Weekly diary by Valorie Kondos Field, head coach for UCLA's women's gymnastics team.
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March 16, 2004
What fun we had! Our team's performance at our meet in Florida this past weekend brought back memories of our NCAA win in 2001. That was the year we had to average a 9.9 on our last event, balance beam, to win the Championship. I will never forget Doni Thompson getting the team together after our third event and saying, "Let's go to beam, guys, and get the job done. This is what we've trained for." No doubt, no acknowledging that the feat might be just a bit too high, she and the rest of our team members saw no obstacle in their way.
It was the same feeling this past weekend. It was a battle from the first competitor to the last. We certainly didn't have a flawless meet, but we did compete 28 routines with relentless fight. As Jeanette pointed out as soon as our last competitor landed, "MissVal, we just hit 28 for 28 routines."
I believe it was the first time this season that our entire team fully got into the excitement of competing hard. From a coaching standpoint, that chemistry is crucial because that's when good teams can accomplish great things.
On to PAC-10's in Arizona. I LOVE this meet!
~miss val