"She might hate me now. Many of the citizens of McFarland were extras in the movie. 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. Terms of Use 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. Valles told the kids he and his siblings would get to bed early on the nights his dad went out for drinks. He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. It was bittersweet. Pictured are Norma Torres and Hollie Wykoff, right, after the race. Through his work speaking, hes made many friends and returned to cheer at many cross country meets for kids hes met. Inspired by the irony of his last name, "Blanco" was one of the nicknames that the kids and their families gave Jim White. Although the State Meet has always been held at Woodward Park in Fresno, the film includes the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles in the background of what was portrayed as the State Meet course. Later, Javi and Lupe offer to take Julie out for her own "parade", with Thomas accompanying them. Nine boys state titles is tied with Jesuit (SJ) for the most boys team titles in state history. They were requested by People Magazine. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. This photo ran in The Californian the next day. Julie White plays the character of Maggie Shaw. 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. All of a sudden I saw these headlights and it was Mr. White in his '59 Chevy." Jim White is to Thomas' right and Gary Adams is to White's right. Playing Grace's best friend in Grace Under Fire, White had a falling out which resulted in her giving her notice to the show. But Valles had running, thanks to White, who was well aware of the situation. They still live in McFarland and still want to make a difference in the community.". I guarantee I wouldn't have missed. From left: Victor Puentes, Johnny Samaniego, Damacio Diaz, Thomas Valles and David Diaz. When Valles entered third grade in 1979, his dad bought a home in McFarland. "Doesn't she get enough attention already?" 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. Here's all you need to know about Taff Jones. PE teacher in McFarland, an economically Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Change). His marathon goal falls in line with the releaseof McFarland USA on Disney+ last month. Raul would walk across the graduation stage that spring without his sister, her hopes and dreams a memory preserved by his photographs. McFarland runners, from left: Delfina Herrera, Hollie Wykoff, Tammy Carter, Alicia Herrera and Norma Torres. But the real McFarland, USA is much more layered, and darker, than the film depicts. Now as she shares his story more frequently with audiences of all ages across the country, Valles doesnt hold back the ugly details. Yes. He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. Jim White restarted the program in 1980 after it had been dropped for a year. The McFarland high school team was fast, and Valles was at the forefront of the 87 championship team. He stressed the importance of Whites impact. But the character of the town started changing, as coach White built success. "That's how we developed that. While the idea for the motion picture was conceived in the 1990s, it was not made until Disney bought rights to the story and actor Kevin Costner, who played Mr . Education, law enforcement, business owners. visual effects editor: shade vfx Charles Baden . Wykoff was one of the runners who witnessed the accident. (LogOut/ McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. Our family has watched it three nights in a row. He offers the kids a chance Likewise, The Christian Post reported an "'outpouring of the Lord' in campus revival" at Cedarville. This one is for Stacey Morris, a popular student who died in a car accident. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' Definitely. Herlinda Gonzalez's sophomore photo in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook. Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. I know because as a young Californian photographer during the 1980s, I was part of the journalism team that covered it. All seven Diaz children ran for Jim White and all seven went . "We did what we could to help him. We won.' Update, February 19, 2015: I found these additional photos from my coverage of the 1986 South Area championship at Hart Park. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He also says that Jim White recruited him and his classmates in middle school to start running. You have permission to edit this article. They came back. "Some had never had a sit-down dinner with forks.". I'm getting goosebumps now. Members of McFarland's Diaz family reflect The aunt is a teacher and is brought in to babysit Alex and Julie. Desperate for work, he moves his wife (Maria Bello) and daughters (Morgan Saylor . Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. "Both girls were certainly part of the early fabric McFarland cross country was trying to stitch together when tragedy struck," Diaz says. 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. No one outworked the boys of McFarland. Who was Thomas Valles? The photographs were taken primarily by her brother, Raul Diaz, on his 35-millimeter camera and shared by her younger sister, Flora Diaz. What about this one? who does coach white see sitting on the edge of the bridge. Public speaker. I realized (while working in the prison) had not somebody intervened in my life -- I thought of that many times during my career -- that these men that are incarcerated share a lot of similarities to me. His mom called White who hopped in his vehicle and set out to find Valles and talked him down when he found him. 