FAIRFIELD, Conn. Jason Shaughnessy has seen many great high school wrestlers in his day. Shaughnessy has coached Fairfield Warde High Schools team for the last 13 years, twice leading the Mustangs to the state championships and winning coach of the year. But he says some of his best wrestlers started with him when they were just 8 years old.
Shaughnessy is also the head coach for the Fairfield Police Activities League youth wrestling program, which he started in 1998. Each year, he takes about 110 kids from grades 3 to 8. Shaughnessy says the program has produced some of his best performers at the high school level.
Wrestling is an up-and-coming sport all over the place, as well as Connecticut, Shaughnessy said. If you dont have any pre-high school experience, its not that you cant be good, but it certainly gives you a shot of being good coming out of the blocks.
The PAL team takes kids into three levels. The elementary team teaches the basics to kids from grades 3 to 5. The middle school team is designed for kids in grades 6 through 8 who want to train but might not want to compete heavily yet. The competition team pits kids in grades 5 through 8 against others from Fairfield County in weekly tournaments.
Shaughnessy says his teams so far have been all boys. But girls are welcome, too. Not that girls cant do it, we just havent had any girls try out, Shaughnessy said.
Kids interested in joining the team can register Thursday, Nov. 17, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Fairfield Wardes small gym. Registration for the elementary and middle school teams costs $90. The competition team fee is $136 but includes a USA Wrestling card.
All levels start practice the week of Nov. 28. Theyll get their last meal at Thanksgiving, and then on we go, Shaughnessy said.
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