September 12th, 2008
CHINA 08
Short Version: Gold Medal.
Long Version: GOOOOOOOOLD MEDAAAAAAAAAL!!!
It official, with only two races to go, Maureen and I have clinched the Olympic Gold Medal. Today we will take a ceremonial victory lap in the first race and watch the second race from the sidelines. Thank you all for your emails and support, I will write more in the coming days.
Nick
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 8:20 pm
Comments (25)
September 10th, 2008
PARALYMPICS DAY 1 AND DAY 2
Short version: After two days of racing we completed 5 races. Our finishes have been 2,1,1,1,3. For a total of 8 points. This puts us currently in first place with 6 races to go.
Long version: Qingdao has been what we have expected. Light winds and warm weather. Breeze has been in the 3 to 7 knot range with lots of lulls and chop. There has been no green algae that we heard so much about.
Race 1: After a so so start we sailed the middle of the course up the first beat. Left side ended up paying which had us rounding the first mark in 3rd. With a tight reach, no passing occurred. As we stayed down the right side on the run the first two boats jibed and played the left. This allowed them to slightly extend their lead as our attempt to stay out of the current was over shadowed by the lack of wind on our side. Up the next beat we passed the second place boat but were unable to catch the team in first, finishing second.
Race 2: With a good start we protected the left side and extended throughout the race. We ended up first with a comfortable lead.
Race 3: Starting in about three knots we struggled to hold our lane and was forced to tack to the right. We rounded the weather mark in 4th and maintained that position to the reach mark. With some good down wind jibes we passed the 2nd and 3rd place boats. Up the next beat we played the shifts and rounded in first. We held on to the finish.
Race 4: We started in the middle of the line but the individual recall flag went up as Maureen and I debated if we were over. We decided to return to the start line and restart. Up the first beat we passed five boats and rounded mid fleet. We jibed around the reach mark and picked off three more boats. Up the next beat most of the fleet stayed left as we played the middle. This turned out to be the right move as we rounded 2nd at the top mark. Down wind we jibed on the leader and covered. This allowed us to roll over the top of him and claim first place.
Race 5: After a very poor start, we rounded the weather mark in 5th as the front group had a big lead. We steadily gained one spot at a time until we were in 2nd at the last top mark. Unfortunatly, I failed to cover the 3rd place boat downwind and we lost our first boat in the middle of a race. This gave us a 3rd place finish which is our current throw out.
We sit in first place overall with 6 races to go. This experience has been somewhat overwhelming. At the dock before the first race I had about a 10 minute moment of tears realizing that after all this time the racing was about to begin and I had officially survived to compete at the games. It’s hard to describe what I was feeling but it was definitely a sence of accomplishment. More to come, thanks for everyone’s support.
For current results go to www.sail-world.com OR www.isaf.com�
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 2:30 am
Comments (6)
September 4th, 2008
QINGDAO 2008: FOUR DAYS BEFORE RACING BEGINS
Hello from Quindao China! I have arrived safely and have checked into the athletes village. I am restricted to what I can blog based on Olympic guidelines. Updates will be limited to personal experiences and brief racing results. If you would like to be included in more thourough updates, send Wendy Bell (wendybell87@yahoo.com) your email contact and she will be sure to add you to my distrubution list. I will do my best to forward information once the racing begins on September 8th. Until then, I am focused on final boat preperpations. I have completed measurement and received my new US Flagged Spinaker. Over the next few days I will be practicing on the designated race course and attending the Qingdao Opening Ceremonies.
I am looking forward to fulfilling my life long dream, and want to thank you all one more time for your support.
