We spoke with the team's top runner that year, Thomas Valles, as well as the program's legendary coach, to help us better understand McFarland, Fact vs. Fiction. It made me rethink the choices that Ive made in the past, because I had a bad past. Obviously this is a difficult, disappointing day in the history of the Bakersfield Police Department, Williamson said. He also allegedly filed false federal tax returns. Sergeant First Class - United States Army. inspired to strive for something beyond I was lucky enough to get one of the best looking guyshes the best looking guy of all of them, so Im proud that he played me, Puentes says. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. [12], Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review, writing that "While the beats of the story are often stock, the picture benefits from sensitive direction by New Zealander Niki Caro and from a most appealing performance by Kevin Costner. Find the perfect victor puentes stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. From left: Johnny Samaniego, David Diaz, Damacio Diaz, Jim White, Kevin Costner, Thomas Valles, Daniel Diaz and Victor Puentes will appear in McFarland, which began production this week. Warning What did Coach White throw at the football player inside the I dont need it, I dont want it, Puentes says. And hes optimistic that the film will be the catalyst that helps him stay away from drugs for good. White sees the athletic "That's deeply satisfying to me to - to go in and tell a story that is not only meaningful, but is true and real, and tell it with the real people." McFarland director " Niki Caro " Custom Content. Im done. Learn more about the McFarland, USA true story by watching the Jim White interview below. "He was our second dad. What we are reminded of is that McFarland USA is based on a true story but it is not a documentary. No. Jose Cardenas, McFarland's expected No. David, however, graduated the year before McFarland's first state title win. Without them, there wouldnt be a legacy.. Over the years, Puentes says he has remained close to his cross country teammates, many of whom, like himself, still live in McFarland. While at Eastern I wrote for the award winning Eastern Progress and served in the student government. They were cross country state champs in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. White continued teaching and coaching in McFarland until his retirement in 2003 and after that he continued living in McFarland. Jim White, a school football coach at odds with the system and players, takes a job as an assistant football coach at McFarland. IMDb's Most Anticipated New TV Series of 2023. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Terms of Use Is McFarland, USA Sad? The team placed second in 1989 with Samaniego placing eighth and getting on the podium. "I started hanging around the wrong kids," Valles said. However, he had been a teacher in the McFarland School District since 1964, following his graduation from Pepperdine University. Your email address will not be published. I told him that he had 2 fight the school so they could pay for the hospital bills. 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. For Victor Puentes, one of the subjects of the Disney film McFarland, USA, life has not exactly followed a Hollywood storyline. 'What's going on?' I spent almost six years as a news videographer at another local TV station before being given the opportunity to report and shoot video at WKYT. This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. 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). It was tough growing up in McFarland.". White has lived in McFarland ever since. White said he started the McFarland track club in 1973 and launched the cross country program at McFarland in 1980. Not all runners from the 1987 team are featured in the film. The film opened in North America on February 20, 2015 and earned $11 million in its opening weekend, finishing 4th at the box office. (LogOut/ Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most . - I know, right. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. That was the true beginning of the program's championship run to eight more titles. Back then, McFarland was largely white demographically. White finds the potential for cross-country in few students at the school. On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. Out of all the 1987 team, Victor was definitely the smartest of all of us, Diaz told 23ABC News. (LogOut/ Create an account. Now he has nothing but the highest regard for White. This page was last edited on 1 September 2022, at 05:39. U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, talks to the media Friday about the indictment for Bakersfield Police detective Damacio Diaz, while Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Williamson and Assistant Chief Lyle Martin, listen. Cookie Preferences, Generated by 10.1.2.53 from cache (2435 ttl) in 25 milliseconds. She stayed in contact with everyone, as she still loved them all. Teammate updates and McFarland photos courtesy of Thomas Valles. McFarland, USA (2015) 1 He's just sitting there, man. But thanks to the film, hes been given a new lease on life. White also makes amends with Julie by throwing her a quinceaera with help from the neighbors, though it goes wrong when Julie is taken out on "parade" around the town and the group is attacked by street punks. McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. You think that's funny, Mitchell? 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. Juanita Diaz. By Ellysa Harris. Did that happen? But Diaz believes Puentes has the tools to turn his life around. Eventually, the McFarland team competes in and qualifies for the State Tournament, and White takes them to the beach to celebrate. Puentes said his troubles didnt begin until after high school. There will b She was an Orisha sent to earth to be the protector all. I just dont need it anymore. "That's their livelihood. Yes, the nickname the boys gave him, as depicted in the film, was real. Coach Jim White Interview & the Diaz Family Looks Back, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Puentes is proud to be recognized for his role in the teams accomplishments nearly 28 years later, and that the film has put his hometown on the map. Its not about me, its not about the other runners. Athena Sanders left McFarland for college, leaving everyone she knew behind. White's wife Cheryl organizes a tamale and car wash sale with the rest of the neighborhood to raise money for new uniforms, where the family and the neighborhood become better acquainted. ', "But as people started asking me about the movie and telling me 'Hey, Thomas, but didn't this happen? PE teacher at McFarland MS. McFarland HS varsity girls basketball coach. Im not like, Hey, Im Victor from the movie. I just feel a little bit better about myself because something good finally happened in my life, besides my children being born. This finally gave me the strength to say, You know what? Facts about McFarland USA 1: General Information This amazing movie produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Picture based on the true story of 1987 cross country team from majority Latino high school in McFarland, California. I grew up with domestic violence and that's what I knew. The family feel like they don't fit into their new community, but White has an epiphany one day when he sees his students running from their early-morning farming jobs to school: Why not channel their talents into running cross-country track? We just set a record. He acknowledged that not everything in the film was factual, but that "it's still an enjoyable movie it turned out fine." But, no, that title did not immediately begin the school's run of state championships. The information captured will be shared by the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS), with all known ISP's conducting business in the State. 