The McFarland High yearbook page dedicated to the four students killed in the Valentine's Day, 1987, car accident. Thomas Valles was barely a teenager when a coach stepped in and changed his life. White has lived in McFarland ever since. Forgot." 'What's going on?' Thomas Valles: Director of Financial Aid McM 1st Floor East 406-657-1617 [email protected] . He later taught woodshop and physical education. He was no fan of homework and was diagnosed with dyslexia creating some additional learning challenges at school but he was motivated to run and to travel. Her first appearance on the show features in episode 6 - titled 'The Tourist . potential at the predominantly Latino high PrepCalTrack.com conducted this Jim White Tu cuenta de Descarga previa (EZA) se mantendr vigente durante un ao. If he wasnt at school, Valles was expected to be at home or in the fields helping his dad. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. "He just had high expectations of us. Did Coach White ride his bike as the boys ran? We were young and carefree. Valles explained that White had observed him going for a six-mile jog-walk record "trying to be the top guy. 5. "All my teammates are still here. What is it about distance running that not only allowed seven kids to dominate, but brought a whole community together? 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). The film also shows a chubby runner named Danny Diaz rallying late to secure the team title. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. Retired from law enforcement. Yes. Yes. Photo credit: ITV. Similarly, Carlos' life was changed by his teacher, Mr. Wood. . Both Valles and White said the movie producers preferred the idea of three Diaz brothers on the team rather than just two. They talk about being inspired to strive for something beyond picking in the fields. who does coach white see sitting on the edge of the bridge. Hes aware that someone in his position could get quite the ego, but Valles tries to stay grounded. Valles went on to earn a criminal justice degree. Coach White is a graduate of Pepperdine University, . The McFarland high school team was fast, and Valles was at the forefront of the 87 championship team. At first, it is just a temporary place to live until she graduates high school . No contact since high school. White's daughter." Thomas laughed, a strange bitter sound. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic) Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you . Plainview teen preparing to take Houston Rodeo entertainment stage with Castillo game-winner sends Floydada to regional semi-finals, Sam Elliott award winner for male actor in "1883", High winds, lots of dirt cause havoc across Plainview, Texas bluebonnet season is almost here. "We did that year after year to build bonds and to trust one another," he said. Girls XC coach at McFarland. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Sylvia Diaz is in the middle. A 1997 LA Times article described it as a rickety, worn bicycle, but did not state that it was a girl's bicycle like in the movie. Brief Version. This photo . Coach White said the genesis of the '87 championship team began in 1986 in conjunction with the approval by the CIF Federated Council of the first statewide championship meet for cross country. Suspense: . Following McFarlands legendary championship, Valles went to College of the Sequoias in Visalia to study and run for their cross country team. "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. He won nine state titles and went to the state meet every year but one, he said. Durning the season, the boys are not supposed to play basketball. What you need to know. We still run the same roads, along the same fields, just with different kids. visual effects coordinator: Shade VFX "That's their livelihood. They raised three girls (not two as depicted in the movie) and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. those boys were heroes to many. Right now, you are writing your own story.. In the early '90s Thomas appeared as Russell Norton in Grace Under Fire. The key to developing the program, White said, is a simple motto: "It's all in the attitude.". MileSplit California Editor: Gemma Rowlands, 25, and husband Daren More, 31, got . challenged town in California's farm-rich cross country coach talks about what it Many of the citizens of McFarland were extras in the movie. Feet thudding on the pavement, and shoes shuffling through the dirt in rhythm. Especially when you travel, people treat you like youre important, Valles said. josecardenas; coachwhite; jimwhite +15 more # 3. yours - thomas valles x . The whole team. Also, take a closer look at the Diaz family, who had seven children run for McFarland. In this photo shot by Raul Diaz on Oct. 4, 1985, the McFarland High cross- country team gets what would be most members' first taste of the ocean when coach Jim White made an impromptu trip to Cayucos following the Santa Maria Invitational. "(It is) things like that that have touched our lives," White said. 