Beyond the Clipboard: Strahm ready for new team
T coachhe former Imperial High School head volleyball will no longer be making the 15 minute drive from Holtville to Imperial to coach.
After leading Imperial High’s volleyball program for eight years, Chelsey Strahm is now at as helm of Holtville High School’s program, ready to lead the Vikings to their fullest potential.
The transition from schools has been smooth, as Strahm has lived in Holtville for the past three years with her husband and daughter and has recently started teaching seventh grade at Pine Elementary School.
“I’m really excited about the journey, I know it’s a new chapter in my life and although I’m going to miss Imperial, I’m really excited about being here in Holtville,” expressed Strahm on her transition between high schools.
The former Imperial High coach stated staff at Holtville are just as welcoming as Imperial and enjoys that her new players are ready to learn new things and are just as excited as she is.
With Holtville being a CIFSan Diego Section Division IV school, Strahm said she eagerly accepts the change and is looking forward to any challenges that may come along with it, as she led Imperial in Division III.
“I’m hoping that playing all these Valley schools that are bigger than Holtville will help strengthen us, so come CIF we’re able to do well against San Diego schools,” said Strahm on coaching a school in a different division.
Strahm not only looks to improve this year’s team, but also hopes to improve the school’s program for years to come by improving Holtville’s volleyball club program outside of the school.
By doing so, Strahm believes this will build interest with the younger crowd and eventually lead to more players competing at Holtville High.
The volleyball coach is no stranger to local volleyball clubs since in 2009 she helped create the Imperial Valley Aces in Imperial. The club program hosts fifth grade to high school level teams that play January through May.
Club volleyball has played a significant role in her life, as Strahm’s love for volleyball first began while playing in a local club program when she was 10-years-old.
She would then go on to play at Imperial High, where her desire to become a coach was created. During her four years playing at the high school, her team had a different coach each year.
“That drove me to want to be there for the next generation and be that consistency because that helps build a program,” recalled Straham.
After graduating in 2007, the volleyball coach had a few scholarship offers to choose from, although ultimately decided she wasn’t ready to move away from home and decided to play for two years at Imperial Valley College.
Following her time at IVC, Strahm still wanted to continue to be involved with the sport and returned to her alma mater to coach.
“I loved it, I had a great community supporting me. The players and parents were awesome and the faculty and staff were great, especially my athletic director who shaped me into the coach I am today,” reminisced Strahm on her time at Imperial High.
Most notably during her eight years, Straham led the Tigers to win Imperial Valley League titles in 2015 and 2016, an accomplishment the school
hadn’t previously achieved since 1995.
The volleyball coach isn’t the only one excited about her transition to Holtville, as her father and husband are both Holtville natives and were very pleased with the decision.
Straham will take over the
program from former coach Allison Mainas, who finished last season with an overall record of 11-17 and league record of 5-8.
“As a smaller school and program, we will have to outsmart our opponents and that comes with mentally understanding the game,” she said.