Just when you think you've got Adam Nelson '97 all figured out, you discover something about him that throws you for a loop.
Take one look at his compact 6-1, 220-pound frame and you immediately think "football player." Listen to him talk about how he enjoys being a linebacker for the Big Green because football "brings out the animalistic side of people without hurting them" and you're not too surprised.
Finding out that he holds Dartmouth's indoor shot put record isn't too startling either, especially once you learn that he is capable of bench pressing 430 pounds. Discovering that he likes throwing the shot put because of the mental and personal challenge it presents is perhaps a little surprising.
The first change-up is thrown when Nelson reveals that he is very interested in drama, so much so that he is considering a minor or double major in it.
"I know [a drama major/minor] isn't what 'the stereotypical idea of a football player' is and that's probably why I like it so much," Nelson says. "It's a place where I can let out my feelings and not have to worry about what people are thinking."
But the major curveball comes when you learn that it's pretty amazing that Nelson can even do these things at all. Four years ago, Nelson was temporarily paralyzed after jarring his neck at wrestling practice. The experience profoundly affected him.
"[I learned] that you have to live every day to the max," Nelson said. "You have to be able to say that I gave everything today and there are no regrets to be had."
And with the way Nelson's athletic career has gone since the accident, he should have no regrets.
Nelson earned All-State honors in football, wrestling and track at Atlanta's Lovett School, but found his greatest success in track, winning two state titles in both the discus and shot put.
Last year, competing mainly against college athletes, Nelson placed first in the shot put at the Junior Pan-American Games and second in the same event at Junior Nationals.
The Pan Am games "were something I'll never forget," Nelson said. "The people there will be the next Olympians."
Although Nelson bested those "rising elite," as he calls them, he says with characteristic modesty that the Olympics are a "long shot" for him.
Junior Nationals was a slightly different experience for Nelson. It marked the first time that he competed with the college shot, which is four pounds heavier than the one used in high school competition (16 lb vs.12 lb). While those four pounds may seem insignificant, they can easily affect the very technical throwing motion.
"That extra weight can throw off your balance if you're not used to it," Nelson said. "I still haven't made the total transition to it quite yet. I'm getting close."
Don't tell that to his competition, for it certainly seems as if Nelson has already made that transition. Back on January 30 of this year, Nelson broke the school indoor record with a toss that measured 57 feet and six inches. Six days later, he bested his own record with a throw of 57 feet and 10 inches. Nelson was named first-team All-Ivy for his performance.
"Lots of people think that the biggest, tallest person is going to win [in the shot put]," Nelson said. "That's not always the case. There's lots of technique involved, and how fast you are is important."
Nelson, who is considered to be a small thrower by national standards (national caliber shot putters generally run about 6-5, 280 pounds, according to Nelson), is a perfect example of that. At the Pan Am games, Nelson beat UCLA sophomore Jonathan Ogden, who is 6-9 and 300 pounds.
"Shot put is a lot like dancing, in that [the technique] can be taught," Nelson said. "You might be doing the same dance as someone else, but they might look better than you because they have something extra. The same thing goes for the shot; you need that natural knack."
Nelson certainly has it.