My best,
Nick
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 11:17 am
Comments (9)
August 19th, 2008
RECENT ARTICLE
Click below to see recent article in local paper
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/08/14/features/dpt-onthewater08152008.txt
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 9:02 pm
Comments (2)
August 1st, 2008
GREAT VIDEO FROM QINGDAO BY ZACK RAILEY-US REPRESENTATIVE IN THE FINN CLASS
* American Finn representative Zach Railey provides a video report from
Qingdao, showing the Olympic village for the athletes along with the layout
for the boat yard and the sailing course
http://app.talkfusion.com/talkFusionStudio/view.asp?241263_1746130
Zack explains blogging and photo restrictions that apply for both Olympic and Paralympic athletes during the games. I will do my best to get as much information out as possible. Another good source for information will be the paralympic website located on the right side of this page under “Regattas”. Go USA!
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 4:23 pm
Comments (0)
July 29th, 2008
SEND OFF PARTY
Balboa Yacht Club will be having a send off party prior to me leaving for China. It’s casual and will be held outdoors on the flag deck. All are welcome.
WHEN: Thursday August 21st starting at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar, CA
Below are links to a few articles that were written recently:
http://www.yachtpals.com/nick-scandone-2095
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 9:46 pm
Comments (2)
July 8th, 2008
The latest update, the team had a wonderful training session with Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett who were just back from the test event in <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"></COUNTRY-REGION>
</PLACE>China May 3-12. They gave useful information on the conditions and logistics. We hope to complete one more training session in early August with the Team Paradise boat.
We have been testing a new steering system which Scott has been using. The steering now gimbals with the seat as before it did not. We are currently in the process of packing the container which departs July 10<SUP>th</SUP>. One thing is that there are no marine shops in China so we must bring any spare gear that we may need such as tape, switches, wiring, blocks and shackles.
This has been one heck of a journey. The sailing community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Our friends and family have endured the hardships of ever changing circumstances. Maureen and I have kept a positive attitude and we all are just one regatta away from becoming Olympic medalist. May we sail our best and enjoy the ride. Thank You.
Filed under: Nick's Thoughts, Uncategorized — Nick @ 5:09 pm
Comments (5)
July 3rd, 2008
QINGDAO CHINA GOING GREEN
Check out this latest update from China— http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/25497720#25497720�
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 3:08 pm
Comments (0)
June 6th, 2008
NICK ON MSNBC NEWS
NBC News recently did a story regarding Nick’s journey to the Paralympic Games in China. To see the video click here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24987042#24987042 �
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 3:17 pm
Comments (4)
May 8th, 2008
UPDATE MAY 08
Thank you for visiting my website. Here’s the latest update from Maureen and I. We are now in the month of May and training has been going well. We have had 3 week-long training sessions in the last couple of months. Some of our training has been against able bodied local sailors such as Mark Gaudio, John Pinckney, Jamie Malm and Peter Wells. Mike Pinckney has been updating the boat with some new rigging, and making sure all moving parts are working well. With only a hundred days or so left until the Paralympic games. We have been concentrating on boat speed and boat handling. Maureen is to travel out to <CITY w:st="on">
Newport Beach</PLACE></CITY> for some more training in late May. We may be looking for some assistance during Memorial Day weekend. Please give me a call if you may be available.
Currently, there is a Paralympic test event going on in
<CITY w:st="on">Qingdao</CITY>, <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>. We decided not to attend due to a multiple of reasons. A couple at main reasons were Maureen’s son is still going through chemo and two trips to China and a three-month period may have been physically overwhelming. We will be ready for
<COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>.
