The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his college coach, his wife, abraham lincoln, and mother teresa. She took the same approach to her breast cancer diagnosis, explaining how she made that struggle into one of the best years of her life. Still reeling from scandal, gymnastics rediscovers joy at ucla. Official miss val valorie kondos field official website. Frustrated, she found herself preparing to tell senior associate athletic director judith holland that hollands unusual move to hire a head coach with no background in the sport had backfired kondos field. Kondos field will enter her 29th and final year as head coach and 37th year on the ucla coaching staff. Sep 20, 2018 on her way to hollands office, kondos field stopped at a student bookstore. Highly acclaimed ucla womens gymnastics coach of 7 ncaa championships valorie kondos field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success. Valorie kondos field didnt play organized sports growing up. Oct 31, 2019 valorie kondos field is the head coach of the ucla womens gymnastics team. Sep 20, 2018 valorie kondos field nearly quit while she was behind.
August 20, 1959, often referred to as miss val, is a retired american gymnastics coach, and former ballet dancer and dance coach. Gymnastics coach valorie kondos field took john wooden s teachings from the court to the mat valorie kondos field learned more than just the pyramid of success from her friend and mentor by. Valorie kondos field he would quite often say ive always enjoyed the way valorie and her young ladies represent themselves on and off the competition floor. Valorie kondos field, often referred to as miss val, is an american gymnastics coach, and former ballet dancer and dance coach.
She never swung a bat, grabbed a rebound, or even kicked a soccer ball during a saturday morning game. Life is short, dont wait to dance by field, valorie. Hall of fame gymnastics coach valorie kondos field leads. Author valorie kondos field sits down with cameron and debbie to discuss her book, life is short. She is a recent breast cancer survivor and the recently retired head coach of the seventime ncaa champion ucla womens gymnastics team.
The dance in the title can mean actually dancing but also is a touching reference to late ucla basketball coach john wooden, an avid supporter. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach and choreographer. Formerly a professional ballet dancer, she credits her year friendship with mentor john wooden and his books as inspiration for her unparalleled coaching success. Ucla christens the newly named valorie kondos field floor with two perfect 10s, the thirdhighest floor score in program history and a flash mob featuring more than 200 ucla alumni. As far asmore he would quite often say ive always enjoyed the way valorie and her young ladies represent themselves on and off the competition floor. She has led her team to seven ncaa championship titles and 29 pac12 and ncaa regional titles.
Kondos field shared stories of her life, from her adolescence as a classical ballet dancer to her career as a coach, from her battle with breast cancer to her long friendship with coach john wooden. Gymnastics coach valorie kondos field took john woodens. We all need people in our life who we trust will listen to us. But she is one of the greatest coaches on the planet. Life is short, dont wait to dance is a powerful book that shows you how to make the leap of faith in choosing your own path to greatness. Valorie kondos field, known to many as miss val, has created something of an oasis in a sport often characterized by intense turbulence. Inducted into the ucla athletic hall of fame in 2010, the fourtime national coach of the year was also named west region coach of the year and pac 12 coach of the century. Valorie kondos field leads ucla gymnastics into her final. Valorie kondos field, life is short, dont wait to dance.
Oct 02, 2018 highly acclaimed ucla womens gymnastics coach of 7 ncaa championships valorie kondos field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success. In her book, life is short, dont wait to dance, field shares personal stories, anecdotes and lessons learned throughout the 37year career of a dancerchoreographer turned athletic coach. A former member of the sacramento ballet, capital city ballet and washington ballet, kondos field has infused her gymnasts floor and beam routines with bold inventiveness, astounding athleticism and breathtaking beauty since 1983, when she was hired as the teams dance coach. On one of the shelves she stumbled across legendary ucla mens basketball coach john woodens definition of. Life is short, dont wait to dance highly acclaimed ucla womens gymnastics coach of 7 ncaa championships valorie kondos field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success. This is what it must have been like during coach john wooden s days, the coach said. Kondos field is married to ucla associate athletic director bobby field. A disciple of the legendary ucla basketball coach john wooden, miss vals bravery she decided to. Ucla gymnastics coach valorie kondos field during practice at ucla on wednesday, jan 2, 2019. Wooden s words gave her a vision she has carried through nearly three. Apr 24, 2019 examples john wooden, clare drake, valerie kondos field, pete carroll, sean mcvay, pat summit, phil jackson and the numerous other transformational leaders that have been identified as great coaches. Inspirational evening with coach valorie kondos field 87. If john wooden could write the foreword to your book, what would he have to say.
