University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Ask The Bruins - Mar. 10, 2011
March 10, 2011 | Gymnastics
March 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.
Chandler (San Diego): You always seem to have some sort of show going on at your meets! I love it! How do you find your entertainment? Any plans for Pac-10s?
Miss Val: Thank you. That's good feedback. We find a lot of our entertainment through UCLA, such as the a cappella groups. Our marketing department does a good job of finding different dance groups in LA that are looking to perform, like the Capoeira and hip-hop groups we've had in the past. At PAC-10's we're bringing back Kyle Khou, who will sing post-meet. At Regionals last year, he sang at the end of the meet, and all of the competitors ended up having a dance party on the floor before the awards. FUN FUN FUN! (I'm going to encourage the same thing to happen this year.)
Simon (Los Angeles, CA): Have you ever thought of telling that older gentleman with the multi-colored hat and the cowbell that he doesn't have to YELL into the microphone? That's one of the joys of using a microphone. No yelling required! It's seriously ear-splitting. Plus I'm always afraid he's going to have a stroke and keel over and it stresses me out.
Miss Val: HAHAHAHA... I'll have to tell him that. Please don't stress out over him. He'll be fine, although we have heard that the mic and floor music have gotten pretty loud this year. We can't hear it on the floor that well. We're going to have someone in the stands with a walkie for PAC-10's to make sure the noise level stays in control.
John (Long Beach): Can you recommend a book or website that explains the criteria judges use to score the events?
Miss Val: You can find the rules at the NACGC-W website (LINK).
Jenn (Hershey, PA): Hi Ms. Val, Will Sam Peszek be competing all around at championships?
Miss Val: No, we don't anticipate Sam training floor until this summer. She's still having a wee bit of pain in her foot, and we need to respect that and get her fully healthy before she starts tumbling.
Toronto, ON: Hi! I've noticed many great former gymnasts that are a part of your team in non-competitive ways (assistant coaches, managers, etc.) Can you talk a little bit about how these positions are decided upon/earned? Are these girls given scholarships for these positions from the start, or do they accept these opportunities if they initially were going to compete but then choose to be involved with the team in another way? Thanks very much!
Miss Val: All of the former gymnasts that work with our team are either injury-retired student-athletes or fifth year student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility. They are of tremendous value to our program in many different ways, most importantly knowing first-hand what their teammates are going through and knowing how to motivate them.
Mary (Dallas, Texas): How do you help your athletes deal with difficult times/injuries? It can be hard enough to handle being away from home, and immersed in such high level academics and sport. In my opinion, your athletes are known for overall staying mentally healthy, grounded and persevering through serious injuries or setbacks if they unfortunately happen. How do you help facilitate such a healthy frame of mind?
Miss Val: My ultimate job is about helping young women learn life lessons through our sport and our program. A big part of that is helping them keep things in perspective. Their involvement with UCLA Gymnastics isn't about Gymnastics as much as it is about how they will handle all of the challenges they will face being a student-athlete at UCLA, which includes learning how to be a part of a "team" (something greater than themselves), learning how to handle injuries, illness, or simply not making the competitive line-up. The student-athletes who have the richest college experience are those who are faced with adversity and hone skills such as patience and emotional control, those who learn how to be sincerely happy for a teammate who is able to do things that they aren't able to do, and how to celebrate their own daily minor victories no matter how small they may be to others. I also work with them to understand that they are still of tremendous "value" to the team even though they aren't competing, and work with them daily to be of value in the areas in which they can still participate and contribute.
Bill (San Francisco): Dear Coach - Love the live streaming video and color commentary for home events, especially hearing from Vanessa - thank you! The Georgia/Arizona meet coverage had shortcomings, however. Many Bruin routines were left out completely, or we only saw small bits when the action was live, and despite lots of down time between events, we didn't get to see replays of the routines we missed. Can't you help them "choreograph" a better broadcast so we can see all the Bruin routines?
Miss Val: Sorry about that. I will definitely pass on your comments to our video production dept.
Carol: I was wondering what a typical beam assignment is during season? And, if the girls fall at a competition is there a punishment at the next workout, like a bigger/different assignment?
Miss Val: We really don't have "typical" beam assignments. We mix up their assignments a lot to keep things fresh for them and also to get them to be able to hit a routine any time, anywhere, and regardless of how they're feeling. Sometimes we'll come in the gym, warm-up, and everyone will have to go hit a "cold" set. Sometimes they will have to hit so many beam routines in a row. Other times they'll have to hit so many routines in a row with a partner. Other days they do "skill sets" and tons of dance-throughs. It always varies. I don't believe in "punishing" athletes for mistakes they make in competition. The only "punishment" I've ever doled out is when they've not done something that is 100% in their control, like performing during their entire routine (even if they have a fall), and/or having a "poopy" face when they salute the judge after a poorly executed routine. Their attitude is 100% in their control. I would hate for someone in the stands, especially a child, to watch one of our athletes get down on themselves after they've made a mistake and have that child leave the meet thinking "I guess I'm supposed to get really down on myself if I make a mistake." A few years ago I was so ticked off that some members of our team didn't get this that the entire team had to run at 5:30 in the morning that next day. I acted like a drill sergeant out on the track. It was cold and drizzling, and I was going ballistic... all because a few of them pouted after a poor routine... needless to say, they didn't make that mistake again that year. =)