Below is a recent scuttlebutt article:
TEST EVENT FOR PARALYMPIC GAMES
(May 7, 2008) - Ten members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
have landed in Qingdao, China, and are preparing for five days of racing at
the International Association For Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Qingdao
International Regatta. The U.S. has sent five of its top-ranked teams to
this May 11-15 event: in the Sonar, the Paralympic team of Rick Doerr
(Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.), and Bill Donohue (Brick,
N.J.) will race, as well as the second-ranked team led by Paul Callahan
(Providence, R.I.) with Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Roger Cleworth
(Lithia, Fla.) as crew. In the SKUD 18, Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and
Julia Dorsett (<CITY w:st="on">Westchester</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Penn.</STATE>) will represent the <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">United States</COUNTRY-REGION>, as the
Paralympic team of Nick Scandone (<CITY w:st="on">Newport Beach</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Calif.</STATE>) and Maureen
McKinnon-Tucker (
<CITY w:st="on">Marblehead</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Mass.</STATE></PLACE>) will not attend due to scheduling
conflicts. Competing in the 2.4mR are John Ruf (<CITY w:st="on">Pewaukee</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Wis.</STATE>) and Mark
LeBlanc (
<CITY w:st="on">New Orleans</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">La.</STATE></PLACE>), ranked first and second respectively. US
Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members who sit first in the rankings
have qualified to compete in the Paralympic Games in September, also in
<CITY w:st="on">Qingdao</CITY>, <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>.
Although it is not an official test event, the IFDS Qingdao International
Regatta will serve as the most realistic training the teams and the
organizers will see before the Paralympic Games in the fall. Head Coach
Betsy Alison (<CITY w:st="on">Newport</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">R.I.</STATE>) says in an email from <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">
China</PLACE></COUNTRY-REGION>, “There is no
substitute for practicing at the venue in preparation for the big show.”
Alison continues with an analysis of the competition: “The field of
competitors in each of the three classes will be nearly identical to the
Paralympic fleet in September. All of the top teams in each fleet are here.
Racing does not officially start until May 11, but all teams will be taking
to the water for some serious training sessions with a practice race on May
10.” — Read on:
http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/qingdao_disabled.asp
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: Among the US medal favorites are Nick Scandone
(2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year winner) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker.
Scandone battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s
disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in
the brain and the spinal cord. Each month Scandone gets weaker, and it is
believed that his absence from this event is also to minimize stress on his
body to insure that he is as healthy as possible for the Palalympic Games in
September.
CHINA 08
Short Version: Gold Medal.
Long Version: GOOOOOOOOLD MEDAAAAAAAAAL!!!
It official, with only two races to go, Maureen and I have clinched the Olympic Gold Medal. Today we will take a ceremonial victory lap in the first race and watch the second race from the sidelines. Thank you all for your emails and support, I will write more in the coming days.
Nick
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 8:20 pm
Comments (25)
September 10th, 2008
PARALYMPICS DAY 1 AND DAY 2
Short version: After two days of racing we completed 5 races. Our finishes have been 2,1,1,1,3. For a total of 8 points. This puts us currently in first place with 6 races to go.
Long version: Qingdao has been what we have expected. Light winds and warm weather. Breeze has been in the 3 to 7 knot range with lots of lulls and chop. There has been no green algae that we heard so much about.
Race 1: After a so so start we sailed the middle of the course up the first beat. Left side ended up paying which had us rounding the first mark in 3rd. With a tight reach, no passing occurred. As we stayed down the right side on the run the first two boats jibed and played the left. This allowed them to slightly extend their lead as our attempt to stay out of the current was over shadowed by the lack of wind on our side. Up the next beat we passed the second place boat but were unable to catch the team in first, finishing second.
Race 2: With a good start we protected the left side and extended throughout the race. We ended up first with a comfortable lead.
Race 3: Starting in about three knots we struggled to hold our lane and was forced to tack to the right. We rounded the weather mark in 4th and maintained that position to the reach mark. With some good down wind jibes we passed the 2nd and 3rd place boats. Up the next beat we played the shifts and rounded in first. We held on to the finish.
Race 4: We started in the middle of the line but the individual recall flag went up as Maureen and I debated if we were over. We decided to return to the start line and restart. Up the first beat we passed five boats and rounded mid fleet. We jibed around the reach mark and picked off three more boats. Up the next beat most of the fleet stayed left as we played the middle. This turned out to be the right move as we rounded 2nd at the top mark. Down wind we jibed on the leader and covered. This allowed us to roll over the top of him and claim first place.