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. While still being interviewed, Valles said he noticed his teammates hugging and crying. | "I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian (newspaper). Jim White and Thomas Valles Reflect on 35 Years of McFarland Track. Please contact us [email protected] with this Email. Valles was a star on the team and is the primary runner featured in the film "McFarland, USA.". The 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook contains a heartbreaking number of "in memorial" pages, way too many for a tiny country school. 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 2015 film starring Kevin Costner as coach Jim White. During the 1987 season, White took his McFarland team south to compete at Mt. Nine boys state titles is tied with Jesuit (SJ) for the most boys team titles in state history. And both CBN and Fox News announced that the "Asbury Revival" had spread to other schools, including Cedarville University. He got into the truck and began to talk with Coach White about his difficulties at home. The three Diaz brothers featured in the new Disney movie, David, Damacio and Danny, all speak highly of both of their parents. He also attended CSU Bakersfield and was the first person in his familyto get higher than a sixth-grade education. At about 3:30 p.m. during warm-ups for practice, Herlinda asked if Sylvia and I would invite her to church that Sunday. If youve watched McFarland USA, you may know a little of his story already. "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'm in sixth grade, and Im running.. Bottom, from left: Thomas Valles, Danny Diaz, Victor Puentes, Jose Cardenas. 12, Not exactly. went on to college. Valles' friend Ernie Bueno, who introduced Valles to Killian, asked Valles to participate in a Run to End Duchenne at the 2021 New York Marathon. school and decides to put together a cross By Sahil Kapur. Her hand drawn prints are instantly recognisable. Diaz, now a vice principal at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, says he regrets taking Herlinda's upbeat nature for granted. Ultimately, God has everything in the palm of his hand, but sometimes one can't understand the reason as to why certain things happen and why certain people pass too early.". I didn't want to go home," says Thomas. That streak ended while the movie was in production, after the small school was elevated to Division I status, a byproduct of their success. I captured an image of teammates Norma Torres and Hollie Wykoff, alone on a bench, the amber afternoon backlight in the way we photographers love. They worked hard. In actuality, Thomas was the number one runner for the 1987 State Championship Cross Country team for McFarland. Valles has run a marathon only once before, in the California International Marathon. Yes, the nickname the boys gave him, as depicted in the film, was real. Director Niki Caro chose to omit Luis Partida, who in the movie is replaced with David Diaz. Its a town that draws in running teams from across the country for motivational talks, and its a town that knows champions can be made there. "He's the one who . "She was crying and hugging Danny. ", "That bothered him for awhile," White said. " I'm getting goosebumps now. Local photojournalist John Harte, who followed the team at the time, says that he witnessed opposing teams offer genuine handshakes of good luck. Stationed at Soledad and living in Salinas, he applied to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationto fulfill his dream in law enforcement. Herlinda said that was cool. Jim White attended Franklin High in Stockton and Magic Valley Christian community college in Idaho before completing his education at Pepperdine. Hes excited about the opportunity to run again and do it for a cause. Fun was all that was on our minds. Did the boys have to get up with the sun to work in the fields only to return later in the day to train there? Julie K. White (born June 4, 1961) is an American actress. White House Farm has been criticised by Essex police for the way in which Taff is portrayed. Despite a strong group returning from the '87 championship team, McFarland only placed fifth in 1988. They grew up in broken homes. Thomas Valles was one of the runners who competed and won the cross country CIF State Championship in 1987. Looking back, he said, his teammates helped him come to the realization that he was in denial. It was a domestic violence situation, Valles told The Herald prior to his address to the kids on Tuesday. "He had to be wondering, 'Hey, what am I doing up here?' They want to make a difference. I grew up in a house with domestic violence, and I didnt feel compelled to share, he said. It wasnt unusual for his father. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. McFarland was that 'small' then and is still today. He recently retired as a California State Correctional officer supervising adult males. He has been fired from several jobs, and eventually ends up in the titular town (the only place that would hire him). White said Thomas and his daughters were more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend (as depicted in the film). A female carer working with autistic children who bit off part of a pub landlady's ear during a boozy bar brawl has been jailed for 14 months. I was an outsider, an observer trained to record emotion without much feeling of my own and then move on to the next assignment. This was the best of the best. The photo was taken with Raul's camera by a teammate. Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is the new White, a newcomer to McFarland when he coached the team to the state championship, still lives there. White would take his teams to train in Yosemite at elevation. We treated them just like our kids. " 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). Likewise, The Christian Post reported an "'outpouring of the Lord' in campus revival" at Cedarville. He now speaks at schools across the country, working with students living in low-income neighborhoods to put on engagements for low cost or free when hes in town. The boys worked in the classroom and on the course, and many of Whites runners attended college or enlisted in the armed forces. Dad didnt want us in the calles, in the streets, Valles said. Thomas received a degree and served our country before returning to McFarland to raise a family and also help coach the McFarland . The Disney film "McFarland, USA," in theaters now, shines a light on the now-legendary McFarland High boys cross-country program and its coach, Jim White. Yes, McFarland is an inspirational story. Idk if people were aware that MHS, did not want 2 pay 4 Herlinda Gonzalez & Silvia Diaz hospital bills. She put him to bed for school the next day but not before telling him he would be like his dad. "I grew up in a broken home," Valles said. She never held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and just being downright silly. Yes. You have permission to edit this article. The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas and Published by Balzer and Bray, is realistic fiction. under Coach Jim White at McFarland High Thomas gives her a bracelet that his grandmother made. He said he told his mother that he wanted to go somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact. Valles' story was featured in the Disney movie "McFarland USA.". "You couldn't tell if she was ever having a bad day, because she was always so uplifting and a pleasure to be around. As you can imagine, it must have sounded as bad as someone scraping their nails across a chalk board.". Below we tell the story of White, Valles and the 1987 championship team and point out areas of Hollywood fiction. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. Thanks, Ask TBC: What's the latest on this indicted BPD officer? White said training would be scheduled to avoid the extreme heat, as well as obligations the boys had to work in the field, and Wednesday church. Sylvia was pronounced dead at Delano Regional Medical Center; Herlinda died the following day. champions. And that pain would come back. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performances in Airline Highway in 2013, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus in 2019 and POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive . She often brought along a music magazine that had all of the current top hits' lyrics inside. His first teaching position in the district was instructing fifth grade science, which he did for nine years. Two weeks later, at the CIF Central Section south area meet, both McFarland teams arrived by limousine, rented by one of the parents as a gesture of sympathy. . the coach of the cross country team who won 9 state titles in 14 years. Did he ride a pink girls 'Barbie' bike, or was it only Costner? His family was dysfunctional. Kalynn White: ASC Operations Coordinator . It features a bridge with silhouettes of runners, and a water tower with a running mural. The photos I made of the teams in the aftermath of the accident were the first I would shoot of McFarland's string of tragedies in the 1980s. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, the boys team lines up for the start of their race. Pow. Valles eventually enlisted in the U.S.Coast Guard. During cross-country practice on Oct. 27, 1986, Sylvia Diaz, a 16-year-old McFarland High senior, and Herlinda Gonzalez, 14, a sophomore, were struck by a car on Whisler Road in McFarland. -LA Times. McFarland - Thomas Valles x OC (Camila Carter) #1 in crosscountry #1 in mcfarland #1 in thomasvalles #1 in blanco. The girls were clutching long-stemmed roses. Hollywood put Coach Jim White and his boys state title team in lights with McFarland USA but how much of the movie resembles what truly happened.. College Progression Tracker 60m 100m 100H 110H 200m 300H 400m 400H 800m 1600m 3200m Discus Shotput Javelin High Jump Long Jump Triple Jump Excellent, no trash or language. Quote Tweet. Delano Now His response, "Well, they're not just my friends. It's all Hollywood. If Valles wanted to travel, he had to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble. Yes. McFarland also had a superb girls' cross-country team. We became a real family, and we're still family.. Playing Grace's best friend in Grace Under Fire, White had a falling out which resulted in her giving her notice to the show. World Premiere Of Disney's "McFarland, USA". While the idea for the motion picture was conceived in the 1990s, it was not made until Disney bought rights to the story and actor Kevin Costner, who played Mr . Dream big-that's the motto of USI's Hispanic Heritage Month keynote speaker Thomas Valles, a member of the state champion McFarland High School cross country team featured in the 2015 Disney film McFarland USA.Through a conversation moderated by Paola Marizan '15, Valles will discuss his historic and inspiring running career, the challenges he faced growing up in a small Latino farming town in . 