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"Ask the Bruins" is back for 2009-10, and answering your questions for the first installment is UCLA Gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field.

Kondos Field will be entering her 20th season as head coach of the Bruins. The season gets underway on Dec. 13 at 2 pm with the Southern California College Preview at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym. The preview is an exhibition/meet-the-team joint event with Cal State Fullerton. All proceeds from the event will go to Fullerton's gymnastics program. Admission is $10.

Dave (NJ): How are you challenging VaZam to be even more of a star than she was last season? Will we be seeing any new skills from her? Will she compete the same vault as last year, a double twist, or hey layout podkopaeva?
Miss Val: Vanessa is truly a brilliant diamond in the rough. As impressive as her gymnastics is now, the possibilities for her potential are at the top of "World Class". She's matured a lot since last year, especially in the area of her mental discipline. That's one area that we continue to coach her in so that she'll be able to reach her full athletic potential. With regard to her vault, check our website for snippets from our first intra-squad, and you'll see one of the most spectacular vaults ever performed. She will compete both vaults this season to prepare her for vault finals at NCAA's. And, yes she is training a 2-twisting Yurchenko.
Janet, Burbank: Miss Val, we love the Bruins! My daughter's hero is Niki Tom and says it is because Niki is a walkon and has done very well. What does "walkon" mean exactly?
Miss Val: Your daughter could not have chosen a more impressive "hero" than Niki Tom. A "walk on" in our program is a student-athlete that does not receive tuition, fees, room, board or books from any athletic aid. Our walk-ons do receive all of the other perks and opportunities that our scholarship student-athletes receive, such as priority enrollment, academic tutoring, counseling, and mentoring, as well as athletic support from trainers, massage therapist, our doctors, etc. One of the greatest compliments I receive each year is when one of our own student-athletes looks at her team and can't tell who is on scholarship and who is not.
Michelle (Murrieta): How do you select the "runners" (club gymnasts) who help at the meets?
Miss Val: We have our event staff select the "runners" for each meet.
Jessica (washington DC): Just want to say what a fan I am of the bruins. I wanted to know what your process was for choreographing Brittani McCullough's routine last season? It was so exciting and dynamic. What kind of routine will she have this year?
Miss Val: As early as last year at NCAA's, I had fans requesting that Brittani keep her floor routine for one more year. So far, she will be performing the same routine with a few tweaks. I've been on the hunt for new music for her that will do her justice for her senior year. As far as the "process" for choreographing her routine, I put the music on, and we both just started dancing... and dancing... and dancing. That gave me a lot of different movement options to place throughout the routine.
Los Angeles: Aware of the Cal State Fullerton event. However each year "Meet the Bruins" is a "BRUIN" event that Bruin fans really enjoyed and look forward to. Is there any possiblity of having it again this year @ Wooden Center. Last year was so exciting and awesome. GO BRUINS!
Miss Val: We decided to honor Fullerton by having our event in conjunction with them this year. Thank you for the request; we'll be back in the Wooden Center next year for our Meet the Bruins. Since you enjoy this event so much, I would greatly appreciate some detailed feedback from you as to what you like about our Meet the Bruins and what we should do away with. Thank you, it would be of great help.
Huntington Beach: What is new, exciting, or different about this year's team compared to those in the past? :)
Miss Val: The past few years we've been really "young". This year, we have a strong and extremely disciplined group of juniors and seniors. Anna Li has fully embraced her last year and role as our lone senior. Brittani and our junior class have been remarkable as leaders and examples to our younger student-athletes. This has made the biggest difference in our team chemistry and focus.
Megan (Denver, CO): With so many of the girls from the team coming from out of state or even out of the country, I was wondering if part of their scholarship includes travel benefits so that the girls can get home for holidays and breaks. I suppose it would seem kind of lucrative to include a travel voucher with the scholarship, but if one is considering going to college across the country and there is not a travel voucher, I would think some of the girls may stick to colleges closer to home (maybe not their top pick) in lieu of facing travel costs for home visits. How often do the girls get to go home for visits? Do some of the girls from further away travel home with teammates who live in California for the holidays? Here's to another great season!
Miss Val: It is against NCAA rules to include travel vouchers for student-athletes. We don't seem to have a problem with s-a's not being able to get home. First of all, I give them their vacation schedule in the summer so they can start looking for inexpensive tickets. And from what the girls tell me, they always enjoy going home, but they sure look forward to coming back to L.A. And yes, the girls who don't go home for the holidays, especially our Canadians during American Thanksgiving, are always at one of our local girls' homes for the weekend.