This preeminent coach was recently named the pac12 coach of the century, and in 2010, she became one of only two active coaches to be inducted into the ucla athletic hall of fa. On my way there i stopped by the store and while walking around i glanced at renowned ucla basketball coach john wooden s book a lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court and started reading it. Ucla gymnastics head coach valorie kondos field, who has led the bruins to all seven of their ncaa championships, will retire from her head coaching position following the 2019 season. A final bow for miss val, uclas kondos field to retire. This preeminent coach was recently named the pac12 coach of the century, and in 2010, she became one of only two active coaches to be inducted into the ucla athletic hall of fame. Valorie kondos field author of life is short, dont wait to. Get it today with same day delivery, order pickup or drive up. Frustrated, she found herself preparing to tell senior associate athletic director judith holland that hollands unusual move to hire a head coach with no background in the sport had backfired kondos field grew up. Valorie kondos field with john wooden and bobby field what theyre saying the vibrant personality of valorie carries over in her work with. Valorie kondos field author of life is short, dont wait. One of wooden s books defined success as being your best self, not winning, and that approach helped kondos field stay the course when the team struggled her first two seasons. Sep 24, 2018 the title of valorie kondos fields book.
Life is short, dont wait to dance by valorie kondos field. Valorie kondos field is the head coach of the ucla womens gymnastics team. This preeminent coach was recently named the pac12 coach of the century, and in 2010, she became one of only two active coaches to be inducted into the ucla athletic hall. Valorie kondos field will retire this week as one of the most successful ncaa gymnastics coaches in history. At that moment, she decided to go back to her office and kept reading.
Ucla gymnastics coach valorie kondos field shares the strategies she used to ask the legendary coach john wooden to become her mentor. Advice and inspiration from the ucla athletics hall of fame coach of 7 ncaa championship teams reprint by field, valorie kondos, cooper, steve isbn. Ucla gymnastics shakes off early nerves to give valorie. Coaches that care more about their athletes then they do about themselves. Ucla head coach valorie kondos field has positioned her bruins as one of the premier programs in collegiate gymnastics. Ucla gymnastics coach valorie kondos fields storied and. The new york times valorie kondos field began her career as a professional ballet dancer and choreographer for the washington dc and sacramento ballet companies. May 04, 2017 formerly a professional ballet dancer, she credits her year friendship with mentor john wooden and his books as inspiration for her unparalleled coaching success. About valorie kondos field 87 ucla head coach valorie kondos field has positioned her bruins as one of the premier programs in collegiate gymnastics. Considered one of the finest college gymnastics coaches of all time, field has led her bruins to seven national. Kondos field to retire at conclusion of 2019 season ucla.
The coach of uclas womens gymnastics team built her extraordinarily successful career on encouraging selfdirection and being 1% better each day at a form of expression that feeds your soul. Life lessons from a legend national alliance for youth. Valorie kondos field or miss val as shes affectionately knownhas never even tumbled, flipped, or ever played any type of organized sports and yet she has been able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, intention to detail, and unwavering. The guests tell her what is going on in their lives as she sits in wooden s old captains. Inducted into the ucla athletic hall of fame in 2010, the fourtime national coach of the year was recently named west region coach of. Agoura high school performing arts center, 28545 w. Valorie kondos field is the retired head coach of the seventime ncaa champion, 22time regional and 18time pac 12 champion ucla womens gymnastics team. Conejo valley and san fernando valley bruins invite you to an inspirational evening with the illustrious valorie kondos field, often referred to as miss val. In this inspiring, brutally honest and, at times, gutwrenching talk, she shares the secret to her success. Two similarities between john wooden and valorie kondos field became obvious, as kondos field coached her final ucla gymnastics meet in pauley. Valorie kondos field nearly quit while she was behind. Please join us for an inspirational afternoon with valorie kondos field, the retired head coach of the seventime ncaa champion, 22time regional and 18time pac 12 champion ucla womens gymnastics team. Life is short, dont wait to dance valorie kondos field. The most powerful of the chapters in the book is 18, where she discusses her cancer diagnosis and how she embraced and overcame obstacles in her path.
