Following is summary of the State Open tournament that was written by Fairfield Warde coach Jason Shaughnessy and distributed to Warde wrestlers, fans and parents this morning. A truly great story that needs to be told.

- From Jason Shaughnessy - distributed on 3/5/09)-
Fairfield Warde had a successful day at the State Open this past Saturday. Curtis Watkins finished 3rd at 135, losing to the eventual champion 3-1, who went on and dominated his opponent in the Finals. Curtis qualified for the New England Tournament for the second year in a row, with a goal of redeeming his loss and challenging for the title. He also moved into the third slot in wins for a Fairfield wrestler with 118. He has the most wins ever in Warde’s history. Bobby Rigilano capped off a stellar season placing by 5th in the Opens. Bobby capped of a great junior year, finishing the season with 40 wins.

The final place winner for Warde was Ian McAllister at 125lb. The story of Ian’s tournament is one of true passion, mental toughness and dedication to the sport. With two wins, Ian had put himself in excellent position on Friday night to reach the semi-finals. However, at 7:00am on Saturday morning, I received a call from Ian’s stepmother (Caryn McAllister) reporting that Ian woke up with hives all over his body. Apparently, Ian was suffering from an allergic reaction and his body and face were badly swollen. The problem worsened when he went to use the bathroom and passed out – fortunately with no further injuries. His parents immediately called an ambulance and rushed him to the hospital. It is fortunate that Ian’s father, Peter, is a physician, and was able to provide immediate treatment, and was able to speed the process at the hospital. Dr. McAllister administered an epi pen to counteract the allergic reaction. Caryn then called me from the hospital to tell me Ian would not be able to meet me at school at 8am – we were planning a light workout and weight check prior to leaving for New Haven for the mandatory 10:00am second day weigh-in. At that point, wrestling was not out of the question but in real jeopardy. I received another call to report that Ian was in the hospital, doing better and was receiving intravenous fluids, Benadryl and other meds to address his allergic reaction. He was sleeping and would be unable to meet us in time. I offered to drive to the hospital to see him. We loaded the wrestlers into my car and headed to St. Francis Hospital. With the team sitting in the parking lot, I brought the scale into the hospital, where I was met by Dr. McAllister and we went to Ian’s room. Ian’s face was swollen and he was drowsy but he still wanted to try and compete. Ian stepped on the scale and was 1.4lb over the limit. The nurses suggested he go home and shower or shower on site. However, we did not have the luxury of time and we needed to move quickly if he were to have a chance. Although Ian’s performance on Friday night had guaranteed him a 6th place finish, he still had to make weight. Ian hopped in the car and got ready to go. I spoke with Dr. McAllister who assured me he was OK but may be very drowsy due to the medication. Ian dressed in the van, preparing to cut weight on arrival in New Haven – we estimated that we would only have 25 minutes once we arrived. When he got to New Haven, he ran and wrestled with a Hall wrestler who was still competing but wanted to help Ian. Ian made weight with .4 lb to spare. Obviously feeling the effects of the morning events, Ian went on to lose the next two matches and withdrew from the tournament prior to the 5th place final. However, that did not matter. The true passion and mental toughness had already been demonstrated. I have never been as proud of a 6th place finish as I was that day. What Ian demonstrated was a true passion for the sport. He never complained about the circumstances he was dealt, or the fact he had a chance to be an open finalist if he was healthy. On this day I was very proud of Ian and the support Ian received from Warde wrestling, his parents and the wrestling community.
- Coach Shaughnessy

CONGRATULATIONS!! That is an EPIC story! I've seen people withdraw for things nowhere near as serious as that and this kid managed to pull through. Ian Mcallister will forever hold my respect in the highest regards because it appears to me that he has the TRUE heart of a champion. Congratulations and good luck next year. As the Fairfield coach you should be HONORED to have him as your wrestler.

wow thats crazy thanks for sharing the story

Once a team mate, always a team mate!
Glad to see Ian getting the support from his former team. Hall really missed him this year. If Ian stayed, Hall could have cracked the top 10.

Coach--don't know you, but classy guys write classy things.

Thanks for sharing a terrific story.

What a great story coach. No matter what the results were that day Ian is a champion in my book. Way to go Ian hope all is well

Mental and physical toughness are abundant here. Way to go Ian, we can learn a lot from you.