Google 'McFarland USA fact vs. fiction' and you get quite a few options that separate the true story of the upstart cross country program at the rural Central California high school and Hollywood's spin on it in the film starring Kevin Costner as coach Jim White.
Yes, McFarland is an inspirational story.
Yes, the McFarland High boys did win a team title at the first CIF-State Cross Country Championships held in
But, no, that title did not immediately begin the school's run of state championships. In fact, McFarland, despite winning the Division III title in with a mostly underclassman lineup, placed only fifth in , second in and didn't win again until That was the true beginning of the program's championship run to eight more titles.
As part of our series looking back at that first CIF-State Cross Country Championships in , we also wanted to provide some clarity between Hollywood's version of the story, depicted in the popular McFarland USA, and the McFarland High boys cross country team coached by Jim White.
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
An interview with Jim White, David Diaz, Damacio Diaz and Danny Diaz - the real life inspirations behind McFarland, USA!
The other day I shared with you my interview of the great Kevin Costner from Disney's film McFarland, USA. In case you aren't familiar with the movie, McFarland, USA is based on the trust story of novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (played by Kevin Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. Coach White and the boys have a lot to learn about each other, but they become much more than just high school athletes and a coach. They form a deep respect for one another and end up overcoming the odds to win the state title for cross-country, while going on to achieve their own kind of American dream. While getting to sit down and discuss this new film with Costner was a thrill, I couldn't wait to meet the real people behind the film: Jim White, David Diaz, Damacio Diaz & Danny Diaz - the real life inspirations that this story was based on.
While McFarland, USA features the story o
'McFarland' Movie Helps One of Original Runners Get Back On Track
For Victor Puentes, one of the subjects of the Disney film McFarland, USA, life has not exactly followed a Hollywood storyline. Since he graduated from California’s McFarland High School in , he has battled drug addiction and spent time in prison. But thanks to the film, he’s been given a new lease on life.
“The movie made me a better person,” Puentes told Runner’s World Newswire. “It made me rethink the choices that I’ve made in the past, because I had a bad past. I don’t know if it changed everybody else, but it changed me.”
Puentes said his troubles didn’t begin until after high school. He attended California Polytechnic State University for two years, but he had to drop out because he didn’t have enough money to continue and his mother was sick.
“My family [came] first,” Puentes says.
Puentes began experimenting with drugs and battled addiction off and on for many years. He takes full responsibility for that now. Over the past year, thanks in part to the movie, Puentes began cleaning up his act and is no longer using drugs.
“This finally gave me the strength to say, ‘You know what? I’m done. I do
What Happened To Thomas Valles And Julie White
Thomas Valles and Julie White are real-life individuals who were depicted in the film &#;McFarland, USA.&#; Thomas Valles was a member of the McFarland high school cross-country team that won a state championship, and Julie White was the character based on the real-life Cheryl White, the wife of coach Jim White. After their high school successes, Thomas went on to lead a private life, while the Whites continued to be involved in the McFarland community.
Thomas Valles was one of the standout athletes on the McFarland high school cross-country team, which was coached by Jim White. The team&#;s journey to the state championship was a significant achievement, given the socio-economic challenges faced by the predominantly Latino team in a small California town. After graduating, Thomas Valles continued to run and eventually became a coach and mentor to young athletes, often drawing on his own experiences to inspire others.
Julie White, as portrayed in the film, is a fictionalized version of Cheryl White. In real life, Cheryl played a supportive role in her husband&#;s coaching career and the lives of the McFarland runners. The Whites
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