Donna Gamilla: The rookie sensation

The toughest year for any collegiate player is often their rookie year. During that particular year, athletes are watched more intently than others for the various questions that circle the minds of both coaches and  spectators.

For most rookies, this adds up to the pressure that they already face as they decipher how to make an impact on their team. Fortunately for Donna Gamilla, she overcame this and made an impact in her rookie year with the DLSU Lady Paddlers. On her first year as a Lady Paddler, she was named as Rookie of the Year and she was one of the key players who led the team to the championship.

Starting out

Influenced by her relatives, Gamilla began playing table tennis when she was still in the second grade. “I started when I was in grade 2 I think. And then nagplay ako kasi kasama na sa family namin,” says Gamilla.

As early as her grade school years, she started competing in the Palarong Pambansa, an event held annually wherein players from the different regions of the Philippines compete in different sports. Even at this early age, she had already experienced success in table tennis. “When I was in grade school, I used to compete in the Palarong Pambansa. In grade school, twice kami nagchampion. [those were when I was still in] Grade 5 [and] Grade 6,” shares Gamilla.

Enter, Lady Paddler

Playing for the DLSU Lady Paddlers was what Gamilla had dreamed of even when she was still a part of the UE Juniors Table Tennis Team. “Sa UAAP parang nakita ko yung teamwork [ng DLSU] talaga,” she says. Fortunately for her, she was offered by DLSU to don the colors of green and white as a Lady Paddler. When she joined the team, she was immediately welcomed with open arms. “Sobrang welcoming nila… and until now naman. Tapos, wala parang kasi yung team namin family na rin so walang nahihiya,” says Gamilla.

When it comes to the pressure of playing with the others in the team, Gamilla doesn’t let it affect her much. In fact, this pressure motivates her to work even harder so that she will be able to really contribute to the team. “Hindi naman maiiwasan na walang pressure eh pero yung pressure na yun… I see yung pressure na mas nakaka-motivate pa kasi mas gusto ko talaga mag-contribute sa team,”

Balancing act

Like most student athletes, Gamilla, who is majoring in BSE Math, had problems in balancing her academic load and training sessions in the beginning. She shares that the training sessions of the DLSU Paddlers are in the evening, which causes her to stay up late for school obligations. “First of all is yung time management kasi since yung training namin gabi, nagpupuyat ako for schoolwork,”. But with the help of her welcoming seniors, she was able to overcome this obstacle. “Parang nahirapan ako mag-adjust nung una pero nagpatulong naman ako sa seniors namin before.”

Competing in the UAAP

Being the only freshman in their team, Gamilla felt pressured entering her first game. Her opponent took control of the match, taking the first two sets, but due to an injury, her opponent was forced to withdraw. After that, she proved her worth by delivering excellent performances in her following matches. “[Y]ung mga game ko sobrang ganda kaya parang sobrang tumatak ako nung time na ‘yun,”. In the deciding match for that season’s championship round, she hit a wonderful return ace that made them the champions.

During the time of the interview, the Lady Paddlers were tied with the UP and FEU in the team standings, 6-2. “Yung two losses namin [this season], parang feeling ko nakulangan kami ng puso,” shares Gamilla. “Pero ngayon naman, we’re working on that.” She also says that the rookies are still getting used to the collegiate level. “Pero ngayon alam ko magpa-fight talaga kami. Kaya pa naming humabol,” she states.

And true enough with Gamilla’s mission; the Lady Paddlers eventually overcame all hurdles, as they were successful in regaining the crown for the La Salle squad. With Gamilla ending her rookie year with a championship at their helm, expect the coming seasons to be another legacy in the making for the powerhouse DLSU Lady Paddlers.