1. under Coach Jim White at McFarland High This is part of a series of articles looking back at the 1987 CIF-State Cross Country Championships, the first in California. 1. McFarland, USA (also known as McFarland) is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Niki Caro, produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson with music composed by Antnio Pinto. The indictment states the government will seize the following if its proven it was obtained through Diazs alleged criminal activities: a 2011 Toyota Sequoia SR5; about $49,000 from a Valley Republic Bank account held in Diazs name; property at 157 Famoso Hills Road in McFarland; and a sum of money equal to the total amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the alleged crimes. Victor Puentes; 2015; Related news. It took all of us to make thisevery runner who won a state championship from McFarland made this happen, not just myself or the seven runners. Puentes grew up in Clay City and am a proud Powell County Pirate. This survey is intended to capture information from citizens on their desire to secure a high-speed Broadband (Internet) plan from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), to their respective home. He takes full responsibility for that now. When asked about the measure of fame Diaz received due to the film, and his reputation as a hero in McFarland, Williamson responded that sometimes people arent what they seem. The film shows White taking the team to fields for simulated hill training on mounds of raw almonds. We won.' McFarland tragedy gave boys heart to win. ', "Thomas was at our house almost every day.". I do not own "McFarland USA" or any of the characters. I didn't do that until I met the Whites. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Send me an email at johnharte@att.net. "(White) told me he thought I had some potential (that if) I applied myself and ran during the summer that I could be pretty good.". Excellent, no trash or language. It was indeed the first time that many of the kids ever saw the ocean. Yes. Badly. The indictment states Diazprovided the drug dealer with information on law enforcement practices and activities, disclosed the names and identities of police informants and tipped the dealer off to police investigations, including information on a wiretap probe. Sign up on Classmates for free to reconnect with Victor Puentes and other high school alumni. Included in the segment, titled Not exactly. Jim White and his wife Cheryl have three daughters, not two. children ran for Jim White and all seven Now that I live in Lexington, I get to do my dream job of covering the people of central and eastern Kentucky. "[13] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". I didn't do some of the things they had me doin' in there, but that's alright, that's Hollywood. to know what it feels like to be Subscribe to Popcorn Talk Network's YouTube Channel @ http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Check out all the. ", White, the former baseball player, was a right-handed pitcher. cross country coach talks about what it Retired - living in McFarland. He looked after us, he made sure that if we got out of line, he corrected us.. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. He said no other arrests are anticipated in connection with the case. 'McFarland' Movie Helps One of Original Runners Get Back On Track, For Victor Puentes, one of the subjects of the Disney film. John Ortiz as Jose Cardenas, Ramiro Rodriguez as Danny Diaz, Carlos Pratts as Thomas Valles, Sergio Avelar as Victor Puentes, Michael Aguero as Damacio Diaz, Kevin Costner as Jim White, Hector Duran as Johnny Sameniego and Rafael Martinez as David Diaz in "McFarland, USA." Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. White said there are hills around orange groves about six miles outside of town where the team goes for true hill training. McFarland, USA was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. McFarland, USA Character Reference Chart Danny Diaz 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. They grew up in broken homes. Danny Diaz was not overweight, but he was the seventh runner on the team. -KGET 17. He took us to church once in a while. Mejia was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021 in local reporting for her investigation with colleague Jack Dolan that exposed failures in Los Angeles Countys safety-net healthcare system. He showed Valles how . McFarland USA Interview - Victor Puentes (2015) Interview with Victor Puentes (Real Life Character) for McFarland USA. Puentes began experimenting with drugs and battled addiction off and on for many years. McFarland, USA. Since he graduated from California's McFarland High School in. Im a better person because of this movie and because of my wife, family, and everybody else. Thomas Valles went on to become a prison guard (LA Times). Nine boys state titles is tied with Jesuit (SJ) for the most boys team titles in state history. was like to have a movie made about his "When the movie came out, I was kind of in denial. [12], The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has reported an 80% approval rating, based on 120 reviews, with a rating average of 6.7/10. Valles explained that White had observed him going for a six-mile jog-walk record "trying to be the top guy. PE teacher in McFarland, an economically Just two weeks before he was placed on leave, Diaz posed for photos on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Listen Closely (Victor Puentes/McFarland USA Fanfic). "Things that Mrs. Diaz did (in the film), that's what Cheryl was doing. The film does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the challenges of the small migrant farming community but not everything on the big screen is quite like it happened in real life. All the members of the first team become the first in their families to go to college or into military careers. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. "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. Damacio Diaz, 44, was sentenced Monday for bribery, possession and attempted possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and making and subscribing a false income tax return, according to the U.S. attorneys office. The indictment states Diazprovided the drug dealer with information on law enforcement practices and activities, disclosed the names and identities of police informants and tipped the dealer off to police investigations, including information on a wiretap probe. When you run long distance, you just lose yourself. Obviously this is a difficult, disappointing day in the history of the Bakersfield Police Department, Williamson said. I screwed up.. 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). Team 's won nine CIF-State cross country coach talks about what it -... A difficult, disappointing day in the student government County Pirate feel little. 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