John C., Tustin: How does the Bruin team stack up against the top teams like Georgia, Utah, etc. this year? Do you agree with the new format of final four at NCAA's?
Miss Val: We are definitely one of the top programs in the country this year and should be in the hunt for our 6th National Championship. I do believe in the four-team format for our final championship because it will make that final night a tight, seamless (bye-less), shorter event that will hopefully be more exciting by becoming a closer head-to-head competition that would, in turn, attract more media interest.
Gracie L., Phoenix, AZ: Coach Val, this year's team is unusually large, will everyone travel and compete? How is the chemistry of this team?
Miss Val: We do have a larger team this year. It's exciting to propose to each of our student-athletes exactly what their role can be on our team and then watch them grow into that role and make it their own. We will travel all of those who have a possibility of competing for us or who serve another vital purpose in our road-trip success.
Emily G from Santa Fe: Miss Val, did you dance in a ballet company before you started coaching in gymnastics? Did you ever try gymnastics as a child?
Miss Val: Growing up in Northern California I danced with the Sacramento Ballet and Capitol City Ballet, and later with the Washington D.C. ballet. I tried to teach myself gymnastics in my back yard and in our living room but didn't achieve much past a really pretty cartwheel.
ShannonMilelrFan: Who do you expect to be the biggest surprise on the Bruins this year performance wise
Miss Val: Anna Li is back with a vengeance. She is stronger than she's ever been, consequently she is able to manage her foot pain better than in the past few years. If Allison Taylor can get her new bar dismount in her routine, she'll be a nice surprise. Talia Kushynski has really matured into a beautiful gymnast; I'm hoping she can break into our floor line-up. And Lichelle Wong and Monique De La Torre should see a lot of competitive action early on in our season.
Steve (Irvine): Does the team take dance class or dance lessons as part of their regular training?
Miss Val: Our team doesn't take dance class, but with me and Ariana with them in their daily training, they get dance corrections all day long. Since you asked this question, I've realized that the majority of my coaching with our s-a's is about their dance ... arms, legs, hands, posture, eye focus, etc. I'm constantly working with them to look more poised, polished, and dynamic.
Amy (Anaheim): Where does your inspiration come from? Do you regularly attend performances, have other choreographer friends or watch dance shows on tv?
Miss Val: My ultimate inspiration comes from the music and from watching how the athlete moves naturally. And yes, I do watch a lot of dance shows and go to see Broadway shows as much as possible (A nice perk to living in L.A.) This year I have Ariana Berlin as our Undergraduate Assistant Coach. I've never had so much fun putting floor routines together as I've had this year with Ari. We work extremely well together and complement each other's movement libraries.
Kirsten (Philadelphia): Thanks to me, my husband is now a devoted UCLA fan. But he keeps asking how we see the difference between "good" and "bad" choreography, where does the artistic element fit in? How can I explain this to him?
Miss Val: First of all, you are a goddess for getting your husband as a devoted fan to our sport and our team. As far as the "good/bad" choreography question, I've always felt that as long as movement is clean, clear, and portrays the music in a manner that the audience can understand ... then it's "good" choreography. The question gets convoluted when "personal preference" gets misconstrued with "good" or "bad" choreography. I always use the example of Picasso's art. I know many people who wouldn't hang a Picasso in their homes because they don't like his style, and yet that same piece of art would sell for many millions of dollars; does that make Picasso's art good or bad?
Sophie (Bryn Mawr): What's the difference between the elite gymnastics that we see at the Olympica and college gymnastics?
Miss Val: Elite and College gymnastics have different sets of rules by which they are judged. Elite gymnastics requires more skills per routine to score high, and Elite Gymnastics no longer has a ceiling of a 10.0 as its highest score. College gymnastics, while requiring fewer skills per routine, has maintained the 10.0 perfect score, and therefore the execution and performance quality of each skill and routine comes into play a lot more.
Craig (Las Vegas): Have there been any significant changes to the code this year?
Miss Val: Nothing that I would call significant. A few skills have been devalued, like the straddle jump on beam, so we'll be seeing different beam jump combos this year.
Kristin (Newport Beach): Have the results of last year's tie breaker, where every score counted, changed the way that you train or prepare for competition this season?
