Valorie Kondos Field


Valorie Kondos Field, often referred to as Miss Val, is a retired American gymnastics coach, and former ballet dancer and dance coach. She was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team of the University of California, Los Angeles. Considered one of the finest college gymnastics coaches of all time, Field has led her Bruins to seven national championships during her tenure as head coach. On September 20, 2018, she announced her retirement as the head coach of the Bruins gymnastics team, with her final meet on April 20, 2019.

Early life

Kondos trained as a ballet dancer and trained at Sacramento Ballet, Capital City Ballet, and Washington, D.C. Ballet. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a student coach and choreographer for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team starting in 1983.

Coaching career

Field has 29 years' experience as a collegiate gymnastics head coach and is a four-time National Coach of the Year. She has coached the Bruins to seven NCAA national championships and 19 Pac-12 Conference championships.

Personal life

Valorie is married to retired UCLA Associate Athletic Director and former football coach, Bobby Field. She trained as a professional ballet dancer and has performed with ballet companies such as Sacramento Ballet, Capital City Ballet and Washington, D.C. Ballet.
In May 2014, Field was diagnosed with breast cancer, but is now cancer-free. She opened up about this on a February 2016 edition of UCLA Bruins gymnastics' YouTube online web series Bruin Banter, hosted by Danusia Francis.
In October 2018 Kondos Field released her first book, "Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance" published by Center Street, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. In it, Field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success. The part autobiography, part self-help, part leadership book explores how a professional ballerina became one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history. Miss Val, as she's affectionately known, has never even tumbled, flipped, or ever played any type of organized sports and yet was able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, attention to detail, and unwavering care for the overall well-being of her athletes. For Miss Val, it's not about the Xs and Os, it's about choreographing your life and owning the choices you make.
Kondos Field is Greek-American and Eastern Orthodox.

In popular culture

Kondos Field was portrayed by Jennifer Beals in the 2015 film Full Out about former UCLA Bruin gymnast, Ariana Berlin.