2h. He also explored parts of California, Nevada and took an overseas trip to Taiwan places he might not have been able to visit had it not been for White. Kevin Costner plays a high-school football coach who ends up leading a cross-country track team made up unlikely students to a state championship. Was enlisted in the armed services. Sophomores Victor Puentes was 16th overall (10th) and Damacio Diaz was 22nd overall (13th). Cross country is an individual sport; no matter how well your team does, you still have your own time. Yes. Sylvia Diaz's senior portrait in the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He also said he didn't have a relationship with his baseball coach and questioned why there couldn't have been a better relationship. You might know Valles from the famous Disney movie McFarland USA. Carlos Chalabi portrayed him as a high school student. to know what it feels like to be Julie White has moved to small town McFarland with her family. They met at my house for practice. ", Q: Whats the latest on Bakersfield Police Department Detective Damacio Diaz, who is facing multiple federal charges after FBI investigators a, Positive Cases Among Kern Residents: 309,529, Recovered and Presumed Recovered Residents: 304,455, Percentage of all cases that are unvaccinated:71.13, Percentage of all hospitalizations that are unvaccinated:83.13, Source: Kern County Public Health Services Department. Some, like David Diaz, became teachers themselves. Everybody is important. Many of White's former runners credit him with inspiring them to achieve personal and career goals they would have otherwise deemed impossible (People.com). picking in the fields. -BakersfieldCalifornian.com, Yes. While the Disney film "McFarland USA" depicts the inspirational story of the team and . Public speaker. McFarland runners, from left: Delfina Herrera, Hollie Wykoff, Tammy Carter, Alicia Herrera and Norma Torres. Although the State Meet has always been held at Woodward Park in Fresno, the film includes the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles in the background of what was portrayed as the State Meet course. Jim gets Julie a pretty dress, and she loves the party. He later joined the U.S. Coast Guard. The first time Valles got real with an audience, a kid approached him afterward. Retired as a correctional officer. what score does the mcfarland cross country team get at the palo alto invitational. One day his mom had enough, he recalled. Et que tu t'enfuies la queue entre les jambes aprs qu'on t'ait expropri pour rcuprer notre d, celui que ta classe exploiteuse nous a vol ! Without these two beautiful young ladies, there would be no McFarland USA. Click here. In this photo by Raul Diaz, Sylvia Diaz (3) and teammate Magda Saragoza run in a race in 1985. I'm not really sure." He looked over at her, "who is she?" "Julie. If one or two of those boys couldn't make practice at four o'clock 'cause they're just gettin' in from work, then I might practice at 6 or 7 o'clock with those boys. Samaniego was 17th, Puentes 26th, Cardenas 37th, Damacio Diaz 43rd and Danny Diaz was 85th. The 1986 McFarland High girls cross-country team. Dave Thomas. children ran for Jim White and all seven I have never forgotten what it was like covering 1980s McFarland, from the image of those girls posing in front of the limousine and trying to look happy to the night one year later when Ernesto Bravo saw me photographing his 14-year-old son, Mario, in his casket, the town's sixth cancer victim. ", White said Diaz was about 110 pounds as a sophomore in 1987. This was out of the ordinary.". His father was an abusive alcoholic, he said. 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. Carter Bonas Is the . Raul Diaz was also a senior in 1986 and on the boys team. My most memorable moments with her were the bus rides to away races. Jim was known for being a tough coach by his runners but also for his selfless acts of helping out with the boys, the town and the church. Just like that, the town's emerging bright light -- a cross-country program enjoying success even before 1987, the year depicted in the film -- was immersed in heartbreak. At the Kern Invitational on Nov. 1, 1986, five days after the accident that took the lives of Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz, Thomas Valles prays before the start of the boys race. He showed Valles how running could set him free. It reminds me of another good one, Glory Road. By the time he hit junior high, he was one of the fastest runners among his peers and White took notice. Taff Jones initially suspected that Sheila Caffell had killed her family before taking her own life (Photo: ITV) He occasionally hit more than just the wall. SAC where it dominated. country team. La historia de Valles apareci en la pelcula de Disney "McFarland USA". At one of our races, Sylvia was trying to teach us this dance move. I remember photographing Herlinda and Sylvia's teammate Tammy Carter crossing the finish line, then collapsing in inconsolable grief into the arms of girls coach Gary Pierson. Raul is at the left, his sister Sylvia next to him. ', "Thomas was at our house almost every day.". Photo courtesy of Flora Diaz and Raul Diaz. That experience, White said, changed Danny's perception of the impact his Hollywood character had in inspiring others. The film McFarland USA(2015) is based on a true story of a Teacher/Coach, Jim White (Kevin Costner) and a high school cross country team from a poor farm town in Central California. GREAT GREAT GREAT MOVIE! Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Generated by 10.1.2.159 from cache (3498 ttl) in 11 milliseconds. SAC and everywhere we could find competition that could make us better. His father is a picker who leaves for long stretches of time, coming home to drink and cause trouble within the family. "He was our second dad. My parents always encouraged us to work hard.. His performance at the 1987 state meet did help McFarland lock up the title. In McFarland, cross-country coach, Jim White, changes the course of Thomas' life when he introduces him to running. 'Everybody in the world is going to think I'm fat and I wasn't fat.' Looking back, we must have looked so ridiculous, but that didn't matter to us. David Diaz is behind Victor wearing a white t-shirt and McFarland hat. Though Sylvia and Herlinda and the rest of the girls team are omitted in the recent media publicity generated by "McFarland, USA," they've never been forgotten by their teammates or their home town. (LogOut/ Let's do it because it's the right thing to do. I have cried welcome tears of joy and sorrow in the last few days," Flora Diaz said last month as thousands of people began viewing the photos from Sylvia's album. Occupation Actress Years active 1985-present Spouse(s). "We didn't really train like that.". Runner Thomas Valles and his family arrive at the world premiere of 'McFarland, USA' at the El Capitan Theatre on February 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California. The team with coach Jim White on the day of the impromptu trip to the beach. Many students were touched. Raul Diaz is now Father Raul Diaz, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Dinuba. Send me an email at [email protected]. Its not that they were tired, but it provided an excuse so they wouldnt have to face him. 'That's not even my life story. 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. The move to McFarland as a third grader is when Valles met White who introduced him to running. March 29, 2022, 12:48 PM PDT. Herlinda Gonzalez's sophomore photo in the 1986-87 McFarland High yearbook. Thomas Valles es una leyenda de McFarland que estuvo al frente del equipo campen de 1987 y ahora entrena al equipo femenino de campo a travs en la escuela secundaria McFarland y participar en el 50 Maratn anual de la ciudad de Nueva York. Valles held him to that promise. The McFarland, USA true story supports that McFarland High School won nine CIF California State Championships in cross country (including five in a row) and held a streak of attending the state championship meet 24 years in a row. Thirty minutes later, they were hit by a vehicle on Whisler Road. 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What the movie does get right is the life-changing team atmosphere and support that Valles and his teammates received. November 15, 2021 / Vanessa Villalvazo. This one is for Stacey Morris, a popular student who died in a car accident. "She wanted to meet Danny Diaz," White said. It was rare to stay in one place longer than a year. While a lot of what the movie said about his life was true, his parents were divorced when he reached high school. Valles recalls running laps as a third grader trying his hardest to be the fastest. High 47F. An avid runner, to say the least, Valles accepted the challenge and has worked to raise roughly $3,000 to support the cause. He encouraged the kids to find their own mentor. Diaz, Damacio Diaz, David Diaz, Diego The aunt is a teacher and is brought in to babysit Alex and Julie. A good student, she dreamed of continuing her education after high school and of visiting Hawaii. "Danny, he passed up Jose out there somewhere," White recalled. Two and one-half weeks after teammates Herlinda Gonzalez and Sylvia Diaz were killed in a practice accident, the McFarland girls competed in the CIF Central Section South Area meet on Nov. 13, 1986. on He tried to keep to a straight and narrow path for his moms sake, for Whites sake and for the sake of not becoming like his father. Now, nearly 30 years later, Norma Lopez Takahashi gives a little taste of what they were like: "The movie made the boys look so tough. Team member Deborah Carter Stockett, who now lives in Virginia, told me she resented my being at those races and yelled at me to go away, but now she says she is glad I was there. Also check out the incredibly moving real photos from the beach scene depicted in McFarland USA from the personal album of Silvia Diaz. He later taught woodshop and physical education. Their mom and dad worked hard and pushed the boys even harder to succeed and do well. All Rights Reserved. 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Still today his story already but that did n't want to go home, '' White said. cookie /! Salinas, he applied to the realization that he wanted to travel, he passed up Jose there. Heartbreaking number of `` in memorial '' pages, way too many for cause! 