Water splashes into the air as sophomore Zoe Cammer powers past defenders, holding her position as center. With the goal just two meters away, her focus sharpens. A quick glance at her teammate and the ball is thrown toward her, landing straight into her hands. In an instant, three defenders close in, attempting to steal the ball from all around. With a powerful surge, she pushes toward the goal and shoots. The ball flies past the goalie, bounces off the crossbar and drops straight into the net. 

As her teammates cheer, their grins as wide as her own, Zoe feels that familiar rush — the unmatched excitement of battling alongside her second family. It’s in moments like these, amidst the intensity of the game, that Zoe remembers why she fell in love with water polo. 

“Getting cheered for after scoring a nice goal just makes you smile so big,” Zoe said. “It makes you feel proud of yourself. People do try to drown me, and I get hurt a little bit during games, but seeing my teammates smile after one of us scores a beautiful goal always makes my day.”

Zoe first played water polo at the age of seven, when San Jose Almaden recruited her as one of 10 players to join its newly-formed girls team. However, Zoe’s excitement for water polo did not develop until she met Olympic water polo player Nina Flynn, who inspired her to try playing the sport more seriously. 

“I really did not want to do it at first,” Zoe said. “I was like, ‘This takes a lot of energy. I don’t like swimming. I don’t know how to tread water.’ But after the first game, I fell in love. I thought, ‘This is where I can express myself. I just want to work hard to score goals and be happy.’”

With her newfound excitement, Zoe joined the San Jose Express club team, where she played for five years until she joined Stanford’s club team, one of the nation’s top teams competing in the Junior Olympics platinum division. Her years of hard work led her to qualify for the USA national team, which only recruits 20 female players from the whole country. Zoe describes this achievement as the proudest moment in her water polo journey because the national team is so selective. 

As Zoe looks ahead to the future, she aspires to continue water polo on even higher levels. 

“I really want to get recruited for water polo, especially because I’ve been doing it for so long,” Zoe said. “The pool has become a second home to me, so I definitely want to play in college and hopefully make it to the professional level one day. Even though it doesn’t pay very well, I would love an opportunity to play extreme water polo.”

Her years of experience in water polo also led her to develop a set pre-match regimen. She grounds herself before matches by going through a sequence of routine movements: put on music, sit by the pool, meditate. She’s then the first one to get into the pool and shoot. 

“Water polo is very much a mental game,” Zoe said. “If you’re having a bad game, you just need to remember: one possession at a time. And when I get really frustrated, I like to shake it off. I’ll shake off my wrists, my hands, my shoulders and just reset. And I take each quarter as a new game itself — I’ll think 0-0, let’s go get the first goal.”

As the center on the team, she plays a pivotal role in offense given her position is closest to the goal. Even though playing in the position is extremely challenging, Zoe recognizes the importance of her role.

“If we get the opportunity, we usually score or make a big move and get somebody ejected,” Zoe said. “As I’ve grown as a player, more people have to start coming back and dropping to guard me on defense, which leaves my teammates open and free to score, which I’m proud of because it allows them a chance to shine.” 

Harker water polo coach Laci Szieben highlighted Zoe’s integral role as both a leader and a player on the team. 

“She’s a very valuable asset to this team,” coach Szieben said. “She has a huge potential in the future if she keeps working hard. She’s a sophomore only, but I really like that sometimes she’s talking up. That’s what I’m looking for from her — to have very good moments in the water, but also to speak up outside of the pool as one of the leaders of this team.”

Having played with Zoe on both San Jose Express and Harker’s water polo team, sophomore Anoushka Madan described Zoe as a reliable player the team often counts on to execute plays. Anoushka commended Zoe’s growth as a player throughout the years. 

“In general, when players grow older, you can see differences in the way they play, whether they play more selflessly for the team, or whether they play more as an individual,” Anoushka said. “I’ve noticed that Zoe’s gone from being a player working on individual skills to someone who’s there for the team and knows what to do and when to do it, which is a really great skill to have.”   

As Zoe continues working toward the goal of playing water polo on a professional level, she advises her past self to believe in herself and her abilities. 

“You just need to trust the process,” Zoe said. “You’ll meet great friends, you’ll have lots of laughs and it will overall just be a lot of fun. I regret having a bad mindset at first — being very hateful towards going to practice. But now, it’s one of the only things I look forward to throughout the day. Just give it a chance and have fun throughout the process.”