Former professional ballerina valorie kondos field or miss val, as shes affectionately knownhas never tumbled, flipped, or even played any type of organized sports, and yet she has been able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, attention to detail, and unwavering care for the overall wellbeing of her athletes. Life is short, dont wait to dance by field, valorie kondos. Feb 18, 2019 how a ballet dancer brought balance to u. Valorie kondos field audio books, best sellers, author bio. Gymnastics heads into final home meet, will bid farewell.
Feb 23, 2019 veteran coach valorie kondos field works at planting seeds to build trust among female gymnasts bruised by the harsh demands and abuse that have marred their sport. Apr 19, 2019 one of woodens books defined success as being your best self, not winning, and that approach helped kondos field stay the course when the team struggled her first two seasons. Gymnastics valorie kondos field, known to many as miss val, has created something of an oasis in a sport often characterized by intense turbulence. Gymnastics coach valorie kondos field took john wooden s teachings from the court to the mat valorie kondos field learned more than just the pyramid of.
Valorie kondos field audio books, best sellers, author. As the longtime coach of the ucla womens gymnastics team, she won championship after championship and has been widely acclaimed for her leadership. After eight books, many of them best sellers, a game plan for life is the one closest to john woodens heart. He won 10 ncaa championships as head coach of mens basketball at ucla. Advice and inspiration from the ucla athletics hall of fame coach of 7 ncaa championship teams by field, valorie kondos, cooper, steve isbn. Val kondos field is an incredible woman who, throughout the course of her book, gives readers advice on how to live fully. She is a recent breast cancer survivor and the former head coach of the seventime ncaa champion ucla womens gymnastics team. In the summer of 1991, kondos field choreographed a summer acrobatic festival held in lennestadt, germany. Gymnastics valorie kondos field, known to many as miss val, has created something of an oasis in.
Uclas gymnastics coach valorie kondos field gets velocity. Her first year as the womens gymnastics coach at ucla in 1991 didnt go as planned. Author valorie kondos field will discuss life is short, dont wait to dance thursday, october 24, 2019 5. Life is short, dont wait to dance is packed with great advice for anyone on a quest for success, delivered in miss vals reassuring and inspirational tone. Not only has she consistently recruited and coached some of the top talent in the world, but she has produced the results, totaling over 500 career regular season victories in her 28year career. Valorie kondos field is preparing for her final meet in pauley pavilion. Valorie kondos field i never feared being the head coach but have had constant concern about our athletes getting injured and therefore take great care to make sure theymore i never feared being the head coach but have had constant concern about our athletes getting injured and therefore take great care to make sure they are in a focused and strong frame of mind before executing each of. Oct 10, 2019 channel islands, conejo valley and san fernando valley bruins invite you to an inspirational evening with the illustrious valorie kondos field, often referred to as miss val. Valorie kondos field, known as miss val to basically everyone, is the first to admit she is not a perfect coach. Oct 31, 2019 buy life is short, dont wait to dance.
Ucla gymnastics coach valorie kondos field enjoys one last. Former professional ballerina valorie kondos field or miss val, as shes affectionately knownhas never tumbled, flipped, or even played any type of organized sports, and yet she has been able to craft a legendary. The title of valorie kondos field s book, life is short, dont wait to dance, offers wise advice, a metaphor and a tribute all at once. Since then, his wisdom, summarized most famously in his pyramid of success, has reinforced his status as a modernday legend. Get free shipping on life is short, dont wait to dance by valorie kondos field, from. Friends for many years now, the two share a genuine affection that became evident as the conversation turned to life, love, faith and, of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Ucla head coach valorie kondos field has positioned her bruins as one of the premier programs in collegiate gymnastics with seven ncaa championships. Valorie kondos field i never feared being the head coach but have had constant concern about our athletes getting injured and therefore take great care to make sure. The dance in the title can mean actually dancing but also is a touching reference to late ucla basketball coach john wooden, an. Valorie kondos field, ucla gymnastics head coach finding. Coach john wooden was named the greatest coach ever by sporting news and coach of the century by espn.