SANFORD, Fla. — Seminole High School’s Halle Zimlich is one of the best water polo players on one of the best teams in the state. She has been jumping in the pool since a very young age.

In the fall, she is on the swim team, but in the spring, she competes in water polo, which is not an easy sport to play.

“It takes a lot of conditioning and work in practice,” said Zimlich. “It’s pretty tough, but it’s fun.”

Being on a swim team is more of an individual sport. What she likes about water polo is playing on a team and aiming towards a common goal.

“Working as a team — I used to play basketball, so I like individual sports, but team sports are more my favorite,” she said.

Zimlich is one of the leading goal scorers in the state, scoring over a hundred goals this season. Even though she has put the ball in the back of the net a lot this season, she remains a team-oriented player. The Seminoles are 22-0 so far this season. 

“We have a really good connection, we are all really close and friends so we have fun in practice and in games,” said Zimlich. “We just have been working hard in practice and doing really well.”

Success in the pool has led to an opportunity to compete nationally. Zimlich and four of her teammates will represent the Southeast in a national competition sponsored by the USA Olympic Team.

“I’m going out to California to play with people from southeast and playing against California teams and learning to get better,” said Zimlich. “My trip to California is part of the Olympic Development Program.”

She is only a sophomore, but is hoping to play on the next level. Playing in events like the ones in California will only help her achieve that goal.

“It’s really exciting to go out there and play against these really good California teams and get better and learn more about the game,” Zimlich said.

The Girls’ Olympic Development Program National Championship starts on March 22nd and ends on the 24th.