List of Inductees 2002
Art
Willms
Builder
Art Willms started out as a high school coach, and in 1966, he formed the Calgary Cals Volleyball Club, one of the dominant women’s clubs in Alberta. In 1970 he moved to Vancouver and coached the Calonas – later known as the Chimos. In the 1972 – 1973 season, the Chimos played 107 matches against teams in Canada and went 170-0.
Art’s first involvement with the Canadian Women’s was as assistant coach at the 1971 Pan American Games. In 1973 he was named as the Canadian Women’s Team coach, a volunteer position. The team travelled extensively and the highlight of the year was the silver medal at NORCECA in Tijuana, Mexico, with a loss to Cuba in the final. This was the first medal for Canada in International competition.
Under his tenure as President of the Canadian Volleyball Association (CVA) from 1973 to 1978, the first real national team programs were established, with National Team Centres and full-time coaches.
Art was instrumental in the establishment of the offices of the CVA and the volunteer organizational structure that was put into place to provide the administrative and technical leadership required at that time. His passion for the sport and his strong desire to see Canada succeed on the international scene paved the way for the development of strong National Team programs for the country.