While much of the focus on this summer's Olympics in China has been on activists protesting China's human-rights record, for thousands of athletes across the globe a trip to Beijing will be the culmination of years of training, regardless of politics.

Parkesburg native Rick Powell, 19, is one such athlete. A former national champion in the esoteric sport of whitewater slalom, Powell hopes to move one step closer to securing a spot in the Summer Games at the U.S. Olympic team trials and the Continental Qualifier in Charlotte, N.C., this weekend.

This little-known water sport is similar to the slalom event in skiing, where downhill skiers must navigate around "gates" - poles planted on the mountain. In the whitewater version, the gates are sets of poles suspended over the rapids. Rafters must navigate through each gate, getting their head and a part of their boat between the poles, while racing to the bottom of the course. Penalties are assessed for striking a pole or missing a gate entirely.

Powell competes in the C-2 class of slalom, meaning he rides in a canoe with a teammate - Casey Eichfeld, 18, of Drums, Luzerne County. The two have been racing together for years - they've known each other through racing circles since Powell was 6 - and were the 2006 national champs. They'll need to match that performance this weekend, because the U.S. will send only one C-2 boat to China, and even that spot is not guaranteed.

"I want to win, first place, because I know we have a good shot," said Powell in a phone interview from Charlotte, where he has been living with a friend and training since January.

Powell and Eichfeld will make a total of six runs this weekend - two runs down the whitewater course each day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Only their faster time each day will count, and those times will be used in two different competitions: against boats from Canada, Brazil, and other countries for the North American spot in Beijing, and against other American boats in the U.S. Olympic team trials.

So it's conceivable that the two could paddle really well the first two days, earning the U.S. a spot in Beijing, and a poor performance on Sunday would award that spot to another American boat. Or vice-versa.

It's so confusing that even Powell is unsure exactly how the times are counted. What he does know is that he needs to paddle his best. Powell and Eichfeld did win the U.S. team trials at the same course last year. He just hopes that, if they win, the larger story surrounding these Olympics doesn't damage their dreams of reaching Beijing.

"We're just worried that we'll boycott the Olympics. We really just want the chance to race," said Powell. "And if we get screwed over because of social or political reasons, that just doesn't seem very fair."