ABA OFF THE CLOCK

Gina Curry - Golden State Throwers

If you know Gina, then you know that she has a penchant for summer activities with friends and family. One of Gina’s strongest passions is for track and field, which dates back to her high school years which she participated in discus and shotput. It was a perfect match when she met her husband, Mike Curry, who either participated or coached field events his whole life. So it made sense for the two of them to take a risk in 2008 by founding their own non-profit sports club, The Golden State Throwers.

Golden State Throwers (GST), is a youth sports club that focuses on throwing events for local kids, aged 13 to 18. The team of high schoolers travel the country as a junior Olympics team. The typical Golden State Thrower might also participate on their high school team, but being a member of the club allows them to compete in other events, like the hammer, weight (indoor winter event) and the javelin, that are not typically showcased in the high school arena. In addition, team members have a great opportunity to be recruited by some of the best track and field university programs in the country. Which is the exact mission of the club – prepare each member to secure a scholarship to go to college. Two-time Junior Olympian national champion age 17-18 in hammer, Emelda Malm-Annan did just that. She is currently studying at University of Wyoming and an active member of their track and field team. The GST club has an 88% scholarship rate and continues to forge a unique space in the track and field arena for young people. In fact, GST is only one of two organized youth throwing teams in the nation.

Gina is a devoted fan of the GST and a tremendous support to her husband, Coach Curry. They fulfilled a dream of theirs by purchasing a 5-acre property in Galt with the vision of building a throwing facility. They currently have a hammer and disc-throwing pad and are converting their old barn for Olympic weight training. It is not without a lot of support and love that this dream could materialize. Local throwing star, Stephanie Brown-Trafton, Olympic Gold medalist, disc, 2008, donated the disc throwing pads to GST.

So far, 2017 has been a great year for the club. Eleven of the thirteen athletes qualified for nationals and ten are competing in Lawrence, Kansas later this year. It seems that the sky is the limit for Golden State Throwers and Gina will be right there supporting it all!

 

Nina Delgado - Master Crafter

Did you know Nina Delgado, space and event management analyst, is a master at crafts and DIY projects? Creating, fixing, and building things has been a part of her life since she was a child.

"I enjoy creating and working with my hands in my 'spare' time.  I have created numerous items using various means; painting, crafting, woodworking, drawing, glass etching, ceramics," explains Nina.

Where creativity flows, recognition follows, and it is especially true for Nina. Every year Space Management has decorated its offices for the annual Halloween office contest. It should come as no surprise that every year Space Management has been recognized. "I enjoy the recognition we receive when we enter the Halloween contest," said Nina. "In fact we have been recognized every year we have entered the competition!" You may even remember of few of these:

• 2016: Music thru the Decades
• 2015: Western Theme
• 2014: Mount Olympus & the Underworld
• 2013: Haunted Mansion
• 2012: Pirate Theme

 

Nina explains the personal satisfaction she gets from crafts and DIY projects "using my hands to 'make' something; that feeling of satisfaction, of creating, of completing something, just looking at the end result/product makes me happy."

However, with satisfaction comes the burden of perfection: "the need to make things perfect, I am a bit of a perfectionist," explains Nina. "I really enjoy the planning process, I love thinking of different ways I could do something." Enjoy some of her other crafts below:

 

 

Ryan Todd - Eye for Photography

When Ryan isn’t dreaming up the next great sustainability project for the campus he is probably somewhere in the world taking beautiful photos. Ryan has been behind the camera lenses for fifteen years and in that time has been able to see some amazing places. Nowadays, his best opportunity to capture nature’s beauty is while on vacation with his family.  Ryan says, “we travel all over the world and I take photos as a hobby along the way.” One such trip was to Kenya for a safari in April. As Ryan puts it, photography is “relaxing - taking a photo of a beautiful place forces me to slow down and enjoy what I’m there to see.” If you know Ryan, he never slows down, so it is good to hear he has this relaxing hobby outside the hectic world of sustainability on campus.   

If you would like to see more of his collection, head down to Kennedy Gallery in downtown Sacramento, four of his pieces are displayed for sale in their September "Living Wild" show. Three pieces are featured below, they are: "Horses of Tetons," "Drake Bay Sunset," and "Kenya Sunset," respectively.

