Feb. 10, 2011

UCLA Gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field will be answering your questions every Thursday over the course of the season. To submit questions for future Q&As, CLICK HERE.

This week's questions/answers:

Ryan (Irvine, CA): How do you decide when someone is ready to throw an upgraded skill? Do they have to make it 90% of the time, a certain number of reps per practice?
Miss Val: In order for our athletes to compete a new skill they have to have performed the skill in a pressure routine in training (like in an intra-squad) on the hard surface without a spot. Beyond that, they do need to be able to hit that skill in training a good percentage of the time.

David (Brooklyn, NY): Hi Val, Now that the team has a month of competition under their belt and a small break from competition this weekend are you guys using the extra training time to work on any upgrades? Any new skills we're likely to see in the coming month? And, congrats on the OSU win, it was particularly nice to see Brittani do so well on beam - her rhythm, style and confidence have improved so much on that event this year.
Miss Val: Thank you David. I'm so happy for Brittani. Regarding upgrading of skills, I don't think we'll be adding any upgrades this season. If we're going to contend for another title it's more important that we clean up our technique and be able to stick dismounts rather than add new skills.

Ben (Orange): How is Kaelie Baer doing? Do you think we will see her compete this season?
Miss Val: Kaelie is still rehabbing. She probably won't be competing this season. Still, she has grown a lot this season in that she's become a more vocal leader in helping her teammates out and speaking up in team meetings to help make the team better as a whole.

Brian (Orange County, CA): Is it true that Elyse has an obsession with being is in the audience on TV shows? Has she been on any shows?
Miss Val: Elyse's response: "Haha ... this is such a random question. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with being in the audience on TV shows, but it is really fun to go with a group of friends. I'm just trying to make the most of living in the entertainment capital of the world!"

Melissa, Atlanta, GA: I was watching a broadcast of UCLA gymnastics on tv the other day and noticed that both teams had numbers written on their legs. To me, it seems quite distracting when a gymnast is performing. Why don't the gymnasts wear numbers? Is it because your team chooses to wear backless leotards that prevents them from pinning on a number?
Miss Val: You were watching the PAC-10 Showcase on TV. The PAC-10 and FOX asked us to try out the numbers on the legs instead of numbers pinned to their backs. The girls liked it, but we all felt that it made them look like race-horses. I think for the PAC-10 Championships this year we're going to wear the leg numbers again, but the numbers will only be 2 digits. We'll see. I don't know which I dislike more, the leg tattoos or the pinned #'s.

Brenda Fafferle (Ann Arbor): In reading your response to a question last week about how you can only challenge Start Values of routines, I was wondering, does that also mean if you're curious where the judges are taking deductions (but you don't actually wish to challenge the score), that a coach can't find that information out? You'd simply find out some bland information like "no composition deductions were taken," or is that only if you are inquiring about the score being changed? In other words, is there a different process for trying to get it change versus finding out about where deductions were taken, or does the latter not exist? Don't the judges have to write that stuff down alongside their shorthand?
Miss Val: Yes, there is another process to find out deductions. Coaches can hand in a routine summary form instead of an inquiry form. The routine summary form is designed to give feedback on execution, special requirement, and composition deductions and any other comments that the judge might want to include. Regardless of the information given, the score will not change as a result of this sheet. Each team can submit up to 6 routine summary forms per meet (not apparatus).

Patty Lowen (Glendale): Are you a fan of I Love Lucy?
Miss Val: How did you know?

Kendra Jackson (Culver City): Did you ever have a moment that stands out with an athlete successfully whipping a skill out of nowhere in competition? I'm sure the norm is to stick with the tried and true, but wondering if this ever happens.
Miss Val: We have never had an athlete just "whip" out a skill. We have had them cover a mistake by doing another skill. The most impressive one that comes to mind is Corinne Chee on balance beam. Her series was a bhs/layout stepout/bhs. She was crooked on the last bhs and twisted out of it and ended up doing a perfectly executed bhs full turn to lunge. It was gorgeous.

Tim McDermott (Northridge): With Zam being out, obviously everyone has to step it up to counteract not having her reliable 9.9s. But do you talk to specific athletes who you think can go in the 9.9s about going for those marks through improvements or upgrades? In other words, is there a concrete team strategy for replacing such marks, like for instance on bars?
Miss Val: We absolutely have discussed this with our team. Not only are we missing Zam's 9.9 and higher scores, but Peszek's as well. This is why I keep talking with the team about training with "purpose". We have a lot of athletes who can score 9.9's and higher, and we don't need to wait for next season for them to step it up. The team has responded well to the challenge. It's actually been a really fun season in this manner.

Amanda (Findlay): What is the status on Samantha Peszek? I followed her elite career (she was one of my favorites) and i was excited about her coming to UCLA. I was just wondering when she was planning on coming back from injury...
Miss Val: Sam has just been cleared to start her progressions. She should be fine with a full bar routine. I'm a bit concerned about her beam dismount because the easiest dismount for her to do will be a RO double pike (She and I have talked ad nauseum about what the most simple dismount will be. We keep coming back to the double pike.). We're hoping that she'll be able to vault as well. Sam thinks that she'll be able to punch off both feet easier than doing her skills that take off her injured foot. So she might make it back on bars and vault before beam.

David (Keller, TX): Coach: My daughter is 14, she is in 8th grade, not yet in high school, and she is having trouble with balking on the floor and it is starting to go over into her beam. Could you let me know how to get a handle on this issue. I would love to talk about any suggestions you might have to solve this problem, or point me in a direction I can get her some help to overcome this fear that is hindering her joy of gymnastics. Thanks, David
Miss Val: So sorry to hear this about your daughter but the good news is that it's not uncommon. My best advice is to have a meeting with her coaches about this. Most every coach will admit that the best way to work through balking is to take the athlete back to basics on the floor and work back up to the skill. However, it can be that her fear is connected to something totally unrelated to the skill. Getting your daughter to honestly open up about her fear is the first and most necessary step. The next step is to get her to discuss this honestly with her coaches. Wishing you all the best through this. (By the way, you have good timing on this question. Because NCAA rules forbid us from corresponding to 9th and 10th graders or their parents, I can answer your question now, but not next year!)

GymnasticsFan: Have you found out where you are going to compete in Chicago? We will be there and wanted to catch the meet.
Miss Val: We will be competing at the Chicago Style meet that is held at the Navy Pier. It will be at Exhibition Hall A-B on Friday night at 7:30pm.