Hoisting his sails once again

Elia Powers

Nick Scandone’s mind stays active, even when his body can’t keep

pace.

As he sinks into a spot on his light-colored couch and watches

athletes lunge across the television screen, he envisions himself

performing just like them.

Except he can’t.

“For me, walking a half-mile is like running 10 miles for the average person,” Scandone said. “Surfing, golfing, skiing -- these

are things I can’t do anymore.”

Everyday tasks are burdensome for Scandone, 39. If he pushes

himself too far, he wakes up the next morning with debilitating pain.

Scandone’s muscles are weak and his stamina is low, so it would be

safe to assume that he wrote off sailing, his favorite pastime, three

years ago.

Except he didn’t.

He couldn’t give up on a sport that had been such an integral part

of his youth.

How could he forget the feeling of stepping aboard his first

sailboat at the Balboa Yacht Club, where he received his introductory

training?

Hear him glowingly recount the years he spent on the UC Irvine

sailing team and mention the national title he won in 1988.

Was it possible to throw away decades of training and competition

and turn his back on friendships forged through shared physical

strain?

Scandone has given an answer, and his friends at the Balboa Yacht

Club have responded.

A SIGNIFICANT SETBACK

For a brief time after graduating from college, Scandone was

focused on qualifying for the 1992 U.S. Olympic sailing team. He

trained for about a year but failed to win the trip to Barcelona,

Spain.

He remained active in the sport and took a job selling

advertisements in the Boater’s Directory, which he describes as the

nautical industry’s Yellow Pages.

Giving up on sailing seemed the most rational decision in June

2002, when Scandone received the diagnosis that would change his

life. A neurologist told him he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a

degenerative condition known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“In the beginning, I thought the doctor was wrong,” Scandone said.

“It took me a few months to realize it was true.”

Doctors warned Scandone that fewer than 10% of people with the

disease live longer than 10 years. He stopped working, attached

braces to his legs and felt his energy slowly decrease.

Scandone is able to walk by rotating his hips, but he said he has

no control over his ankles and feet. That made navigating a sailboat

an impossible chore.

A CHANGE OF PACE

On a morning two years ago, as he sat in his Fountain Valley

living room, Scandone promised himself he would return to sailing. He

sent a note to U.S. Sailing officials and learned about the U.S.

disabled sailing team that competes in the Paralympic Games.

“I was very excited, because it gave me an opportunity to get back

into the sport that I loved,” Scandone said.

He learned how to operate the one-person boat used in competition.

Scandone sits alone in the vessel like a NASCAR driver sits in a race

car, and his hands do most of the work.

Scandone missed the deadline to qualify for the 2004 Paralympic

Games in Athens, so he set his sights on the 2008 Beijing Games.

Last January, Scandone traveled to Miami to participate in an

Olympic-class regatta. He finished third overall and first among

disabled sailors.

For his upcoming Olympic campaign, Scandone said he will need to

make trips to Denmark, Italy and Australia. He said a four-year

campaign can cost up to $200,000.

A FAIR LEAD

The Balboa Yacht Club picked up on Scandone’s Olympic pursuits.

This fall, members started the BYC Maritime Sciences and Seamanship

Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports disabled sailors

who need funding for competitions.

They are holding their first event tonight in Scandone’s honor.

“We want to make sure he is able to go to all the qualifying

events,” said event chair Wendy Bell. “There are two generations of

people who want to help Nick get to Beijing.”

Charlie Ogletree, a bronze medalist in sailing at the 2004 Athens

Olympics, will speak at the event, which begins at 6 p.m. and is open

to the public for a minimum donation of $35.

Bell said she is hoping to raise $10,000 for Scandone, who

continues to compete in national events.

Last year, he won the U.S. Disabled Single-handed National

Championships, known as the “Independence Cup,” in Chicago. He is

pictured on the U.S. Sailing website for making the 2005 disabled

sailing team.

As fleet captain at the Balboa Yacht Club, Scandone oversees

regattas and teaches classes to elderly sailors.

“His spirits have improved since he started racing again,” said

Stacie Brandt, editor of the club’s newsletter.

Scandone said he credits support from club members and his wife,

Mary Kate, for his improved spirits.

“Sailing has been a saving grace for me,” he said. “I need

something to look forward to, and competing makes me happy.

“My future is a chance at the Olympics. It’s not me worrying about

the possibility of not being able to walk in a year.”