That made us work harder. The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to football coach Gerald Pitts, who died of a heart attack. I don't know if anybody outside McFarland ever asked. From left: Victor Puentes, Johnny Samaniego, Damacio Diaz, Thomas Valles and David Diaz. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . This was the best of the best. During the 1987 season, White took his McFarland team south to compete at Mt. "When the movie came out, I was kind of in denial. Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. She was the real (team) mother hugging their sweaty bodies when they came in.". The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. They worked hard. Without these two beautiful young ladies, there would be no McFarland USA. Click here. Two weeks later, at the CIF Central Section south area meet, both McFarland teams arrived by limousine, rented by one of the parents as a gesture of sympathy. Photo courtesy of Flora Diaz and Raul Diaz. Sylvia Diaz's senior portrait in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. Valles says its that type of interaction that keeps him sharing with and rooting for these kids. Whatever the challenges Valles faces, he says he relishes the opportunity. It was enough to get him back on track. Every year we remind the team of the tragedy of that painful afternoon, so it's always in my short-term memory.". Grandchildren to see this wonderful film. But then it was nervous time. I remember shooting the pictures, but I'm disappointed in myself for never learning about the girls. 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. Yes. Pictured are Norma Torres and Hollie Wykoff, right, after the race. McFarland was that 'small' then and is still today. Valles admits he didnt quite understand at the time. A good student, she dreamed of continuing her education after high school and of visiting Hawaii. As he settled into his new home, he maintained the life of a homebody. 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. It's all Hollywood. Valles' story was featured in the Disney movie "McFarland USA.". Jim White restarted the program in 1980 after it had been dropped for a year. Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Julie White: Grew Up in Austin, TX. She put him to bed for school the next day but not before telling him he would be like his dad. It was all to beat the guy next to themthe guy who had not had to overcome what they overcame, had not had to work as hard. "We achieved what we set out to do. 'Danny made a big difference in my life.' It was rare to stay in one place longer than a year. compositor Karina Benesh . Herlinda said that was cool. ', "But as people started asking me about the movie and telling me 'Hey, Thomas, but didn't this happen? I love it so muchthese are people we need the HARD WORKING MEXICANS in this country! From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz. All Rights Reserved. On Tuesday, Valles shared a more in-depth version with students at the JJAEP with the hope of inspiring them. She never held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and just being downright silly. He said he didnt want 2 hire lawyers or have 2 deal with all that. His father is a picker who leaves for long stretches of time, coming home to drink and cause trouble within the family. The anchor of the cross country team and the reason they won state. He admittedly partied too much during his sophomore year and became ineligible. That was the true beginning of the program's championship run to eight more titles. Forgot." He stressed the importance of Whites impact. They still live in McFarland and still want to make a difference in the community.". "(It is) things like that that have touched our lives," White said. Victor Puentes is just to his left. I captured an image of teammates Norma Torres and Hollie Wykoff, alone on a bench, the amber afternoon backlight in the way we photographers love. Central Valley. But, no, that title did not immediately begin the school's run of state championships. That's the legacy I see with that time. 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. We were young and carefree. Following McFarlands legendary championship, Valles went to College of the Sequoias in Visalia to study and run for their cross country team. "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. SKOTY. Higher wind gusts possible.. Also, take a closer look at the Diaz family, who had seven children run for McFarland. 2h. I broke my moms heart at 13, he told the kids. Jim White (Costner) finds his days as a football coach numbered when an incident with a player leads to his dismissal. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. 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. was like to have a movie made about his -LCU.edu, Yes. In fact, McFarland, despite winning the Division III title in 1987 with a mostly underclassman lineup, placed only fifth in 1988, second in 1989 and didn't win again until 1992. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. 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). "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. White. 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. 2023 2019 ABG-SI LLC. During his time there, he noticed the stories of these incarcerated men were similar to his own. Three shots was all it took and Starr's life changed forever. One in particular, Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratt), can run a 5-minute mile. "That's how we developed that. Eventually sophomore Danny Diaz crossed in 91st (68th) to close out the scoring. The first 20 miles are easy, Valles said. Who was Thomas Valles? A mass of athletes, competing in the purest level of competition racing. The photos I made of the teams in the aftermath of the accident were the first I would shoot of McFarland's string of tragedies in the 1980s. And so I would imagine that line all over again.. We knew we had the potential coming into '87. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. It soon became a dominant program among small schools in Northern California. Now. At 31 years old, Valles said he was fulfilling his dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. When I say Mr. White became my father figure and Mrs. White became my mother figure. A recent gathering of Norma Lopez Takahashi, Flora Diaz and Dolores Plata Rodriguez with Sylvia Diaz's photo album. Carter Bonas Is the . On occasion, he said, the boys would have to work in the fields on a Saturday morning before going off to a meet that afternoon. Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. "We're going to go out and try to win the state title.". 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. Ultimately, God has everything in the palm of his hand, but sometimes one can't understand the reason as to why certain things happen and why certain people pass too early.". On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. Yes. who does coach white see sitting on the edge of the bridge. Coach White is a graduate of Pepperdine University, . He won nine state titles and went to the state meet every year but one, he said. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasn't stopped at 52. He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. 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. Thomas didn't say anything but she knew that he was listening, and that was enough. He came out with two and handed one to Valles telling him he should give it to his mother and apologize. We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. What we are reminded of is that McFarland USA is based on a true story but it is not a documentary. Growing up, we had to work to keep a roof over our heads, Valles said. Little did I know that was our goodbye. Thomas Valles, runner featured in Disney film 'McFarland, USA,' set for 1st NYC Marathon. Yes. 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. 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.". Was enlisted in the armed services. under Coach Jim White at McFarland High 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 . Now, nearly 30 years later, Norma Lopez Takahashi gives a little taste of what they were like: "The movie made the boys look so tough. Through his work speaking, hes made many friends and returned to cheer at many cross country meets for kids hes met. One day his mom had enough, he recalled. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. He promised to take him places away from McFarland, California. 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. cross country coach talks about what it We won.' See Julie White full list of movies and tv shows from their career. White said the team would run in the heat of the summer when temperatures were into the triple digits. "David and Danny (Diaz) are in education. All seven Diaz children went to college and all seven returned to McFarland where they live today. Bottom row, from left: Herlinda Gonzalez, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz, Gabby Perez, Dolores Plata, Magda Saragoza, Norma Lopez and Raul Diaz. Not unlike many McFarland kids, she worked in the fields to help support her family. We all have opportunities to inspire every person we meet every day. Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. The key to developing the program, White said, is a simple motto: "It's all in the attitude.". A live-action Disney movie starring Kevin Costner, this 2015 film set in the late 1980s opens on the downward spiraling career of high school football coach Jim White (Costner). I actually realized what true love was. Playing Grace's best friend in Grace Under Fire, White had a falling out which resulted in her giving her notice to the show. Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". Subject from McFarland USA shares life story, Rare endangered animal seen running across Texas road. They asked me if I was happy with my place. We treated them just like our kids. 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