‘It keeps hope alive.’ Oklahoma brings Olympic sports to inmates for the first time

By the end of mile one, Angel Olejniczak had taken a commanding lead. With four laps to go, her pace slowed slightly as she fell into a steady rhythm.

As she rounded the back stretch of the makeshift track, the onlookers’ cheers grew louder. Olejniczak took first with ease. After she caught her breath, she went back to meet her competition — finishing the race a second time.

“It was shocking to win. I just want to give all glory to God who mentally prepared me,” she told The Eagle.

If you closed your eyes and listened to Olejniczak speak after her race, she sounded every part like an Olympic athlete who’d been training for this moment all their life. And in some ways, she had been — running about 6 miles a day, doing hill sprints and high-intensity interval training. 

But her workouts were inside the walls of the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center, where she’s been an inmate since 2021. Her first place award, a laminated circle, declared her the first place winner of the regional Oklahoma Department of Corrections 2026 Games. 

Far removed from the Paris stadiums of the 2024 Summer Olympics, women from Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (MBCC) and Eddie Warrior (EWCC) were competing in the inmate olympics, a first-of-its-kind event in the state.

Events included games like trivia, spades and dominoes and a slew of physical challenges like tire flips, a three-point shootout and cornhole. 

On a mid-May Friday, more than 50 women from both facilities waved their signs, celebrated with each other and let the competitive juices flow. 

Kelsey Fisher, who’s in her first year as warden at MBCC, said the games gave inmates something to be proud of. 

“Every chance inmates got, they were in the gym, on the yard, timing themselves, practicing spades and dominoes,” Fisher said. “They really poured every ounce of themselves into it.”

Standing on the yard that day, the correctional facility felt more like an elementary school field day as the razor wire and fences faded into the background. 

“This gave inmates a moment that’s not just incarceration and something fun to focus on,” she said. “Life inside the prison isn’t always easy, but this is a chance to slow down and not take anything too seriously.”

For Cambrion Washington, who’s housed at EWCC, it was also a bit of a homecoming. 

“I’m excited to be back at Mabel Bassett and see old friends,” Washington said. 

But the goal wasn’t lost on her: “I’m very excited for the event, but I want to win.” 

Before she competed in the 2 mile relay, she played the role of EWCC’s biggest cheerleader. 

If home field advantage was a thing, it was hard to tell as play started. EWCC won the 2 mile race, both sprints, the basketball shootout and cornhole all before lunch. But it was pickleball that stole the show. 

Since the start of the year, MBCC inmates have had the chance to play for two-hour sessions every Thursday. In these games, it showed. The crowd of nearly 60 inmates and dozens of volunteers and correctional officers sounded like a high school gym for a rival playoff game.

During a break in the match, officers mixed with players as a head coach would in a huddle, players from their respective sides joining in to hype their peers up. 

It was also the culmination of months of hard work by Neville Massie, a former warden at MBCC. 

“This day is wonderful and I’m happy to have introduced pickleball,” Massie said. “Personally it’s kept me going and it’s good community fitness.” 

She said she wasn’t surprised at the level of competition. Instead, there was something else that caught her eye.  

“The most shocking thing has been seeing people I first saw in 1989,” she said. “But I’m encouraged the games are happening since it keeps hope alive.”

As the competitions went on, EWCC inmates continued their domination, ultimately winning 14 events to just six for MBCC. Awaiting the first place winners was a spa day that would feature a manicure, pedicure and facial. 

There’s also a good chance each person could defend their title in the future. 

“Now we’re focused on pulling the positives out and seeing what can be done next year,” Fisher said. 

Until then, Eddie Warrior will carry with them bragging rights for being the first winners of the regional ODOC Games.