Wayne Hellquist’s journey to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame was one he never could have imagined when he first took a volleyball class at the University of Saskatchewan with then-Huskies volleyball coach Mark Tennant.
Hellquist had never played volleyball until taking the class and, his interest in the sport piqued, he was recruited to be a member of the men’s Huskies team. At the same time, he helped coach the Huskies junior women’s team and was the marketing director for SuperVolley, the largest volleyball tournament in the country at the time.
After graduation, Hellquist became a teacher and continued to coach before taking a larger – and even more improbable step – in his path as a volleyball volunteer. He went to the Saskatchewan Volleyball Association’s (SVA) Annual General Meeting to speak out on an issue. He had never attended any kind of AGM before and left the meeting as the new president of the SVA.
He would serve as the president of the SVA for two four-year terms, 20 years apart. The SVA grew quickly under his first tenure, and he was elected the vice president of the Canadian Volleyball Association two years later. He spent eight years in that role and was instrumental in the women’s national team centralizing in Regina for eight years.
Hellquist founded youth volleyball clubs in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Regina. He coached juvenile, junior and senior club teams for both males and females as well as coaching the women’s volleyball team at the Saskatchewan Technical Institute in Moose Jaw and the University of Regina’s men’s club team.
He was also a board member with Sask Sport, including two years as vice president. He then served as the Chair of the Minister’s Advisory Committee in the SaskFirst program which led to improved training programs and competitive opportunities for Saskatchewan athletes. The 1989 Jeux du Canada Games in Saskatoon saw the province finish fourth overall, their best-ever finish.
Hellquist would go on to be the athletic director at the University of Regina and then Synchro Saskatchewan’s executive director. He was a founding member and the first vice president of the Sport Council of Canada and helped organize and facilitate the Olympic Academy of Canada. He also joined the Canadian Olympic Committee’s board, serving as vice president for nine years before being elected the interim president in 1995. He is the only person from Saskatchewan elected as the president of the COC.
Hellquist was selected to be part of the delegation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and he was asked to be the chef de mission for the Canadian team at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. In his role with the Canadian Volleyball Association, Hellquist had helped develop the Canadian sitting volleyball team that won silver in Sydney. His experience at the Paralympics made a significant lasting impact. He would spend 20 years on the World ParaVolley Board, including 14 years as vice president.
Installed in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on September 28, 2024.
