February 16, 2006

ALS Will Not Grab Spotlight When
Top U.S. Sailor Given Award

When sailor Nick Scandone, diagnosed with ALS in 2002, makes his way to the podium at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan on February 24 to be officially recognized as US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, the disease, as usual, will have to take a back seat.

A proud Nick Scandone displays the engraved Rolex timepiece that he was presented with in Manhattan for being officially recognized as US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. Photo credit: Rolex/Dan Nerney.

After he has reached the podium and is presented with an engraved Rolex timepiece, instead of talking about how he has defied ALS, Scandone, born and raised in Huntington Beach, Calif., will focus on his future in the sport that he has loved since he was eight years old, including the pursuit of his lifetime dream of winning a Gold Medal. Reaching the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing still is a possibility if he finishes in first place at the 2.4 Metre Paralympic Team Trials next year.  

Scandone, a 39-year-old resident of Fountain Valley, Calif., does not plan to deliver anything resembling a “State of ALS” acceptance speech. Far from it. Instead his remarks will be brief, and with his “God-given very positive attitude” style, he will thank everyone for recognizing his amazing year of 2005 when during the world championship in Italy he crossed the finish line first against both physically challenged and able-bodied competitors. 

"Nick is an extremely talented sailor, first and foremost, regardless of his disability. In order to reach the top of the sailing game, athletes need to tackle many hurdles in training and competition. Most do not have the extra burden of managing a debilitating disease at the same time," said Betsy Alison (Newport, Rhode Island), coach of US SAILING's Disabled Sailing Team. 

"In my mind, Nick's ability to stay focused, maintain a positive attitude, and 'get the job done' on the water is a great asset to him in his quest to represent the USA in the 2008 Paralympic Games, Alison continued. “His achievements are to be applauded, and he deserves to be recognized as someone who is inspirational to all sailors with a dream, able-bodied and disabled alike."

Since Scandone competes frequently – which helps keep his mind off ALS – Mary Kate Scandone, his wife of eight and a half years, has more time to remain in touch with ALSA’s Orange County Chapter and then shares the information with her husband.

“I’m the one who gets to be a bad guy,” said Mary Kate Scandone, the director of recruiting for Mimi’s restaurant chain. “I tell him he can’t do this, you should do this. I believe Nick’s way of dealing with ALS is that he does not want to know enough about it. He knows what the outcome is.” Sometimes it is the chapter who calls the Scandones, and vice versa. In fact, Nick Scandone uses a wheelchair the chapter loaned him.

“He is an inspiration to everyone,” said ALSA Orange County Chapter President and Acting Executive Director Winnie Porter. “His dedication to living his life, even though he has a life-threatening disease, ALS, is remarkable. Nick’s achievement under these circumstances is more than spectacular and sets a standard for all of us.”

“He’s just a great example of someone who continues to live very fully despite his diagnosis,” said the chapter’s director of Patient Services, Jennifer Druke. He has a lot of determination to continue doing those things he loves.”

When he stands next to Sally Barkow, the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and hears the applause, ALS again will have to play second fiddle. It will not be surprising if during these special moments his mind wanders off to when he was a child learning how to sail, about All-American days in college when he led his alma mata, University of California, Irvine, to the national championships in the late 1980s, and how he became a weekend sailing warrior after he competed in the USA’s 470 Men’s Olympic Team Trials in 1992.

Nick Scandone sailed his 2.4 Metre to victory at the 2.4 Metre Open World Championship. The design of the 14-foot long, single-handed sloop allows it be controlled more easily by one’s sailing ability than physical attributes. Photo credit: Rolex/Dan Nerney.

“The same thoughts will probably enter my head as when I was first informed that I was US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year,” said Scandone, who left behind a career in advertising and marketing because of ALS. “I still will not believe that they are calling my name as the best sailor in the country. The names that have been on that list have been some high profile sailors that I have always admired,” he said, referring to the likes of past recipients such as America’s Cup winners Dennis Conner and Ted Turner and recent Olympic champions Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham. “It is something that I will cherish for as long as I can.”

Even though he experiences weakness in both hands, cannot move his feet or ankles, and has lost 35 pounds, neither Scandone nor his wife, Mary Kate, will allow ALS to get them down.  

Last September, he captured the 2.4 Metre Open World Championship on Elba Island in Italy, defeating disabled and able-bodied sailors. In early January, he was named US SAILING’s Paralympic Athlete of the Year. The icing on the cake occurred last month in Australia when he finished fifth at the IFDS (International Foundation for Disabled Sailing) World Championships 2006 and qualified the USA for a berth to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Just prior to leaving for Australia, when informed he had won US SAILING’S Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award, he said: “I knew I had a good season, but I didn’t think it would get this kind of recognition. This is something I never dreamed would happen.”

Scandone also does not use ALS as an underdog motivational tool during the last leg of a closely contested race, which can last as long as one and a quarter hours. “The reality of it is I’m out there trying. A lot of it is for my own well being. I’m out there to enjoy competition and to enjoy the sport of sailing that I have loved for many years.”  

Scandone concedes that being an athlete with ALS in sailing has its advantages versus dealing with the disease if one were an athlete in another sport. So far, the only concession he has made to the disease as a sailor has been to compete in a single-handed 2.4 Metre, a boat that allows the disabled sailor to be competitive against his or her able-bodied counterpart, as compared to other racing boats that require a lot of physical athleticism.

“Obviously if you’re a runner or high jumper, if you get ALS, and it starts in your extremities, like it did in me, you’re not going to be a runner or high jumper for very long. Fortunately in the sport of sailing you can sail with adaptive equipment, and some of the boats you sail in are designed to be less physical than most sailboats and therefore it becomes more of a strategic and tactical game than a physical one.”

Scandone likes to make one thing perfectly clear: he does not consider himself a hero. “Everyone keeps telling me that I’m doing stuff that people should admire. I’m just out there enjoying myself and trying to have fun, and everyone else makes it out like I’m saving the world or something,” said Scandone, also an avid fisherman and card player. “I just tell people that you just have to deal with what you have. You just have to keep your mind focused on the things down the road, keep yourself upbeat and enjoy life while you can.”

Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded.