Life Lessons with a Legend: an Evening with Miss Val

Celebrity gymnastics coach and inspirational speaker Valorie Kondos Field brought to the Conejo Valley her winning tips that led UCLA girls’ gymnastic teams to the ultimate perfect 10 scoring and Olympic Gold medals. Best known as "Miss Val", the UCLA Hall of Fame Coach and four-time National Coach of the Year discussed her book, Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance,” in a program moderated by Agoura Hills Mayor Linda Northrup and resident Susan Pascal, editor with Shriver Media.

Kondos who came out of the world of ballet to lead the UCLA girls' gymnastic program into multiple championships told the audience she first modeled her coaching style after famous college basketball coach Bobby Knight which ended in failed results. " As dancer, I had no experience leading a team," she said, "so I relied on his model and it was unsuccessful."

Kondos sought the advice from a more local coach, UCLA’s own basketball coach, John Wooden, who became a valuable mentor. "John never gave advice, telling me success came from peace of mind knowing that you're doing your best."

Kondos said her team's championship wins came when she had her girls approach the sport from their own self-examination and self-analysis. "When they fell, I would have them say what they thought happen and focus on resiliency. Because in sports, you're going to fall more than you're going to succeed."

She now uses the lessons she taught in the gym to get through her own challenges that included an aggressive form of breast cancer. Miss Val told the audience she approaches life with “not having to” but “getting to” as in getting to take chemotherapy, an attitude she attributes to helping her become cancer free. Her first year in retirement has been spent sharing the lessons with athletes, business leaders, and anyone who wants help taking charge of their own their destiny. She will be speaking at the Tedwomen Talk, December 6 in Palm Springs.

The book for was selected for the community’s One City One Book program by Agoura Hills Mayor Linda Northrup, whose slogan has been “Response, Recovery, and Resilience” after the devastating Woolsey Fire that blazed through the city last November on the heels of the Borderline Bar & Grill tragedy in Thousand Oaks.

“Ms. Kondos Field’s book is the perfect fit for a community discussion about our ability to rebound and 'reset' as we approach the one year anniversary of these life-altering events,” said Mayor Northrup, adding, "as a UCLA alumnus, I’m thrilled to have one of its greatest coaches spend the evening with us to discuss what it takes to respond to perceived failures, recover from setbacks and be resilient in the face of obstacles...in other words, to be a champion in life. Our One City One Book Committee is, once again, brought an exceptional program to the public.” OCOB was sponsored by the City of Agoura Hills, Friends of the Library, Los Angeles County Library at Agoura Hills, the Agoura Hills Cultural Arts Council, and the Las Virgenes Unified School District.