I am fowarding this to everyone on my contact list.  The Olymics are still going
on in the form of the Paralympics.  Maureen and Nick won a GOLD medal in
sailing.  Please read about them and click on the linc (slideshow)to see the
beautiful pics of them in Bejing.

We all should be so proud of what they have accomplished. 

mary


----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Dan Tucker <dan@...>
To: cooperm1@...
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 1:15:10 AM
Subject: Paralympic Games - Day 5 Report -Ceremonies


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Paralympic Sailing Campaign-Maureen McKinnon-Tucker


Race Day  Five
Medal Ceremony!

US Paralympic Team
 September 13th, 2008 Update
Quick Links...
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Photos
US Sailing Blog
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Official Paralympic Site
From US Sailing
 Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker Clinch Gold With Two Races Left

Qingdao, China (September 12, 2008) - Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) clinched the gold medal in the
SKUD-18 fleet Friday with two races left to go in the Paralympic regatta. The
unstoppable team won two more races today, strengthening their substantial
nine-point lead ahead of their competitors.

Click to read more
Hi Mary,


It seems everyone figured out the last cryptic email!

On Friday, Maureen and Nick led two races from start to finish in the light air.
They were "in the zone", so far ahead of the other boats it was almost
ridiculous. I was scribbling and calculating frantically on the spectator boat,
when I realized that Nick and Maureen could clinch the gold medal that day. I
didn't have a score sheet with me, and was working from memory, trying to
remember what the CAN and AUS scores were, to re-figure the results with the
third race of the day bringing a second discard to the scoring (after 9 races,
the sailors could throw-out their two worst scores). As the Race Committee moved
the starting line, I reached the conclusion that the USA SKUD team only had to
place 3rd or better, and the gold medal was theirs -AUS and CAN would be
mathematically unable to reach their low point score! Then the R/C posted AP
over A flags -all racing postponed for the day & rescheduled. I went back to my
scribbling...

I realized that there would not be enough time on Saturday for 3 races, due to
the final day starting time limit. I pumped my fists in the air and shouted,
"THEY DID IT!" I swept Dana off her feet, spun her around, told her that her
mother just won the gold medal and began to cry. The Aussie and Canadian
families offered their congratulations -their teams would have a battle royale
on Saturday, as when the 2nd throwout came into play they would be tied. Whoever
won the last day would win the silver, the other the bronze.


Maureen and Nick first heard the news when Brian Todd, the Canadian coach, drove
by in his RIB and congratulated them. It wouldn't be official for a few hours
until the R/C posted that there would in fact only be two races on Saturday, but
everyone knew. It was absolute bedlam in the boat park, with photographers,
reporters and TV crews. Not so mention the entire US Team and seemingly every
sailor, official and volunteer hugging, crying and taking pictures. Maureen &
Nick, Mary Kate & I and many others were in tears -they had achieved their goal,
their dream.



They decided that they would sail one race on Saturday, they take a victory lap
up and down the seawall, in front of all the spectators. Then ashore for the
mandatory drug testing, then clean up and change clothes for the medal ceremony.



Short of the birth of my children, the medal ceremony was the most intensely
emotional event I have ever experienced.

The 2.4mR class was first, where Canada's Paul Tingley took the gold, France's
Damien Seguin the silver, and USA's John Ruf the bronze. Going into the last
day, there were 6 countries in medal contention. John sailed the regatta of his
life to secure the bronze for the USA -I don't think many people, if any,
counted him as a medal contender. John has been phenomenal all week long, happy,
confident and loose. We're SO happy for him and I don't think he's stopped
grinning yet. Dana & I spent a lot of time watching the races with John's
family, and we had a great time with them. We're happy for all of them!

Then it was time for the SKUD class. Thank goodness my camera has image
stabilization, because I could not hold it still -my hands were shaking...
Watching Maureen & Nick receive their medal from Crown Princess Victoria of
Sweden was a sight I will never forget. The emotion of watching the American
flag slowly ascend the pole, as the Star Spangled Banner played, thinking of
Nick's perseverance to survive to the Games... ofTrent'schallenges these past
months... of Maureen's dedication to them both... Words fail me.



They say that pictures say 1000 words, so please click here to watch the
slideshow.

As it turned out, Dan & Rachel from Australia were blazing fast and took the
silver. A nice birthday present for Rachel, a bit of silver and jade! China put
their bookends on the regatta, winning the last race to match their only other
win in the first race.

We had a quick dinner in the athlete's dining room, then off to the local
closing ceremony, then a party for all the teams, officials and supporters. A
long and emotional day! I have video from Saturday, which I'll let you all know
about as soon as I can.


USA!          USA!         USA!

Thank you for your ongoing support, and as always, thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Dan Tucker
It's Never too Late to Support Maureen's
Campaign Expenses!

Sail, Challenge, Inspire Inc. is a Massachusetts not for profit corporation
established to support Massachusetts Paralympic sailors. We have applied for,
and expect to receive IRS classification as a charitable organization under
section 501(c)3. Your donation should be tax dedectible, please consult your tax
advisor.
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