the same weekend of the DIII National Championships. I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, but I never really wanted to be there, I wanted to be in Wisconsin on the track. When you are a distance runner, and your collegiate running career finishes, you still have a world of 5ks and marathons at your fingertips, but as a hurdler, what do you do?
2008: Adult phase begins.
College was done, and I was ready for the rest of my life. I had a job lined up in Rhode Island, a state I had never visited and knew nothing about, but it was a job so off I went. I had a hard time finding my athletic self in my new life. I no longer had a team, I wasn’t competing on behalf of my school, and I didn’t have a sport that was mine anymore. I played some rec league soccer and volleyball, and went on occasional bike rides, but it wasn’t the same. The disconnection and loss of focus turned into a three year athletic depression (and pretty real depression, let’s be honest). I had my bike tuned up, but I didn’t ride; I joined a gym, but I didn’t go; and I struggled finding value in my job.
But all was not lost, I was finding new outlets for my energy. I joined my first improv troupe, and found a new place where I felt like me again. On stage, I was happy, energetic, and I got to make people laugh; feelings that were missing from my new adult life. Improv had me hooked. Since then, I’ve continuously performed improv with numerous groups in Rhode Island. Through improv, I met people who introduced me to board gaming, and once again, I was hooked. I got to laugh, have fun, use my mind creatively, and enjoy good company: another place I felt like me. Board gaming gave me inspiration to build a gaming table, so I tried woodworking for the first time. I was able to plan, problem solve, work with my hands, and feel accomplished: me again. I love Rhode Island for providing me access to grow and maintain my hobbies.
2012: Challenge and Growth phase.
It was the year I was officially diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I found solace in SuperBetter, an app designed to gamify the act of mental health recovery. It helped me set goals and challenges for myself to help me through hard times. Ultimately, I knew in order to give myself a fighting chance, I had to deal with an ever present work-sized problem and an athletic-sized gap in my life. I had enough of being sedentary in both cases. I challenged myself to really start looking for a new job, to get out on my bike more, and to sign up for Oh My Goddard, my first triathlon. That last one really put me out of my comfort zone. I had a reason to move again, I had a reason to learn how to swim properly, and I got to immerse myself in a new world. After a few months of training, I crossed the finish line. Then about 20 feet later, I cried. I realized how much I missed having an athletic challenge in my life, what I had accomplished, and that this wasn’t a one time challenge. I signed up for three more triathlons that year and joined a team.
As athletics permeated my life again, my self-confidence was returning just in time for some job interviews. I ended up getting an offer for what I thought was going to be my dream job (more on that later), and it was in Rhode Island so I didn’t have to move! It was also the year the Providence Improv Guild launched and became my new improv home. I currently direct, teach, and perform at this theater and am always thankful for this outlet in my life. 2012 brought me to one of the lowest lows of my life, but as my college track coach would say, “you can look at everything as either a burden or an opportunity.” I took the opportunity to believe in myself, and challenge myself to grow.
The next few years I continued to compete in more triathlons, I bought a new bike and started bike racing, board game nights continued, and I stepped up my involvement in improv. I stopped using SuperBetter, but I continued setting myself challenges. Athletically, I kept pushing to find newer and bigger challenges (half-marathon, longer solo and group bike rides, half-ironman): each time I completed a challenge, I just had to look ahead for something bigger and harder. I started going to the work small group classes at 212 on Fridays to supplement the other training I had been doing. And most importantly in this time, I met the woman who compliments me perfectly, and this year I will be able to call my wife.
The only thing that was never properly fitting my life was work. Some people identify or define themselves with their work, but that has never been the case for me. I’m more likely to ask you what you do for fun rather than what you do. Up to this point, I’d marked that up to the complete love I have for my hobbies, but at this point I started to think maybe it’s because I just didn’t enjoy what I did for a living. When you are good at what you do, work with some great people, and have a job that helps you meet all of your other needs, it can be hard to accept that you could be in the wrong line of work, but what else could I do? I internalized a lot of the problems I was having, and this struggle amplified my fight with depression and anxiety. Yet another reason that I love the outlet my hobbies provide.
2017: New Opportunity phase: the life changing part!
I officially joined 212 as a member. I loved the environment, I knew it was a place where I could challenge myself, and I knew it was a place where I felt good. Feeling like I plateaued in triathlon and cycling, I knew proper training with 212 could help, but what got me to put pen to paper was Superhero Academy. What better way to get started than to be surrounded by the most dedicated group of people (each with their own goals and motivations) and being led by equally dedicated and motivating instructors. It was a great challenge, I started looking at weight training differently, I watched what I ate for the first time in my life, and I got to immediately connect with the 212 community. 212 opened my eyes to the wonderful atmosphere of Rumford, my search for houses expanded into Rumford and I bought a house right down the road. I continued to train and find new challenges.
I signed up for a Spartan race in Fenway happening right at the tail end of another round of Superhero. Believe it or not, I was hooked. I started signing up for more obstacle races (OCRs) in addition to triathlons and cycling, and then OCRs took over. I put my wetsuit away, and cycling returned to a leisurely activity. For me, OCRs are an experience without the stress to perform, the worry of defeat, but definitely not a walk in the park. They are about community, camaraderie, and personal challenge all in a fun environment. OCRs are 212. Much like any new hobby of mine, I jumped right in. I’ve completed almost twenty OCRs including a 12-hour and 24-hour challenge, became the Chief Obstacle Tester and a Brand Ambassador for Tough Mudder.
Through the years of pushing my body, I’ve dealt with a lot of small injuries and setbacks. In 2017, I strained my Achilles to the point that I needed to go to physical therapy. In the past Physical Therapy had just been a necessary step between being injured and being able to compete, but now something was different. Now, this rehab felt more significant, and the environment of the clinic was more comforting. A seed was planted.
I began to ruminate about the idea of becoming a Physical Therapist. A few months had passed, and I set up a meeting with the head of admissions at URI to see if the program would be a good fit. I learned that it required completion of a number of prerequisite classes in order to even apply to get into the program. This included retaking some classes as my undergrad credits were no longer valid. I wasn’t dismayed. It just became a bigger challenge than expected. I reached out to Sean, Kerry, and Colin who were wonderful supporters. They helped with some guidance and set me up to talk with 212 member and Physical Therapist, Deryl Pace. Deryl provided some much needed and welcomed advice and knowledge about the field. I spent the next year and a half taking classes at night, learning more about the field and the application process, and maintaining my full time job and hobby filled life. A year and a half of pursuing an entry into a highly competitive field. A year and a half of stress and doubt and worry. A year and a half of hope and excitement. A year and a half ending with an application to URI’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.
2020: A New Beginning phase
I did it. I was invited to interview on January 6, and was offered a spot in the program the next day. Nearly 8 years of change and growth and challenges and goals. 8 years of struggle and doubt. 8 years culminated in this accomplishment. My program starts in May, and with it will come new challenges, new goals, and new opportunities. I am unbelievably excited to pursue a career that is much more connected to the life I’ve led. I’m excited to expand my knowledge of movement and use my passion to help others.
I’m excited for the future; thank you to everyone at 212. Your support and promotion of personal growth and accepting challenges has truly changed my life.