Nicholas Salvatore "Nick" Scandone was an American yachtsman who narrowly missed participating on the United States. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal as a paralympian at the 2008 Summer Games.
Background
Scandone was born on March 4, 1966, in Santa Ana, California and learned to sail in an eight-foot Sabot dinghy at the Balboa Yacht Club in California. He started sailing when he was eight-years old, after being given the choice by his mother to learn to sail or attend summer school.
Career
Described by The New York Times as "a rising star in the sailing world in the 1980s and "90s", Scandone entered the 1992 Olympic trials as the favorite in 470 class but just missed earning a berth on the United States Olympic squad. Following the disappointment in 1992, Scandone began working in the advertising profession and later became a restaurant equipment salesman. Paralympic sailing
In July 2002, a doctor diagnosed what had started as chronic back pain as being caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig"s disease.
He quit his job and began training for the Paralympic Games in the single-handed 2.4 Meter keelboat, a craft that has been considered ideal for handicap integrated sailing since the sailor does not move in the boat, and everything is adjustable from right in front of the sailor, with both hand-steering and foot-steering possible.
By 2005, Scandone was participating as a Classification 7, under a system in which a Paralympic sailor"s mobility is rated from 1 to 7, with the lowest number representing the most severe level of disability. However, by the end of 2006, his condition had advanced to the point where he was physically unable to participate in the 2.4-Meter class, which specifies single-handed operation, and was approaching Classification 1 status.
Scandone switched to the SKUD 18 class, a newly-added Paralympic event for Classification 1 sailors that was the first Paralympic class to specify a quadriplegic member participating in the two-person crew. Heading towards the 2008 Summer Paralympics in China in 2008, Scandone"s physical condition deteriorated further.
His coaches had to modify the steering and seat systems, and had to change the electronic controls from toggles to buttons to accommodate the weakening of his fingers.
Scandone was nominated for the 2008 Yachtsman of the Year award for his gold-medal performance. Before his death, he helped promote the Maritime Sciences and Seamanship Foundation at Balboa Yacht Club, a program that he created to encourage disabled sailors to participate in the sport. Scandone died January 2, 2009 at his home in Fountain Valley, California aged 42.
Membership
He was chosen by his fellow members of the 2008 United States Paralympics Team with the honor of being the flag bearer for the United States. team at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Beijing.