Nurse Practitioner Brock Sheela found work-life balance by rediscovering a college passion: competitive swimming. At 51 years old, he said it started as a way to get back into shape and maybe revisit some of his college “glory days.”
Instead, swimming has rekindled his competitive spirit. He recently won five gold medals and a silver at the US Masters Swimming Senior National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. Better known as the National Senior Games, they were held July 25-28.
He’s been with CDCR/CCHCS since 1998 when he began as a registered nurse at Valley State Prison and Avenal State Prison. For eight years, Sheela worked at the prisons while attending night school to earn his nurse practitioner degree.
“After obtaining my degree, I started working as a nurse practitioner at Wasco State Prison in 2006,” he explained. “I was there until I transferred to the Bakersfield Regional Office in 2018.”
In addition to excelling in the pool, he’s also ambitious in his career.
“During my time at the Bakersfield office, I also became certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt,” Sheela said. “I served a dual role for Headquarters Quality Management where I was involved in helping to grow the CDCR Lean Six Sigma program.”
Returning to the pool
After a break from competitive swimming, he found the pull of the pool too tempting.
“I swam competitively back in college but then took several years off as I started my CDCR career,” he said. “Over the past three years, I started getting back into competitive swimming with US Master’s Swimming.”
As he started getting older, he weighed his options for improving his health.
“At first I was just chasing those old glory days back in college and trying to stay healthy as I age,” he said. “Like the Toby Keith song says, ‘I am not as good as I once was, but I am good once as I ever was.'”
Training for championships
“Most recently, I trained for the big National Senior Games meet held in Iowa. My training is done at Cal State Bakersfield with Road Runner Aquatics team, five days per week, swimming roughly two miles per session,” Sheela explained. “I also perform weightlifting/mobility sessions three days a week. When I compete in meets, I swim for NOVA Aquatics Masters team in Irvine.”
At the championships, he competed in six events in the 50-54 age group, winning five gold medals and one silver. Swimmers from 46 states competed at the meet.
“It turned out pretty good,” he said. “I had a lot of fun.”
Sheela hopes his story can help inspire others.
“I hope this will encourage CDCR employees to continue to stay active as they age and to stay engaged in positive work/life balance,” he said. “It is never too late to get active and pursue a healthy lifestyle.”
Story by Don Chaddock, Inside CDCR editor
Photos courtesy Brock Sheela, nurse practitioner
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