Selkirk College Saints captain Parker Wakaruk arrived to the Castlegar Campus in 2017 carrying a hockey bag stuffed with junior level experience and a mind set on finding his educational passion.

After three years of growing both on the ice and off, the Alberta native is putting the finishing touches on Business Administration Program diploma and plotting the next step in his life. If all goes according to plan, that will land him right back at Selkirk College in September where he will hang up the skates and put his primary focus on earning an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Parker Wakaruk played three seasons with the Selkirk College Saints where he emerged as a leader both on the ice and on campus.

“I was going to use Selkirk College as a stepping stone to another place or another school,” says the 23-year-old. “After being in an awesome small community and seeing what Selkirk College has to offer, it has what I want right here.”

Like so many who arrive to the West Kootenay from elsewhere, Wakaruk quickly developed a fondness for the region’s mountains, rivers and bounty of outdoor recreation. Having grown up on the icy prairies where he played junior hockey in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, getting a chance to start his post-secondary education in rural southern British Columbia was what drew him to Selkirk College.

“You can go skiing, fishing and biking in the same day… I’ve done it,” Wakaruk says with a smile. “You don’t get a chance to do that in too many places, it’s unique here. I’m glad I found myself in this place.”

Getting Back to Learning

After graduating from high school in Lethbridge, Alberta, the talented defencemen left home and took his hockey talents to Junior A hockey. He played two seasons with the Grand Prairie Storm (AJHL) before shifting a province over and finishing his junior career with the Humboldt Broncos (SJHL). 

When Wakaruk committed to playing for the Selkirk College Saints for the 2017-2018 season, he knew little about where he was coming and was unsure about what he wanted out of the academic side of his next chapter. He started his learning journey in the School of Academic Upgrading where he was able to ease back into the classroom, a place he had not been for three years. Empowered by his success, he chose the two-year Business Administration Program as a focus.

“It’s a really great place to learn, both in the classroom and in life,” he says. “I have grown quite a bit in the last three years.”

Asset on the Ice and in the Dressing Room

Wakaruk joined the Saints at the start of the 2017-2018 British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) season where the team ripped off ten straight victories to start the campaign. Though the team stumbled down the stretch and failed to claim a fifth league title, Wakaruk had a stellar rookie campaign where he led his team in defenceman scoring and earned first all-star honours from the league.

Wakaruk has been a solid presence on the Saints' blueline for three seasons, two of those seasons were recognized with season-ending league all-star nods.

In his next two seasons, Wakaruk emerged as a leader on the team and a fan favourite on the ice.

“Our fan support is the best in the league and that helps because you can really feel the support in the building,” Wakaruk says of Saints Nation. “It makes it a lot more enjoyable when you go to a Friday night game and you know the rink is going to be full, it makes it easier to get up for games and play in that environment. There is a real sense of community, with both students and just hockey fans who don’t even have a direct connection to Selkirk College.”

Selkirk College is the only two-year school in the BCIHL and because four-year universities are able to keep players for longer, the Saints are in a constant state of rebuilding the roster. This provides opportunities for new players to make an impact right away, but guarantees that the Saints will always be the youngest team in the league.

“It’s cool to be part of a team that faces so many of these external challenges and still be so competitive with a young team that plays against guys that are quite a bit older,” says Wakaruk. “That we can have success in what is mostly a two-year school with a team that is always going to be filled with younger guys playing against university teams that have a bunch of 25-year-olds, I like that challenge.”

Learning to Cope with Challenge

The horrific Humboldt Broncos team bus accident that killed 16 people in April 2018 turned the hockey world upside-down. For Wakaruk, the moment cut even deeper. He was a former teammate and friends with several of those on that fateful day. Wakaruk had to come to terms with the weight of heavy grief. 

“It was devastating… you don’t want to believe what you heard and that it’s real,” he says. “It gives you perspective on how quickly things can be taken away from you and how quickly things can change without warning or any real reason. You have to deal with it and figure out ways to get through it, you grow from it.”

Wakaruk at the cermonial puck drop to open the 2019-2020 hockey season that would end the way nobody could have predicted back in October.

Wakaruk’s evolving maturity and ability to cope came in handy at the end of the current BCIHL season. On March 12, the team had traveled to Langley and were preparing for their first-round playoff series against the Trinity Western University Spartans when they received the news that all games were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.     

“We knew what was happening with professional leagues at that moment, but we still had to get ready to play. We were hoping that some way we would be able to get through that series,” Wakaruk explains. “It was weird because you are just done. You don’t win, you don’t lose, you are just done. There is no emotion to it, it’s a real bizarre feeling. There is no closure or any kind of exit… it’s just over. It’s almost a month later and still it’s a weird feeling.”

The players fully realized that cancellation of the season was necessary, but the bus ride back to the West Kootenay was most difficult on those graduating from the program.

“It builds on the idea that you never really know when it’s going to be your last game,” he says. “It’s a whole new meaning of ‘playing every game like it’s your last’ because at least for me, I may never play a competitive hockey game again and have an opportunity to win a championship.”

Dealing with the New Normal

Members of the Saints are expected to be leaders on campus and the community. The team volunteers in a steady stream of events each semester from helping organize dodgeball tournaments on campus to playing floor hockey with kids in local schools. It’s a role that Wakaruk relishes and is always helping lead the charge with a bright smile.

“I really enjoy it and always have, you have to give support to those who support you,” he says.

Wakaruk (left) embraced campus life by active volunteering and partcipation in events, like the 2020 Business Program Dodgeball Challenge that took place in January.

In his first three years at Selkirk College, Wakaruk has pushed himself out of the comfort zone of the team atmosphere and embraced completely new friendship circles.

“It made my school experience a lot more full, having a different group of friends that you don’t always hang out with in a team setting,” he says. “It keeps it fresh and it helps you academically to expand your circle.”

The move away from in-person learning to alternative methods of delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for students. The isolation and uncertainty of the final weeks of the Winter Semester has delivered additional stress to students in all programs.

For Wakaruk, he is using the lessons learned to this point to guide him through the final weeks. Like many students from out of region, he has moved back to his parent’s house in Okotoks, Alberta where he is completing assignments and studying for finals. 

“We are living through history right now,” he says. “You need to use your support systems. Set up meeting times for a group-chat with your classmates to get the work done or complete the projects. It’s difficult, but you need to create the most normal atmosphere as you can. If you try to do it all by yourself, you are just going to struggle and all your motivation goes right down the drain.”