LAKEWOOD – In a land where festive occasions often call for shrimp on the barbie, the diminutive American with the blonde ponytail plans to fuel up at the pasta bar.
“I’ll probably have a lot of spaghetti every night,” said Amber Nash of Lakewood, who left Sunday for Melbourne, Australia, where she will represent the United States at the 2005 Summer Deaflympics. The competition runs Jan. 5-17.
The 20th edition of the Summer Deaflympics, which are held every four years, are expected to draw more than 3,600 athletes from 75 nations.
Nash, who graduated from Lakewood High School last spring and now attends Community Colleges of Spokane on a track scholarship, was selected for the United States team earlier this year. The choice was based on an impressive resume, which included ownership of the national deaf women’s record in the 300-meter hurdles (45.54 seconds).
Legally deaf since birth, Nash has a 90 percent hearing loss. With hearing aids, she gains another 10 percent.
In Melbourne, Nash is scheduled to compete in five individual events: the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the long jump. She’s also a member of the 400 and 1,600 relay teams.
Between preliminary races in the track events and qualification rounds in the long jump, Nash will be competing nearly every day.
Nash, who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 115 pounds, has been preparing for the trip by working out up to six days a week. Her workout sessions typically run three to four hours. The grueling regimen includes a mix of speed work, endurance runs and weight lifting.
“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Nash said. “I know it’s going to be a lot of competition, but I want to bring home at least two gold medals, more if I can.”
The opportunity to compete in the Deaflympics caps what has been a whirlwind year for Nash.
After being named to the United States team in February, she wrapped up her high school career in May by winning the 300 hurdles for the third consecutive year at the Class 2A state track and field championships.
In July, she traveled to muggy Washington, D.C., to meet and train with her teammates on the U.S. Deaflympics team.
“It was hard to run in it,” Nash said of the humid conditions. “But it was really nice to meet my team. We clicked and everyone really got along well.”
In September, Nash moved to Spokane to start college and, for the first time, live on her own. For a person with a severe hearing impairment, going away to college meant more than confronting the usual challenges. “It’s been hard work,” Nash said.
She had to learn to cope with daily life minus two of the most important people in her support network – her mother, Midge, and longtime best friend Berit Anderson.
“Now, I don’t have my mom and Berit to run to if I have a problem,” Nash said. “That’s what I’m most nervous about. But, I think I’ll be OK.”
Nash and Anderson met the week before the start of their freshman year of high school at a cross-country camp and the pair hit it off immediately. Anderson’s friendship with Nash has been a life-changing experience.
“I’d wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten,” said Anderson who is studying American sign language at Everett Community College and spent her high school years as a volunteer helping deaf children in the Edmonds School District. “And then I met Amber and decided to be an interpreter.”
The two have grown ever-closer over the past four-plus years.
“Where there’s one, there’s the other usually,” Anderson said with a laugh. “I just hate that she’s gone. Now, if I’m having a bad day, I have to wait for her to get on the computer.”
The two will be reunited in Australia. Anderson left today for Melbourne, where she’ll be part of an entourage of family and friends on hand to support Nash.
“She likes to win, but if she doesn’t, she’ll just look at what happened and try again,” Anderson said.
Anderson returns from Australia a week ahead of Nash, but the two friends have plans to get together as soon as Nash gets back.
“I’m going to pick her up at the airport,” Anderson said, “so we can catch up on things.”
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