Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance: Advice and Inspiration from the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame Coach of 7 NCAA Championship Teams
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- Create Date：2021-08-07 06:54:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Valorie Kondos Field
- ISBN：154607712X
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Summary
Highly acclaimed UCLA Women's gymnastics coach of 7 NCAA championships Valorie Kondos Field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success。
Former professional ballerina Valorie Kondos Field--or Miss Val， as she's affectionately known--has never tumbled， flipped， or even played any type of organized sports， and yet she has been 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 winning and losing， it's about choreographing your life and owning the choices you make。
Miss Val has shaped her UCLA Gymnastics program as a life skills class and now she's sharing those lessons with you， whether you're an athlete， business leader， or simply someone who wants to own their destiny。 Miss Val's philosophies are timeless。 Her coaching style is unorthodox。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is a thought-provoking， fun journey through the anecdotes of the 35-year career of a dancer/choreographer turned athletic coach。
The book includes unforgettable stories of the Olympians and athletes with whom she's worked-including the inspirational journey of Katelyn Ohashi， whose joyful transformation under the tutelage of Miss Val was evident to the world when her perfect 10 floor routine went viral -- reaching over 100 million viewers。 Other triumphs include Olympian Jamie Dantzscher， who found her confidence at UCLA and learned the tools to combat her previous abuse; and sensation Christine Peng Peng Lee， who helped the Bruins clinch the 2018 NCAA championship with back-to-back 10's。 Miss Val also shares her favorite memories of her mentor， legendary basketball coach John Wooden， as well as her thoughts on Larry Nassar and the gymnastics sexual abuse scandal。
Miss Val reveals how her coaching journey had a rocky start before she found her own best approach。 In time she realized that her dance background wasn't a detriment， it was a gift。 When she embraced this， Miss Val led the Bruins to victory。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is packed with great advice for anyone on a quest for success， delivered in Miss Val's reassuring and inspirational tone。 She took the same approach to her breast cancer diagnosis， explaining how she made that struggle into one of the best years of her life。 For Miss Val， it's all about attitude。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is a powerful book that shows you how to make the leap of faith in choosing your own path to greatness。
Former professional ballerina Valorie Kondos Field--or Miss Val， as she's affectionately known--has never tumbled， flipped， or even played any type of organized sports， and yet she has been 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 winning and losing， it's about choreographing your life and owning the choices you make。
Miss Val has shaped her UCLA Gymnastics program as a life skills class and now she's sharing those lessons with you， whether you're an athlete， business leader， or simply someone who wants to own their destiny。 Miss Val's philosophies are timeless。 Her coaching style is unorthodox。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is a thought-provoking， fun journey through the anecdotes of the 35-year career of a dancer/choreographer turned athletic coach。
The book includes unforgettable stories of the Olympians and athletes with whom she's worked-including the inspirational journey of Katelyn Ohashi， whose joyful transformation under the tutelage of Miss Val was evident to the world when her perfect 10 floor routine went viral -- reaching over 100 million viewers。 Other triumphs include Olympian Jamie Dantzscher， who found her confidence at UCLA and learned the tools to combat her previous abuse; and sensation Christine Peng Peng Lee， who helped the Bruins clinch the 2018 NCAA championship with back-to-back 10's。 Miss Val also shares her favorite memories of her mentor， legendary basketball coach John Wooden， as well as her thoughts on Larry Nassar and the gymnastics sexual abuse scandal。
Miss Val reveals how her coaching journey had a rocky start before she found her own best approach。 In time she realized that her dance background wasn't a detriment， it was a gift。 When she embraced this， Miss Val led the Bruins to victory。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is packed with great advice for anyone on a quest for success， delivered in Miss Val's reassuring and inspirational tone。 She took the same approach to her breast cancer diagnosis， explaining how she made that struggle into one of the best years of her life。 For Miss Val， it's all about attitude。 Life Is Short， Don't Wait to Dance is a powerful book that shows you how to make the leap of faith in choosing your own path to greatness。
