March 3, 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.
Shara: Hi Miss Val! I'm a huge UCLA fan, and love the team! Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs has seemed to be struggling to land both the double layout dismount off bars and the Arabian double front on floor consistently. Are there any plans to modify her routines to be more consistent? Best of luck for the rest of the season. Go Bruins!
Miss Val: The skills you've brought up are constant discussions that we all have and that Elyse has been frustrated with for years. Elyse has been working diligently to get a better tap on bars for her dismount, and I keep tweaking the choreography out of her double Arabian so that she can land and dance right out of it without deduction. I think we're getting closer to better execution on both skills.
Lizzie (Boston): Hi, I'd like to hear how you divide up the training and other coaching responsibilities between you and the assistant coaches. What makes you such a successful team (of coaches)? Thanks!!
Miss Val: One reason we work so well together is that we've all known each other for a very long time. I've known Chris, Jim and PJ since they were Bruin freshmen in college. Secondly, we compliment our strengths and weaknesses well. And what I appreciate most of all is that no one is a "yes" man. We have fostered a healthy coaching environment that encourages us to speak up when we have opinions, even if they differ from everyone else's. We also ALL think outside the box A LOT. As far as coaching responsibilities, it may look like Chris and PJ coach vault, Jim - bars, me - beam, and Chris and I - FX, but in actuality, at any given time during training we are over on other events coaching, helping, giving suggestions, or simply offering encouragement. I think that helps keep the gym atmosphere from getting stale.
Steven (Los Angeles, CA): Miss Val, how is Monique doing after hurting her ankles on her whip to double pike at the last home meet? I hope she's doing well..that routine needs to be seen, be it exhibition or not!
Miss Val: I agree, Monique's FX routine does need to be seen. She is FIERCE when she performs. Luckily her ankles are going to be OK. She just munched them pretty badly.
Romeo (West Hollywood, CA): Will Christine Lee be deferring until after the 2012 Olympics or will she be competing in the 2011-2012 season? Thanks!
Miss Val: Christine Peng Peng Lee will be deferring until Fall 2012. I'm so looking forward to choreographing a floor routine for her!
Jess, DC: Aisha Gerber's beam is so pretty and so often underscored! I understand the reason for putting her first, do you think it hurts her scoring potential?
Miss Val: Yes, I do think it hurts Aisha's scoring potential to go first. However, her consistency and calm is of great value to the rest of her teammates on that rotation. We may play with the line-up a bit and start with Niki and place Aisha further down the line-up.
Betsy (Providence): Hi Miss Val ~ Can you let us know how Vanessa is doing? Is it possible she'll be competing elite later this year, or is her recovery likely to be longer? I wish good luck to her, and to all the team!!
Miss Val: Vanessa's recovery is remarkable. Her scar is one of the smallest Achilles scars we've ever seen. Although she is doing well, it is doubtful she will be back for the Elite season this year. She's been a tremendous team player and great role-model for Chris Waller (who also had Achilles surgery a few years ago). Chris wasn't as diligent with his rehab as Zam, and he's getting rather perturbed that Zam's calf muscle is almost as big as his now.
ShannonMillerFan: There have been a lot of successful gymnasts that have decided not to go to College for Gymnastics. (Think Shannon Miller or Chellsie Memmel) Which gymnast like that would you have loved to coach or think would have made a good addition to your program at UCLA?
Miss Val: ALL OF THEM! Actually, I said that rather flippantly, but when I stop to think about it ... I agree, all of them. I think we've done very well with high-profile elite athletes over the years. They are definitely a different breed, and there is a reason they are called thoroughbreds. When you can harness their talent and abilities toward a team goal, they are breathtakingly spectacular and priceless.
Holly (Wellington, New Zealand): How has becoming a grandmother influenced your coaching or perspective? Are the girls teaching them gymnastics?
Miss Val: I LOVE being a grand-mother (YiaYia in Greek). I never had children of my own, and having Bobby's children and our grand-children in my life are a blessing I'm so very grateful for. The little ones aren't learning gymnastics yet, but the 2 year-old does come in the gym and play in the pits while YiaYia is coaching. I LOVE IT!
Mary Ann (Santa Monica,CA): Why don't you publish the practice and travel schedules of your team? I recently moved here from Utah thought access to your team would be the same.
Miss Val: Well, we do have open work-outs, and a lot of people stop by our training and intra-squads throughout the year. I never thought to "publish" them because we've always had a steady stream of people in our gym. As far as our travel schedules, we usually get in contact with the local Bruin organizations in whatever area we are traveling to and invite those Bruins out to support and join in the on the road fun.
Sunny (Sydney): Has the team had any bloopers or outtake moments this year yet? Thank you for having live video of the home meets for the foreign fans!!!
Miss Val: OH MY YES - we have quite a few bloopers that we are compiling for a blooper reel at the end of the year.
Jess (Orange County, CA): You said next season will be a "throw back" year in Wooden Center. Planning any old school themes - adidas leos, hair yarn, stoop throughs on bars?
Miss Val: Haha... yes, we've got some "throw back" fun planned. The last few years we competed in the Wooden Center it was standing-room only, and the place was ROCKING! I remember Janet Jackson coming to one of our last meets and Kim Hamilton not being able to do a thing because she was in such awe that "Janet Jackson was RIGHT THERE" ..... good times.
A gymnastics father (Dallas, TX): I've always thought that there is a dangerous line between marketing gymnastics and marketing sexy girls (guilty teams shall remain nameless). I have appreciated that you chose to market your team in an appropriate way. How have you managed to protect and market your team?
Miss Val: It is a very dangerous line, with the availability of everything that transpires over the internet and the fact that our athletes are young, fit, attractive, scantily-clad women. I hope that I always err on the side of marketing their athleticism and artistry rather than their sex appeal. We also have a very involved campus police system that is quick to step in if any of our student-athletes get harassed or inappropriate photos pop up.
Ronald: I noticed MDLT has been pulled from vault line up at the last 2 meets at the last minute. She has been a pretty consistent vaulter, can you explain?
Miss Val: We have been putting more emphasis on warm-ups, and our athletes know that if they don't warm up well, there is the possibility they will be pulled from the line-up. It is important to us to warm-up well so as to not only instill confidence in the athlete and her teammates, but to also avoid injury.
Kara (Orange): What is your recruiting schedule like? Is it difficult to make sure you are complying with all the NCAA rules?
Miss Val: Recruiting is non-stop year round. And YES, it is difficult to make sure to follow all of the NCAA rules. When I was in Sam Peszek's gym for an official visit and couldn't talk to her, she turned to me and verbally committed to come to UCLA. I knew I couldn't talk to her so I just hugged her. Oops, violation. I self-reported and went through the NCAA protocol for a minor violation. The Facebook rules are a bit complicated in regards to recruiting. For example, you can send a recruit a direct message but you can't post on their wall.
Emily (San Diego): Go Bruins! I love Hoppy, but her double layout sticks out in an otherwise beautiful set. Have you thought of going back to the double front?
Miss Val: Elyse doesn't want to go back to the double front dismount, and neither does Lichelle, because they both have had experiences hyper-extending both of their knees on that skill. It kills us to have two of the best bar workers in the country and not be able to consistently get 9.9+ scores from them.