Analysis initially published on July 20, 2021.
Valorie Kondos Field, former coach of the UCLA gymnastics team, presents a very unconventional discourse here on her profession and on how to reach the summit. She raises the question of “victory at all costs” and the path to achieving it.
Few dare to approach the subject from this angle. Take the 15 minutes necessary to listen to her.
Her remarks echo those we had published in our analysis “By trading play for performance, is sport on the wrong track?” Excerpt below with this coach, much less known, but whose words are equally valuable.
The subject is indeed about understanding in what perspective do we want to practice sports and how do we want to teach and transmit it. Should we reconsider things and learn to transmit sports differently? Yes, without a doubt. Yes, without a doubt.
Valorie Kondos Field even expands her discourse to society, mentioning the importance of primarily shaping individuals capable of facing life’s challenges, of being “champions in life through sport “. She speaks of “joy” when referring Katelyn Ohashi whose routine video has been viewed more than 180 million times.
It’s inspiring. It’s inspiring. It’s not about opposing sporting cultures, but perhaps admitting that competition, as thrilling as it may be, has produced a culture, that famous “winning culture”, that needs to be challenged in order to promote different, divergent visions of sports.
And to teach them.