 

 

 

 

Lauren Garrett - Running

About six years ago Lauren Garrett picked up a fast paced hobby, running, and she hasn’t slowed down since. While some might competitively run for recognition or awards, Lauren does it for the pure fun of it. As she put it, “the award or should I say reward is just finishing the race.  Some races can be pretty grueling.” If anyone has heard of Spartan Races, you know grueling is putting it lightly. According to Spartan.com, races range from the Sprint at three miles, to the Beast at eight to fourteen miles and can include up to three dozen obstacles. Obstacles include anything from crawling under barbwire to climbing ropes and walls. Sounds like fun, right? It is especially fun because Lauren has a built-in support system with her running partner, her sister-in-law. “We’ve ran in a bunch of small races, couple half-marathons as well as two Spartan races.”

If you see Lauren around Sacramento Hall or work with her on a budget transfer, you know she always has a smile on her face. It’s no surprise that she takes her great attitude from work to play.  As she puts it, “I run to stay active/healthy.  It’s a way for me to compete with myself and push myself to run longer and/or faster.  I most likely will never win a race, however finishing is always a 'win' for me!"

 

Trudy Lofing - Horticulturalist

Have you ever been to the grocery store and caught yourself admiring the beautiful orchids? Perhaps you have received one as a gift or attempted to cultivate your own. If so, it would be no surprise to say that the cultivation of the delicate orchid flower is a time consuming and labor-intensive pastime. Nonetheless, it has not stopped our very own, Trudy Lofing from laboring over her orchids for the last 20 years. She also loves gardening as well, but spends some quality time outside of work, specifically on her orchids.

As Trudy put it, “I love the beauty of nature, for relaxation, anti-stress and mental stimulation.” It is a labor of love and something that she really enjoys. Thank you Trudy for sharing!

 

Raul Echeverria - Golfing

For Raul, golfing is a fun pastime he enjoys with family. After playing for 3 years, Raul laments he hasn't won any competitions yet! "I haven't won any awards, but looking forward to do so."

Raul also plays on the Sacramento State Intramural Summer Golf League as well, and describes it as a lot of fun.

"Besides the golf league, I also play with colleagues/friends and family and have a lot of fun doing it," said Raul. "I enjoy playing golf especially when I see the improvements in my game!"

 

John Guion - Photography

Director of Procurement & Contract Services John Guion is also a practiced photographer, having spent over 40 years on his hobby, he has been the recipient of numerous awards from various competitions.

John explains how he got into photography "I started taking up photography when I was a diver. There are always fascinating things happing underwater, coral, fish, sharks, and sunken treasures. When I wasn’t able to dive any longer I started with landscapes, people, and abstracts. This hobby makes you stop and look around you to notice things that you would not notice if you did not have a camera in your hands."

Below are two of his pieces, titled "Sunset Flower," and "Shark Dive," respectively.

 

Paul Serafimidis - Hawks

A few weeks ago our grounds staff found a couple of young hawks that fell out of their nest. We were in the middle of the last big heat wave so they were very concerned because they were just walking around dazed and confused and likely wouldn’t have survived long without some help.

The guys put the birds in some boxes and took them to a rescue shelter. The shelter said that after the birds have been rehabilitated that we should release them where we found them because the mother would come back for them. The shelter called and told us that unfortunately one bird did not survive but the other one was doing good and ready to be released.

We picked up the bird and released it where it was found. I expected it to fly off, but it instead hoped out of the box and took off on foot and was gone in a split second.

 

Frances Palu - Breaking a Leg!

Visit your local dance hall or karaoke bar on a Friday night and you might just bump into Administrative Analyst/Specialist Frances Palu! "I enjoy line dancing and can sing some country songs via karaoke at Country Clubs and family gatherings!"

In particular, the Stoney's Country Club, located on Del Paso Blvd, hosts line dancing lessons where Frances got her start. "It started off as a casual girls night out and then I got interested," said Frances. "I like that people are shocked when they see me on the dance floor in class practically looking like a pro! Because I am, and it's super fun!"

Her favorite artist to sing karaoke with? "Oooooooh! Shania Twain!" Exclaimed Frances. Break a leg Frances!

 

Greg Paul - Coffee Connoisseur

Greg Paul loves coffee "a little too much," he explained. "I have been making a cup at work for a little over a year now. I belong to a coffee club and get single origin coffee from a different part of the world every two weeks. The coffee comes with a little card that describes the farm and has some tasting notes, and they all taste a little different." 

Greg's desk is now fully equipped for that perfect cup: "I have all the needed tools at my desk, a grinder, a goose neck kettle for more control over the pour, a scale to get the ratio of water to coffee perfect, a pour over cone, filters, and a carafe," explains Greg.

"I love the whole process of making the perfect cup.  From the smell of fresh ground coffee to the final sip.  It has become a nice relaxing morning ritual that doesn’t take too much time but makes my morning."