PenMet Parks director Nelson, a former PLU rower, keeps up with athletics

Before being named the Executive Director of PenMet Parks, before being the recreational manager for the city of Federal Way and before coaching the rowing team at Pacific Lutheran University, Doug Nelson was a kid that loved sports.

He grew up in a family that had the fundamental belief that being active and pursuing recreational activities was something worthwhile. He’s carried that high-energy throughout his life and into his professional career as well.

“Our mission at PenMet Parks is to enhance the quality of life of the people that we serve,” Nelson said. “And so, knowing from personal experience that exercise, health and fitness have enhanced my life, it’s a no-brainer for me to impress upon people that I have a responsibility as a public servant to encourage people to get involved in that type of lifestyle.”

Although his athletic journey didn’t begin at Pacific Lutheran University, Nelson carved out one of his core sports passions while attending there.

Originally, Nelson was recruited to PLU to play baseball and he played his first full year at the school. He also had an interest in playing soccer as well, but ultimately chose to stick with baseball at the beginning of his second year.

However, Nelson decided to put baseball on hold and was persuaded to give the rowing team a try. And that’s where he found his niche.

“Someone I met asked me if I was interested in joining the rowing team, and that’s where things really changed for me,” Nelson said. “I tried rowing out and just after one rowing practice, I was just hooked instantly… It was the most challenging thing that I ever tried and that quest for trying something so challenging and demanding was really appealing.”

Nelson officially joined the rowing team in his junior year at PLU and his passion for his new favorite sport pushed him to stay a fifth year at the school.

It scratched the itch he had for participating in a team sport as well as giving him a feeling of nostalgia for boating with his family at a younger age. In fact, rowing became such a passion for Nelson that after graduating from PLU in 1990, he became an assistant coach for the team.

“I really loved the sport and right as my college career was ending, I wanted to keep rowing,” he said. “I was asked to help coach as an assistant at the college. I was super passionate about [the sport] and thought that an opportunity to do that would come up so quickly.”

At the time, the Lutes were coached by Doug Herland. Despite his battle with brittle bone disease, Herland was a bronze medalist in rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

As an assistant coach to Herland, Nelson quickly learned a lot about coaching and leading a rowing team. Their relationship was a very positive one, and it left a lasting impact on Nelson. He often cites his friend as one of his most influential people in his life.

“I list him right there next to some of the most influential people in my life [like] my mom, dad, stepdad and grandmother,” Nelson said. “He was that mentor/idol/major life influence for sure… He unfortunately died way too young at the age of 39 [in 1991]. I was really lucky to know him.”

Losing his mentor was a very difficult thing for Nelson, as he felt like Herland was gone too soon. However, this unfortunate event led him to become the head coach of the rowing team, a position that he held until 2000.

During his tenure at PLU, Nelson was approached by a number of other coaches from rowing associations to help coach more elite level athletes.

One such club was the Lake Washington Rowing Club in Seattle, where Nelson officially joined the staff in 1995 and would coach on again/off again for the nearly 20 years.

“That allowed me to still coach some pretty high caliber athletes for a long time,” he said. “I still have really good relationships with those coaches and athletes up there.”

As Nelson has settled into his new role for almost a year now, he spends more time running trails and training for competitive, short-distance triathlons.

Staying in shape has always been somewhat required for him in his work as he began his career with Metro Parks teaching fitness classes in the early 90’s. Now he can do it for fun.

“There’s nothing phony about the way I go about it, just because I’ve really lived [this way] and there’s nothing phony about it,” Nelson said.

What Nelson continues to prove is that being athletic and active has helped him lead a successful life and career.

From trying something new in rowing for PLU, to coaching, to now being the executive director at PenMet Parks, Nelson’s healthier lifestyle made him more productive and in turn, more successful.

“There’s so many great values that people can gain from participating in recreations,” he said. “It’s so important to me to make sure that in our profession that we create programs, amenities and parks and park features that really foster that.”

This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.