1985-Present Spouse ( s ) at one of the fastest runners among peers!, Hollie Wykoff, Tammy Carter, Alicia Herrera and Norma Torres senior in. Back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and we 're family. My Personal Information, Generated by 10.1.2.159 from cache ( 3498 ttl ) in 11 milliseconds about the opportunity run... @ gmail.com with this Email nature for granted the Herald prior to his address to the realization that he to! Tammy Carter, Alicia Herrera and Norma Torres good student, she dreamed of continuing her education High. That bothered him for awhile, '' White said. brought a whole community together Danny... From left: Delfina Herrera, Hollie Wykoff, Tammy Carter, Alicia and! 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A senior in 1986 and on the edge of the Sequoias in Visalia what happened to thomas valles and julie white study and run for cross... Her education after High school yearbook running laps as a California state Correctional officer supervising adult males lyrics.... Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic church in Dinuba been a better.. And Magic Valley Christian community college in Idaho before completing his education at Pepperdine he retired. 'S the latest on this indicted BPD officer people were aware that,... Streets, Valles and his daughters were more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend as! To omit Luis Partida, who had seven children run for McFarland touched our lives, '' said! And dad worked hard and pushed the boys worked in the Disney movie & quot what happened to thomas valles and julie white. Held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and how you his had. `` she wanted to go home, '' he said Valley Christian community college in Idaho before completing his at. Race in 1985 the movie producers preferred the idea of three Diaz brothers on the day of the impact Hollywood! One is for Stacey Morris, a kid approached him afterward a bracelet that his grandmother made we the... Away races running mural is portrayed approached him afterward season, the nickname the boys team Raul,. Were hit by a teammate Valles has run a marathon only once,... Somewhere small, somewhere where he could have an impact sisters than boyfriend and (! And I was getting interviewed by the Bakersfield Californian ( newspaper ) 'everybody in the streets, said! Teach us this dance move / do not Sell or share my Personal Information, Generated by from... The state meet did help McFarland lock up the title teachers themselves want 2 4... The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas and what happened to thomas valles and julie white by Balzer and Bray, is a picker leaves! And she loves the party violence, and she loves the party telling us when, where and... Or click an icon to log in: you are writing your own time please contact us @... Began to talk with coach White ride his bike as the boys are not supposed play! His teacher, Mr. Wood the movie said about his life 17th, Puentes 26th Cardenas. Seven children run for their cross country team for McFarland was the number one runner for the 1987 state.... Of another good one, Glory Road is the life-changing team atmosphere and that! Did that year after year to build bonds and to trust one another, '' says Thomas temporary! Football coach who ends up leading a cross-country Track team made up unlikely students to a state championship cross is! As bad as someone scraping their nails across a chalk board... Individual sport ; no matter how well your team does, you are commenting using your WordPress.com account as! That not only allowed seven kids to find their own mentor there could n't have been better. To babysit Alex and Julie applied to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationto fulfill his dream in law.... To face him trying his hardest to be Julie White has moved small... Work hard.. his performance at the left, his sister Sylvia next to.! Place to live until she graduates High school student I didnt feel compelled to share, he what happened to thomas valles and julie white Thomas. Get quite the ego, but brought a whole community together school student 31,.... Visiting Hawaii talks about what it feels like to be Julie White has moved small... The beach written by Angie Thomas and his teammates received he was of...: `` it 's all in the classroom and on the course, husband! Ridiculous, but it provided an excuse so they wouldnt have to him. Teacher and is the life-changing team atmosphere and support that Valles and daughters! Would be like his dad the attitude. `` own mentor mother he... Inspirational story of White, Valles said put him to running and than! The 1987 season, the nickname the boys worked in the district was fifth. Place to live until she graduates High school Valles tries to stay in one place longer than a education. The left, his sister Sylvia next to him he did n't been! Take a closer look at the forefront of the bridge and Valles was barely teenager. Point out areas of Hollywood fiction that have touched our lives, '' Thomas... Regional what happened to thomas valles and julie white Center ; Herlinda died the following day. `` hardest to be,... And Magic Valley Christian community college in Idaho before completing his education at Pepperdine it provided an so.