AMERICAN TRACK LEAGUE MEET
Where: Lakewood Stadium
When: Saturday, beginning 4 p.m.
Who: The former Olympians scheduled to compete are — Angelo Taylor (four-time Olympian in 400 hurdles and 4x400), DeeDee Trotter (three-time Olympian in 400 and 4x400), Chris Brown (four-time Olympian for Bahamas in 400 and 4x400), Sanya Richards-Ross (three-time Olympian in 200, 400 and 4x400), Asafa Powell (three-time Olympian for Jamaica 100, 200 and 4x100), Wallace Spearmon (two-time Olympian in 200), Ryan Bailey (2012 in 100 and 4x100), Francena McCorory (2012 in 400 and 4x400), Bianca Knight (2012 in 4x100), Queen Harrison (2008 in 400 hurdles), Tony McQuay (2012 in 400 and 4x400).
An odd thing happened to Adam Nelson during his transition from Olympic gold medal-winning shot-putter to that broad-shouldered figure behind the scenes.
At 40 years old, he picked up the heavy steel ball once more. Gave it a fling last month at a meet near his home in Athens. It landed a little more than 67 feet down range. Hmmmm, Nelson thought.
“They told me when I was younger that you only have so much time to pursue these type of dreams,” Nelson, Atlanta-born and UGA-educated said. “I feel like that window is much larger than what people allow for.”
So, welcome, for at least another month more, to the bifurcated life of Adam Nelson.
This weekend, he is a track and field meet coordinator and TV commentator. Employed by the management group behind Saturday’s American Track League meet at Lakewood Stadium, Nelson will be busy trying to promote a sport that seems to emerge from a long sleep every four years, whenever the Olympic Games come into view.
And on July 1, the first day of the U.S. Olympic Trials, Nelson will join the other throwers in Eugene, Ore., as he attempts to complete a rather fanciful quest to make his fourth Olympic team. At this stage, he’ll rely as much upon reputation and muscle memory and as he will be the sweat equity he is able to invest in the gym these days.
Nelson bridges two events this month with two very different personalities, between the rather raucous American Track League format and the staid Olympic Trials.
Saturday’s Lakewood meet has its share of world-class competitors and features the outdoor pro track debut of 17-year-old Rockdale sprint sensation Candace Hill (running both the 100 and 200 meters). It’s the environment in which they will compete that is so different.
In attempting to make track and field more palatable to the modern masses, the league condenses competition to three hours (from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday). There are no heats, only finals. On the fringes, there are dancing cheerleaders, a DJ, a band, all attempting to feed the league’s motto of, “We party faster.” Athletes are encouraged to mingle with the fans at the end of their event.
It is the kind of meet that Nelson, who once wore a “This Space for Rent” shirt in competition and put himself up for sale on eBay, would have loved in his prime.
“This is my environment to a T,” he said. “It’s live. It’s loud. And everybody’s close. That’s how I like to see it.”
“You have to innovate,” Nelson added. “If you don’t innovate, you’ll die. Track and field has found itself in this box that really hasn’t changed much since the beginning of time.”
The meet will be shown on ESPN2, and ironically, considering Nelson’s deep involvement, will feature no throwing events.
Asked to switch to TV commentator mode and highlight some of the events to watch in this meet, Nelson pointed to the pole vault (featuring decathlon world record-holder Ashton Eaton and defending world champion Shawn Barber) as well as the chance to see young Hill run for the first time.
Nelson joined Georgia-based Doyle Management Group, an agency representing track and field athletes worldwide, in January. “It has been a lot of fun getting back involved with a sport I care very deeply about,” he said.
His re-involvement on the competitive side came as a surprise even to him. After all, Nelson has not visited an Olympic podium since 2004 (his silver there was much later upgraded to gold after a drug test brought down the champion). In 2008 he finished outside the top 10 and he failed to make the U.S. squad four years later.
“I really hadn’t been training much,” he said. “I’d go out and throw some with the younger guys every so often, go coach a couple kids here and there, certainly not anything consistent. I said, well, if I can throw a little over 67 feet with almost no training let’s see what I can do with some consistent training for next six to eight weeks.”
Nelson’s immediate goal for the Trials is relatively humble — breaking the over-40 age group record of just more than 70 feet.
But, hmmmm, you never know.
“If I make a team, that’ll be even a little more crazy,” he said.
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