Finally, it eventually became something the whole town was involved in. If you read some of the stories, some of them are pretty crazy. He remains an active and well-loved member of the McFarland community, often working with youth. ", Perhaps for "dramatic" reasons, the all-Hispanic team's opposition in the movie is made up exclusively of blond, privileged, preppy snobs. . The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures. After Jim meets Principal Camillo (Valente Rodriguez) on his first day of work, he begins his new job as a life science/PE teacher and assistant football coach. On the way home, Jim stops by the beach in Cayucos and lets the runners have an afternoon of fun there because theyve never seen the ocean before. Your still a god as you run..any race. (Spoiler alert for movie fans who arent aware that Disney movies havehappy and dramatic endings). White taught fifth-grade science and seventh- and eighth- grade PE and woodshop. And Cardenas still runs, but not competitively. Jose Cardenas, 67, stands at U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana that has been painted with the names of deported U.S. veterans. When we run, our spirits fly. "Sometimes he wakes up and he goes crazy," Cardenas says of his son. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He also did find Thomas Valles on a freeway overpass and help him deal with his family problems. Despite winning their first race against local powerhouse Clovis, the father of the Diaz brothers pulls them from the team to pick in the fields. In fact I was getting ready to post about the article Mr. Cardenas wrote during the movie about running through the groves. Mcfarland High School Class of 1988 Jose Carmona. Our coach, played by Kevin Costner, built a sports powerhouse largely with the children of farmworkers in a lackluster part of the state. Its a chance to pause, slow down, get our bearings before we get up and go again at a kinder pace. In a public statement, Damacio said that he regrets the decisions hes made and the lapse of judgment that led to the crimes, and that this was not the person he really was. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. He took my place, and McFarland miraculously still won. The lake also has the largest and the most beautiful natural lagoons of the country. His group painted a section of the border fence in Tijuana red, white and blue with the names of deported veterans. I thank you and your fellow team mates for a real life example for ALL the young folks. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. I was proud to get to play him.. He made his way to Playas de Tijuana, where he's been living alone, along with many other deported U.S. veterans. Cardenas, a staff sergeant in the Army, lives in Virginia Beach, Va., with his wife and daughter. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The McFarland team continued to run races in North America, Europe, and Asia. Even that teaches everyone who sees your story to see these truths: 1. Aix-les-Bains, city and Alpine spa, Savoie dpartement, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes rgion, southeastern France, southwest of Geneva. The film depicts the McFarland team forming and winning the state championship in the same year (1987). Cardenas, however, returned recently from the movie's premiere in Los Angeles with mixed feelings. As his addiction became worse in the 90s, he got in trouble with the law and served time in a penitentiary. Some of the runners who were on the 1987 team were not depicted in the movie. He transferred to Humboldt State University, in Arcata, Calif., and earned a journalism degree. What happened to Jose Cardenas McFarland? So happy they all turned out to be heroes. McFarland was not a desperate last resort. "They do kind of make fun of us because we dont speak the language. Thanks Laura for this wonderful and insightful letter to MR JOSE CARDENAS. White takes a position at a small, humble high school in McFarland, California in the middle of the vast agricultural flatland of Californias Central Valley. Ester Marsh, the Ys fitness director and active with the Ys Warriors track team, is thrilled about Cardenas appearance. Well, my story is very long with happiness, sadness, accomplishment, rewards, and many more. 1 May 2023. A summer and winter resort with a beach on Bourget Lake (Frances largest lake) and an aerial cableway up fir-covered Mount Revard (5,125 feet [1,562 metres]), it is a fashionable Alpine spa maintaining the sedate luxury of the Victorian era. Its sulfur and alkaline springs were exploited by the Romans, to whom they were known as Aquae Gratianae, and they are still the basis of modern health resorts. Football coach White, after being too tough on his team at a previous high school in a far more prosperous place than McFarland, accepts a teaching position and assistant coaching job at McFarland High School. Please note: On the Scene with Mrs. Kathy King receives compensation of one or more of the products and banners that you will see on this post and or site. On the Scene with Mrs. Kathy King a fully discloses by the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 Guide Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Jose read the blog post and responsed: Thank you Laura for your take on my essay. We speak to the gods. Eventually sophomore Danny Diaz crossed in 91st (68th) to close out the scoring. In one of the 1987 races, an opponent from Bakersfields Centennial High School is shown. -BakersfieldCalifornian.com Did Coach White really help the kids work in the fields? Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France is located at France country in the Towns place category with the gps coordinates of 45 41' 18.5964'' N and 5 54' 55. . David has a Facebook page, but there hasnt been any updates posted since 2014. Jim White and his wife Cheryl still live in McFarland. This may be in the form of affiliate post, sponsored giveaways, sponsored post and other forms of advertising. Pretty much our whole team is going to be there, she says. Check out the latest entertainment and arts news, then plan your weekend with a look ahead at what's happening around Hampton Roads. He had always wanted to be in law enforcement eventually pursued that career, starting in the 1990s. 5. A versatile and innovative financial manager with 30 years of management and leadership experience seeking to utilize skills in adult education and fiduciary oversight of multi-billion dollar . Disgraced former Bakersfield Police Department detective Damacio Diaz, one of the real-life heroes of the movie "McFarland USA," was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Fresno to five . Showing all 2 items Jump to: . Appreciate your different philosophical way to look at things. Its taken me awhile to warm up to it., Jim White, portrayed by Kevin Costner, was the team coach. Tragically, in November 2015 he was arrested for bribery and drug charges, including assisting a drug dealer. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? Besides the tragic death of the two girls on the cross-country team, there were many other tragedies in the same year: on Valentines Day, a car crash claimed the lives of six teenagers, four of whom were from McFarland. Track coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a newcomer to a predominantly Latino high-school in California's Central Valley. Jim Price, a janitor at the high school, let me live with his family. He is in excellent physical shape and he continues to exercise even though he no longer competes. Marsh praises local businesses for their support. les informations, l'actualit de la voile en Rhne. The film only depicts two. Thanks for your comment! As far as Cardenas is concerned, it is a day that will live in infamy, even though the team won, and it's a great finish for a movie. Jim is so distraught by this incident that he begins to seriously consider leaving McFarland and accept the job offer at the wealthy school. Warmly, Laura. A day later, I read inyour essay in the L.A. Times that your State Championship race was one of the biggest disappointments in my youth. Your long-held regret stirred the nurturer in me, and although you are a grown man, a journalist, husband, father, and Army sergeant, in my mind you are still that high school kid, and I cant help my motherly instinct to tell you how I see what you did that day, and what lessons you have taught me and my children. I knew a movie involving one of the biggest disappointments in my youth might be made someday. He had been in a bad way since his oldest son was killed in a gang shooting. Im still active and I still run, said David in a recent interview. As the race begins, something goes wrong right away. and it was also nice of Mr Cardenas to reply your letter this only shows how honorable man he is. Sometimes we are overcome by adrenaline and ambition. Change). The 2015 film McFarland, USA tells the true story of California high school cross-country coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) and his underdog team of Latino runners who had never competed in the sport before and who, when they werent training, had to help their parents pick crops in the fields. Tambin es pizcador en las maanas. I began to lose track of my teammates and my town. Your child will strive, and will sometimes fail. And that hurts me because I cant do that.". "McFarland, USA" tells a heartwarming story about . The odds seem stacked against Jim, who is just as inexperienced at coaching cross-country as the boys are at running it. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Emmys Hispanic & Latino Voices STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events He competed in the 1,500-meter and 800-meter races and was a part of the team that won the conference in 1994. He says McFarland, a small town south of Fresno, in California's San Joaquin Valley, was more urban and less ethnically polarized than is pictured in the movie. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the given coordinates of the places in our database. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. The team hot to where they went because of you and others. He still follows local cross-country avidly and despite the artistic license of the film, he enjoyed the movie greatly. That final championship race. It was a dismal day for me at Woodward Park, Nov. 28, 1987. When we run, we own the earth. Sponsored . Every word was right on. In a dramatic instance of culture shock, White, his wife, Cheryl (Maria Bello in a one-dimensional role as supportive spouse and mother), their disapproving teen daughter, Julie (Morgan Saylor), and the familys youngest child, little sister Jamie (Elsie Fisher), move from a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood to a poor Mexican-American community. (Jason Kempin / Getty Images). He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. At a cross-country race almost 30 years ago, the gun sounds and the seven boys from McFarland High burst across the starting line amid a stampede of runners from around the state. Like many such projects, the movie was in the works for years. Short Poem but very powerful to all the people that have suffered coming to this great nation to give there love ones a better life. According to an interview, both he Cheryl, have seen the movie three times and cried three times. According to People Magazine, even Oscar winner Costner was impressed by the man he portrays in the new Disney film. His alumni now coach the cross-country programs for the elementary, junior high, high school, as well as McFarlands Parks and Rec teams. There are currently 37 luxury