Preseason chat with Valorie Kondos Field

The UCLA Bruins could be back in contention for an NCAA title this year with arguably one of the best rosters currently in the NCAA. The freshman class alone includes two Olympic Champions, a former National Team member, and a set of twin sisters that were stars during their JO careers! The Bruins also look to welcome Macy Tronjo, a former elite and redshirt freshman, into the lineups this year. UCLA's roster also returns a lot of talent in Katelyn Ohashi, Angi Cipra, Peng Peng Lee and Hallie Mossett--just to name a few. In her 27th year as the Head Coach at UCLA, Valorie Kondos Field could have a team that brings home a national title for the first time since 2010. Will the Bruins have what it takes to reclaim their spot at the top of the podium? Valorie talks with us about her expectations for some of the freshman, her goals for the team, choreography and more! 

You have a very large but talented freshman class this year (9 incoming freshman to be exact.) On what events might we see some of these ladies breaking into the lineups? 
Hopefully, Kyla Ross and Felicia Hano will compete in the all-around. Madison Kocian on everything but vault. Grace Glenn is also a strong all-arounder, she should shine on floor, bars, and beam. Grace Kramer is an amazing vaulter and really powerful on floor,

How is Macy Toronjo doing? 
She's actually doing well and will hopefully be ready to compete in the all-around mid-season. She's been sidelined with a rare eye disease which has kept her from training for about a month now. She just started back last week. She's in great shape and should be able to get her skills back quickly.

Have all the floor routines for this season been choreographed? What routine are you most excited for fans to see? 
Oh my goodness no! In fact, I'm very behind. I've done 4 out of the 15. So far, Angi's acting ability is off the charts. Hallie is as stunning as ever and JaNay...boy that girl can dance. The pleasant surprise so far for me has been Kyla--she's a really good dancer. I think you're going to see a new Kyla on the floor this year performance-wise. I know she's going to be smiling a lot.

You've choreographed many brilliant floor routines in your career. Do you ever run out of ideas? Where do you find inspiration? 
Yes! I'm that person that inaccurately thinks I've used up all my creative ideas. So silly. I get inspiration from the music first and from watching a ton of videos. I was trying to add up how many routines I've choreographed since I started in 1977 choreographing for Jim Stephenson in Nor. Cal. I was 17 then and 57 now...interesting to think back to all the routines I've done.

A reader of our site wants to know if you feel intimidated coaching this years team? You do have arguably one of the best rosters this season!
"Intimidated?" That's a unique word to use. No. I feel honored and blessed. Not only are they talented but they're really amazing human beings. I'm having a ball, especially with Kyla. She and I are almost exact opposites with how our brains work. She is meticulous, organized, linear in her thinking and extremely disciplined once she sets her course. And I'm all over the map! The classic left brain vs. right brain scenario. We have fun trying to find the happy medium.

Jordyn Wieber will be serving as a volunteer assistant coach this year, can you talk a little about that? 
Well, we're excited to finally have her here next month once she finishes with the tour. She hasn't been allowed to coach the past 3 years. I anticipate she's going to be a phenomenal coach in that she's already got the respect of the team combined with her knowledge and clam but intense delivery...shes such a gift. I'm already getting sad thinking this is the last year we have her.

What are your goals for the team this season? 
Our goals are to reach the top of the Coach Wooden Pyramid - Competitive Greatness, being able to be your best is needed. I really feel we did this last year. Hopefully, we'll stay healthy and compete on that last night for another team title.

Elite gymnastics is so intense and serious, how do you help your former elite athlete transition to the college atmosphere? 
I explain that all athletics and all sports are entertainment. Without a strong base we cease to exist. We can't just focus on executing perfect skills, we have to embrace the "performance" aspect of our sport. I also illuminate for them that in elite they compete a handful of times a year. In college they compete 16 times in 4 months. It's a totally different mental game, one that elite gymnasts are ready and excited for by the time they come to college.

Now that it's been a year, what are your thoughts on the yurchenko full being devalued? Do you like the change?
I do like the change because we had to do something to make it not the compulsory event. I still don't think our rules are tweaked enough to encourage and reward originality and virtuosity. I'm an advocate to go to a 9.7 start value and re-introduce ROV (risk, originality, virtuosity) into our scoring system.

Preseason chat with Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki

It won't be long until college gymnastics season is in full swing. January 7th marks the beginning of the season for the Michigan Wolverines, who will face some tough competition in front of thousands of fans at the University of Utah. However, things look bright for Michigan this season with plenty of returning talent from last season, a top-notch transfer from Arkansas, and a large incoming freshman class that could provide lots of depth in the lineups. Coach Bev Plocki enters her 28th season coaching the Wolverines and gave us a preview of her teams potential and as well as their goals for the 2017 season.

Can you give us a brief update on each member of the team and what your expectations are for them this season? 

Nicole Artz- Nicole is recovering from a minor surgery on her ankle, she should be fine for the season but has had limited training so far this fall. She is a competitor and has lofty goals for her senior year. I expect her to once again be a top all-arounder for us.

Talia Chiarelli- Talia has been looking awesome and is poised to have a great year. She looks as good or better than ever. Her 1 1/2 on vault, her beam, and floor will be outstanding.

Brianna Brown- I believe that Brianna is on a great track right now and getting healthier each day. I think this could be a fantastic year for her. Bars and beam are her highlight events but her floor routine is clean and strong and her vault is getting better each day.

Lauren Marinez- Lauren worked really hard over the summer on strengthening and she is in the best shape I've seen her in. Her beam and bars are rockin' and I look for her to break a floor lineup as well.

Paige Zaziski- Paige is a welcome addition to the team this year, she brings a wealth of competitive experience and can bring in big scores on all events. I'm looking forward to what this season will bring for her.

