They're all professionals. This is the team featured in the movie McFarland USA, which opens to general release on February 20. Without Mrs. White, I dont think any of this would have happened. -KGET 17, No. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ayon is the current McFarland boys coach. He was the one who introduced us to bowling, to miniature golfing, to going to the beach for the first time. "He just had high expectations of us. 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. I didn't want to go home," says Thomas. There will b She was an Orisha sent to earth to be the protector all. Just two weeks before he was placed on leave, Diaz posed for photos on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in 1987. All three girls graduated with degrees in education from Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas; Tami in 1985, Julie in 1988, and Jami in 1991. Jim White, a school football coach at odds with the system and players, takes a job as an assistant football coach at McFarland. Though the film portrays Puentes as a ladies man, he says he was actually the shyest person on the team. [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. McFarland USA Movie Review. The movie made me a better person, Puentes told Runners World Newswire. When you run long distance, you just lose yourself. "Sometimes I helped them work in the fields," says the real Coach Jim White, "but more importantly, I had practice at a different time. Out of all the 1987 team, Victor was definitely the smartest of all of us, Diaz told 23ABC News. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. During the 1987 season, White took his McFarland team south to compete at Mt. "I started hanging around the wrong kids," Valles said. U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said his office as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the IRS participated in the investigation. Badly. 'What's going on?' 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. 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. McFarland was that 'small' then and is still today. White said Thomas and his daughters were more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend (as depicted in the film). Additionally, Diaz admitted to stealing nine pounds of methamphetamine, which he and his former partner, Patrick Mara, then sold for personal gain, prosecutors said. He also attended the films premiere in Los Angeles with his daughters and wife earlier this month. He looked after us, he made sure that if we got out of line, he corrected us.. Since he graduated from California's McFarland High School in 1989, he has battled drug addiction and spent time in prison. She knew that some of us needed a little bit more. 1. We're still here hopefully trying to make a positive difference in our communities.". SAC where it dominated. We were her sons, Puentes says. Obviously this is a difficult, disappointing day in the history of the Bakersfield Police Department, Williamson said. It made me rethink the choices that Ive made in the past, because I had a bad past. Coach Jim White challenged him and his peers to run. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Damacio Diaz. Although, not everyone had a good race that day at Woodward Park, McFarland scored 99 points to win by 45 points over runner-up Robert Louis Stevenson and 54 over third-place Yreka. David, however, graduated the year before McFarland's first state title win. GREAT GREAT GREAT MOVIE! Nine boys state titles is tied with Jesuit (SJ) for the most boys team titles in state history. However Disney made it a good story is based on Mr. Whites accomplishment with us, with the nine state championships and everything else. It was tough growing up in McFarland.". He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. Just two weeks before he was placed on leave, Diaz posed for photos on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Im done. Thank you for reading! Because Thomas Valles, McFarlands top runner in 1987, is the focal point of all these photos, this was most likely a profile I was assigned to shoot of him in advance of the state championship meet. All the members of the first team become the first in their families to go to college or into military careers. Puentes said his troubles didnt begin until after high school. Oct. 5, 2016 7:45 AM PT A former Bakersfield Police Department detective and member of the famed McFarland High School cross-country team depicted in the Disney film "McFarland, USA" was. Only he doesn't know how to speak ASL and couldn't really talk to her. Victor Puente Is An American News Ancho Born in Germany to Army parents, He has spent most of his life living in Kentucky. Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is the new He was happy, however, to have Sergio Avelar, a former McFarland High School cross country runner himself, play him. Like in the movie, Thomas Valles went to an overpass above Highway 99 one night after his parents got into a horrible fight. He was like a second dad, Puentes says. She's the one girl that changes his mind and he wants to date her. 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. The film was previously slated for a November 21, 2014 release, under the title McFarland,[9] but was pushed back to February 20, 2015 and given a new title. 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. Likely not. PE teacher in McFarland, an economically That day at Woodward Park, McFarland's top four were dominant. McFarland, USA was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Jose. Though it is very close, Jim White likely wouldn't have had a clear view of it from his classroom window, as a street of homes separates the school's athletic fields from the prison grounds. I told them I was but our goal is to win as a team.". He recently retired as a California State Correctional officer supervising adult males. ". McFarland, USA. His performance at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the title. 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. White sees the athletic He let us know that those were opportunities that kids and families should have an opportunity to do. And he considers Coach Whites wife, Cheryl, to be an unsung heroine of the story. Damacio Diaz, whose story was told in a Disney movie about a high school cross-country team, admitted to accepting bribes and drug offenses, federal prosecutors said. I walk with my head up high. "Some had never had a sit-down dinner with forks.". Following in father's footsteps working in the agricultural business. Now he has nothing but the highest regard for White. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Thus began the relationship that was depicted -- sometimes painfully -- in the film. Thomas Valles went on to become a prison guard (LA Times). 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. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. 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. HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Damacio Diaz attends the world premiere of "McFarland, USA" at The El Capitan Theatre on February 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California. White said the team would run in the heat of the summer when temperatures were into the triple digits. After that, the Cougars were the easy favorites to win the first small schools division (D-III) State Meet title. Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report. Yes. Victor Puentes (Anchor) Arrest 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. Director Niki Caro chose to omit Luis Partida, who in the movie is replaced with David Diaz. He takes full responsibility for that now. Thomas received a degree and served our country before returning to McFarland to raise a family and also help coach the McFarland . Primary filming took place in McFarland, California in 2013. The actor rode the pink bike, not the coach. -23ABC News. Now he has nothing but the highest regard for White. As the boys manage to reach one goal after another on the march to the state championships, their newfound support as a collective may be threatened by the realities of McFarland and Jim catching the attention of other, more prestigious schools in predominantly white, upper middle class communities. Terms of Use He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. We developed a program. "[16] A. O. Scott of The New York Times described the film favorably as "a slick and safe Disney version of a fascinating and complicated reality", and that "Mr. Costner, with his knack for grumpy understatement, manages both to dominate the film and to deflect attention from himself. ", White said of the seven Diaz siblings (six boys and a girl), "five of them have their masters and six of them are in education. Menu. Members of McFarland's Diaz family reflect Yes. From left: McFarland's Victor Puentes, Thomas Valles and Damacio Diaz at the 1987 California Southern Area championship in Bakersfield. Puentes began experimenting with drugs and battled addiction off and on for many years. Hey! He and his family relocate to his new job at McFarland High School in McFarland, California, which is predominantly Latino. ", "It was a great accomplishment," White said. Donald trump is right lets import the hard working immigrants and keep the bad ones out! champions. 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