As 42-year old Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon Tucker were pushed away from the dock yesterday, their coach and Scandone’s childhood friend, Mike Pinckney gave the same confidence builder that he has always given them, “Don’t mess with the best, because the best don’t mess.”

 

Scandone, strapped in the helmsman’s seat of the SKUD 18 and was struggling from breath from the degeneration of his lungs, one of the final stages of ALS, responded, “Let’s go and end this.”

 

When Scandone and McKinnon Tucker returned to the dock, not only did the entire American squad congratulate them, but sailors from every country and every fleet at the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition did so. By sailing a perfect score for the day, the Americans did not have to sail the final races of the regatta. 

 

His large team of supporters shared their feeling and emotions later that evening.

 

His staunchest supporter, Mary Kate, his wife, kept from crying and said, “It has been four years of hard work and a lot of struggles and now it is time to go home and rest.”

 

His brother, Vince, said, “They (Nick and Mary Kate) give each other support and make sacrifices for one another that everyone wishers they could have in a relationship.”

 

Looking at his exhausted brother who was reclining in his motorized wheelchair, Vince said, “This has everything to do with ability.”

 

Although they have locked up the Gold, and did not have to sail either of the final two races of the series, Scandone told Pinckney to rig up the boat. 

 

Rig it up he did! Club burgees on the shrouds and American flags off he stern, Scandone went out in style…the Stars and Stripes on the spinnaker let all of the spectators know that Scandone and McKinnon Tucker were champs. Their second place finish in the final race of Scandone’s life enabled them to improve upon their total scoreline for the regatta, because they were able to discard a third place finish sailed earlier in the series.

 

Tears were shed in the viewing stand as the American flag was raised and the Star Spangled Banner was played for Scandone who has outlived his life expectancy by two years by remaining steadfastly focused on winning the Gold.

 

Scandone would be the first to say that the Gold belonged to everyone – Maureen McKinnon Tucker and her family friends and supporters; his wife, Mary Kate, his childhood friend and coach, Mike Pinckney; his brother, Vince; the medical and coaching staff of US Sailing and his mom. Scandone’s mother, who introduced hi to sailing, died during his Paralympic campaign and he never leaves the dock without a keepsake of her.

 

There wasn’t a single person at the reception following the Closing Ceremony of the 2008 Paralympic Sailing regatta that didn’t congratulate Nick and try to get their picture taken with him.

 

Scandone will focus on the Closing Ceremony in Beijing and heading home to rest and thank his supporters.

 

 

This story was filed from Beijing the day after the completion of the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Regatta. 

 

Had there been a single accredited sailing journalist at the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Regatta, he or she would have had the most sensational story of the regatta, and perhaps the Paralympics, to tell to the rest of the world.