Camas swimmers Jaden Kim, left, and Luke Bales are part of the Papermakers' senior leadership in the pool. (Micah Rice/The Columbian)
If there’s anything Jaden Kim prides in his swimming career, it’s consistency.
That’s why the Camas senior, when asked what advice he’d give to his freshman self, focused on the basics.
“Go to bed early,” Kim said, with a chuckle. “Those are the things we overlook, but they matter the most.”
Kim has been consistently among the top swimmers in the state his entire high school career. He placed third in the 100-yard butterfly as a freshman, then second as a sophomore.
Last year, he again placed third but did so in a personal-best and All-American Consideration time of 49.59.
That sets the stage for what Kim hopes will be a big senior season.
“Of course, with it being the last year you want to put in everything you have and make sure the team is in a good spot for years to come,” Kim said.
Kim is continuing a family legacy at Camas swimming that started with his brother Mark, a two-time state champion in 2017 who now swims for Army West Point.
Mark’s work ethic continues to inspire Jaden.
“There was nothing else on his mind than trying to be better every day,” Kim said of his brother. “I really admire that about him. There were a lot of times I’d look at him to get motivated because he’d be in the pool every day, no matter what.”
Kim’s younger brother, Nathan, is a freshman on the Camas swim team. Kim and fellow senior Luke Bales aim to inspire those young swimmers in the same way they were when Camas won back to back 4A state team championships in 2017-18.
“I think people definitely swim better when their heart is in it and they’re having fun,” Bales said. “It’s one thing to go out there and race because you want to win. It’s another thing to go out, have fun and compete for the joy of competing.”
And Kim finds that joy in grinding out countless lengths of the pool during practices that start as early as 5 a.m.
“The key to everything is consistency,” he said. “If you stay with it, progress will follow.”
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