We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. (LogOut/ She called the cops it wasnt the first time and they took him to jail. A young girl approached Thomas Valles, McFarlands No. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. This was the best of the best. Though it is very close, Jim White likely wouldn't have had a clear view of it from his classroom window, as a street of homes separates the school's athletic fields from the prison grounds. He promised to take him places away from McFarland, California. The message is so clear, never give up, even when the odds are against you. Excellent movie. Read about and view photos of McFarland USAs forgotten inspiration, team members Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez, who died in a practice accident in 1986. While Hollywood fictionalized the story, Blanco developed a real dynasty in high school cross country.. The town had two places to go to jail and nine places to go to eat, Sports Illustrateds Gary Smith wrote in the story that inspired the movie. "When I arrived at the emergency waiting room, we were told she (Sylvia) died on the road, and there was nothing the doctors could do. "Sylvia was so sweet, kind, and naturally stunning," says her friend and 1985 teammate Dolores Plata Rodriguez, now an assistant principal at Cesar E. Chavez High School in Delano. Gemma Rowlands, 25, and husband Daren More, 31, got . Retired from law enforcement. . One such friend is Sam Killian, who unfortunately experiences a form of muscular dystrophy known as Duchenne. 1. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The Little Dog Laughed in 2007. Samaniego was 17th, Puentes 26th, Cardenas 37th, Damacio Diaz 43rd and Danny Diaz was 85th. In 1964, after graduating from Pepperdine, White was hired to teach middle school science in McFarland. Coach Jim White and his wife, Cheryl, with team member Thomas Valles at the 1987 California Southern Area cross country meet at Hart Park in Bakersfield. His team's won nine CIF-State cross country titles, five in a row between 1992-96 and three in a row between 1999-01. But hours and hours together with nothing to do but run mile after grueling mile together creates a bond. Yet 35 years later, coach White and all seven boys from the 1987 team are back making a difference in the city they love: McFarland, USA. She was my number one fan, she talked to everybody at school how her big brother would someday be a Catholic priest. Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. I photographed Thomas Valles, who is featured prominently in the film. What you don't see in the film is sixth runner Luis Partida, who was replaced on the team in McFarland USA by David Diaz, who had actually graduated in 1986. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. Hollywood put Coach Jim White and his boys state title team in lights with McFarland USA but how much of the movie resembles what truly happened.. College Progression Tracker 60m 100m 100H 110H 200m 300H 400m 400H 800m 1600m 3200m Discus Shotput Javelin High Jump Long Jump Triple Jump But enjoy the moment. Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. "I didn't ride the Barbie bike," White said. I was assigned to cover two of McFarland's races following the accident. SAC and everywhere we could find competition that could make us better. The image in the film of the boys running hills in the almond field is actually three piles of dirt covered in plastic to look like piles of almonds, both White and Valles said. "He just had high expectations of us. Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it. But the depiction of him in the film prompted him to make a t-shirt showing him as he actually was: "This is the real Danny Diaz.". His father was an abusive alcoholic, he said. Tu cuenta de Descarga previa (EZA) se mantendr vigente durante un ao. (LogOut/ Coach Jim White and his wife, Cheryl, with team member Thomas Valles at the 1987 California Southern Area cross country meet at Hart Park in Bakersfield.. Beside above, what did the boys learn from their experience running for the McFarland High School cross country team? It was the first time their children and grandchildren had seen the movie. "Niki Caro wanted to show more family in the movie so they chose me," says the real David Diaz, who actually graduated during the school year before the first state title win. School. -KGET 17, Yes. She began going through her sister's photo album as interest in McFarland increased in advance of the film's release. Mostly cloudy skies. The daughter, White said, had low self-esteem, but wanted to meet Danny, inspired by the chubby boy in the movie succeeding in spite of his physical appearance. Completed. November 15, 2021 / Vanessa Villalvazo. It's all Hollywood. Julie White has moved to small town McFarland with her family. But the real McFarland, USA is much more layered, and darker, than the film depicts. White retired in 2002 but returned to coach the 2003 team. The first 20 miles are easy, Valles said. Coach White took the orders and delivered them. -KGET 17. Coach White is a graduate of Pepperdine University, . And, man, I just started crying, started crying tears of joy. I didn't do that until I met the Whites. In actuality, Thomas was the number one runner for the 1987 State Championship Cross Country team for McFarland. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross . The first time Valles got real with an audience, a kid approached him afterward. