-KGET 17, Yes. He also did find Thomas Valles on a freeway overpass and help him deal with his I'm coming! He said he didnt want 2 hire lawyers or have 2 deal with all that. Stationed at Soledad and living in Salinas, he applied to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationto fulfill his dream in law enforcement. In 1964, after graduating from Pepperdine, White was hired to teach middle school science in McFarland. "I would not have been surprised if she had ended up becoming a doctor or some top-notch lawyer," says Plata Rodriguez. Eventually sophomore Danny Diaz crossed in 91st (68th) to close out the scoring. Yes. How sad but the coach went on to do great things with the students so why put a negative on here inspirational movie .Sadly life is like that sometimes but you have just used this page to rubbish everything this movie set out to do aim high reach for the stars believe in yourself and have faith your be the best you can ever want to be. 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. David Diaz is behind Victor wearing a white t-shirt and McFarland hat. Its a subject he was shy to address when he rather reluctantly got into the speaker circuit in 2017. 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.". One day he got a call from White reminding him why he was in school. Feel free to email jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv. Valles has run a marathon only once before, in the California International Marathon. Many of the citizens of McFarland were extras in the movie. We thought that was normal, Valles said. 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). Members of McFarland's Diaz family reflect 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. "Neither did I throw that shoe at that young man. Excellent movie. Thomas Valles has been running since middle school, and he still hasn't stopped at 52. Photo courtesy of Flora Diaz and Raul Diaz. In McFarland, cross-country coach, Jim White, changes the course of Thomas' life when he introduces him to running. The whole team. Write by: While Diaz was the fifth scorer for McFarland, he was not overweight as portrayed. In 1964, after graduating from Pepperdine, White was hired to teach middle school science in McFarland. Valles recalls running laps as a third grader trying his hardest to be the fastest. 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 . 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. The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. We had birthday parties with them. 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. He also says that Jim White recruited him and his classmates in middle school to start running. Truly, something unique happened at Cedarville last week. "She was crying and hugging Danny. Terms in this set (31) Who was Danny Diaz? By every account from their friends, relatives and teammates, these were two special and deeply-loved girls. "We ran at Mt. josecardenas; coachwhite; jimwhite +15 more # 3. yours - thomas valles x . Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. Included in the segment, titled Thomas Valles, a former member of the McFarland, Calif. cross-country team that won a state championship in 1987, . Well, yeah, that happened. She was on the 1985 team and became a cheerleader in 1986, but her teammates wanted her in this photo. ", White, the former baseball player, was a right-handed pitcher. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. -LA Times, No. 12, Not exactly. No. Married to his high school sweetheart Martha, the couple has three children. It was simply overwhelming for me.". "Quiet." Julie nodded, and pushed Stacy's hand away, "Sorry. Subject from McFarland USA shares life story, Rare endangered animal seen running across Texas road. "As soon as Mr. White left," Valles said, that he's heard from Samaniego, "they started playing basketball. He showed Valles how . Didn't you get into this fight? Valles eventually enlisted in the U.S.Coast Guard. 1 runner on the 1987 championship team, and asked if he was still close with his high school teammates. Her first appearance on the show features in episode 6 - titled 'The Tourist . His father is a picker who leaves for long stretches of time, coming home to drink and cause trouble within the family. They're not going to let kids run all over them. If one or two of those boys couldn't make practice at four o'clock 'cause they're just gettin' in from work, then I might practice at 6 or 7 o'clock with those boys. Dolores Plata Rodriguez says the bus trips were the most fun of her cross-country experience. Where he called home depended on where his father could find work in the fields. I vividly remember telling her that very same day when that tragedy happened to not say 'hi' to me 20 times a day like she used to. Upset that his wife put him in jail, he got out and filed for divorce. No, the real Coach Jim White actually started coaching cross country at McFarland High School in 1980. 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. All seven Diaz The circumstances brought Valles to a low point. Sylvia Diaz is in the middle. Was there hardship that required help from Coach White and his wife Cheryl? You guys actually-" Stacy covered her friend's mouth with one hand, and used the other to hold up a finger to her own lips. "He was our second dad. went on to college. High 47F. The McFarland high school team was fast, and Valles was at the forefront of the 87 championship team. The legendary former McFarland "He didn't know but I took it as if he had said no," Valles said. That was pretty amazing. This photo ran in The Californian the next day. . On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. Julie White Born Julie K. White June 4, 1961 San Diego, California, U.S. Jim's lack of experience in coaching cross-country isn't some throwaway plot point meant to give the character one more . Middle row, from left: David diaz, Thomas Valles, Amador Ayon and Christian Rodriguez. He admittedly partied too much during his sophomore year and became ineligible. 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. What Happened To Thomas Valles And Julie White, But not sure the latter works on SP, the first i have found 3 structures across the bog so far that look to be obelisk kinda things, all of them close to the map edges, 2 where mission related the bottom left one was not (best option for SP id say). 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 . "The best part wasn't winning a state championship or winning medals," Valles said, "it's what we did afterward, our education, our careers, my family. The team placed second in 1989 with Samaniego placing eighth and getting on the podium. 2h. Thomas Valles: Director of Financial Aid McM 1st Floor East 406-657-1617 thomas.valles@msubillings.edu . Flora Diaz, now a teacher at Pixley Middle School, was 11 when Sylvia died. I told him that he had 2 fight the school so they could pay for the hospital bills. Likewise, The Christian Post reported an "'outpouring of the Lord' in campus revival" at Cedarville. Thank you for reading! Thomas Valles was one of the runners who competed and won the cross country CIF State Championship in 1987. 5, was not in the picture. 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. Many students were touched. However, he had been a teacher in the McFarland School District since 1964, following his graduation from Pepperdine University. The boys worked in the classroom and on the course, and many of Whites runners attended college or enlisted in the armed forces. 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). under Coach Jim White at McFarland High Plainview Herald. He showed Valles how running could set him free. Change). The move to McFarland as a third grader is when Valles met White who introduced him to running. 1. While the Disney film "McFarland USA" depicts the inspirational story of the team and . So I'd have two practices." 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. Its not part of the movie, but the team was, obviously, grieving and impacted deeply. Were you an athlete, coach, organizer who took part in the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships in 1987? 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 coach of the cross country team who won 9 state titles in 14 years. SAC where it dominated. But hours and hours together with nothing to do but run mile after grueling mile together creates a bond. Public speaker. Find where to watch Julie White's latest movies and tv shows Terms of Use Wykoff was one of the runners who witnessed the accident. 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.