"We achieved what we set out to do. 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. 'tain mais faites-le taire, cuy-l, avec sa tte de vieux nourrisson moche, j'ai pas un sou et je ne rve que de la #REVOLUTION ! I received a nice surprise today when my pal, longtime Bakersfield Californian photographer Felix Adamo, found these photos I shot of the 1987 McFarland boys cross country team. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The Little Dog Laughed in 2007. Durning the season, the boys are not supposed to play basketball. White. When Valles entered third grade in 1979, his dad bought a home in McFarland. -LCU.edu, Yes. It wasnt easy and he shared a slip-up. The aunt is a teacher and is brought in to babysit Alex and Julie. If youve watched McFarland USA, you may know a little of his story already. Teammate updates and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles. Julie White poses during the arrivals for the opening night performance of "Red" at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller . Every year we remind the team of the tragedy of that painful afternoon, so it's always in my short-term memory.". I want to tell the story of Sylvia and Herlinda because, based on what I witnessed in 1986, a complete story of McFarland High's inspiring cross-country legacy cannot be told without including Sylvia, Herlinda and the girls team. We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. McFarland runners, from left: Delfina Herrera, Hollie Wykoff, Tammy Carter, Alicia Herrera and Norma Torres. This photo ran in The Californian the next day. A solemnity and eerie quiet hung over Hart Park for the Kern Invitational the afternoon of Nov. 1, 1986, just five days after the accident. Immediately after the race, Valles said he was taken with a group of top finishers for awards and media but didn't know if the team had actually won. I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. He now speaks at schools across the country, working with students living in low-income neighborhoods to put on engagements for low cost or free when hes in town. Did the boys have to get up with the sun to work in the fields only to return later in the day to train there? Jim White (Costner) finds his days as a football coach numbered when an incident with a player leads to his dismissal. White House Farm: Julie tells the police about Marcus. My most memorable moments with her were the bus rides to away races. See Julie White full list of movies and tv shows from their career. Heck, we girls could have beat them up," she says, delivering a good-natured salvo to her former teammates. He admittedly partied too much during his sophomore year and became ineligible. Yeah, that happened. Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". We were young and carefree. From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz. He might never have given the incident another thought if not for Whites actions. Pow. "The tragedy that happened to McFarland cross-country that year (1986), I believe catapulted many of us to run with more heart in the following years," Diaz said. In 1964, after graduating from Pepperdine, White was hired to teach middle school science in McFarland. Where he called home depended on where his father could find work in the fields. He was inspired by how far Valles had come. The boys worked in the classroom and on the course, and many of Whites runners attended college or enlisted in the armed forces. Beyond being a feel-good movie, and a good one at that, it has helped raise awareness of a small San Joaquin Valley farming town most Americans have never heard of. 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. Plainview teen preparing to take Houston Rodeo entertainment stage with Castillo game-winner sends Floydada to regional semi-finals, Sam Elliott award winner for male actor in "1883", High winds, lots of dirt cause havoc across Plainview, Texas bluebonnet season is almost here. The circumstances brought Valles to a low point. Were you an athlete, coach, organizer who took part in the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships in 1987? Brief Version. No. Danny Diaz, daughter Delia Diaz, Gabriel Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). He got drunk one day with some senior teammates after practice. Nine boys state titles is tied with Jesuit (SJ) for the most boys team titles in state history. Today, Valles coaches girls cross country coach at McFarland and travels around to speak and share his story. Did Coach White ride his bike as the boys ran? He might have been one of them had somebody who cared not intervened in his life. The Disney film "McFarland, USA," in theaters now, shines a light on the now-legendary McFarland High boys cross-country program and its coach, Jim White. The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts, who died of a heart attack. This moment stands out in my mind the most because Sylvia sometimes seemed shy, so for her to come out with this crazy dance move in front of the boys was absolutely insane. But the character of the town started changing, as coach White built success. Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it. "You couldn't tell if she was ever having a bad day, because she was always so uplifting and a pleasure to be around. Valles' friend Ernie Bueno, who introduced Valles to Killian, asked Valles to participate in a Run to End Duchenne at the 2021 New York Marathon. Both Valles and White said the movie producers preferred the idea of three Diaz brothers on the team rather than just two. Education, law enforcement, business owners. Twenty-one years later, and he has a different outlook. All Rights Reserved. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. The whole team. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Local photojournalist John Harte, who followed the team at the time, says that he witnessed opposing teams offer genuine handshakes of good luck. Wykoff was one of the runners who witnessed the accident. Jim was known for being a tough coach by his runners but also for his selfless acts of helping out with the boys, the town and the church. (David Diaz and Amador Ayon were both seniors on the 1986 team and didn't get the chance to compete for a state championship. Sometimes [our success is] a hindrance because the kids say, Well, I can't do that, or I can't be as good as this person or that person, coach White explains. Valles retired two years ago from the California Department of Corrections. Read rest of the answer.In this regard, who is Thomas Valles married to? It was bittersweet. Kalynn White: ASC Operations Coordinator . Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. Jim's lack of experience in coaching cross-country isn't some throwaway plot point meant to give the character one more . Thanks, That's OK. We're doing it for our kids, we'll do it for you. Hey were in a Gifted class and were doing a Documentary in National History Day and wed like to interview you for a primary source for McFarland, USA. She never held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and just being downright silly. Dolores Plata Rodriguez says the bus trips were the most fun of her cross-country experience. -KGET 17. Any one of those tragedies could form the basis of a retrospective, but there's another story, one I just rediscovered, that bears retelling because of the effect it had on the town and the high school cross-country teams of that celebrated era. Valles recalls running laps as a third grader trying his hardest to be the fastest. To make up for the time they couldn't work in the fields due to cross country practice, Jim White would sometimes give his time to them by helping them pick in the fields. -KGET 17. Based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team from a mainly Latino high . Public speaker. The first 20 miles are easy, Valles said. Though Sylvia and Herlinda and the rest of the girls team are omitted in the recent media publicity generated by "McFarland, USA," they've never been forgotten by their teammates or their home town. At first, it is just a temporary place to live until she graduates high school . Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. You might know Valles from the famous Disney movie McFarland USA. Carlos Chalabi portrayed him as a high school student. Let's do it because it's the right thing to do. Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. Photo credit: ITV. Julie White plays the character of Maggie Shaw. Juanita Diaz. Seneca School, Sure, Ill help as best I can. If he wasnt at school, Valles was expected to be at home or in the fields helping his dad. I told them I was but our goal is to win as a team.". An avid runner, to say the least, Valles accepted . The answers are in chronological order. Google ' McFarland USA fact vs. fiction' and you get quite a few options that separate the true story of the upstart cross country program at the rural Central California high school and Hollywood's spin on it in the 2015 film starring Kevin Costner as coach Jim White. She was 16 and I was 18 on Oct. 27, 1986. The town is now over 15,000 strong, well over the 4000 people there in 1987. Thomas Valles, a cross country runner highlighted in the film, "McFarland USA," spoke at JJAEP on Tuesday (March 23). In fact, it is memorialized at the 12-acre Jim White "Blanco" Park in McFarland. They would have graduated together. White retired in 2002 but returned to coach the 2003 team. Yes. 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 If Valles wanted to travel, he had to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble. He also explored parts of California, Nevada and took an overseas trip to Taiwan places he might not have been able to visit had it not been for White. "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. "She was nerdy, funny and wanting to please. "She wanted to meet Danny Diaz," White said. "Danny, he passed up Jose out there somewhere," White recalled. They met at my house for practice. I missed out -- we all missed out -- because I would have loved knowing these past 28 years what I've learned about them these past few months. He said the high school had 4,000 students and he "felt like a number." He occasionally hit more than just the wall. 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. Suspense: . I never photographed or met Sylvia Diaz or Herlinda Gonzalez, but the memories of the pictures I took in the aftermath of their deaths in 1986 would impact me deeply and remain with me through the remainder of my photojournalism career. "When the movie came out, I was kind of in denial. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. White would take his teams to train in Yosemite at elevation. Its not part of the movie, but the team was, obviously, grieving and impacted deeply. David Diaz says the memory of the accident that took Sylvia and Herlinda more than 28 years ago "feels like it happened last cross-country season. We were undefeated in '86 and now we had the opportunity to have a state championship team. Sylvia Diaz is in the middle. "Some had never had a sit-down dinner with forks.". 'What's going on?' Upset that his wife put him in jail, he got out and filed for divorce. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A look at the real McFarland USA kids and coach JimWhite, You can't have my job, but I'll tell you a story, Show the world what has happened to my son. 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. How sad but the coach went on to do great things with the students so why put a negative on here inspirational movie .Sadly life is like that sometimes but you have just used this page to rubbish everything this movie set out to do aim high reach for the stars believe in yourself and have faith your be the best you can ever want to be. Siblings Sylvia and Raul Diaz's senior photos side by side in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. While the Disney film "McFarland USA" depicts the inspirational story of the team and . Now more than 30 years later, he knows he disappointed her and White. Training throughout the sweltering McFarland summer with White trailing on his bike, the kids rose early in the morning to work the fields with their families. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. 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 was the one who introduced us to bowling, to miniature golfing, to going to the beach for the first time. He says that Top, from left: Johnny Samaniego, Luis Partida, Damacio Diaz and Coach Jim White. And so I would imagine that line all over again.. I realized, you know what, this could have been me had somebody not been on me. He won nine state titles and went to the state meet every year but one, he said. They came back. Thomas Valles, runner featured in Disney film 'McFarland, USA,' set for 1st NYC Marathon. Let's not slack off.". In actuality, Thomas was the number one runner for the 1987 State Championship Cross Country team for McFarland. Thomas Valles, a former member of the McFarland, Calif. cross-country team that won a state championship in 1987, . White said he left Stockton to visit his parents for Thanksgiving. "We ran at Mt. I thought that was normal. Carter Bonas Is the . Herlinda was bound for greatness and every year during cross-country season, when the hot summers start to dissipate and the leaves start to change colors, I am reminded of how sensitive life really is. Subject from McFarland USA shares life story, Rare endangered animal seen running across Texas road. "I was blessed that I got the opportunity to be apart of something that kept me off the streets of McFarland. 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