Scott Owens still remembers the feeling he got standing atop the awards stand after earning multiple national wrestling titles at the Fargodome in the 1990s.
"It ranked over everything," Owens said. "You can't take those memories away of you being best in the nation at the time. You stand on top of that podium and there isn't anybody out there in your age division that is better than you."
The former Devils Lake (N.D.) High school standout won junior Greco-Roman and freestyle national titles at heavyweight in 1995 at the USA Wrestling tournament. Owens added another junior freestyle crown in 1996.
"If you could compete at that tournament, that's saying something there," Owens said. "I look back at it now, and I think it was a wonderful experience."
These days, Owens, 34, lives in Bismarck and manages a gas station. He is married with four kids.
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Owens is getting back into the sport in which he excelled in high school and college (Owens wrestled at the University of Mary for two seasons). Bridger, his 6-year-old son, is already taking to the mat.
"It took the little guy being ready to wrestle to get me right back in it and now that's all I want to do is get right back in it," Owens said. "If he goes a different path great, but I know what wrestling brought me and I hope that it will bring him some joy if he goes down that path."
Owens was a 2011 inductee into the North Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame. Owens was a Class A state champion at heavyweight in 1995 and 1996 and was named Mr. Wrestler in 1996. Owens was 63-0 in his junior and senior seasons at Devils Lake.
"Some of that stuff is great," Owens said. "You can't buy memories like that."