homes for sale in Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes on JamesEdition. All other trade-marks and graphic not owned by www.MrsKathyKing.com that appears on this post are the property of their respective owners, who may or may not be affiliated with, connected to, or a sponsored of www.MrsKathyKing.com. Thomas Valles attended and ran for the College of the Sequoias after he graduated from high school. Second, there was a lot of good old-fashioned hard work. Perhaps that is why stories like Mr. Cardenas and his teammates resonates so strongly, as reminders that what may seem impossible isnt. Its amazing how everybody is connected to it. I hope you continue writing even as you pursue your career in the Army. "I lost my job and everything, so I didn't have nothing.". When we run, we own the earth. "He thinks hes out there still, so someone needs to be there to kind of calm him down and stuff. The company also supplied soft drinks for a gift basket for the speaker, which also includes goodies from Catawba College and the Y. "People like Rita Peebles, a cook in the cafeteria who slipped five bucks into my pocket before every away meet so I wouldn't go hungry when the bus stopped at a McDonald's.". Visit MrsKathyKing's profile on Pinterest. New Zealander Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) directs the late 1980s-set McFarland, USA, a tightly focused drama based on the true story of White and his out-of-left-field cross-country runners. After high school graduation, Danny Diaz attended Bakersfield Junior College and Fresno State, then became a teacher and counselor at McFarland High School. The dream came true for them, but not me. In California, Cardenas notes, the movie is a lot bigger deal. His former team members are making the rounds, speaking at schools and churches. When gang members show up and harass them, a fight breaks out and Julie is pulled to safety just before getting injured. In the end, he says, its a Hollywood movie. "Usually, I'd finish fourth. Jim White retired from coaching and still lives in . For me, the story of the championship year and a path to a better life started in middle school. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. We speak the birds' language. Jim begs the father to change his mind and even spends a day working in the fields helping them to convince the father to let the brothers stay on the team. I was born ina family where everyone goes to college. Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France Geographic Information, Fontenay-sous-Bois, the le-de-France, France, Saint-Michel-sur-Orge, le-de-France, France, Fleury-les-Aubrais, Centre-Val de Loire, France, Saint-Genis-Laval, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France. Thomas is the head coach of the McFarland Track Club for kids and I help him with that. "They have to add up the average.". Coach White took care of the young runners - sometimes getting them shoes or letting people stay with his family, as did the community. What we do is nothing compared to what they had to do, she says. Niki Caro Writing Credits . They knew he truly cared about them, and the guys would work extremely hard because of the respect they had for him. Jim White and his wife Cheryl have three daughters. After graduating high school in 1990, Johnny went to College of the Sequoias and competed as a runner from 1990-1992. Cardenas admits hes had mixed reactions about the movie. No stupid Mexicans. Hey, and I would love to show the film to a certain Donald T. so he could learn from Mexican American Power and warmth and character, tenacity and team spirit. Johnny Sameniego: Sergio Avelar . The 67-year-old Cardenas was born in Mexico but moved to the United States when he was seven years old. Victor Puentes served a sentence at the penitentiary, but continued his education and got a good job. First:; I want to say that I loved the poem Jose wrote. It was the 1987 California high school state cross-country championships. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Marsh says she also appreciated the scene where Cardenas took off too fast in a race and hit the wall. Please use Latlong.net at your own risk. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The movie opens Friday. Because his citizenship application never went through, Cardenas was deported to Mexico after serving 10 years in federal prison. He now works as a physical education teacher at McFarland Middle School. Jose Cardenas: Rafael Martinez . Jos Cardenas is a true inspiration. In the rest of the movie, he takes a back seat to the actors portraying the runners who performed better at the race. Photo by RON PHILLIPS -- From left, David Diaz (Rafael Martinez), Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts), Victor Puentes (Sergio Avelar), Danny Diaz (Ramiro Rodriguez), Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz) and Johnny Sameniego (Hector Duran) are featured in a scene from 'McFarland USA.'. Eventually, his love for the water led to the Army. In real life, I consoled myself by reasoning that even though my place had not counted in the state championship, I had been the fourth man on a team that had won a dozen or so invitational races that year, some harder than the state meet. David Diaz also went to college and is now the North Kern State Prison Supervisor of Academic Instruction. 4. Cardenas was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1970, served seven years in the U.S. military and was deported in 2009 after a drug conviction. Located in California's agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, McFarland is one of the poorest communities in California. We would have crushed the team that finished second.. Damacio Diaz went to college, then became a police officer and a 17-year veteran of the Bakersfield Police Department as a detective.