Miss Val: It has definitely changed the attention with which each of our athletes pays to the little details of their gymnastics. And when we are having a hard time motivating a s-a to do a better job with details, all we have to do is mention the tie-breaker; that seems to get their attention every time!
Jessica (Orange County): Do you think that there is enough differentiation between routines in college or should there be more opportunity for differentiation by way of execution deductions or for difficulty bonus?
Miss Val: I don't think we want to open the difficulty opportunity because we are trying to create MORE parity across the country. I wish there was an objective way to reward artistry and movement quality. I know a lot of beautiful athletes who don't have as high of skills but have beautiful lines and movements on bars, beam and floor. It would be nice if they could be rewarded more for those qualities. One of our freshmen, Courtney Shannon, is a perfect example of this.
Karen (Harrisburg): It seems like recruiting is a 24/7 year around job. With the amount of time that it takes to land recruits, do you think there should be more limits placed recruiting?
Miss Val: I definitely feel there should be a more structured recruiting calendar. Our athletic directors are addressing this issue with respect to all sports, and we should have a more limited recruiting calendar for our next recruiting season.
Monica (Long Beach): The team looks like the most diverse ever with many countries and cultures represented. Do you think that this has enriched the experience of the students or have there been cultural bloopers yet?
Miss Val: The diversity of our program has always been a HUGE PLUS for us. I strongly believe that we ALL need to learn to Observe people without Judging them. That is one reason why I enjoy the student body and faculty at UCLA so much. We have such a diverse culture within every aspect of our campus. The more we can learn and appreciate our differences, the better prepared we are to go out and becomes Leaders in helping this World become a better place. Our latest cultural question was when Lichelle was asked if she wears clogs. And when I tried to understand the difference between Holland and the Netherlands, Lichelle said, "The only difference is that it's easier to say Holland".
Future Bruin (Republic of Awesome): What are Ari and Tasha doing now and has PJ picked up any gymnastics moves yet?
Miss Val: Republic of Awesome huh??? Interesting place you come from, Future Bruin! Ari and Tasha are doing a TON of commercial, dance, gymnastics, and stunt auditions and are still working on Make It Or Break It.
Scott (Los Angeles): Over the past few years, floor has been an event the team has struggled on until late in the season. Are you doing anything differently this year to prepare them for this event?
Miss Val: Yes, we have restructured out training time-line and gotten our athletes ready on floor much sooner than in years past. We are in full floor routine mode right now. We'll back off a bit in the coming weeks, then build them back up for season.
Toshi, Irvine: Miss Val- Losing Ari, one of the most consistent gymnasts in UCLA Gymnastics history, is tough. Who do you think is fired up to step in and fill those shoes? In addition, whose routines are you excited to see performed this year?
Miss Val: I think that eventually Monique De La Torre could fill Ari's shoes. She is a fearless competitor. I'm actually excited to see all of the routines performed. They all worked really hard over the summer, and every one of them has something spectacular to show for it. Of course, Zam's vault will be one of our highlights, but I'm as equally excited to see Talia on Floor; she's worked really hard.
kim, irvine: Miss Val, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of coaching this team? The easiest or most fun part?
Miss Val: The most challenging aspect is to get everyone on the same page. Whenever you have a group of young adults together, especially young women, their emotions are rarely all on the same "Good and Happy" track. Every day it seems to be "something else". The easiest part of coaching this team is that they are ALL extremely COACHABLE. Every one of them has responded positively to coaching and/or hearing things that might be tough to hear. It's been a really fun year so far because this team is so coachable.
Dawnielle, Costa Mesa, CA: Hi Miss Val, It seems like every year, at least one of the girls shows immense growth whether it be gymnastically or in cofidence or maturity. I remember last year Mizuki in particular suddenly came into her own and became a rock for the team. Who has been your biggest pleasant surprise this year?
Miss Val: Anna Li. She has literally matured overnight. While we've worked with her for the past three years to take charge of her life, she never really got it. Her mother and I had endless conversations of how to get her to see that she could be living a much more fulfilling and joyful life. Finally last summer I asked her "What is more painful - the pain of Discipline, the pain of Failure, or the pain of Regret?" That got her attention, and she's been a different person ever since.
David (San Francisco): Would you ever do a ballet floor routine for someone? Like a gymnastics version of Firebird? I'd love to see that.
