Girls XC coach at McFarland. Its also a testament to parents, dont lower the bar for your kids, always aim higb. Diaz, and father and mother Paul and The movie made me a better person, Puentes told Runners World Newswire. When a police officer misuses his badge to commitcrimes for personal profit, it is the ultimate betrayal of public trust, Wagner said. Puentes joined the McFarland cross country team as a freshman, after Coach Jim White showed up at his house and asked if he was interested in joining the team. His performance at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the title. "That's how we developed that. Julie White has moved to small town McFarland with her family. He started off as a junior varsity runner but made the varsity squad as a freshman, working his way up from being the teams number four runner to being the number two runner by the time he graduated. He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. Puentes said his troubles didnt begin until after high school. The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures. Privacy Policy In 1987, football coach Jim White loses his job after he loses his temper and accidentally injures a team player in the locker room. Send me an email at johnharte@att.net. Was enlisted in the armed services. McFarland, USA (2015) Starring Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Carlos Pratts, Hector Duran It's not a documentary. Julie and Jami are also portrayed relatively younger than their real ages at the time of McFarland's first state title win in 1987 (all three were in college during that time). . The movies about Mr. White. -LA Times. In response, White joins them in the fields and convinces them to come to meets and races at earlier and later times of the day, to which they finally address him as "coach". On one occasion, Mrs. Diaz made 200 dozen tamales to send the team to Asia. The answers are in chronological order. Diaz disclosed the names of criminal informants to Magallanes so the dealer would not conduct business with them and become a target of law enforcement. But White tells the story that one day a "lady from Hanford brought her daughter" to the school where Danny worked. If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Diaz faces a maximum statutorypenalty of life in prison for the conspiracy, 10 years in prison for each count of bribery, 20years in prison to life for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, fiveyears in prison for each count of intentional disclosure of wiretap information, and threeyears in prison for each count of making a false income tax return. In 1964, after graduating from Pepperdine, White was hired to teach middle school science in McFarland. Im not cocky. Its changed my confidence. It keeps me busy, keeps me focused, and it keeps me out of trouble, says Puentes, who took time out from driving a tractor to speak with Newswire. Unlike many of his former teammates, Puentes no longer runs, but he misses it. He rebuilt both the boys' and girls' cross-country teams, despite only the boys' team being featured in the film. Today, Valles coaches girls cross country coach at McFarland and travels around to speak and share his story. Just two weeks before he was placed on leave, Diaz posed for photos on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. -John Harte, Yes, and at times the White family paid for new shoes and clothing for the team out of their own pockets. Puentes began experimenting with drugs and battled addiction off and on for many years. I grew up with domestic violence and that's what I knew. children ran for Jim White and all seven "Danny, he passed up Jose out there somewhere," White recalled. He flirts with all the girls and bounces from girl to girl. High around 55F. When Diaz filed a joint income tax return that year, he omitted additional income of at least $97,900, according to the U.S. attorneys office. Danny Diaz was not overweight as a child. I just dont need it anymore. Jim's devotion to the team leads to him alienating his family, including forgetting to pick up his daughter Julie's birthday cake. He said the high school had 4,000 students and he "felt like a number." In seventh grade, Valles said his PE teacher (White) introduced himself and said he coached cross country and track. The judge sentenced me to a time period that we believe is fair.. We're still here hopefully trying to make a positive difference in our communities.". Since he graduated from California's McFarland High School in. cross country coach talks about what it Eventually, the McFarland team competes in and qualifies for the State Tournament, and White takes them to the beach to celebrate. He was like a second dad," Puentes says. those boys were heroes to many. Mara pleaded guilty to related charges in June and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 17. David is represented in the McFarland, USA movie along with two of his brothers, Damacio and Danny. White said Thomas and his daughters were more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend (as depicted in the film). We treated them just like our kids. " For Victor Puentes, one of the subjects of the Disney film McFarland, USA, life has not exactly followed a Hollywood storyline. "I didn't ride the Barbie bike," White said. I dont need it, I dont want it, Puentes says. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. McFarland, USA was released on February 20, 2015, received positive reviews from critics, and grossed over $45 million. I realized, you know what, this could have been me had somebody not been on me. "We had no idea, with him not performing that day, if we'd actually won it. He retired in 2003 after 23 years of coaching boys cross country. Since he graduated from California's McFarland High School in 1989, he has battled drug addiction and spent time in prison. Description. She's the one girl that changes his mind and he wants to date her. 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. The movies about Mr. White. "Sometimes I helped them work in the fields," says the real Coach Jim White, "but more importantly, I had practice at a different time. "I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian (newspaper). Video games, board games, collectible card games and sports all occupy my time. Badly. 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. Their oldest daughter, Tami, does not appear in the film. Thomas Valles. "We achieved what we set out to do. While on duty on Sept. 20, 2012, Diaz stopped a vehicle operated by two people from Yakima, Wash., and used a police dog handler and police dog to search the car. Despite the group's insistence that Julie was protected, Jim questions his family's safety in McFarland and interviews for a full-time position at Palo Alto that he was previously offered, upsetting Julie and Thomas. Definitely. BPD detective featured in Disney film charged with bribery, drug trafficking, BY JASON KOTOWSKI jkotowski@bakersfield.com. Without Mrs. White, I dont think any of this would have happened. The whole team. His Exact Age is Still Under Investigation we will Update when Information Is Available. 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. At the time of the crimes, he was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force and the Southern Tri-County Task Force of the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. 