For SCC Officer Kelly Thalman, age is just a number
A correctional officer at Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) represented CDCR by bringing home four medals from the US Police and Fire Championships.
Officer Kelly Thalman, a 15-year CDCR employee, is a self-proclaimed adrenaline junky who proves age is just a number. In her 60-64 age group, she broke two track meet records while claiming two gold medals as well as a silver and bronze. The games were held June 10-17 in San Diego.
“When I had kids, I decided they were going to have to keep up with me, not the other way around,” said Thalman.
Thalman is no stranger to competitions, have been a competitive swimmer since she was 6. When she turned 50, she continued swimming in competitions in the Senior Olympics. While competing there, she learned other sports and let swimming fall to the wayside.
“I thought it would be fun to add another sport once each year at the Senior Games so I taught myself three throwing events for track and field. A couple years later, track meets sort of took over and I never made it back to the pool,” she said.
By 2019, she was competing in all nine throwing events, allowing her to enter the Throws Pentathlons and Ultra Weight Pentathlons. She has also joined the U.S. Masters International competition team.
“While the bling is nice, making new friends from all over the country and world while chasing PR’s is the most fun. The sportsmanship in Masters competition is great,” Thalman said. “Even though we’re competing against each other, we still root for each other. We give each other pointers and celebrate everyone’s victories. We travel to meets together to split expenses and have fun.”
CDCR encourages overall wellness
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.
Thalman is able to balance her work and personal life, exercising and keeping stress in check.
“I enjoy the focus of training hard. It clears out life’s stressors and keeps the old body moving. I would rather use it and use it up, than not use it and lose it,” she said.
For more information on the championship, visit the California Police Athletic Federation.
Story by Lt. Ruben S. Jauregui, AA/PIO
Sierra Conservation Center
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