Goggles on, ready up. Diving headfirst into her senior year, powerhouse Samara Zeinert has broken two school records and one pool mark in her high school career and hopes to add more to the list.

Zeinert knows the most important quality to ensure success in the water.

“You just have to commit to it,” she said. “If you don’t commit, you really can’t go anywhere in this sport and you have to realize it’s a lot of work, and if you don’t put in the work you won’t reach your goals.”

As an 11-year swimmer, Zeinert has a wealth of knowledge and experience, but she hasn’t always been all in.

“When I was younger, I dreaded going to practice and I would complain all the time,” she said. “It took me a while to realize that I would really have to commit if I wanted to reach my goals.”

As a young swimmer, her older sister had a massive impact on her career.

“My sister swam on OSHY long before me, and I saw how she loved swimming and the team environment, so I decided that I needed to follow in her footsteps and also become a swimmer.”

Coach Lori Salzer has known Zeinert since her infant OSHY days and proudly recalls her growth from the start of her club team journey to now.

“She has just grown into a swimmer,” she said. “I feel like she was recreational when she first started out and has transferred over into a very competitive, strong swimmer.”

Zeinert is also confident in her abilities.

“When you swim, you have to have confidence in yourself to be able to reach your goals,” she said. “It's really scary going behind the blocks knowing you’re against really fast people, but you have to know that you are capable of getting the times you want.”

Zeinert has built a pre-race mantra to help overcome the nerves of a race.

“I create unrealistic expectations for myself,” she said. “I tell myself to accomplish a really fast time or just beat everybody, so then it’s less scary. You can’t doubt yourself, you have to assume that you’re going to win.” Head Coach Kelly VanSistine appreciates Zeinert’s impressive confidence.

“Even though she’s fast in the pool and crazy competitive, she does not let it show,” she said. “She’s often behind the blocks giggling with her friends. She’s never really in her head or showing that she’s anxious; she’s just relaxed and gets it done.”

VanSistine admires many characteristics Zeinert holds so dearly.

“I think she’s just determined,” she said. “She has goals and just checks them off in her head and moves on to the next one.”

In the future, Zeinert plans to swim for Grand Valley State University, but she’s not done yet.

“For the rest of the season, I would really like to break some pool and school records in the 100 yard backstroke and the 50 yard freestyle,” she said.

Salzer looks forward to one last season with Zeinert.

“I just love watching her swim,” she said. “It’s just fun seeing what she can do, especially knowing where she used to be compared to where she is now and hopefully getting her to state.”

by Jorie Mugerauer

Published October 7 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue I

Senior Spotlight: Zeinert Dives into Senior Year