(Erika Aguilar/KQED News) The California Report In California, Cardenas notes, the movie is a lot bigger deal. His former team members are making the rounds, speaking at schools and churches. Mcfarland High School Class of 2011 Ricardo Carmona . Short captions for each of them at the end of the movie say they became college graduates, teachers, cops and mentors to kids in town. Thomas is the head coach of the McFarland Track Club for kids and I help him with that. I enjoyed your essay as well -jose, You are a Radiant Beam Still Cardenas and his wife, Melody who has family in Rowan County attended the movies premiere, and got to meet the actor who portrayed him, as well as Costner. Quotes.net. 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. McFarland, USA (2015) Johnny Ortiz as Jose Cardenas. You and your friends worked in the mornings before school and on the weekends in the fields picking vegetables and fruit, just about the hardest (and most important) work anyone can imagine. You set out sprinting, on fire to prove something. Thank you for being part of this community. 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. Do you have any thoughts about those experiences youd like to share? The inspirational movie, which opened last week, is building word-of-mouth momentum as a minor hit in the shadow of the current box office titan, "Fifty Shades of Grey.". P.S. His journey from McFarland was pushed by his love for writing. Johnny Sameniego and the six other runners were all close friends and in an interview for the movie, he mentioned that they all grew up living within a quarter mile of each other and did everything together. Jim White never lived in Boise, Idaho, he never taught high school (he taught middle school but later coached high school sports), he was never fired from his teaching job for having an outburst against a student, and he did not have a troublesome teaching career before starting at McFarland. Too often I have found that our own will criticize those of us who want something better and different. Like many such projects, the movie was in the works for years. The latitude of Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France is 45.688499 , and the longitude is 5.915300 . No stupid Mexicans. We all know different moments of defeat and victory. Tambin es pizcador en las maanas. During his first PE class that day, Jim meets the Diaz brothers: Danny, Damacio, and David (Ramiro Rodriguez, Michael Aguero, and Rafael Martinez). Actually, we were favored to win by a larger margin. Photographs taken from the album of Sylvia Diaz (one of the girls who died in 1986) are some of the last pictures that those two girls took with their teammates. The actual trip, which included stops at Morro Bay and Cayucos after an Atascadero race, was even more moving than what we see in the film because it included the girls team. I came across this letter of yours, and I must say I am touched and inspired by your words. Cardenas grew up in a Hispanic community, and his team mostly competed against white teams. No stupid Mexicans. Some of the runners who were on the 1987 team were not depicted in the movie. feeling awkward and labored. The two teams were close and a terrible tragedy that killed two girls on the cross-country team (Sylvia Diaz, 16, and Herlinda Gonzalez, 14, were struck and killed by a car during cross-country practice) earlier that school year, A journalist who covered the 1987 race remembers this moving moment when Thomas Valles, who is a prominent character in the film, ponders the deaths of Sylvia and Herlinda before the championship race: Here was the star runner, just a kid, bringing his hands to his face in prayer and keeping them there for what seemed an eternity before the start of his race The loss of Sylvia and Herlinda followed their teammates into 1987, the year of the boys first state cross-country victory., One of the runners, David Diaz, said this to the same journalist about the tragedys effect: The tragedy that happened to McFarland cross-country that year (1986), I believe, catapulted many of us to run with more heart in the following years. Jose Cardenas became a writer for The Los Angeles Times and is currently serving his country in the U.S. army. McFarland, USA tells a heartwarming story about underdogs who, to the surprise of everyone, including themselves, establish a sports dynasty. I began to lose track of my teammates and my town. McFarland, USA 2015 Stars: Kevin Costner, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts, Johnny Ortiz Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport Rating: PG Runtime: 129 minutes Track coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a newcomer to a predominantly Latino high-school in California's Central Valley. McFarland, USA (also known as McFarland) is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Niki Caro, produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson with music composed by Antnio Pinto. "They wanted the farm kids in the movie," Cardenas said. Kevin Costner stars as the coach of a seven-member team of cross-country underdogs. Meanwhile, the White family builds a bond with the McFarland community. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. We were state champs, and we did come from a poor farming town. 5, was not in the picture. 79 were here. You saw your mistake of setting out filled with fire and speed as failure; we thought you may have inspired your teammates to run faster, push harder than they otherwise might have. (Jason Kempin / Getty Images). For years, McFarland had a strong running tradition, he says. Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France Lat Long Coordinates Info. Aix-les-Bains, city and Alpine spa, Savoie dpartement, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes rgion, southeastern France, southwest of Geneva. Costners coach, a man wholl do what he thinks is right despite the consequences, is quickly relieved of his assistant football coaching duties at McFarland. Eventually, his love for the water led to the Army. Jim White retired from coaching and still lives in McFarland. I havent been through McFarland in at least 15 years. 1987 was a tragic year in many ways for McFarland, which made the teams cross-country title even more meaningful for a community struck by grief. Cardenas, however, returned recently from the movie's premiere in Los Angeles with mixed feelings. Appreciate your different philosophical way to look at things. Mcfarland High School Class of 1988 Jose Carmona. We speak the birds' language. Well said! Our coach, played by Kevin Costner, built a sports powerhouse largely with the children of farmworkers in a lackluster part of the state. Again, thanks for your article, and thanks to Mr. Cardenas for your inspiration. That race is going to healyour daughtersheart some day. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 3. Your child will strive, and will sometimes fail. Damacio Diaz recalled fondly in an interview for the film that he would often jog with his dad, Paul Diaz, who worked hard for his family. You deserve the accolades and life you have been given due to your hard work! They got that right. The team and his family learn about this new job possibility and become upset. 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. After high school, Cardenas went to a junior college "half-an-hour up Highway 99 and continued running, but on paper. I was born ina family where everyone goes to college. Now, 28 years later, Cardenas has had to relive that vexing memory because his performance is a focal part of "McFarland, USA," a film occupying theaters nationwide. I love the film as an example for human strengths and will power yours as well. Maria Marisol: [reading Jose Cardenas's paper] We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. The film opens with Jim White coaching a high school football game in Boise, Idaho. Not immigrant no more. Just across that border are great grandkids he's never met, his two daughters and a son who also served in the U.S. military in Kosovo and Iraq, he says. He returned home to take care of his mother and during that time, he began to experiment with drugs. Maria Marisol : [reading Jose Cardenas's paper] We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. He remains an active and well-loved member of the McFarland community, often working with youth. 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 Danny Diaz, who is depicted as overweight in the film, was not overweight in real life. I ran track in the spring of my freshman and sophomore years but played football in the fall. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like JOSSUE CARRILLO CARDENAS discover inside . It happens to all runners at least once, she says. What happened to Jose Cardenas McFarland? Hes looking forward to answering questions about the movie tomorrow evening, and to talk about whats accurate and whats not. Team God bless you , I really enjoyed your article Mrs. Laura Diamond, and I am watching McFarland as I write. Also, around 500 McFarland residents (4%) are the average age for high school seniors (18-19). Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), First Minority Business Trade Show helps spread word for entrepreneurs, Salisbury City Council to discuss new fire station on Mahaley Avenue at Tuesdays meeting, License plate reader cameras assist area law enforcement. The running scenes in the orchards were filmed on-location in McFarland, in the same place where the real team trained. Le explica a White que comenz trabajar en los campos a los 10 aos. But Cardenas isn't just sitting around and hoping. Jim White and his wife Cheryl still live in McFarland. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . It drew national attention because for him, the final race portrayed in the movie was one of the most painful memories of his life his mistake of starting out too fast put enormous pressure on his team to make up the points. Freelance writer Susan Shinn lives in Salisbury. David has a Facebook page, but there hasnt been any updates posted since 2014. He hadn't lived in Mexico since he left when he was seven years old, and he spoke little Spanish. You were born in a community where that was not true, but with the blessings of a great coach and other adults topoint the way to other paths, you made that your reality. I knew a movie involving one of the biggest disappointments in my youth might be made someday. Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes has about thirty thousand residents and it is a very important cultural center of the region, with plenty of various cultural events and sports competitions taking place there year round. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. We wish you nothing but luck & happiness for all your years to come. Victor Puentes served a sentence at the penitentiary, but continued his education and got a good job. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. McFarland, though unique with its amazing story, wasnt the only underdog small town cross-country team in that area to do well. It was the 1987 California high school state cross-country championships. McFarland was a more balanced community of Latino and white residents then. Your email address will not be published. That final championship race. After graduating high school in 1990, Johnny went to College of the Sequoias and competed as a runner from 1990-1992. I saw the film as being about your tenacity, determination, loyalty, perseverance, athleticism, and strength. Jos is my cousin & an inspiration to all the family. But I found no mitigation for my pain in the movie, which portrays the team as an upstart group of runners who start out losing races but improve quickly to win the state championship. Ten years later, I was a reporter at this newspaper when a movie company purchased the rights to an article about McFarland, a small, poor and predominantly Mexican American town in the farming heartland, going for an unprecedented sixth straight state championship. 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 . I wish I could say I never fell short of working hard; I often do. We speak the birds' language. On the day he met Kevin Costner during the film shoot, Costner shook his hand and said, Youre better looking than the actor whos playing you! Danny was never overweight as portrayed in the film but rather, quite the opposite. Principal Camillo agrees, reluctantly, and Johnny is recruited as the teams first runner. "It's a great lesson to us, McFarland, that if we give our children, our young men, our young women goals, we let them see what's possible, they can exceed beyond their own wildest expectations." ~ Kevin Costner 8) Some Experience We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. The Perezchica brothers Henry and Jose led McFarland, finishing 22nd and 37th overall . As everyone is celebrating and hugging, Jim goes to the Palo Alto coaches who had offered him the job and turns it down with one word: McFarland., Clearly Coach White is a big reason why they had so much success. Maria Marisol: [reading Jose Cardenas's paper] We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. "The inspirational message of the movie is essentially true," he said. Damacio Diaz went to college, then became a police officer and a 17-year veteran of the Bakersfield Police Department as a detective. It isnt an important hobby of mine, but what you had to say about it is very applicable to my life right now, so Id like to simply say thank you, Dear Gabriella, (LogOut/ 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. He's rallied, marched and met with California politicians as part of a group of deported veterans lobbying the government to allow them to return to the U.S. based on their military service. Thanks for your comment! He joined the ROTC in high school in San Diego in hopes of following in the footsteps of his stepdad, an American citizen who sponsored him to become a permanent resident. Convincing the young men he wants for the team to join is an uphill battle. Pop. McFarland didnt have low riders in 1987, as depicted in the film. David Diaz. Despite all the setbacks, their hard work pays off, and the team does well enough in their next race to qualify for the state championships. Running 8-12 miles a day, and going to school, AND working in the fields as much as time allowed. The Three Diaz Brothers: Danny, David, and Damacio Sponsored . Even that teaches everyone who sees your story to see these truths: 1. As one of the runners said: McFarland was a more balanced community of Latino and white residents then. All Rights Reserved. Cardenas says he was deported to somewhere near the U.S.-Texas border, far from his birthplace in southern Mexico town of Tecomn in the state of Colima. Movies. Im so happy to hear from you, Jose. And that hurts me because I cant do that.". "Sometimes he wakes up and he goes crazy," Cardenas says of his son. Ms. Diamond, 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. He had always wanted to be in law enforcement eventually pursued that career, starting in the 1990s. If I had run as well as I did the previous week on the same course when we won the regional championship, the state race would not have been a nail-biter. After high school graduation I went to junior college half an hour up Highway 99 and continued running. 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. 2023. We watched the movie together and they loved it. To this day, I dont know why I went out uncharacteristically fast. When we run, we own the earth. The album has been published and can. He then transferred to Cal State University of Bakersfield (CSUB) from 1993-1995. Still, Cardenas says, he knows how a story can change once it hits the screen. "Usually, I'd finish fourth. You inspired me Jose Cardenas!!! 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. You close your essay with this glimpse of forgiveness: McFarland, USA suggests my teammates became winners in life. DMS (degrees, minutes and seconds) format. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Pace yourself. Whites road to reinvention comes to him almost as a vision. All he had to do was run as he had all season - not necessarily finish first, just well enough to earn points for a team victory. Cardenas admits hes had mixed reactions about the movie. Flying with the birds through the groves Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. They knew he truly cared about them, and the guys would work extremely hard because of the respect they had for him. Marsh says she hopes the movie will help her runners understand that hard work pays off. We speak to the gods. You won as a team and you played such an important role in this team. In 1999, police caught him driving a meth dealer around, and he was convicted of drug conspiracy. Samaniego currently holds CSUBs 18th best time in the 1,500-meter race. Keep going. He then worked at an institution in Soledad, California, followed by a job at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, California. But "I broke out too early and faded about half way through the 3-mile course," Cardenas said. He was an inspiration and a father figure to the boys, Cardenas says. In fact I was getting ready to post about the article Mr. Cardenas wrote during the movie about running through the groves. The movie opens Friday. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. And when Jose lost his steam and fell behind in the end of the race, the other runners really did pull off the unexpected, and they made up the difference, which included Dannys dramatic come-from-behind performance as we see in the film. We are all human, which is to say we are all flawed, and to expect perfection is to expect the impossible. Cardenas was a reporter for newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and St. Petersburg Times before joining the Army six years ago. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. But Cardenas isn't that worried about the enduring connection to one of his most regrettable moments. I hope you continue writing even as you pursue your career in the Army. For now, Cardenas says there is one other way deported veterans like him can eventually get back to the United States. Cardenas was a member of the California state championship cross-country team whose story is portrayed in the new movie McFarland, USA, which was released by Disney in February. Stay in touch. Here is an interview where Jim talks about the experience of filming McFarland, USA: The McFarland Cross-Country Program was bumped to Division I competition in 2014 even though McFarlands school size is much smaller than the typical Division I schools. You see I was in the same boat as I was growing up in Salinas Ca. Photo by RON PHILLIPS -- From left, Johnny Sameniego (Hector Duran), Victor Puentes (Sergio Avelar), Damacio Diaz (Michael Aguero), Danny Diaz (Ramiro Rodriguez), Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz), Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts) and David Diaz (Rafael Martinez) share a scene in 'McFarland, USA.' 1 May 2023. Two of us were absent when Disney spent two weeks on location and filmed the rest of my teammates going for a jog in the fields where we used to train. Now, we take our kids out of state for runs, three to four times a year. 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 weren't training, had to help their parents pick crops in the fields. Mal Vincent has been a longtime culture writer for The Virginian-Pilot. He served four years in the Coast Guard and did maritime law enforcement. It inspires me & my children. Well, my story is very long with happiness, sadness, accomplishment, rewards, and many more. The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures. The company also supplied soft drinks for a gift basket for the speaker, which also includes goodies from Catawba College and the Y. In June 2016 he plead guilty and his sentencing will occur in September 2016. He transferred to Humboldt State University, in Arcata, Calif., and earned a journalism degree. (LogOut/ A summer and winter resort with a beach on Bourget Lake (France's 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. Jose Cardenas: Rafael Martinez . The emotional trip-to-the-ocean scene in the film really did happen, though not in 1987. Beautiful family. But by going out so fast, I had endangered our dream. A few notches down from what the Whites are accustomed to, but the troublemaking Coach White, or at least hes perceived to be a troublemaker, has no other options left. White quickly learns that the young people of McFarland see nothing but a hardscrabble future for themselves, offering no opportunity to advance up the economic ladder. I was never good at sports I chose ballet after my volunteer coach shamed me in pee-wee baseball and appreciate all the more how people can rise after defeats. The community has been real supportive of his being here, Marsh says. Besides Mr. White, other good-hearted adults looked after the towns needy youth.. It is also true that most of the runners had never seen the ocean before. Jose Cardenas became a writer for The Los Angeles Times and is currently serving his country in the U.S. army. Jos Cardenas is a true inspiration. The Disney studio, maybe, should thank me for adding a little drama but, all these years later, I'm having to relive it.". See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by . Their coach, Jim White, a non-Latino newcomer to the McFarland community, is, in the eyes of many, a loser, too. "I never had any live chickens around where I lived and, in the 1980s, we listened to the same music as other kids - Madonna and Michael Jackson and pop things like that - in addition to Hispanic music.". You might have miscalculated your strengths, but you took out energy from others as well who tried to follow you. Jim is so distraught by this incident that he begins to seriously consider leaving McFarland and accept the job offer at the wealthy school. 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. It took one of our usually slower runners to sprint mightily down the stretch. I saw you as one who was so excited to make that difference that pace was unbalanced and it happens. "I did not run a good race that day," he said, explaining that he was so far back that he earned no points for the team. Many other shots of the town and high school were also filmed on-location. Tragically, in November 2015 he was arrested for bribery and drug charges, including assisting a drug dealer. "I was off that day and, as in the movie, Danny Diaz came from behind to ensure our victory. "The main crop was almonds.
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