Zoe Starzenski '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Zoe Starzenski from Montreal Quebec. I am currently playing for Tiburon water polo, a club located in Montreal and I am playing in the National Championship League in the U19 age category. 

Funnily enough, I didn’t always love water polo. As a kid I grew up around pools but I never even tried water polo because I thought I wouldn’t like it. Turns out the second I actually gave it a try I absolutely loved it.

I am now in my fifth year of playing and waterpolo is a vital part of my life. I have found the perfect sport for me and I wouldn't give it up for anything. 

For my first 3 years of playing, I played center forward and found lots of success in that because I am big and strong. I have very quick reaction times and I’m really good at setting up plays. After those 3 years I actually decided to switch clubs and I found myself playing both center forward and 2m defender. My signature move is going behind the center forward and pushing them out all the way to the 5 meter line. I found that playing both of these roles was a really good balance for me because I do very well in center forward but I also do really well in 2M defence so it gives me an offensive and defensive role

I am a great team player and I fully understand that water polo is a team sport and the whole team needs to work together to succeed. 

On top of my busy schedule with water polo, I also manage to keep my grades very high. I ended my grade 10 year with a 90% average and have kept that up into this year. I am a very hard worker and I hold myself to a very high standard and I make sure to keep my grades in check. I am interested in studying architecture because it combines both a creative aspect and a mental aspect which I really like. As I approach graduation, I was looking for different places to study architecture. I found that there were so many amazing schools in the USA that offered architecture. I was then introduced to the idea of playing for a college team while I get my education at the same time.

Ever since I learned that it would be a possibility to study something I love while also playing the sport that I love, I have been so excited. I have been working super hard because this is an opportunity of a lifetime and I don't want to let it pass me by