Miss Val: Back in the late 1980's I choreographed a piece to Bach Concerto in D, and choreographed a very Balanchine-style routine for Paula Rasmussen. I would love to choreograph a classical routine for someone BUT they would have to be an exquisite dancer that could manage the necessary movement quality that is distinct to ballet dancers ... quite different than gymnastics movement. The only athletes I've worked with that had that classical quality are Allison Stoner, Alyssa Beckerman, Anna Li, and Courtney Shannon. I have to say, Anna is the overall best dancer I've worked with.
Jess (Irvine): Do you think you have the best crop of dancers that you've ever had (Talia, Anna, Aisha, Brittani, Elyse) on the team at one time?
Miss Val: I don't know if they're the BEST, but there are a lot of great dancers to work with this year. Monique, Niki and Lichelle are in that group as well.
Sean Anshel: Does the team need another toddler pep rally this year? I can say names way better now, I don't even say "Nikbee" anymore. Plus. I'm loud and can do somersaults. Love, Sean
Miss Val: SEAN.... we absolutely need another pep rally!!! Can't wait to hear you say "Vanessa Zamarripa"!
betsy (boston): Almost 20 years of head coaching, with phenomenal success, you must feel in some ways that you've "seen it all." What was the last thing that really took you by surprise [in your head coach role]?
Miss Val: This is a great question. The thing that stands out most in my mind is that every year I am astounded to be so blatantly reminded that the names and the faces change, but the "issues" don't change. Eighteen year old girls are pretty much the same year after year. I often feel like the movie "Groundhog Day". Every year it's the same issues with the freshmen in particular. And when they come to me with what they feel is a "traumatic" incident, I want to pat them on the back and say "Trust me, a month from now you won't remember this." But I can't because at that moment, they are in a deep traumatic pit ... so I patiently listen, take a deep breath and explain to the best of my compassionate ability that what they're going through is normal and that I hope they can trust me when I tell them that "This too shall pass".
Scott (Los Angeles): In the intrasquad video you mentioned that Anna Li's floor routine is the story of her life. Are there any other routines where the gymnast tells a story or plays a character?
Miss Val: I often will give the athlete a story to portray or at least a character, it's the best way I've found to get the most interesting movement quality out of their performance. Vanessa is a dancer from the movie "Chicago". Aisha is dueling with good and evil through her routine. Talia is a flower child from the 70's. Elyse is a flashy, feisty, and sassy. And so on ...
Gerry, ontario, canada: With classes, practices, studying, competitions, etc..., do your girls have a set curfew?
Miss Val: No we don't have a curfew at home. When I hear that someone isn't getting enough sleep, then I'll have a chat with them. We really don't have party issues. You don't come to UCLA if you aren't serious about your academics and athletics. When we're on the road we have a curfew for when they have to be in their own rooms. That is actually the "Kate Richardson" rule because she used to LOVE to stay up until all hours talking with her friends in the hallway.
KW, So Cal: Miss Val, It seems like it's been a while since we've had such a large team. How does this change the dynamics of the team and your quest to win another Championship?
Miss Val: I can honestly say that everyone on the team brings "something". I always tell them that we are a UCLA Gymnastics puzzle, and every one of them is a vital puzzle piece. They need to figure out what their particular piece brings to the whole. I honestly feel that the biggest change this year that will help us reach our goals is Anna Li. The way she's changed how she views LIFE has had a significant effect on everyone.
John-LA: Can you comment on PJ's role with the team, and how the relatioship started?
Miss Val: Patrick James was a Bruin football offensive lineman and really good friend of Ashley Peckett's and some of the other girls in her class. PJ and some of his friends used to come by the gym to watch workout and hang out. One day I asked him to help move some mats. Then I asked him to help set the vault board. The next thing I knew, he said he was going to miss coming in the gym after football season because he was graduating, so I said "Why don't you keep coming in and be our Volunteer Coach?" He has endless energy and enthusiasm, and what pleasantly surprised us is that he has a really good eye. Chris has been working with him on what to look for on vault, and he's picked it up quickly. PJ also leads our morning warm-ups with a Football flair. He's got the music pumped, and our girls are dripping with sweat by the time he's through warming them up. He truly is a tremendous asset to our program.
Scott (Los Angeles): Can you explain to a non-dancer what makes a slower floor routine like Anna Li's difficult and challenging?
