UCLA Gymnastics

At a team dinner, UCLA Gymnastics head coach, Miss Val asked one of the gymnasts if she wanted her baked potato. The gymnast replied, “I don’t know, let me think about, ok, sure.” After dinner, Miss Val shared with me that this was the gymnast’s response to most questions. Thus, she told her:

At the altar, the priest will ask if you take this man to be your husband. You can’t say, I don’t know, let me think about, ok, sure. You need to write me a paper on your life philosophy.

I love Miss Val’s leadership style – it’s why she’s my role model and I look up to her. I appreciate that her goal is to help the team become the best women that they can be, so that everything gymnastically follows. To achieve this, she creates an environment of respect and warmth, which allows the women to feel comfortable, enabling them to tap into their potential as women and gymnasts.

Here are my short-hand notes of what I learned from Miss Val. I’m writing them here so I can reference them for inspiration:

1. Everything in life’s a choice. Our thoughts produce emotions, and our emotions produce action. Therefore, if we choose our thoughts, then we choose our actions.
2. Give people a chance, we don’t know what people can do until we give them the opportunity.
3. The body doesn’t recognize the difference between nervousness and excitement, choose to be excited.
4. Champion Mindset:
   • Love what you do and the people you do it with
   • Trust our tether (i.e. take risk and do more because the team’s got your back)
   • Sacrifice who you are for who you will become
   • We are in control, we decide
5. Team Chemistry: If you went into battle, who would you want by your side? Who would you save on your life raft?
6. When joining new groups: wait to be invited to the party.
7. Stay humble, stay hungry.