About the Author

Valorie Kondos Field is the head coach of the UCLA Women's Gymnastics team. She has led her team to seven NCAA Championship titles and 29 Pac-12 and NCAA Regional titles. This preeminent coach was recently named the Pac-12 "Coach of the Century," and in 2010, she became one of only two active coaches to be inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame

Reviews

"Life is Short Don't Wait to Dance is an incredible book."--Kristyn Burtt, host To The Pointe

"After meeting Miss Val, I have a new found love and passion for the sport. She creates champions while putting their health and well-being first and allowing each athlete's uniqueness to flourish. She is a coach, mentor, leader, and friend who saw the potential in me before I saw it in myself and helped me grow to be the person I am today."--Jordyn Wieber, World Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist

"After years of observation I can say with unbridled respect and full-throttled enthusiasm it is Miss Val's turn! She truly is one of the brightest beacons of light in the gymnastics world!"----Kathy Johnson Clarke, Sports Commentator, 1984 Olympic Medalist

"Coach Val was smart enough to have been na�ve enough to not know what she could not accomplish. Ballerina to championship gymnastics coach--will certainly finds a way."--Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO of Under Armour

"Having a role model like Val early in my college career was really important to me because I saw the interaction she had with the women on her team and how winning was certainly important, but not the most important thing."--Jim Mora, UCLA football head coach

"It's really easy to give up when things are not going your way, or when things are challenging, or when you have adversity or struggle, but she always stays positive."--Nastia Liukin, Olympic Gold Medalist

"Miss Val has redefined the rules of success. In Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance, she gives us a new roadmap we so desperately need to live a life we would have never dreamed of. From a gymnastics coach who had never done gymnastics, this book is poised to change the way we think about success, diversity, purpose, passion, gratitude, leadership, and our choice in the matter."--Darcy Anderson, Political Director

"Miss Val is a force of nature. Her journey to the top is a riveting story. Her demand for personal excellence and her ability to create belief in her student athletes provides for a great read and success model for all."--Sue Enquist, Founder of ONE Softball, Former UCLA Head Softball Coach, 11-time National Champion

"Miss Val's coaching technique really appealed to me because it was very different than elite gymnastics. She always reminds me before meets, never take life for granted and to cherish every moment."--Simone Biles, 4x Olympic Gold Medalist

"Miss Val's not-as-you-would-expect approach to coaching has positioned her to ink 7 NCAA Championships. Her success has inspired many who have witnessed her gifts and genius as a coach, mentor and healer."--William D. Parham, Ph.D., ABPP, Director, Mental Health and Wellness Program for NBA Players Association

"She has this reputation within the gymnastics community of not only being a great gymnastics coach, but also a life coach, a mentor and a friend."--Judy Olian, Dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management

"She nurtures that kind of potential into so much excellence that even standing in a room with her and listening to her speak can bring you to a level you didn't even know you had in you."--Johnny Kim, International Cirque Artist

"The title of Valorie Kondos Field's book, Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance, offers wise advice, a metaphor and a tribute all at once. The coach of UCLA's women's gymnastics team built her extraordinarily successful career on encouraging self-direction and being 1% better each day at a form of expression that feeds your soul."--Los Angeles Times

"To watch her work with people who have won gold medals in the Olympics... it's one thing to be an exceptional athlete it's another thing to have this emotion bleed through your athleticism to take that sport to an entirely different level."--Brian Gott, Philanthropist/Producer

"Valorie Kondos Field's scope goes well beyond gymnastics... Miss Val is the life coach we all need in our corner, be it the boardroom or in the arena. I encourage all CEOs who want to tap into their fullest potential to become a student of Coach Val."--Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management