Reviews
CKG
，
This was such a joy。 I listened to the audiobook， which the author reads。 Listening felt like having the opportunity to be coached by Miss Val， without the decades of hard work and athletic gifts that used to be required to become one of her athletes。 She is such a gift， and I think this book made me appreciate her even more。
Gretchen Rubin
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I read this book on a recommendation from a friend。 Elizabeth and I talked about an idea from this book， "Ask for a favor in the right way，" in episode 321 of the Happier podcast。 I read this book on a recommendation from a friend。 Elizabeth and I talked about an idea from this book， "Ask for a favor in the right way，" in episode 321 of the Happier podcast。 。。。more
biblio • bliss
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3wordreview Uplifting RealSensible 4/5 ⭐️
Amanda
，
If you， like me， love both gymnastics and self help books you will love this！ I listened to it on Audible， narrated by Valerie Kondos Field， herself。 It was fabulous。 She reminds me so much of one of my coaches at a YMCA growing up。 Hearing her talk about her philosophy makes me thankful all over again that I trained with coaches who put the person before the athlete。 If you work with athletes， young women， or simply young people I think you could find some jewels of wisdom in this book。 If you If you， like me， love both gymnastics and self help books you will love this！ I listened to it on Audible， narrated by Valerie Kondos Field， herself。 It was fabulous。 She reminds me so much of one of my coaches at a YMCA growing up。 Hearing her talk about her philosophy makes me thankful all over again that I trained with coaches who put the person before the athlete。 If you work with athletes， young women， or simply young people I think you could find some jewels of wisdom in this book。 If you were into gymnastics in the 90s and through the 2000s you'll probably enjoy hearing about some of the UCLA athletes Coach Val worked with。 The thing that really made me want to read this book was knowing the backstories of a couple of her athletes （two different but rough histories） and knowing how they grew into dazzling gymnasts under her tenure。 She's a very inspiring and positive person with a bright outlook on life。 。。。more
Sarah Ruhl
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Inspirational。 Love her philosophy of developing whole life athletes。 Much to learn in this solid book for any leader。
Elizabeth Aguirre
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Thank you， Miss ValI would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to become a better leader and to anyone with children。 Valorie shares her story in such a way that she is giving you great advice but without explicitly telling you what to do。 True to her style， she guides you to find your own path。
Helen
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Interesting insight into the power of coaches， good and bad。
Christine Chapman
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A wonderful combination of memoir and life lessons。 Whether you follow gymnastics or not， Miss Val's coaching philosophies and mantras will help you approach every day just a bit better。 I know it's helped me。 A wonderful combination of memoir and life lessons。 Whether you follow gymnastics or not， Miss Val's coaching philosophies and mantras will help you approach every day just a bit better。 I know it's helped me。 。。。more
Sandra
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Love this book。 Love Valorie Kondos Field。 She is a hero。
Tara
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A great memoir with great perspective on coaching， from one of the best。
E
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Could not finish。 MISS Val was our gymnastic team's ballet coach in the 1980s while she was also the dance coach for the UCLA Women's Gymnastics team。 We were in elementary school - and she made us call her MISS VAL， made fun of our hair， leotards and was a very snooty and judgmental BALLET coach for our gymnastics team。 We weren't college athletes， our parents paid serious $ for our 25 hour a week gymnastics training。。。。and we weren't going to the Olympics。 She addresses & acknowledges her bad Could not finish。 MISS Val was our gymnastic team's ballet coach in the 1980s while she was also the dance coach for the UCLA Women's Gymnastics team。 We were in elementary school - and she made us call her MISS VAL， made fun of our hair， leotards and was a very snooty and judgmental BALLET coach for our gymnastics team。 We weren't college athletes， our parents paid serious $ for our 25 hour a week gymnastics training。。。。and we weren't going to the Olympics。 