Miss Val: I believe it is MUCH more difficult to bring slower movement to life than quicker movement. It takes an athlete that has an innate sense of "musicality" to "fill" the music and bring slower music and movement to life. Anna's routine is extremely challenging from a dance and performance perspective. In all of those "slower" passages, she needs to maintain tension and energy in her body and movements without getting ahead of the music. I'm constantly telling her in training to "SLOW DOWN". If she slows down without maintaining the integrity of the movement she becomes static ... boring ... awkward ... and the "spell" of the routine is lost. She continues to tell me how exhausting this routine is. It's because at no time can she let down the tension in her body. Very cool!
Petunia Peabody: I heard you turned the big 5-0 this year, yet you don't look a day over 30. How does your skin get that glow?
Miss Val: Olive Oil, I'm Greek! ha ha.... actually I do consume a lot of olive oil. Thank you for the compliment. I'm a slave to every skin cream known to man, and my mom actually had a much more youthful glow than I do.
Sara-Toronto: Hey Miss Val, Just wondered how my favorite Canadian girls (Marci, Aisha and Elyse) are doing so far this season? Also wondered if there was any way to change Marci's backspring layout on beam back to her standing layout, korbut connection that she performed in elite??? Just want to see her in the beam lineup more often this year! :) Thanks...
Miss Val: Your Canadians are doing GREAT. Actually, they WERE doing great and will hopefully be back there soon. Aisha was on a roll but was doing snap down drills on floor and rolled both of her ankles. She's extremely determined to get back to fully healthy and is doing a great job taking baby steps each day. Her new floor routine is beautiful!!! Marci is in the best physical condition she's been in for years. She's been nailing bars and beam. Unfortunately, her knee is still prohibiting her from being the best athlete she could be. Elyse is healthy and on fire (knock on wood). Her new floor routine is super fun and unlike any choreography she's had in the past. She can DANCE!
Sebastian L., Palo Alto, CA: I enjoyed watching the recent interview about the team's preparation for the season. It sounds like many of the girls are ready to compete. You did not mention any of the Junior class..there are five of them and make up a big part of the team. If I recall, Niki Tom and Mizuki Sato were regular contributors last year. Hopefully, that group will all compete.
Miss Val: Our junior class is really the heart of this team. All five of them have matured beautifully and should see a lot of competition. The reason they weren't mentioned in the interview was mainly because we had just done a "webisode" on them that detailed their individual personalities. Also, I made a point to only capture the new things that fans should look for. The skill that should have been included in that was Allison's new bar dismount, which is spectacular, but Allison didn't perform it because she was coming off a sprained ankle.
Scott (Los Angeles): Lichelle Wong joins the team this year all the way from the Netherlands. Can you explain how this came about?
Miss Val: Lichelle is not only a beautiful athlete but a brilliant student. She went online and contacted Anna Li on Facebook asking if we had any scholarship opportunities, which we did. She is a perfect fit for our program, our university, and our performance style.
Toshi, Irvine: Miss Val, What gymnasts on the team are you most excited to see compete this year? Also, what do you think sets UCLA gymnastics apart from the average gymnastics team?
Miss Val: I would like to think that our team's gymnastics has a lot of polish in their performances. I love it when our team is able to perform with confidence, style, and enthusiasm. I don't like it when they look nervous before they salute or even worse, nervous during a routine. Our job is to prepare them so that they are confident and can make their gymnastics look effortless, like Fred Astaire made the most complex choreography look.
Kelly-Seattle: Miss Val, Just wondered if you could give us updates on some past bruin favs specifically....Kate R, Yvonne T, Kristen M, and Jamie D???
Miss Val: Kate is in school up in Canada to become a Physical Therapist. Yvonne is still with Cirque and I believe she is moving into the casting department. Maloney is in N.Y teaching pre-school. And Jamie D. I believe is in Arizona working for Amanda Borden. At least this was the last I heard of all of these amazing Bruins.
Keely Hanley-Anshel: How have you managed such a perfect combo of cool and sassiness? It's perfection.
Miss Val: Cool and sassiness? Wow! I'm kind of dumbstruck at the moment. Actually, I've had to work to tone down my sassiness. I can be extremely sarcastic, and I learned over the years that my sarcasm could also be very hurtful. So now, I try to contain my sassiness, which must come across as "cool". Watch me at a football game, there is no COOL and WAY TOO MUCH SASS!