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. He remains on paid leave. We'd love to share your memories of that meet and that experience. She stayed in contact with everyone, as she still loved them all. 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. This race occurred two and one-half weeks after two teammates on the girls team, Silvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez, were struck by a car and killed while practicing. Police Chief Greg Williamsonsaid Diaz was placed on paid administrative leave when the investigation began in February. White would take his teams to train in Yosemite at elevation. They came back. To save the earth and its humanity. Jose. 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). Education, law enforcement, business owners. As stated above, the real Jim White started teaching in the McFarland School District straight out of college in 1964. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. I give my thanks to her because shes the foundation of [that] home and she opened her doors to every single runner that went through [the program].. White is first put as assistant football coach, but ultimately loses his coaching status when he pulls an injured player, Johnny Sameniego, out of a game, causing the crass Head Coach Jenks to ask him to step down. While the school's football team is as bad as most that he has coached, the one thing he does notice is that out of necessity many of the boys have the stamina to run long distances quickly. ", "That bothered him for awhile," White said. " The Whites had three daughters. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. They were cross country state champs in 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Host Keetin Marchi interviews Victor Puentes at the McFarland, USA premiere.Subscribe to Popcorn Talk Network's YouTube Channel @ http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetworkCheck out all the shows' playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/user/popcorntalknetwork/playlistsVisit our website: http://popcorntalknetwork.comFollow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thepopcorntalkCheck out http://schmoesknow.com for all your movie news!Shopping on Amazon? You dont feel your feet hitting the [ground] anymore, you dont feel that youre out of breath. Not exactly. Is McFarland, USA Sad? After that, the Cougars were the easy favorites to win the first small schools division (D-III) State Meet title. I walk with my head up high. I give my thanks to her because shes the foundation of [that] home and she opened her doors to every single runner that we. McFarland USA Interview - Victor Puentes (2015) Interview with Victor Puentes (Real Life Character) for McFarland USA. 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." By what name was McFarland, USA (2015) officially released in India in English? They want to make a difference. The Tunnel Is a 200-Mile Race Through Darkness, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Now that I live in Lexington, I get to do my dream job of covering the people of central and eastern Kentucky. There is much excitement and anticipation in McFarland about the film, which stars Kevin Costner as coach Jim White, and as I mentioned in my previous posts that dealt with the enormous heartache this town endured in the 1980s Show the world what has happened to my son, Prom night, a crash and six teens lost and McFarlands never-ending heartache this close-knit town deserves some good will and national love. -LCU.edu, Yes. White said the team would run in the heat of the summer when temperatures were into the triple digits. The movie made me a better person, Puentes told Runners World Newswire. Click through our Amazon affiliate program at http://www.amazon.com//ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?\u0026tag=aftcom-20\u0026camp=15345\u0026creative=493161\u0026linkCode=ur1\u0026adid=1DB5P6Z81DTMQXSNPN4T\u0026\u0026ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Frcm.amazon.com%2Fe%2Fcm%3Ft%3Daftcom-20%26o%3D1%26p%3D9%26l%3Dur1%26category%3Dhome%26banner%3D1GKQW904419X3K3XEKR2%26f%3Difr That streak ended while the movie was in production, after the small school was elevated to Division I status, a byproduct of their success. White said he left Stockton to visit his parents for Thanksgiving. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? However, he did rebuild the boys and girls cross country programs from the ground up. Warning Jim does whatever he can to get the key boys in any way he can to be the core of the needed seven member team. Puentes said his troubles didnt begin until after high school. In White's time, the town's population has slowly grown from fewer than 4,000 to just over 15,000. Director Niki Caro wanted to feature more family in the film, so Luis Partida, who was on the team, was replaced with David Diaz, Damacio and Danny's brother. Hey were in a Gifted class and were doing a Documentary in National History Day and wed like to interview you for a primary source for McFarland, USA. I know bcuz Mr. Gonzalez had come 2 my office 2 bring in his work insurance, which his insurance didnt pay much. He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. 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. Though the film portrays Puentes as a ladies man, he says he was actually the shyest person on the team. McFarland, USA. Yes, McFarland is an inspirational story. Seneca School, Sure, Ill help as best I can. 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. Didn't you get into this fight? Many of the citizens of McFarland were extras in the movie. Finally a great movie, no mayhem, no killing, no swearing, no hanging boobs..this puts some of the other lollywood trash where it belongs In the trash.. Great movie, I cried, wonderful acting and the best inspiration for our young generations!!! He and his wife Cheryl met at Magic Valley Christian College in Idaho. IMDb's Most Anticipated New TV Series of 2023. He later taught woodshop and physical education. I dont know if it changed everybody else, but it changed me.. "McFarland's Family of Champions," are Though Puentes doesnt see much of himself in the films portrayal, he says thats not whats important. -KGET 17. I actually realized what true love was. A detective with the Bakersfield Police Department whose exploits as a high school cross-country athlete were highlighted in the Disney film McFarland, USA, has been indicted for allegedly accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in return for assisting a drug dealer in his methamphetamine operation. Though the film portrays Puentes as a ladies man, he says he was actually the shyest person on the team. Victor Puente Is An American News Ancho Born in Germany to Army parents, He has spent most of his life living in Kentucky. A U.S. district judge ordered Diaz to begin serving his sentence on Dec. 5. The family has trouble adjusting to the Hispanic neighborhood and lament being unable to afford to live in Bakersfield. David is represented in the McFarland, USA was released on February 20, 2015 received... Were the easy favorites to win the first small schools division ( )... Won it favorites to win the first small schools division ( D-III state... 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