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. Added Cheryl: "With him being a pitcher, he would have been straight on.". 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. 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. Carter Bonas Is the . His first teaching position in the district was instructing fifth grade science, which he did for nine years. Brief Version. Dolores Plata is sitting on the grass. 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. David is represented in the McFarland, USA movie along with two of his brothers, Damacio and Danny. Valles explained that White had observed him going for a six-mile jog-walk record "trying to be the top guy. Well, yeah, that happened. He was named an all-state athlete in his freshman year. champions. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasnt stopped at 52. '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 ! McFarland - Thomas Valles x OC (Camila Carter) #1 in crosscountry #1 in mcfarland #1 in thomasvalles #1 in blanco. "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.". This mantra propelled the boys of McFarland High School to their the first California State Cross Country Championships in 1987. 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. Send me an email at johnharte@att.net. And both CBN and Fox News announced that the "Asbury Revival" had spread to other schools, including Cedarville University. 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). Low near 35F. 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. Suspense: . McFarland had four in (31 points) before Stevenson's No. inspired to strive for something beyond That was my running family, my brothers, my teammates, Mr. Learn more about the McFarland, USA true story by watching the Jim White interview below. One in particular, Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratt), can run a 5-minute mile. "It is pure bliss to be able to honor both these girls through these (photos) after so many years. 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. 5, was not in the picture. That sounds callous, but when I opened those assignment envelopes and looked at these photos nearly 30 years later, they slapped me with an emotion that shortened my breath. 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. 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.". WABC 11/5/2021. Mostly cloudy skies. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. 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. His siblings soon started spiraling into unhealthy behaviors. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Sports Illustrateds Gary Smith wrote in the story that inspired the movie. Everybody has a Mr. White, Valles said. challenged town in California's farm-rich Bottom row, from left: Herlinda Gonzalez, Delfina Herrera, Sylvia Diaz, Gabby Perez, Dolores Plata, Magda Saragoza, Norma Lopez and Raul Diaz. However, he had been a teacher in the McFarland School District since 1964, following his graduation from Pepperdine University. "Julie felt it was time to move on and do other things." But network and production execs revealed that White had . The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to James Lopez, who drowned in the Kern River. Yes. Plainview Herald. "Neither did I throw that shoe at that young man. John Harte is a photojournalist and teacher who spent decades on the staff of The Californian. He also said he didn't have a relationship with his baseball coach and questioned why there couldn't have been a better relationship. White has lived in McFarland ever since. His mother answered and immediately saw the signs. We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. Right now, you are writing your own story.. "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. We thought that was normal, Valles said. I wouldn't feel anything. Jose Cardenas, McFarland's expected No. Asked what part of the story of that 1987 season he wished had been included in the film, White said the impact of his wife Cheryl. And that pain would come back. who is the anchor of the cross country team. White has lived in McFarland ever since. However, it happened a little differently than in the movie. In fact, when the studio gave Valles and his teammates a special sneak preview of the film, he left the theater unimpressed. We had birthday parties with them. She was on the 1985 team and became a cheerleader in 1986, but her teammates wanted her in this photo. Retired from law enforcement. Teammate updates and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles. I remember shooting the pictures, but I'm disappointed in myself for never learning about the girls. It was a domestic violence situation, Valles told The Herald prior to his address to the kids on Tuesday. Thomas Valles, a former member of the McFarland, Calif. cross-country team that won a state championship in 1987, . Lopez, who was well aware of the situation the same roads along! In myself for never learning about the girls after the race the top guy is to White, drowned! Run a 5-minute mile position in the district was instructing fifth grade science, which did. 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