Jayceon Smiling makes an attempt in a long jump event.
JAYCEON Smiling, a CNMI son, will make his second appearance in the AAU Junior Olympics in Winson-Salem, North Carolina, which is set from July 29 to Aug 1.
The 8-year-old all-American started his track & field/athletics journey in April last year. Currently serving in the U.S. Air Force, his parents Janyll Pialur Smiling (daughter of John and Josephine Pialur) and Derek Smiling relocated from Alabama (Maxwell Air Force Base) to Maryland (Joint Base Andrews) in March last year and decided to allow Jayceon to join the Southern Sprinters Elite track club despite having no experience in track & field.
During the regional competition last year, Jayceon competed in his first long jump event. Impressed by his performance, his coach approached Janyll and Derek and told them to buy tickets to Des Moines, Iowa because Jayceon was going to the AAU Junior Olympics.
“I cried,” said Janyll. “We didn’t know what any of it meant, but on June 24, 2023, he made it a reality and punched his ticket for the first time.”
Jayceon recorded a distance of 9’11.75. Since joining the track club on April 16 of last year, Jayceon has become an all-American with an improved long jump record of 12’5.75. He placed second in Maryland long jump (2024), became the 2024 district champion in long jump (2024), currently ranked #14 in U.S. (9 y/o high jump), and will become a two-time AAU Junior Olympian.
Jayceon Smiling
Jayceon believes that constant training has been the key factor to his success so far. “I work hard, don’t play around at track practice, try to focus on me and do the work. I say my prayers to get PRs [Personal Records] and put in the work,” he added.
According to his mother, “His coaches see his potential and allow him the autonomy to try new things. They recognize his strengths and push him to be the best at it. He is known as ‘Jayceon the Jumper’ because any opportunity to jump, he takes it.”
But Jayceon still balances training with other aspects of his life, such as school and personal hobbies.
He practices 2-3 days a week depending on meets.
School work is done before or late at night after practice.
“The plus side is he doesn’t go to school until 9 a.m.,” his mother said.
His parents also make time to go to sporting events outside of the track or do something fun when possible. “These kids in Maryland are built differently and extremely talented, so play time is when the season is over. During off-season, he plays basketball and football. All things sports in this household,” his mother said.
On non-meet weeks/off-season, Jayceon goes to a personal trainer and works on plyometrics and speed training.
Jayceon’s parents play a huge role in supporting his athletics endeavors. Janyll said she is overly invested and even took it upon herself to learn about long and high jumps from YouTube and listening to his coach’s feedback. “Jayceon has an intense desire to hit 13 feet sometime this year and our job is to help him achieve it by giving valuable input on top of his training.”
Janyll added, “Dad is calm to the storm; he always tries to reel mom back if Jayceon is pushed too far. He definitely is the balance needed for my competitive spirit because sometimes I tend to overdo it.”
Like other athletes Jayceon has faced some drawbacks. “It’s hard on his body, he’s only 8 and working out a lot,” his mother said.
Another challenge is the mental aspect of it, she added.
“It can get tough on him because it’s an unpredictable event. You could do so great one day and be off the next day, and that would get to him. We overcome challenges by being realistic. If it was a rough day, he’s going to know it, I’m not going to hide that from him. But when I can point out the good aspects of his jump, I give him the validation and positive reinforcement he needs to pick himself back up. We hit the track the very next day or as soon as we can to get some good reps in and have fun during the time on the track. This allows him to get reassurance in his abilities,” his mother said.
Janyll’s overall goal is for her son to “have fun, be passionate, work hard, but always remember to pray harder. Everything will fall into place the way God will see fit. He loves it now and that is what matters.”
Janyll and Derek believe that their son’s participation in track and in the AAU Junior Olympics has influenced his personality and outlook in life.
“He has definitely been more confident. Last year, he was the only long jumper under the age of 12. This year we have more jumpers, which makes it exciting for him because he gets an opportunity to instill in them all the valuable traits he learned,” Janyll said.
“At a young age, he’s learning the value of getting out what you put into something. If you slack off at practice, it’ll reflect at a meet. The mental fortitude you need to be a track athlete is out of this world. He watches a film of himself and professional long and high jumpers. He works hard. You can fine-tune talent, but you can’t teach work ethic and self-discipline.”
For more information and news about Jayceon Smiling’s, follow his Instagram account @jayceonjumps.
