They attack the group, while they push Julie out of harm's way. 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. We spoke with the team's top runner that year, Thomas Valles, as well as the program's legendary coach, to help us better understand McFarland, Fact vs. Fiction. It soon became a dominant program among small schools in Northern California. It was a gesture by runner Hollie Wykoff's mom to help the girls feel better as they dealt with their grief after teammates Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez were killed in a practice accident two and one-half weeks earlier. It features a bridge with silhouettes of runners, and a water tower with a running mural. And that pain would come back. They talk about being inspired to strive for something beyond picking in the fields. 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. Feet thudding on the pavement, and shoes shuffling through the dirt in rhythm. Julie White. Change). This was the best of the best. Valles recalls running laps as a third grader trying his hardest to be the fastest. "That's how we developed that. He showed Valles how . But then you have some little kidI just met a little boy, Alex, in the market today. Finally a great movie, no mayhem, no killing, no swearing, no hanging boobs..this puts some of the other lollywood trash where it belongs In the trash.. Great movie, I cried, wonderful acting and the best inspiration for our young generations!!! Valles, his coach Jim White, and six teammates were the CIF California State Cross Country Champions in 1987. Ayon is the current McFarland boys coach. Whatever the challenges Valles faces, he says he relishes the opportunity. The aunt is a teacher and is brought in to babysit Alex and Julie. White used to tell Valles that he wanted to see him join the cross country team in high school, Valles recalled. Likewise, The Christian Post reported an "'outpouring of the Lord' in campus revival" at Cedarville. a cake. Who was Thomas Valles? Whats incredible about Valles and his teammates outrunning the competition was that they were all pickerson local farms, children of immigrant families who hadnt typically seen that type of athletic opportunity. By Sahil Kapur. He also said he didn't have a relationship with his baseball coach and questioned why there couldn't have been a better relationship. "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. Oh, how that stung me for a long time. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . Seneca School, Sure, Ill help as best I can. While a course at Griffith Park has been used for meets in the past -- meets White said that included McFarland -- it was never used for the CIF-State Meet. You have permission to edit this article. Twenty-one years later, and he has a different outlook. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. (LogOut/ Diaz, and father and mother Paul and No, the real Coach Jim White actually started coaching cross country at McFarland High School in 1980. picking in the fields. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. Did they run over piles of almonds to simulate hills? She often brought along a music magazine that had all of the current top hits' lyrics inside. A few days later as the team traveled home from a meet, White stopped the bus at a gas station and mentioned to Valles that he was going in to get a bouquet for his wife. "I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian (newspaper). Although he retired, Jim is still a pillar of the . I want all of my. His siblings soon started spiraling into unhealthy behaviors. Bottom, from left: Thomas Valles, Danny Diaz, Victor Puentes, Jose Cardenas. Quote Tweet. "However, we have never forgot and most importantly, we will always remember Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez for their ultimate and personal willingness to endure this great sport we love here in McFarland and hopefully in the whole USA.". SKOTY. 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. Almost all had never been to the beach. Not long after, their car is confronted by a group of punks that bother Javi. This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. 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. Added Cheryl: "With him being a pitcher, he would have been straight on.". They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. Yes. Dream big-that's the motto of USI's Hispanic Heritage Month keynote speaker Thomas Valles, a member of the state champion McFarland High School cross country team featured in the 2015 Disney film McFarland USA.Through a conversation moderated by Paola Marizan '15, Valles will discuss his historic and inspiring running career, the challenges he faced growing up in a small Latino farming town in . "We achieved what we set out to do. He was a baseball player, a pitcher, in high school and in college. : The actress is best known for her role as Lulu Hogg, the wife of Boss Hogg, on the classic "Dukes of Hazzard." She was also on "The Waltons" and "Step by Step." "Grace Under Fire" would be her last acting job as she retired after the show's cancellation and passed away on February 5, 2011, at the age of 89. Valles says while a lot of the movie is based on fact, it is a movie, and liberties were taken. It was simply overwhelming for me.". 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. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in 1987. "We didn't really train like that.". 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. She wanted us to go together. Raul is at the left, his sister Sylvia next to him. He was inspired by how far Valles had come. Send me an email at johnharte@att.net. Julie White Born Julie K. White June 4, 1961 San Diego, California, U.S. Without these two beautiful young ladies, there would be no McFarland USA. Click here. My wife reminds me who I am when I get home.. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic) Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you . I grew up with domestic violence and that's what I knew. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. We were recruited young. 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. Even though we both have the same last name, we are not related and she made sure to tell me that on a few occasions.". ", "That bothered him for awhile," White said. " The film shows White taking the team to fields for simulated hill training on mounds of raw almonds. '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 ! That day at Woodward Park, McFarland's top four were dominant. Sylvia Diaz's senior portrait in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. 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. His father is a picker who leaves for long stretches of time, coming home to drink and cause trouble within the family. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Included in the segment, titled In reality, Valles and his family moved to McFarland in 1974, and he grew up working in the fields with his parents. They asked me if I was happy with my place. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. We all have opportunities to inspire every person we meet every day. They're all professionals. -LA Times. Coach White took the orders and delivered them. Coach White would tell me to imagine a line when there's that point of too much pain, and then I would try to run through and pass that line, Valles said. Update, February 19, 2015: I found these additional photos from my coverage of the 1986 South Area championship at Hart Park. Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Julie White: Grew Up in Austin, TX. 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. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performances in Airline Highway in 2013, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus in 2019 and POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive . The circumstances brought Valles to a low point. 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. Plainview Herald. She was on the 1985 team and became a cheerleader in 1986, but her teammates wanted her in this photo. Who was Jim White? What about this one? The disciplinarian was out of the house, Valles said. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. Their mom and dad worked hard and pushed the boys even harder to succeed and do well. And so I would imagine that line all over again.. His older brothers started getting mixed in the wrong crowds and experimenting with drugs. 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. But he never truly felt he made amends for that with his mom. Below we tell the story of White, Valles and the 1987 championship team and point out areas of Hollywood fiction. Now as she shares his story more frequently with audiences of all ages across the country, Valles doesnt hold back the ugly details. The photographs were taken primarily by her brother, Raul Diaz, on his 35-millimeter camera and shared by her younger sister, Flora Diaz. 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. By the time he hit junior high, he was one of the fastest runners among his peers and White took notice. The principal shook his head. In seventh grade, Valles said his PE teacher (White) introduced himself and said he coached cross country and track. Desperate for work, he moves his wife (Maria Bello) and daughters (Morgan Saylor . Valles said he asked the McFarland principal if the team had won. Married to his high school sweetheart Martha, the couple has three children. White coached for 23 years from 1980 through 2002 and he came back for one year in 2003. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' PrepCalTrack.com conducted this Jim White Top, in tree: Luis Partida and Victor Puentes. "When the movie came out, I was kind of in denial. Today, hes a motivational speaker. 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. Thomas Valles. They're men of color. I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. 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