She addresses & acknowledges her bad early behavior in coaching in her recent TED Talks and apologizes for it， but I can't reconcile that Miss Val with the legend she claims to be in her book - especially when we were so so young and didn't need to be treated that way。 She wasn't Martha Karolyi， and we weren't even there to take ballet - were forced to because the coaches thought it was a good idea and had some ties to the UCLA program。I hope she reads this。 The JETC gymnastics team does not remember you as a legend and we were so so young to be treated like that by you。 10 years before college age gymnasts。。。。I remember her as mean， condescending， arrogant， critical of our appearances， and not awesome or inspiring。 I'd die if I had a 11 year old daughter treated like that today and was paying for her to be there。 Gosh， I would have spoken up then but it wasn't the culture or the thing to do。 Things have changed thank goodness。 。。。more
Alex
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Loved diving into the life and philosophies of Miss Val。 Feeling inspired to re-engage my true self， unapologetically。
Josephine Blümel
，
There are some great life lessons in this book and the great thing about them they are very simple。Thank you for writing those inspiring words and I will work on getting 1% better every day from now on！
Jordan
，
Wonderful。 An important read about coaching and taking care of young athletes。
Jquick99
，
I just couldn’t get into the book。 I found I didn’t want to spend time with the author （via audiobook）。 Too preachy？ Too holier than thou？ Too This Is What I’ve Done？ Don’t know， except that I DNF。
AaronA
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Some very good insights here about different coaching methods and how coaches should take care of young athletes instead of taking advantage of them。
Elizabeth
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I admire Valorie Kondos Field and how she treats her athletes。 The book had some good points as well as some things I didn't agree with。 I didn't think it flowed very well and seemed a little unorganized。 I admire Valorie Kondos Field and how she treats her athletes。 The book had some good points as well as some things I didn't agree with。 I didn't think it flowed very well and seemed a little unorganized。 。。。more
Sufen
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Picked this up on a whim at the library and was pleasantly surprised by the coaching and life lessons that "Miss Val" had。 Key takeaways for me:（1）different folks require different cues to get them to access their best（2）coaching is an art and can be learned （through experience）（3）"be anxious about nothing and grateful for everything" - after her cancer scare（4）"I get to do ___" versus "I have to do ___" dramatically shifts how you view tasks you don't like（5） you don't have to like every part o Picked this up on a whim at the library and was pleasantly surprised by the coaching and life lessons that "Miss Val" had。 Key takeaways for me:（1）different folks require different cues to get them to access their best（2）coaching is an art and can be learned （through experience）（3）"be anxious about nothing and grateful for everything" - after her cancer scare（4）"I get to do ___" versus "I have to do ___" dramatically shifts how you view tasks you don't like（5） you don't have to like every part of your job to do it well （i。e。 she enjoys working with the athletes but does not enjoy the choreography as much）Amazing story and very candid， light-hearted look at the high pressure world of varsity gymnastics。 Looking forward to watching one of the Bruin's gymnastics games when I have the chance :） 。。。more
Marie Clark
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Loved Valorie's stories， connection to coaching techniques， and honesty about her journey through coaching and achieving success with UCLA's gymnastics program。 I've looked up to her for years and to hear her story of how she got there just reminds me of how unpredictable and beautiful life unfolds to be。 I'm grateful to have read her story and feel confident with new found advice because of her。 Loved Valorie's stories， connection to coaching techniques， and honesty about her journey through coaching and achieving success with UCLA's gymnastics program。 I've looked up to her for years and to hear her story of how she got there just reminds me of how unpredictable and beautiful life unfolds to be。 I'm grateful to have read her story and feel confident with new found advice because of her。 。。。more
Marta
，
