Five years ago, head coach Valorie Kondos Field invited the top
five high school gymnasts in the country to visit UCLA to fill the
five open scholarships on the gymnastics team.
Five years later, the group known nationwide as the Fab Five has
changed the face of UCLA gymnastics.
As freshmen, Onnie Willis, Kristin Parker, Carly Raab, Malia
Jones and Doni Thompson found themselves under the tutelage of
all-time UCLA greats Lena Degteva and Heidi Moneymaker.
“They came in at a very instrumental time in UCLA
gymnastics history,” Kondos Field said. “And as all
great freshmen do, they were very eager to follow these great
leaders that we had as seniors.”
In their first year, the Fab Five found themselves in the NCAA
championship meet, trying to capture UCLA’s second national
title. As the meet was drawing to a climax, the Fab Five were in
need of a stabilizing influence.
“I said, “˜Ladies, next year we have four Olympians
coming in. We’re going to win the national championship next
year. But you want to be able to win it in a year when they
can’t say you won it because of the
Olympians.'”
Without missing a beat, a freshman Parker looked her coach
straight in the eye and replied, “You’re darn right
we’re going to win it without the Olympians.”
With the tall task of winning a national championship on their
backs, the team went to the balance beam, often considered a
gymnast’s worst nightmare.
In defiance of any stereotypes about freshmen crumbling in the
clutch, they coolly hit all their routines to claim the second
women’s gymnastics national championship in UCLA history.
The following year in the national championship, UCLA got off to
a modest start. Once again, the beam was staring the team in the
face. Not only was the beam the final event, but UCLA had to
average a 9.9 to win.
This time, another member of the Fab Five stepped up.
“Come on guys, let’s go get it done,” Thompson
said. “This is what we’ve trained for, now let’s
go get the job done.”
“I literally had to say nothing,” Kondos Field
said.
Thompson nailed her routine, earning a 9.9. The rest of the
teams followed her example to the Bruins’ second straight
national championship.
The following year, the Fab Five found themselves in the
championship meet once again. But for the first time in three years
they would taste bitter defeat.
“You have to determine your success based on your
criteria,” Kondos Field said. “And our criteria is: Can
we leave that event saying that we did our best? And we could, so
we felt very successful.”
That leads to the present, and a season in which UCLA has
continually posted the highest scores in the nation. The
Bruins’ next meet will be in Nebraska, where they will have
an opportunity to claim another national championship.
“Going for a national championship is icing on the
cake,” Parker said.”Being able to go out there and
compete another time ““ I’ve loved every time I get to
step out on the floor with them.”
So has Kondos Field, who calls this year the easiest of her
coaching career. She credits her lack of work to the unending
leadership of her five seniors.
The focus, leadership and friendship of the Fab Five inside the
gym reflects their values outside the gym.
“More than the gymnastics aspect, just to know that
we’re going to be lifetime friends is the best part,”
Thompson said. “There’s so much more to it than just
going for a championship.”
After sustaining a career-ending knee injury, Carly Raab took a
position this year as an undergraduate assistant coach in order to
keep the Fab Five together for another title run.
“We like to show that you can succeed in college ““
in school and in the gym ““ and still have fun,” Raab
said.
Each member of the Fab Five has future goals and aspirations
that would make any mother proud.
Thompson wants to attend nursing school, Parker plans to go into
speech therapy, Raab is preparing to be a sports psychologist,
Jones aspires to be in Cirque du Soleil, and Willis is going to be
a teacher.
That’s a pretty solid foundation for some of the most
celebrated athletes in their sport.
“This team can take care of themselves because they are
led by the Fab Five,” Kondos Field said.
“You don’t have to worry about curfew, you
don’t have to worry about people sneaking out of hotels, you
don’t have to worry about any of that.”
All she has to worry about is the Fab Five bringing home another
national championship.
But they’ve been there before.