Gold-medal winning Paralympic sailor returns
Fountain Valley sailor Nick Scandone receives welcome home from 100 friends and family.
By ELLYN PAK
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

WARM WELCOME: Gold medalist Nick Scandone, right, smiles beside his wife Mary-Kate, center, shortly after his arrival at John Wayne Airport on Thursday afternoon after competing in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Scandone was greeted by a large group of friends and family.



Clutching a gold medal in his left hand, Paralympic sailor Nick Scandone seemed stunned to see a huge crowd cheering for him as he was wheeled through the elevator doors.

"Wow," he mouthed as he lifted his arm to show off his hard-earned medal.

He had expected to see 10 people at most. But nearly 100 ecstatic friends and family members holding flags, balloons and a banner greeted the Fountain Valley athlete at John Wayne Airport on Thursday afternoon.

Nearly a week ago, Scandone, 42, and his teammate, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, clinched the top medal in the SKUD-18 class at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Scandone, a champion sailor with Lou Gehrig's disease, skippered the two-person keelboat at the regatta, which was held in Qingdao about 340 miles southeast of Beijing.

"We're exhausted," said Mary-Kate Scandone, who accompanied her husband to the games. "It's overwhelming. It's an incredible achievement. I'm just so proud of him. We made it by a thread."

Scandone, who got four hours of shut-eye in the past two days, said he planned to get some much needed rest. He said he plans to keep the medal close to him in a room where he relaxes.

Scandone and his teammate dominated the event at the games last week as their friends and family eagerly followed their progress. McKinnon-Tucker, the first woman to represent the U.S. in sailing at the Paralympics, served as Scandone's crew. She was paralyzed after slipping and falling in 1992 while watching her husband race a sailboat in Maine.

"I was proud, of course," said 79-year-old Vince Scandone, Nick's father. "I wasn't surprised because he's been doing great. I'm glad he made it this far."

He added that his late wife Marilyn, who died nearly two years ago, would have been proud of her son. She and her son sailed together since he was a young boy, Vince said.

A sailor since he was eight years old, Scandone sailed in his youth at the Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach. He was named an intercollegiate All-American in 1988 when he sailed for UC Irvine.

In 2002, Scandone was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and eventually lost the use of his legs. He is also losing the use of his arms. However, the neurodegenerative disease failed to keep Scandone away from his passion. In 2004, Scandone started sailing competitively.

In 2005, Scandone won the world championship in his class as a disabled sailor competing against 60 able-bodied and 28 disabled athletes – earning him the highest honor in the sport as the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.

The Paralympic Games closed Wednesday after 12 days of competition. Nearly 4,000 athletes from 147 countries competed in sports including archery, judo, powerlifting, sailing, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair fencing.

Rowell Greene, a longtime family friend and fellow Balboa Yacht Club member, said tears streamed down his face as he learned that Scandone had won a gold medal. The quest to win enabled Scandone to stay alive and finish his journey, Greene said.

"It was so important to all of us and we all know how dedicated he was to doing well," he said.


Contact the writer: 714-445-6655 or epak@ocregister.com



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