How Aurora 10-year-old became a nationally ranked swimmer

At age 10, Jaeddan Gamilla of Aurora already holds eight state swimming records for his age group and at least three nicknames from opposing swim clubs.

Little Man. Torpedo. The Rocket.

He's ranked second in the nation among 10-year-olds, according to USA Swimming, and his coach, Megan Mau with Maverick Swim Club in Naperville, says he's got a bright future in the sport.

“My goal is to make it to the Olympics, at least,” Jaeddan said Tuesday. “I'm going to work hard for it.”

For now, though, Jaeddan is aiming to set his first national record.

His Illinois record in the 100-yard individual medley is 2 seconds off the national best of 1:01.21. He hopes to improve his time at the National Age-Group Swimming Association Elite Showcase Classic meet beginning Wednesday in Clearwater, Florida, where he also could set a ninth state record if he beats his best time in the 50-yard butterfly.

Last year, Jaeddan finished first in all 10 races at the showcase classic, propelling him to a first-place ranking among 9-year-olds across the nation.

“I was really happy,” he said. “But there's a lot of pressure and I just had to learn to keep that pressure off of me.”

Jaeddan has been swimming since he was 4, joining Maverick Swim Club of Naperville at age 5 so he could follow the example of his older brothers - Jarrell, a senior at Metea Valley High School in Aurora; Janssen, a sophomore at Metea; and Jeddrick, a seventh-grader.

He's always been competitive, but usually is more focused on beating his brothers' old times than on setting records, said his father, Jonel Gamilla.

“He's not thinking about competing - he just wants to be fast,” Gamilla said.

Jaeddan said he got his first taste of victory when he won a 100-yard breaststroke race at age 7 while competing against 10-year-olds. Mau said he's a natural at breaststroke and butterfly and is a coachable kid who earns his success the old-school way: through hard work and a positive attitude.

“He listens all the time at practice, shows up to work hard and really wants to make improvements with his stroke and his technique,” Mau said. “As a byproduct of him working so hard on improving himself in the water, this is just what happened.”

Since that inaugural experience, winning has become Jaeddan's way. The shelves of trophies and medals at his house are so jam-packed, he doesn't even know how many races he's won.

“I didn't keep a count,” says the fifth-grader, whose favorite subject is math. “It must be a lot.”

While Jaeddan has set his sights on the Olympics in 2020 or 2024, his parents and coaches are trying to keep him grounded. Gamilla and his wife, Corie, hail from the Philippines, where they enjoyed basketball and volleyball but never learned to swim. They're excited by their son's success, but hope he learns the lessons that come with failure, too.

“If you fail now, you learn from it and you can avoid doing the same mistake,” Gamilla said.

As a stay-at-home father of five who works part-time as a merchandiser for a California-based company, Gamilla tells his youngest son that dreaming big is free, but achieving those dreams comes at the cost of continued hard work.

“I don't want him to be overconfident,” Gamilla said. “I always tell him, 'Keep your feet on the ground,' and 'You have a lot of things to learn.'”

Jaeddan knows he's already learned a lot in aquatics. He remembers his days as a 4-year-old, struggling to swim 25 yards, or one length of the pool.

“It was hard for me at the start,” he said. “I worked really hard because from the beginning I knew that hard work pays off. So I just kept that in mind at every single practice.”

Gamilla said he and Corie will be there to support Jaeddan no matter where swimming takes him. But they're not taking him out of Young Elementary in Aurora and home schooling him to give him more time to practice. Education must come first, they say. Plus he's a 4-foot, 10-inch tall, roughly 80-pound boy who already swims 90 minutes a day, five days a week and fills his free time diving off coffee tables onto couches, practicing his strokes on the living room floor or playing video games.

His father says there's happiness in Jaeddan's voice when he talks about swimming and his coach sees a smile on his face when he hops into the water.

“His love for swimming shines through whenever he is at a pool,” Mau said. “He loves the sport and he's got a bright future in it.”