Donald Scarr
Don Scarr's wrestling story is a rich one, full of variety and excellence as a longtime coach and official. It begins in West Concord, MN (population 800) thanks to his remarkable father. Dr. David N. Scarr, DVM, remembered his days as a wrestler at Rutgers University, and as a member of the local school board, helped to set up a wrestling program at the high school. From there, Don moved to Northern Virginia, completing his wrestling at W. T. Woodson High School (Class of '69). He then wrestled at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and, after the program was dropped, became an official and refereed both regionals and states as a junior and senior in 1972 and '73. After coaching football and wrestling for two years at Smithfield-Selma HS in NC, he returned to VA to teach biology at Edison HS, while continuing his coaching of football and wrestling. In 1982, he moved to Parkersburg, WV, and enjoyed success at the highest level. He took his Parkersburg South HS squads to three consecutive WV AAA State Championships, in 1983, '84, and '85. In 1987, he once again returned to VA, coaching at Potomac HS in Prince William County. During this intensely active period, Don was constantly looking for different experiences to improve his wrestlers and his coaching. In 1976, for instance, he took a team of Virginia All-Star wrestlers to Montreal to see the Olympic wrestling, followed by two weeks of training in Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in Poland on a foreign exchange trip for USA Wrestling. During summers, he worked at the Granby School of Wrestling for seven years, and was a clinician at Ken Chertow's Gold Medal Training Camps for four years. He also in the late '80s and early '90s coached the Commonwealth Wrestling Club, which was held at Woodbridge and Garfield high schools. In 1995, he revisited his early officiating experience, joining the Northern Virginia Wrestling Officials Association. Don quickly won the esteem of his peers in his new endeavor, officiating in 20 district/conference, 14 regional, and 5 state tournaments, along with 6 assignments to St. Albans, a major private-school tournament. He retired after 35 years of teaching in 2008, but remains an active official to this day.
Awards:
Year
2015
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Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
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Chapter/Region
Virginia
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