Race 5: After a very poor start, we rounded the weather mark in 5th as the front group had a big lead. We steadily gained one spot at a time until we were in 2nd at the last top mark. Unfortunatly, I failed to cover the 3rd place boat downwind and we lost our first boat in the middle of a race. This gave us a 3rd place finish which is our current throw out.
We sit in first place overall with 6 races to go. This experience has been somewhat overwhelming. At the dock before the first race I had about a 10 minute moment of tears realizing that after all this time the racing was about to begin and I had officially survived to compete at the games. It’s hard to describe what I was feeling but it was definitely a sence of accomplishment. More to come, thanks for everyone’s support.
For current results go to www.sail-world.com OR www.isaf.com�
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 2:30 am
Comments (6)
September 4th, 2008
QINGDAO 2008: FOUR DAYS BEFORE RACING BEGINS
Hello from Quindao China! I have arrived safely and have checked into the athletes village. I am restricted to what I can blog based on Olympic guidelines. Updates will be limited to personal experiences and brief racing results. If you would like to be included in more thourough updates, send Wendy Bell (wendybell87@yahoo.com) your email contact and she will be sure to add you to my distrubution list. I will do my best to forward information once the racing begins on September 8th. Until then, I am focused on final boat preperpations. I have completed measurement and received my new US Flagged Spinaker. Over the next few days I will be practicing on the designated race course and attending the Qingdao Opening Ceremonies.
I am looking forward to fulfilling my life long dream, and want to thank you all one more time for your support.
My best,
Nick
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 11:17 am
Comments (9)
August 19th, 2008
RECENT ARTICLE
Click below to see recent article in local paper
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/08/14/features/dpt-onthewater08152008.txt
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 9:02 pm
Comments (2)
August 1st, 2008
GREAT VIDEO FROM QINGDAO BY ZACK RAILEY-US REPRESENTATIVE IN THE FINN CLASS
* American Finn representative Zach Railey provides a video report from
Qingdao, showing the Olympic village for the athletes along with the layout
for the boat yard and the sailing course
http://app.talkfusion.com/talkFusionStudio/view.asp?241263_1746130
Zack explains blogging and photo restrictions that apply for both Olympic and Paralympic athletes during the games. I will do my best to get as much information out as possible. Another good source for information will be the paralympic website located on the right side of this page under “Regattas”. Go USA!
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 4:23 pm
Comments (0)
July 29th, 2008
SEND OFF PARTY
Balboa Yacht Club will be having a send off party prior to me leaving for China. It’s casual and will be held outdoors on the flag deck. All are welcome.
WHEN: Thursday August 21st starting at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar, CA
Below are links to a few articles that were written recently:
http://www.yachtpals.com/nick-scandone-2095
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 9:46 pm
Comments (2)
July 8th, 2008
The latest update, the team had a wonderful training session with Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett who were just back from the test event in <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on"></COUNTRY-REGION>
</PLACE>China May 3-12. They gave useful information on the conditions and logistics. We hope to complete one more training session in early August with the Team Paradise boat.
We have been testing a new steering system which Scott has been using. The steering now gimbals with the seat as before it did not. We are currently in the process of packing the container which departs July 10<SUP>th</SUP>. One thing is that there are no marine shops in China so we must bring any spare gear that we may need such as tape, switches, wiring, blocks and shackles.
This has been one heck of a journey. The sailing community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Our friends and family have endured the hardships of ever changing circumstances. Maureen and I have kept a positive attitude and we all are just one regatta away from becoming Olympic medalist. May we sail our best and enjoy the ride. Thank You.
