Talk by former gymnastics coach

Part of One City One Book program

Valorie Kondos Field Courtesy photo

Valorie Kondos Field Courtesy photo

Retired head coach of UCLA’s champion women’s gymnastics team, Valorie Kondos Field, will speak about her book, “Life Is Short, Don’t Wait To Dance,” Thurs., Oct. 24 at Agoura High School Performing Arts Education Center, 28545 W. Driver Ave.

Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m. The program will begin at 6 p.m.

The talk is part of the annual city-sponsored One City One Book community read program.

Considered one of the finest gymnastic coaches of all times, Fields led her teams to seven-time national, 22-time regional and 18-time Pac 12 championships.

She was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. She earned four-time National Coach of the Year and was named West Region Coach of the Year and Pac 12 Coach of the Century.

She mentored hundreds of elite athletes, including Olympic champions.

Trained as a professional ballet dancer and choreographer, Field transferred the classical dance art form to her student athletes.

Her credits also include choreographing and directing live variety shows for the National Collegiate Athletic Association opening ceremonies for women’s basketball, a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar roast, CBS’s “Jump, Jive and Thrive” Breast Cancer Research Foundation benefit, and 26 years of cirque-type shows for Sea World’s Summer Nights and the San Diego Zoo.

Her inspirational book shares life lessons and encourages readers to strive for individuality and joy. At the Oct. 24 program she will speak on her life philosophy: “Don’t wait to see what life is going to hand you, take control of your life and design/choreograph it exactly how you want it to turn out.”

As a recent breast cancer survivor, Field also offers a message on how to keep a positive outlook.

The book for this year’s community read was selected by Agoura Hills Mayor Linda Northrup, whose slogan has been “Response, Recovery and Resilience” after the Woolsey fire and Borderline Bar and Grill tragedy in Thousand Oaks last year.

In conjunction with One City One Book, Northrup will also host a group of elementary school students at the Agoura Hills Library for a Read with the Mayor morning featuring “P-22 The Journey,” a tale about survival and the mountain lions who live in the Santa Monica Mountains, by local writers Sherry Mangel Ferber and Calandra Cherry and local illustrator Kathi Colman.

Admission to the author talks free, but registration is requested as space is limited. The public may pre-order a book when registering to receive and have signed at the event. To register, go to agourahillsrec.org.