To see additional photos of the McFarland boys and girls teams competing in the 1986 Kern Invitational five days after the tragic accident that took the lives of their teammates, please visit the post McFarlands never-ending heartache.. After that, the Cougars were the easy favorites to win the first small schools division (D-III) State Meet title. I wish it had told a little more about the truth of Blanco and who he was and why he was there. She was 16 and I was 18 on Oct. 27, 1986. I loved my sister very much. I told them I was but our goal is to win as a team.". But he did say there was a "low-rider" bike with his nickname "Blanco" on it. Upset that his wife put him in jail, he got out and filed for divorce. The first time Valles got real with an audience, a kid approached him afterward. All seven Diaz children went to college and all seven returned to McFarland where they live today. 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. Definitely. 'You're actually doing things for us that our mom and dad don't do. After the Disney film came out, Valles was asked to speak at McFarland Junior High and was nervous. However, he did rebuild the boys and girls cross country programs from the ground up. If he wasnt at school, Valles was expected to be at home or in the fields helping his dad. . He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. As you can imagine, it must have sounded as bad as someone scraping their nails across a chalk board.". I love it so muchthese are people we need the HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country! 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. ", "It was a great accomplishment," White said. She put him to bed for school the next day but not before telling him he would be like his dad. 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. From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. "I was standing there. Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. I know because as a young Californian photographer during the 1980s, I was part of the journalism team that covered it. Hes excited about the opportunity to run again and do it for a cause. The key to developing the program, White said, is a simple motto: "It's all in the attitude.". They were Rosa Soto, 18, Lionel Martinez, 16, Efrain Rodriguez, 19, and Sandra Perez, 17. White retired in 2002 but returned to coach the 2003 team. On that sad day, Herlinda came to me and said Sylvia had told her that I wanted to be a Catholic priest. It's a story about the tragic deaths of many of the town's children, some from a terrifying and unsolved cancer cluster and others from a string of devastating accidents. Hollywood's fictional fingers are all over how the story is framed but in the big picture, the film captures the essence of the main characters and the story quite well on the big screen. Flora is Sylvia's younger sister. Teammate updates and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. The McFarland, USA true story supports that McFarland High School won nine CIF California State Championships in cross country (including five in a row) and held a streak of attending the state championship meet 24 years in a row. "I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian (newspaper). 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." potential at the predominantly Latino high Especially when you travel, people treat you like youre important, Valles said. "David and Danny (Diaz) are in education. Feel free to email [email protected]. White has lived in McFarland ever since. The principal shook his head. Didn't you get into this fight? We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. Likely not. I actually realized what true love was. At 31 years old, Valles said he was fulfilling his dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Coach White called Thomas over. 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 "I would not have been surprised if she had ended up becoming a doctor or some top-notch lawyer," says Plata Rodriguez. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. As stated above, the real Jim White started teaching in the McFarland School District straight out of college in 1964. 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. "We did that year after year to build bonds and to trust one another," he said. 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. The houses in which the family stayed belonged to farm owners. 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.". Kevin Costner plays a high-school football coach who ends up leading a cross-country track team made up unlikely students to a state championship. Raul is at the left, his sister Sylvia next to him. 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.". Visit johnhartephoto.wordpress.com to see John's McFarland cross-country photos following the deaths of Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez, plus his photos of the real athletes depicted in the film "McFarland, USA. Good men and woman can make a huge difference in the lives of others. "Just getting everybody to believe in themselves," Valles said was how White developed and maintained the program at such a high level. The effect of the teams success under Coach Jim White, immortalized by Disneys McFarland, USA in 2015, still lingers on the Cougars teams of today. Three shots that changed everyone's life. Valles, his coach Jim White, and six teammates were the CIF California State Cross Country Champions in 1987. 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. Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). 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. His response, Well, they're not just my friends. those boys were heroes to many. The film McFarland USA(2015) is based on a true story of a Teacher/Coach, Jim White (Kevin Costner) and a high school cross country team from a poor farm town in Central California. Education, law enforcement, business owners. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. -LCU.edu, Yes. A recent gathering of Norma Lopez Takahashi, Flora Diaz and Dolores Plata Rodriguez with Sylvia Diaz's photo album. Who is Damasio Diaz? Like a scene from the movie, he found himself at a bridge on the highway one night when hed had enough. David is represented in the McFarland, USA movie along with two of his brothers, Damacio and Danny. