In tonight’s episode, we profile legendary Hall of Fame, seven-time NCAA national championship gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field. Miss Val, as she is widely known, discussed her philosophy and motivation to develop life champions through the sport of gymnastics. She discusses her relationship with John Wooden and her Ted Talk, that has been widely viewed over 1.2 million times, and emphasizes how success does not always include winning. She also talks about her book, “Life is Short, Don’t Wait to Dance” and how she approaches coaching and life with no regrets. We also discuss the difficult experience of having a player confide to her that she was sexually assaulted by Team USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. After reported, two more players and her assistant coach came forward as victims, too. We discussed what she did to help them heal and process this horrific situation. My thanks to this Human Champion and how she has positively impacted hundreds of athletes throughout her career.

Next week we return to our Sports Families series. We welcome Scott and Tracy Opher and some of their children and how sports have been an integral part of their family’s life.

Wednesday’s 6:00-7:00pm on KWTO Jock 98.7FM