JACKSONVILLE - Both had great high school careers playing volleyball, both have put handfuls of high school kids into colleges around the country and both returned to the sidelines after brief hiatuses with an intent to build something somewhere.
"I had a pretty good run at Ridgeview High, played four years, came back, coached with Destiny Brightman (now OPHS Athletic Director) with four district titles, then went to Williston State College in North Dakota and coached to few successful seasons in NCAA Division II volleyball," said Chelsea Hinck, who starts her second year as head coach at Florida State College-Jacksonville women's volleyball with former Fleming Island and Orange Park High School coach Amy Walker. "It's nice to be back in the warm weather and now coaching alongside Amy Walker."
For Walker, who had a successful run at both Orange Park and Fleming Island, with a handful of district titles and region playoff runs, a few years off came when her two very athletic children; Isaiah, a Fleming Island football ace also Wofford College, and volleyballer daughter Maya Walker, who played at Wingate University and is now a junior at University of North Florida, left high school to pursue their next ventures.
"I still coached at the club levels and kept some individual coaching clinics going and even now have a one-on-one business called Velocity to help local players," said Walker, who teamed with Brightman at Orange Park High before Brightman left for Ridgeview High and won a handful of district titles with Hinck. "I missed the sidelines and I like the junior college level because the players are still learning and wanting to get better. Surprisingly, a lot of the players that we get here have been, in my opinion, talented enough to play at maybe small Division I schools. Sometimes, it takes a little push to believe that can happen and I hope Chelsea and I can do that for the ones we get here. I coached her when she was 16 and when the job came, I thought we could make an impact together."
For both Hinck and Walker, FSCJ offered both spots on the coaching staff, and, with a receptive administration, both say, the program has blossomed and should continue to grow as their tenure grows.
Their present team is loaded with area talent; from Clay, setter Abigail Bucci; from Orange Park defensive specialist Lexi Pacheco and, from Oakleaf, setter Julissa Rivera, plus players from Bishop Kenny, Baker County, Newberry, Creekside and even from Slovakia and France, Hinck, now at 5-9 with a Monday win over Trinity Baptist College, noted that her years in the 904 area peaked a lot of local interest in FSCJ while Walker's reputation is stellar in both the high school and club arenas.
"Between the two of us, we have stayed connected to a network of high school and club coaches and this area is full of great talent," said Hinck. "Some of the out-of-area players are just a matter of random luck sometimes and a phone call or email after seeing them at tournaments and showcases. If we can give them scholarship money for athletics and academics, they can play here, excel, improve their skill sets then use our networks to get to the next level."
Hinck, also head beach volleyball coach at FSCJ, is currently employed with FSCJ in athletic advancement for the school with Walker working her Velocity training clinics.
"We want, I think, to eventually build the program as a stepping stone for athletes to advance to the next level," said Walker. "Some athletes like a smaller setting to learn the college game before going on and we try to assist in that."
Walker praised the school's administration for instilling enthusiasm for the athletic program with recent seasons of baseball and cross country going to the junior college nationals.
"The talent from this area is capable of winning titles in just about any sport that is here," said Walker. "With a good administration and, I think, our coaching firepower, we think we can rebuild this program to be a national contender. It may take a few years, but that is the goal."