For Nelson, Games are worth sacrifice

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Xeno Muller steered his single scull away from the starting line at the mid-May U.S. Olympic trials rowing regatta.

A two-time Olympic medalist for Switzerland, Muller had decided rowing for his adopted country wasn't worth it after all. Not with what is expected to be an uneasy reception for Americans in Athens.

Not with terrorism a possibility.

It is a far different proposal for Lianne Nelson, the veteran Seattle rower, who has put a life on hold to compete one more time in the Olympic Games.

"In the next month," she said, "I'm going to miss my husband's birthday, Father's Day and our wedding anniversary training for the Olympics."

Not to mention her 2-year-old daughter, Grace.

"I'll admit it — rowing in the Olympics is a selfish dream," Nelson said. "I'm fortunate my husband shares it with me."

One way or another, one sacrifice or another, Nelson is going to enjoy the Olympics this time, keeping in focus the spirit of the Games, if not their reality.

This past weekend, in Munich, Germany, at the World Cup, Nelson was part of an American eight-oared shell that came from behind in the final 500 meters to beat China and win a gold medal.

She also rowed in pairs with Caryn Davies and finished third behind duos from Great Britain and Canada. The assumption at this point is that Nelson will stroke the eight in Athens.

"I'm not worried about security," said Nelson. "They've assured us that the Navy Seals will be with us when we're rowing."

As Lianne Bennion, she grew up in Seattle, attended Lakeside, went off to Princeton to row and study, and at Sydney in 2000 stroked the women's eight.

"I didn't embrace the Olympics and its ideals in Sydney," she said. "The Olympics can cross ethnic, religious and political boundaries. I hope this is a unifying event for all of us."

The American women didn't medal in the eight at Sydney, finishing a disappointing sixth. Only two rowers from that boat — Nelson being one of them — have stayed with the U.S. Olympic program.

"At Sydney," said Nelson, "we didn't show up on race day. We were somewhere else. We weren't prepared emotionally."

The 2004 boat is stocked with younger rowers, including two — Davies of Harvard and Sam Magee of Stanford — who are still college undergraduates.

Two other rowers in the U.S. eight that won at Munich are former Huskies — Anna Mickelson of Bellevue and coxswain Mary Whipple. Both rowed at Washington just two years ago.

"They're younger and stronger than the group we had the last quadrennial, most of them given scholarships to row in college," said Nelson, 32. "I was really nervous about coming back.

"After Sydney, I didn't think I would be coming back."

Nelson is the technician in the American boat, not all that big at 5 feet 10, 150 pounds.

"One of Lianne's strengths," said Mickelson, a 6-footer, "is being able to move a small boat. She gets the most from her body; she uses every ounce of her power."

Nelson is a seven-time national team member, the 1998 U.S. female rower of the year. She won't go away even though the competition gets taller and stronger.

"I can still hold my own with the 20-year-old rower," she said. "The peak endurance years for a woman athlete come between the ages of 34 and 38. I keep kidding the coaches that I'll have another baby after this Olympics and be back for the next ones."

She isn't kidding.

In the past four years she married Paul Nelson, a former water polo player, and took two years away from rowing while having Grace.

"I just love being a mom," she said. "But I also love rowing. The reason I entertain the thought of competing in another quadrennial is that I don't get the rush of racing from anything else."

The U.S. team is in Europe until the middle of June, spending much of its time training on a lake in Northern Italy.

It means Lianne will be away from Paul and Grace. It means the Olympics can't be far away.

Doing more work in small boats, the U.S. team is emphasizing technique this time as much as strength. And that is where Nelson comes in.

At the Games, the rowing will be staged at Schnias, northeast of Athens and near the village of Marathon, where the Olympic footrace will begin.

Last August, boats were swamped as winds raked the region during the world junior championships.

"We'll be prepared," said Nelson. "I really believe in this group of women. Anything short of a medal will be a huge disappointment."

Blaine Newnham: 206-464-2364 or bnewnham@seattletimes.com