Nick Scandone

SKUD-18 skipper Nick Scandone and crew Maureen McKinnon-Tucker look unstoppable in this new Paralympic class, which makes its debut at the 2008 Games. At the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in fall 2007, their string of strong finishes allowed them to mathematically sew up a regatta win before the final race. Their victory at US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR in January '08 was a repeat performance. 

"I was fortunate to team up with Maureen," says Scandone. "With her physical ability and my mental ability, we think we can go all the way."

Their path may cut straight to a Paralympic medal, but the geometry of Nick Scandone's course to this point in his sailing career is anything but straight—and life has thrown him detours. 

A sailor since age 8, Scandone sailed Sabots as a youth in his native Orange Country, California. In college at the University of California, Irvine, "I spent a good four years, honing my skills," says Scandone. The year 1988 was a highpoint: the school's sailing team won on a national level and Scandone was named an intercollegiate All-American. After graduation and a win at the 1991 470 North Americans, the Olympics were on his horizon.

But when he wasn't victorious at the winner-take-all Trials for the '92 Games, he came to a realization: "It was time for a real job." Scandone joined the ranks of serious weekend warriors, racing 505s, Lido 14s, Schock 35s, and other classes. 

In 2002, he was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. "After I was diagnosed, I continued to work … because you think the diagnosis may be wrong." But when his condition progressed, he knew his life and his sailing would change. But it took time for him to reach the starting line of a disabled sailing regatta.

By 2004, Scandone was competing in the singlehanded 2.4mR class. In 2005, he won the 2.4mR World Championship in an 88-boat fleet of disabled and able-bodied sailors and was crowned US SAILING Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. As his condition progressed, he shifted to the doublehanded SKUD.

For Scandone, his sailing success and recognition is indeed bittersweet. He'd trade it to erase his physical limitations, but he cannot reverse the tide of his life and he made a choice: to focus on what he can do as opposed to what he can't, and to enjoy his life. Sailing provides that joy and focus. It's a reminder that his success comes from a certain mental balance: "I have an even keel, in the sense that I don't get real high and I don’t get real low," says Scandone. "I shrug off the bad races and don't get too over-confident about the good ones."

As he surveys his path in sailing, there are highpoints: his collegiate wins and the 2.4mR Worlds. Says Scandone: "I hope in the near future I can add winning the Games in China to that list."

SIGNIFICANT SAILING ACHIEVEMENTS:

Ranked #1 on the US Disabled Sailing Team in the 2.4mR class (2005-2008)
US SAILING Rolex Yachtsman of the Year (2005)
U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Athlete of the Year/Sailing (2005)
ICSA All-American (1988)
 
SAILING RESUME:

2008
1st US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR/Miami, Florida

2007
1st U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing/Newport, Rhode Island
2nd IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship/Rochester, New York
3rd C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta/Newport, Rhode Island

2006
4th IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship/Perth, Australia (2.4mR)

2005
1st 2.4 Meter Open World Championships/Elba, Italy
1st U.S. Independence & North American Challenge Cups/Chicago, Illinois (2.4mR)
3rd US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR (2.4mR/top U.S. finisher)

2004
1st U.S. Independence & North American Challenge Cups/Chicago, Illinois (2.4mR)