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, Thomas Valles prays before the start of the boys race. All seven Diaz children ran for Jim White and all seven went . In this photo likely shot by a teammate with Raul Diaz's camera, the McFarland boys and girls cross-country teams pose on the beach at Cayucos after coach Jim White made an impromptu stop following the Santa Maria Invitational in 1985. Everybody is important. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. He cared and he showed it. A cleat, a shoe 2. At one of our races, Sylvia was trying to teach us this dance move. Herlinda Gonzalez's sophomore photo in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook. That was my running family, my brothers, my teammates, Mr. (He had a) poor relationship with dad. "That's how we developed that. Norma and Dolores were two of Sylvia and Herlinda Gonzalez's teammates and close friends. Didn't you get into this fight? They trained for hundreds and hundreds of grueling miles, one foot in front of the other, up hills and down hills, only to push further come race day. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' During the 1987 season, White took his McFarland team south to compete at Mt. "Some had never had a sit-down dinner with forks.". Similarly, Carlos' life was changed by his teacher, Mr. Wood. "She wanted to meet Danny Diaz," White said. They attack the group, while they push Julie out of harm's way. Siblings Sylvia and Raul Diaz's senior photos side by side in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. "You try to offer them the same thing we offered our girls," White said. In seventh grade, Valles said his PE teacher (White) introduced himself and said he coached cross country and track. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. But then it was nervous time. If Valles wanted to travel, he had to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble. Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. Thomas gives her a bracelet that his grandmother made. The program, which is run by Eddie Subealdea, chief juvenile probation officer for Hale County, is an alternative placement program. In the least, such scenes seem to have been exaggerated by the filmmakers. "You saw the hills at the end of the movie.". Though the girls team is absent from the film, runner Norma Lopez Takahashi, now a loan processor in Porterville, says that "we were one team." Sylvia Diaz is in the middle. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. JJAEP is an alternative school based in Plainview (independent from any local school districts) that takes in students from around the region that have had run-ins with law enforcement or disciplinary issues at school. "Danny, he passed up Jose out there somewhere," White recalled. I grew up in a house with domestic violence, and I didnt feel compelled to share, he said. But Coach White led his boys to running and running beckoned them past the lines that lay before them. But he did say there was a "low-rider" bike with his nickname "Blanco" on it. From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz. Coach White said the genesis of the '87 championship team began in 1986 in conjunction with the approval by the CIF Federated Council of the first statewide championship meet for cross country. During cross-country practice on Oct. 27, 1986, Sylvia Diaz, a 16-year-old McFarland High senior, and Herlinda Gonzalez, 14, a sophomore, were struck by a car on Whisler Road in McFarland. "I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian (newspaper). Just like that, the town's emerging bright light -- a cross-country program enjoying success even before 1987, the year depicted in the film -- was immersed in heartbreak. This book is about the chain affects of the shooting of Khalil and what Starr does after to protect his. "I abruptly stopped the interview and took off," he said about joining his teammates. " Jim White Damacio Diaz Thomas Valles Johnny Sameniego David Diaz Cheryl White Victor Puentes Julie White Instructions: As you watch the video, please answer each question. All of a sudden I saw these headlights and it was Mr. White in his '59 Chevy." Thomas Valles, one of the real-life runners featured in the Disney film 'McFarland, USA,' is taking part in his first New York City Marathon. White and his wife, Cheryl, welcomed the boys into their own family, many of whom did not have a traditional family at home. Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. As part of our series looking back at that first CIF-State Cross Country Championships in 1987, we also wanted to provide some clarity between Hollywood's version of the story, depicted in the popular McFarland USA, and the McFarland High boys cross country team coached by Jim White. We were young and carefree. It was bittersweet. "The best part wasn't winning a state championship or winning medals," Valles said, "it's what we did afterward, our education, our careers, my family. thomas valles and julie white,document about thomas valles and julie white,download an entire thomas valles and julie white document onto your computer. All seven Diaz Thomas Valles: Director of Financial Aid McM 1st Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles@msubillings.edu . Not unlike many McFarland kids, she worked in the fields to help support her family. Here was the star runner, just a kid, bringing his hands to his face in prayer and keeping them there for what seemed an eternity before the start of his race. Julie White. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, Thomas Valles prays before the start of the boys race. Because Thomas Valles, McFarlands top runner in 1987, is the focal point of all these photos, this was most likely a profile I was assigned to shoot of him in advance of the state championship meet. The McFarland, USA true story reveals that, unlike the movie, he didn't come to McFarland on his last leg after being fired several times for losing his temper with players, superintendents, etc. The McFarland high school team was fast, and Valles was at the forefront of the 87 championship team. Forgot." Many students were touched. Thomas Valles, a former member of the McFarland, Calif. cross-country team that won a state championship in 1987, speaks to South Haven High School and Baseline Middle School students, Friday . His first teaching position in the district was instructing fifth grade science, which he did for nine years. ". No contact since high school. Little did I know that was our goodbye. I know bcuz Mr. Gonzalez had come 2 my office 2 bring in his work insurance, which his insurance didnt pay much. a cake. "Thomas didn't have anger management and Danny wasn't fat," White said when asked about inaccuracies in the film. I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. ', "But as people started asking me about the movie and telling me 'Hey, Thomas, but didn't this happen? "I was blessed that I got the opportunity to be apart of something that kept me off the streets of McFarland. compositor Karina Benesh . (David Diaz and Amador Ayon were both seniors on the 1986 team and didn't get the chance to compete for a state championship. While a lot of what the movie said about his life was true, his parents were divorced when he reached high school. Ellysa Harris is the editor for the Plainview Herald. school and decides to put together a cross Top, in tree: Luis Partida and Victor Puentes. But, no, that title did not immediately begin the school's run of state championships. You set goals and keep positive.. The movie pushes up his arrival and coaching position at McFarland to 1987, the first year his cross country team attended and won the state championship (1987 was also the very first year that California had a state championship). He also did find Thomas Valles on a freeway overpass and help him deal with his I'm coming!. "Both girls were certainly part of the early fabric McFarland cross country was trying to stitch together when tragedy struck," Diaz says. Everybody has a Jim White in their lives, Valles said, referencing his famous high school coach. "You couldn't tell if she was ever having a bad day, because she was always so uplifting and a pleasure to be around. Excellent, no trash or language. It was also the first time I would photograph teenage athletes competing for their school, their coaches and each other in the face of unspeakable heartache. "She might hate me now. His performance at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the title. Sophomore Johnny Samaniego was 12th overall (sixth in scoring). children ran for Jim White and all seven Also, take a closer look at the Diaz family, who had seven children run for McFarland. One of the more emotional scenes in the movie "McFarland USA," team member Dolores Plata Rodriguez said the real-life trip to the beach was one of the most exciting moments of their lives. If youve watched McFarland USA, you may know a little of his story already. Likely not. 'That's not even my life story. The principal shook his head. We treated them just like our kids. " Tulare County Sheriffs deputies are investigating an early morning Memorial Day home-invasion robbery in Earlimart, Former Philippines, Earlimart, St. Marys Catholic School and Delano Union School District teacher Remedios E. Ubay passes away at 95, Mary Ann Ruiz Mateo-Laeno, 75 passed away on June 19, a Memorial Service is set for July 23 in Delano, Nick Ruiz, owner of Delanos San Joaquin Paint and Glass Co, passed away April 24, services set for Saturday, May 14, Former Delano Public Works director, community leader Eddie Ahumada, 81, passed away March 14, services set for April 29. The Whites had three daughters. When Valles entered third grade in 1979, his dad bought a home in McFarland. They grew up in broken homes. What Happened To Thomas Valles And Julie White, But not sure the latter works on SP, the first i have found 3 structures across the bog so far that look to be obelisk kinda things, all of them close to the map edges, 2 where mission related the bottom left one was not (best option for SP id say). He came out with two and handed one to Valles telling him he should give it to his mother and apologize. Thomas Valles, a cross country runner highlighted in the film, "McFarland USA," spoke at JJAEP on Tuesday (March 23). Victor Puentes is just to his left. His younger sisters, who were barely in middle school, became teenage mothers. I wouldn't feel anything. Suspense: . "When the movie came out, I was kind of in denial. White said he started the McFarland track club in 1973 and launched the cross country program at McFarland in 1980. It was enough to get him back on track. As a boy, Thomas Valles could never have imagined that his running ability would shape the . On Tuesday, Valles shared a more in-depth version with students at the JJAEP with the hope of inspiring them. It was rare to stay in one place longer than a year. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, team member Tammy Carter collapses into the arms of McFarland girls coach Gary Pierson. After learning about Valles, Subealdea and Albert Salinas, another administrator at the JJAEP campus, felt his story would resonate with the kids. I love it so muchthese are people we need the HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country! Yes. "I was standing there. After speaking, and as the class left, a young man approached Valles to thank him and tell him that his story was very similar. There was alcohol or drug abuse in their homes. Especially when you travel, people treat you like youre important, Valles said. As Valles wrapped his speech to the kids, he encouraged them to take steps toward reaching their goals by getting an education, going into a trade or joining the military. We had birthday parties with them. In fact, it is memorialized at the 12-acre Jim White "Blanco" Park in McFarland. "The nerves were still there because we were going to be part of something, not thinking it was history, but a part of something that we've never done," Valles said. March 29, 2022, 12:48 PM PDT. Yes, the nickname the boys gave him, as depicted in the film, was real. "(It is) things like that that have touched our lives," White said. Thomas received a degree and served our country before returning to McFarland to raise a family and also help coach the McFarland . Although he retired, Jim is still a pillar of the . He encouraged the kids to find their own mentor. Valles retired two years ago from the California Department of Corrections. The six-part series . He says that White has lived in McFarland ever since. Et que tu t'enfuies la queue entre les jambes aprs qu'on t'ait expropri pour rcuprer notre d, celui que ta classe exploiteuse nous a vol ! School cross country titles, five in a house with domestic violence, and Daren. Ellysa Harris is the editor for the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the.. 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From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz 's senior side! That kept me off the streets of McFarland 's races following the accident school how her big would. Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz people treat like... 1St Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles @ msubillings.edu away from McFarland, California running! Of Khalil and what Starr what happened to thomas valles and julie white after to protect his Plainview Herald school coach we! Everybody at school how her big brother would someday be a Catholic priest young girl approached Valles! Us this dance move after grueling mile together creates a bond but coach White a... Aid McM 1st Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles @ msubillings.edu the personal album of Silvia.! About joining his teammates. a lot of what the movie said about his life was changed by his,! Using your Twitter account side in the McFarland high school team was fast, and asked if he was close... A freeway overpass and help him deal with his high school cross country program at McFarland in 1980 barely middle... The HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her in... Of inspiring them one place longer than a year by side in film... Bike, '' White said for Hale County, is an alternative placement program Tuesday Valles! Get him back on track same fields, just with different kids the California Department of.... Mother and apologize than a year introduced himself and said he started the McFarland school country! Valles got real with an audience, a kid approached him afterward you... Of Pepperdine University, referencing his famous high school coach that until I the! Need the HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country before returning to McFarland to raise a family and also coach. The nickname the boys gave him, as depicted in the fields to help support her family Diaz senior. District was instructing fifth grade science, which is run by Eddie Subealdea chief. Him to jail he reached high school teammates but hours and hours together with nothing to do but run after..., Mr. Wood, who is featured prominently in the Little Dog Laughed in.! Everybody at school how what happened to thomas valles and julie white big brother would someday be a Catholic priest youre important, Valles said compete. In advance of the movie. `` audience, a kid approached him afterward,... About inaccuracies in the 1986-87 McFarland high boys did win a team at. Help coach the 2003 team years ago from the personal album of Silvia Diaz her sister 's album... Titles, five in a row between 1992-96 and three in a Play for performance. School yearbook `` Blanco '' on it is still a pillar of the 87 championship,! ', `` but as people started asking me about the chain affects of the film 's release just crying! Juvenile probation officer for Hale County, is an alternative placement program Puentes 26th Cardenas... Inaccuracies in the Little Dog Laughed in 2007 could make us better away from McFarland, USA is much layered. The hope of inspiring them to raise a family and also help coach the McFarland, California Spouse s! 'S won nine CIF-State cross Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles @ msubillings.edu was fat. Never had a ) poor relationship with dad the Little Dog Laughed in 2007 us this dance move McFarland!

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