Olivia Karas- Liv also had a minor wrist surgery but is back on track and looking great already. She is a fantastic all-arounder for us and can put up big scores in all four events. She has no weak events.

Emma McLean- I am really looking forward to seeing Emma in a much bigger role this year. Her beam has improved a great deal and her floor and vault are doing great! Love her floor routine this year and her bars are clean and strong.

Lexi Funk- Lexi has been a little dynamo, she is consistent all the way around. She will provide a high level of depth that we need in all four events. I think we will see her in lineups on all four events during the year.

Maggie O'Hara- We have high expectations for Maggie. Her strongest events are bars and beam, but she has the ability to see herself in any of the four events if she works hard.

Maddy Osman- Maddy is another fireball of energy and performs with explosive power and strong skills in all four events.

Sam Roy- Sam is doing a great job and is improving each day. I'm not sure at this point what events she will make but she is close on at least three. She is a great example of what hard work and determination can do and is a great addition to our team.

Polina Shchennikova- Polina is almost back 100% from her shoulder surgery in May. She is strong and is feeling pretty good too. She is making tremendous strides every day and her progress back to peak shape is right on track. I expect her to make significant contributions this season and peak when we need her to.

@livkarass @emma_mclean @maddyosman @laurenmarinez #FlightForDays #GoBlueBeam

A video posted by David Kuzara (@davkuz) on Oct 25, 2016 at 1:13pm PDT

Now that it's been a year since the yurchenko full was downgraded, what are your thoughts on that change? Do you think it's a hassle for some of the older girls to learn a new vault at that point in their career? 
I think that the 9.95 vaults have been a good first step to providing some benefit to the athletes who are capable of doing the bigger vaults. It wasn't fair that someone taking the risk to do a 1 1/2 or double would have the same start value as a full. If any coach feels that it is a "hassle" to teach our athletes new skills they probably should not be coaching. I would like to see the full go to a 9.9.

It's been awhile since Michigan has qualified to the Super Six, what do you feel needs to be done to get your team back in that position?
I am troubled by the fact that we have not been in the Super Six recently. I believe that we definitely deserved to be and have been good enough to be. Last year we absolutely had a weak beam rotation at the wrong time. We did it to ourselves, but my heart broke for the team. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw in which session you get placed in for NCAA's or what rotation you draw. We have outscored teams that qualified into the Super Six when we did not and that is a tough pill to swallow. Luck definitely hasn't been on our side lately but we need to be performing at a level that keeps us out of the "grey" area. I think that depth plays a big role in our ability to be at our peak going into post season. We are hoping to have a lot more depth this year and be able to rest some people during the season when needed.

What are your goals for this upcoming season? 
We want to look good early but we will take our time to make sure we are hitting our stride when it is critical. We have 50% of our team as freshman, so we will allow them to gain experience and confidence as we go through the season.

How has training been going so far?
Training has been going well. We have a great group of amazing young ladies, but like a lot of teams, we have a few coming back from injuries so we have people at different places on the readiness scale. My 28 years has taught me to relax and bring people along as is best for them individually. We will have everyone ready when it is go time! I'm confident in that.

@paigezaziski @taliachi #PaigePaigeTalTalTal #TumblingWizards

A video posted by David Kuzara (@davkuz) on Oct 14, 2016 at 1:02pm PDT

What do you feel will be the teams biggest challenge this season?
We have a lot of youth, but in those athletes we have some good competitive experience so only time will tell. It is always an interesting puzzle that we get to put together each year.

Based off preseason so far, what do you think will be the teams strongest and weakest events?
I really believe we will have a pretty good balance on all four events. We may have a touch more depth on beam and bars but that also remains to be seen.

What are you going to miss the most about your seniors Talia and Nicole after this season?
Everything! They have been two of the hardest working and most consistent athletes I have had in a long time. Gosh, don't make me think about that already!

To stay up to date with the latest on your Michigan Wolverines, make sure you're following @UMichWGym on Twitter and Assistant Coach Dave Kuzara on Instagram (@davkuz) for training videos. 

Book Review and Giveaway | You Will Know Me

You never truly know the people who are closest to you--even the people you thought you knew everything about. That's the eerie theme of Megan Abbott's latest novel and New York Times bestseller, "You Will Know Me."

Inspired by the parents of Aly Raisman, who's nervous, yet hilarious reactions from the stands as they watched their daughter competed at the Olympics went viral, Abbott was intrigued by the thought of parents who dedicate so much of their lives to their child when they are a prodigy.

"You Will Know Me" is the story of a fifteen year old elite level gymnast named Devon Knox who's parents are willing to do whatever it takes, emotionally and financially, to get her to the Olympics. When tragedy strikes-- a death in their tight-knit gymnastics community-- Devon's mom Katie. who narrates majority of the book, begins to take a deeper look at her family. Devon's younger brother, Drew begins having strange dreams about Devon and rumors begin to swirl, leaving Katie to question everything she thought she knew. Is what keeps the family together also what tears them apart?

The novel is a tense thriller that is more about the journey than the actual mystery. The reoccurring theme lies within the world of elite gymnastics and the parents who invest their heart and souls to see their child on top. However, that obsession can create a false sense of closeness, leading parents to think they know everything about them. Megan Abbott does a wonderful job of bringing to light the intersections of talented teenage girls, ambition, and obsession. This book is an interesting read for all young adults--but it doesn't hurt to be a gymnastics fan!


Giveaway
Want to win a copy of "You Will Know Me?" We will be giving away a copy to one of our followers! (US residents only.)

To enter, follow Megan Abbott on Twitter (@Megan Abbott) and then tweet us (@TripleTwistGym) letting us know you want to be entered in the giveaway.

A winner will be selected Monday, October 17th at 4pm ET.