I rolled my eyes so many times listening to this book （especially the last 45min of it） that I thought they would get stuck！ I'm giving it 2 stars because there were a few good things I got from this book but I found most of it cliche and cringeworthy。 The author mentions she's a bit narcissistic。。。 really？ A bit？？？ Narration didn't quite work for me either， I swear I'll here that high pitch "whaaat？" in my nightmares。 I rolled my eyes so many times listening to this book （especially the last 45min of it） that I thought they would get stuck！ I'm giving it 2 stars because there were a few good things I got from this book but I found most of it cliche and cringeworthy。 The author mentions she's a bit narcissistic。。。 really？ A bit？？？ Narration didn't quite work for me either， I swear I'll here that high pitch "whaaat？" in my nightmares。 。。。more
Hailey Hudson
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I’m the biggest fan of Miss Val and what she did with the UCLA gymnastics program。 The library didn’t have this when it first came out but I finally got to read it。
Japhia
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I really enjoyed the book as it brings me back to the heart of the matter- the attitude。 It also brings a host of techniques to bring about better discipline and change。 I would recommend it！
Lindsey Sphung
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I do have to say that I cried reading about Peng’s 10 on beam about as much as I did when I saw it live。 Such a great moment in sports！
April
，
So good！ The title was misleading for me。 I thought the book would be more _____？？ What the book really was， was so much better than what I expected。 She had so many practical inspiring lessons in the book。 Great for business or life。
Wande Salako
，
I enjoyed reading this book。 Though it took me a bit longer than I wanted to finish it because life， it was actually a quick read。 While it’s some things you’ve heard before in other books and maybe life， it’s still something about this book that touches you some。 It’s not too heavy and it just Miss Val being who she is and understanding how to be her and making it work as a coach and as a human being。 So many relatable things that happened to her in life spoke to me。 For a women who was a dance I enjoyed reading this book。 Though it took me a bit longer than I wanted to finish it because life， it was actually a quick read。 While it’s some things you’ve heard before in other books and maybe life， it’s still something about this book that touches you some。 It’s not too heavy and it just Miss Val being who she is and understanding how to be her and making it work as a coach and as a human being。 So many relatable things that happened to her in life spoke to me。 For a women who was a dancer， and became one of the best coaches in gymnastics， I see she’s just a women chase chances and dreams。 While some parts of the book was a little blah， I didn't hate it。 。。。more
Eric
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Knowing Miss Val for a number of years， her stories are timeless and since I have to admit to some bias I rounded up to 5 stars。 I also should qualify the rating as one for this particular genre of self-reflection and self-help， a genre that I have happen to have read a number of books from recently。 But perhaps what put me over the top was her thoughts about choices。 "Life is a choice"。 For those who know me， that life is about the choices you make， shouldn't be surprised。 In my own small effor Knowing Miss Val for a number of years， her stories are timeless and since I have to admit to some bias I rounded up to 5 stars。 I also should qualify the rating as one for this particular genre of self-reflection and self-help， a genre that I have happen to have read a number of books from recently。 But perhaps what put me over the top was her thoughts about choices。 "Life is a choice"。 For those who know me， that life is about the choices you make， shouldn't be surprised。 In my own small effort at writing my cover page reads "Ultimately， it is all abut choices。"Miss Val takes it one step further and chooses （pun intended）to say "Say it。 Know it。 Own it。" I like the emphasis on owning your choices。 So of the many books I have recently read in this genre， Life is Short comes out in first place。 。。。more
Kelsey
，
This is such a wonderful book on leadership。 So often we view leaders as the ones who know the most。 Knowledge is important， but as Ms。 Val’s story shows， good leaders are those who enable their team to do their best and develop into their best selves！
Kelsey
，
I don't typically get so caught up in non-fiction books that I can't put them down， but that is exactly what happened with this one。 This is so much more than a book about gymnastics - its a leadership book for ANYONE in any and all walks of life。 I highly recommend reading this book。 I don't typically get so caught up in non-fiction books that I can't put them down， but that is exactly what happened with this one。 This is so much more than a book about gymnastics - its a leadership book for ANYONE in any and all walks of life。 I highly recommend reading this book。 。。。more
Nan
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I respect Coach Val。 The book overall was nothing too special。
Ellie
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