From left: Eva Renteria, Hollie Wykoff, Delfina Herrera, Maria Herrera, Alicia Herrera, Tammy Carter, Norma Torres and coach Gary Pierson. 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 . 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. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in 1987. experience coaching the team. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. November 15, 2021 / Vanessa Villalvazo. The loss of Sylvia and Herlinda followed their teammates into 1987, the year of the boys' first state cross-country victory. What did Coach White throw at the football player inside the locker room? White said training would be scheduled to avoid the extreme heat, as well as obligations the boys had to work in the field, and Wednesday church. When Valles entered third grade in 1979, his dad bought a home in McFarland. This photo . 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. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. But then you have some little kidI just met a little boy, Alex, in the market today. Three shots that changed everyone's life. HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Runner Thomas Valles (5th from left) and his family arrive at the world premiere of 'McFarland, USA' at the El Capitan Theatre on February 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Thomas is portrayed as the troubled teen in the movie and also the number one runner. Its a town that draws in running teams from across the country for motivational talks, and its a town that knows champions can be made there. Terms of Use . 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. Runner Thomas Valles and his family arrive at the world premiere of 'McFarland, USA' at the El Capitan Theatre on February 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California. The six-part series . By Ellysa Harris. "We did have hills," White said. "You saw the hills at the end of the movie.". 'What's going on?' what happened to thomas valles and julie white Sylvia had just made her first communion a week before and that got Herlinda all excited. This mantra propelled the boys of McFarland High School to their the first California State Cross Country Championships in 1987. Retired from law enforcement. Included in the segment, titled "McFarland's Family of Champions," are Danny Diaz, daughter Delia Diaz, Gabriel Diaz, Damacio Diaz, David Diaz, Diego Diaz, and father and mother Paul and Juanita Diaz. Was enlisted in the armed services. By Carlo Vellandi Nov 22, 2022. Our family has watched it three nights in a row. Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it. 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. "(That) fixed it where I could never see my parents on Thanksgiving," White said. Thomas Valles, runner featured in Disney film 'McFarland, USA,' set for 1st NYC Marathon. 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. Similarly, Carlos' life was changed by his teacher, Mr. Wood. 'You're actually doing things for us that our mom and dad don't do. David is represented in the McFarland, USA movie along with two of his brothers, Damacio and Danny. on their time as cross country runners 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. Danny Diaz was not overweight, but he was the seventh runner on the team. what score does the mcfarland cross country team get at the palo alto invitational. No, the real Coach Jim White actually started coaching cross country at McFarland High School in 1980. "We couldn't go out there and run those things," White said. "Sylvia and Herlinda became good friends during cross country, and they would often run together. "My parents divorced. 1987: First CIF-State Cross Country Championships, Remembering 1987: CA's First State XC Meet - Series Hub, Remembering 1987: Arroyo Boys Are Nearly Perfect, Remembering 1987: Drossin, Agoura Overcome Uncertainty, Remembering 1987: First CIF-State XC Championships, Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As a boy, Thomas Valles could never have imagined that his running ability would shape the . 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. Public speaker. We had birthday parties with them. Thanks, My parents always encouraged us to work hard.. Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. 2023 2019 ABG-SI LLC. What about this one? Please contact us cottenzane@gmail.com with this Email. Three shots was all it took and Starr's life changed forever. 5, was not in the picture. Sophomore Johnny Samaniego was 12th overall (sixth in scoring). Yeah, that happened. -KGET 17. I didn't grow up telling my parents I loved them. However, he had been a teacher in the McFarland School District since 1964, following his graduation from Pepperdine University. Quote Tweet. (LogOut/ "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' Right now, you are writing your own story.. White said the team would run in the heat of the summer when temperatures were into the triple digits. But the character of the town started changing, as coach White built success. On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. No. Herlinda Gonzalez's sophomore photo in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook. Sergeant First Class - United States Army. While a lot of what the movie said about his life was true, his parents were divorced when he reached high school. David Diaz remains actively involved in the program, Valles said.). I'm getting goosebumps now. But then it was nervous time. The aunt is a teacher and is brought in to babysit Alex and Julie. 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. I guarantee I wouldn't have missed. "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.". Read rest of the answer.In this regard, who is Thomas Valles married to? However, it happened a little differently than in the movie. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. 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. He occasionally hit more than just the wall. 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. In actuality, Thomas was the number one runner for the 1987 State Championship Cross Country team for McFarland. Good men and woman can make a huge difference in the lives of others. Education, law enforcement, business owners. We're still here hopefully trying to make a positive difference in our communities.". Girls XC coach at McFarland. Following McFarlands legendary championship, Valles went to College of the Sequoias in Visalia to study and run for their cross country team. By Sahil Kapur. We were undefeated in '86 and now we had the opportunity to have a state championship team. From left is Herlinda, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz and her brother, Raul Diaz. La historia de Valles apareci en la pelcula de Disney "McFarland USA". His response, Well, they're not just my friends. It was gold to us, but complete torture for the guys and probably Coach White as well. I want all of my. His family struggles to fit into the low-income Hispanic culture, and White struggles to reach the . The anchor of the cross country team and the reason they won state. 12, The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. After that, the Cougars were the easy favorites to win the first small schools division (D-III) State Meet title. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 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. ", "It was a great accomplishment," White said. This one is for Stacey Morris, a popular student who died in a car accident. Yes. After the Disney film came out, Valles was asked to speak at McFarland Junior High and was nervous. He was more than a coach. He cared and he showed it. We knew we had the potential coming into '87. I loved my sister very much. "That's how we developed that. 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. Partly cloudy skies. Thomas received a degree and served our country before returning to McFarland to raise a family and also help coach the McFarland . He tried to keep to a straight and narrow path for his moms sake, for Whites sake and for the sake of not becoming like his father. Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. Dave Thomas. who is the anchor of the cross country team. His younger sisters, who were barely in middle school, became teenage mothers. He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. "Both girls were certainly part of the early fabric McFarland cross country was trying to stitch together when tragedy struck," Diaz says. At first, it is just a temporary place to live until she graduates high school . Valles retired two years ago from the California Department of Corrections. In the early '90s Thomas appeared as Russell Norton in Grace Under Fire. Retired as a correctional officer. They're men of color. 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 . 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). A mass of athletes, competing in the purest level of competition racing. Here's all you need to know about Taff Jones. White House Farm has been criticised by Essex police for the way in which Taff is portrayed. 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. In fact, when the studio gave Valles and his teammates a special sneak preview of the film, he left the theater unimpressed. Additionally, Coach White would be there for counseling and fulfilling needs beyond what their parents could afford. -23ABC News. "She was crying and hugging Danny. Hollie Wykoff and Alicia Herrera, right, raced in the CIF Central Section South Area meet at Hart Park on Nov. 13, 1986. country team. Truly, something unique happened at Cedarville last week. Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. "All my teammates are still here. Bottom, from left: Thomas Valles, Danny Diaz, Victor Puentes, Jose Cardenas. Victor Puentes is just to his left. compositor Karina Benesh . White has lived in McFarland ever since. under Coach Jim White at McFarland High I don't know if anybody outside McFarland ever asked. Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). This was out of the ordinary.". He offers the kids a chance 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. However, similar to the film, Jim White had never been a runner himself and used the bike to follow the team during their workouts. PrepCalTrack.com conducted this Jim White PE teacher in McFarland, an economically The film also shows a chubby runner named Danny Diaz rallying late to secure the team title. "She might hate me now. One in particular, Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratt), can run a 5-minute mile. 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