Filed under: Nick's Thoughts, Uncategorized — Nick @ 5:09 pm
Comments (5)
July 3rd, 2008
QINGDAO CHINA GOING GREEN
Check out this latest update from China— http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/25497720#25497720�
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 3:08 pm
Comments (0)
June 6th, 2008
NICK ON MSNBC NEWS
NBC News recently did a story regarding Nick’s journey to the Paralympic Games in China. To see the video click here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24987042#24987042 �
Filed under: Uncategorized — Nick @ 3:17 pm
Comments (4)
May 8th, 2008
UPDATE MAY 08
Thank you for visiting my website. Here’s the latest update from Maureen and I. We are now in the month of May and training has been going well. We have had 3 week-long training sessions in the last couple of months. Some of our training has been against able bodied local sailors such as Mark Gaudio, John Pinckney, Jamie Malm and Peter Wells. Mike Pinckney has been updating the boat with some new rigging, and making sure all moving parts are working well. With only a hundred days or so left until the Paralympic games. We have been concentrating on boat speed and boat handling. Maureen is to travel out to <CITY w:st="on">
Newport Beach</PLACE></CITY> for some more training in late May. We may be looking for some assistance during Memorial Day weekend. Please give me a call if you may be available.
Currently, there is a Paralympic test event going on in
<CITY w:st="on">Qingdao</CITY>, <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>. We decided not to attend due to a multiple of reasons. A couple at main reasons were Maureen’s son is still going through chemo and two trips to China and a three-month period may have been physically overwhelming. We will be ready for
<COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>.
Below is a recent scuttlebutt article:
TEST EVENT FOR PARALYMPIC GAMES
(May 7, 2008) - Ten members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
have landed in Qingdao, China, and are preparing for five days of racing at
the International Association For Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Qingdao
International Regatta. The U.S. has sent five of its top-ranked teams to
this May 11-15 event: in the Sonar, the Paralympic team of Rick Doerr
(Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.), and Bill Donohue (Brick,
N.J.) will race, as well as the second-ranked team led by Paul Callahan
(Providence, R.I.) with Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Roger Cleworth
(Lithia, Fla.) as crew. In the SKUD 18, Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and
Julia Dorsett (<CITY w:st="on">Westchester</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Penn.</STATE>) will represent the <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">United States</COUNTRY-REGION>, as the
Paralympic team of Nick Scandone (<CITY w:st="on">Newport Beach</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Calif.</STATE>) and Maureen
McKinnon-Tucker (
<CITY w:st="on">Marblehead</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Mass.</STATE></PLACE>) will not attend due to scheduling
conflicts. Competing in the 2.4mR are John Ruf (<CITY w:st="on">Pewaukee</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">Wis.</STATE>) and Mark
LeBlanc (
<CITY w:st="on">New Orleans</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">La.</STATE></PLACE>), ranked first and second respectively. US
Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members who sit first in the rankings
have qualified to compete in the Paralympic Games in September, also in
<CITY w:st="on">Qingdao</CITY>, <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">China</COUNTRY-REGION></PLACE>.
Although it is not an official test event, the IFDS Qingdao International
Regatta will serve as the most realistic training the teams and the
organizers will see before the Paralympic Games in the fall. Head Coach
Betsy Alison (<CITY w:st="on">Newport</CITY>, <STATE w:st="on">R.I.</STATE>) says in an email from <COUNTRY-REGION w:st="on">
China</PLACE></COUNTRY-REGION>, “There is no
substitute for practicing at the venue in preparation for the big show.”
Alison continues with an analysis of the competition: “The field of
competitors in each of the three classes will be nearly identical to the
Paralympic fleet in September. All of the top teams in each fleet are here.
Racing does not officially start until May 11, but all teams will be taking
to the water for some serious training sessions with a practice race on May
10.” — Read on:
http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/qingdao_disabled.asp
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: Among the US medal favorites are Nick Scandone
(2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year winner) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker.
Scandone battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s
disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in
the brain and the spinal cord. Each month Scandone gets weaker, and it is
believed that his absence from this event is also to minimize stress on his
body to insure that he is as healthy as possible for the Palalympic Games in
September.