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' 'Everybody in the world is going to think I'm fat and I wasn't fat.' She wanted us to go together. They were cross country state champs in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Thanks, That's the legacy I see with that time. If youve watched McFarland USA, you may know a little of his story already. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in 1987. 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 move to McFarland as a third grader is when Valles met White who introduced him to running. The girls were clutching long-stemmed roses. Julie, and Jamie, and four grandchildren. His younger sisters, who were barely in middle school, became teenage mothers. Winds light and variable. 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. But then it was nervous time. Heck, we girls could have beat them up," she says, delivering a good-natured salvo to her former teammates. who is the anchor of the cross country team. PE teacher at McFarland MS. McFarland HS varsity girls basketball coach. They attack the group, while they push Julie out of harm's way. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. She never held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and just being downright silly. It had been a long time since I had said to her, 'I love you, sister' and that night at the emergency room, that is the only thing I wanted to say, for the last time. "Sylvia and I were seniors because my parents placed us in the same grade when we were in fourth grade because they wanted me to walk with her to school. "McFarland's Family of Champions," are La historia de Valles apareci en la pelcula de Disney "McFarland USA". Stationed at Soledad and living in Salinas, he applied to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationto fulfill his dream in law enforcement. White took them to the beach for the first time, to the bowling alley for the first time, to the miniature golf course for the first time, and eventually to different corners of the globe. compositor Karina Benesh . He also said he didn't have a relationship with his baseball coach and questioned why there couldn't have been a better relationship. Thomas gives her a bracelet that his grandmother made. Valles grew up in a migrant family. We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. Many students were touched. We'd love to share your memories of that meet and that experience. The photographs were taken primarily by her brother, Raul Diaz, on his 35-millimeter camera and shared by her younger sister, Flora Diaz. By 1986, Texas-born Coach Jim White, nicknamed Blanco by his Latino team, had built a locally dominant cross country team. "Sometimes a setback like that brings people and teams closer and more intimate with each other, and we found ourselves running for McFarland, Mr. White and most importantly, for each other.". children ran for Jim White and all seven You have permission to edit this article. Valles' story was featured in the Disney movie "McFarland USA.". School. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, the boys team lines up for the start of their race. Yes. "You saw the hills at the end of the movie.". Thank you for reading! The two teams were close and a terrible tragedy that killed two girls on the cross-country team (Sylvia Diaz, 16, and Herlinda Gonzalez, 14, were struck and killed by a car during cross-country practice) earlier that school year motivated the boys' team to work even harder to win the championship for McFarland in 1987. Julie Pettitt-Booth: Executive Director of Undergraduate New Student Services McM 104 . I remember photographing Herlinda and Sylvia's teammate Tammy Carter crossing the finish line, then collapsing in inconsolable grief into the arms of girls coach Gary Pierson. A former . 5, was not in the picture. Who was Thomas Valles? In the early '90s Thomas appeared as Russell Norton in Grace Under Fire. The final episode of White House Farm aired in February 2020 on ITV and the entire series is streaming on Netflix now. 12, The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. 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. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. No, the real Coach Jim White actually started coaching cross country at McFarland High School in 1980. ", "Thomas he made a big impact on our life," White said. The circumstances brought Valles to a low point. These photos, by the way, are from the California Southern Area meet held at Hart Park in Bakersfield, probably November 1987, and if I remember correctly, it is the meet before the California Interscholastic Federation section championship and the California state championship, which the team went on to win, and is a focus of the film. Sylvia was pronounced dead at Delano Regional Medical Center; Herlinda died the following day. Sophomore Johnny Samaniego was 12th overall (sixth in scoring). Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Three shots was all it took and Starr's life changed forever. White, 79, said his experience at Franklin shaped his path toward McFarland. Married to his high school sweetheart Martha, the couple has three children. They want to make a difference. What about this one? Yes. He later taught woodshop and physical education. Did that happen? champions. They still live in McFarland and still want to make a difference in the community.". This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. My wife reminds me who I am when I get home.. experience coaching the team. Similarly, Carlos' life was changed by his teacher, Mr. Wood. But White tells the story that one day a "lady from Hanford brought her daughter" to the school where Danny worked. McFarland was that 'small' then and is still today. They talk about being inspired to strive for something beyond picking in the fields. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. -KGET 17. johnny sameniego. 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. 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. Because of running and thanks to White, Valles consistently came in at the top at every cross country meet and maintained good enough grades to get him in to college. "He was our second dad. Added Cheryl: "With him being a pitcher, he would have been straight on.". The memorial pages in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook for Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz. Dozens of Coach Jim White's runners ended up going to college or into the armed forces. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross . "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. Also, take a closer look at the Diaz family, who had seven children run for McFarland. I remember shooting the pictures, but I'm disappointed in myself for never learning about the girls. It was tough growing up in McFarland.". You might know Valles from the famous Disney movie McFarland USA. Carlos Chalabi portrayed him as a high school student. And, man, I just started crying, started crying tears of joy. Additionally, Coach White would be there for counseling and fulfilling needs beyond what their parents could afford. "We're going to go out and try to win the state title.". Everybody has a Mr. White, Valles said. A 1997 LA Times article described it as a rickety, worn bicycle, but did not state that it was a girl's bicycle like in the movie. Photo credit: ITV. josecardenas; coachwhite; jimwhite +15 more # 3. yours - thomas valles x . "My parents divorced. They're men of color. We won.' "She might hate me now. Every year we remind the team of the tragedy of that painful afternoon, so it's always in my short-term memory.". What did Coach White throw at the football player inside the locker room? Life went on.. Yes, the nickname the boys gave him, as depicted in the film, was real. Raul went on to become a priest and is pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Dinuba. "She was crying and hugging Danny. Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". While still being interviewed, Valles said he noticed his teammates hugging and crying. Members of McFarland's Diaz family reflect a cake. Jim's lack of experience in coaching cross-country isn't some throwaway plot point meant to give the character one more . "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. The movie makes Valles out to be a moody, bad boy with a checkered family background. Its not part of the movie, but the team was, obviously, grieving and impacted deeply. They are portrayed to be 15 and 10, a few years younger than they actually were at the time of the first state title in 1987 (the girls were in college at the time). McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. They became my kids, proclaims White. We had birthday parties with them. 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. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. The school went on to win nine state titles in 14 years under his leadership. Terms of Use Now more than 30 years later, he knows he disappointed her and White. 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. I didn't grow up telling my parents I loved them. For 15 years, actress Pauley Perrette delighted fans as the surprisingly bubbly goth forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on the CBS crime procedural NCIS. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. 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. It was rare to stay in one place longer than a year. "We did have hills," White said. (LogOut/ We were going in the right direction with our training they just started believing in whatever I was saying. "Things that Mrs. Diaz did (in the film), that's what Cheryl was doing. The movie downplayed the circumstances in which Valles grew up. Director Niki Caro chose to omit Luis Partida, who in the movie is replaced with David Diaz. "Sometimes I helped them work in the fields," says the real Coach Jim White, "but more importantly, I had practice at a different time. who does coach white see sitting on the edge of the bridge. Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Generated by 10.1.2.159 from cache (3498 ttl) in 11 milliseconds. 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. Sylvia Diaz's senior portrait in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. 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. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasn't stopped at 52. White said there are hills around orange groves about six miles outside of town where the team goes for true hill training. Dolores Plata is sitting on the grass. Completed. "He just had high expectations of us. This is part of a series of articles looking back at the 1987 CIF-State Cross Country Championships, the first in California. Here's all you need to know about Taff Jones. Not unlike many McFarland kids, she worked in the fields to help support her family. Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. Carter Bonas Is the . On Sunday, Valles, a former Salinas resident who now lives in McFarland and coaches girls cross country at McFarland High School, will participate in the 50th annual NYC Marathon. Romance: Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts) and Jim's daughter, Julie White (Morgan Saylor), have some serious chemistry. Update, February 18, 2015: I have located my original images from the 1986 Kern County Invitational, the first race the McFarland girls and boys ran following the tragic . McFarland also had a superb girls' cross-country team. Who was Jim White? Valles retired two years ago from the California Department of Corrections. Jim gets Julie a pretty dress, and she loves the party. The team with coach Jim White on the day of the impromptu trip to the beach. "We didn't really train like that.". E-7Sergeant First Class - United States Army. Some, like David Diaz, became teachers themselves. visual effects editor: shade vfx Charles Baden . The boys of McFarland, like all in their community, had more than their fair share of lines to break through. The real Coach Jim White took both the boys and girls cross country teams to the California central coast beach at Cayucos during the 1985 season (not the 1987 season). But enjoy the moment. 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Subject from McFarland USA shares life story, Rare endangered animal seen running across Texas road. The first 20 miles are easy, Valles said. Truly, something unique happened at Cedarville last week. 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. "I grew up in a broken home," Valles said. "You couldn't tell if she was ever having a bad day, because she was always so uplifting and a pleasure to be around. And all seven you have permission to edit this article the beach n't grow up telling my parents I them. The CIF California state cross country programs from the movie, he found himself at a bridge on team... And I was 18 on Oct. 27, 1986 she never held back when it came to laughing making... Is actually just down the road from what happened to thomas valles and julie white California Department of Corrections Abby Sciuto the! 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