At a young age, Spencer Collart began playing a variety of different sports in Arlington and quickly developed a passion for the competition and its physical nature.
In recent days, family and former coaches remembered and talked about Collart’s love of those games following the death of the U.S. Marine corporal, occurring when he was a crew chief on an Osprey aircraft that crashed during military training exercises in Australia.
He was one of three Marines killed. There were 20 survivors of the crash, which is under investigation.
“Spencer always had so much fun and was all in about sports,” Collart’s father, Bart Collart, said. “He found his tribe and loved everything about sports. He enjoyed the action and everything playing and being on a team. That’s a big reason he joined the Marines right after he graduated from high school.”
Spencer Collart graduated from Washington-Liberty High School in 2020. At W-L, he was a defenseman and longstick midfielder for the boys varsity lacrosse team for two seasons.
Washington-Liberty lacrosse coach Evan Rodger said Collart was a significant contributor for the Generals.
“Spencer was an amazing team player, going out of his way to make sure everyone gave their full effort, whenever they stepped on the field,” Rodger said. “His enthusiasm was infectious, and it showed with our teams’ results. His passion, as well as effort, was very much appreciative. He had a sincere appreciation for the sport and his teammates, and it showed by never allowing any teammate to take a practice or day off. I’ll always remember his work ethic more than anything, as he took on any challenge with great enthusiasm to see the job done correctly.”
Baseball, basketball, karate, running, soccer and wrestling were other sports Collart played. He finished second in his weight class in the Arlington County championships when he wrestled for Swanson Middle School.
“He loved every minute of wrestling,” Bart Collart said.
Spencer Collart will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in coming weeks.
Bart Collart said his son had big goals in the Marines. He wanted to become an Osprey pilot.
“He would study to learn so much, then hang out after classes to learn even more,” Bart Collart said. “He knew everything about the Osprey. Some of the survivors of that crash told us how Spencer was a hero at the end, doing things to make sure others had the chance to be OK.”
