Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? After graduating high school in 1990, Johnny went to College of the Sequoias and competed as a runner from 1990-1992. I think its really inspirational for people, and we did come from humble beginnings, he says. You inspired me Jose Cardenas!!! Also the challenges they all face in life, not to mention cross-country races against better-supported and -trained teams throughout California. feeling awkward and labored. 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 also appreciated the scene where Cardenas took off too fast in a race and hit the wall. He sees McFarland students running all over the community, including the produce fields. 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. Coach White and his new students find that they have much to learn about one another, but things begin to change when White rea. 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. Now, we take our kids out of state for runs, three to four times a year. "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. Im so happy to hear from you, Jose. "They have to add up the average.". His work will appear occasionally in The Pilot and on HamptonRoads.com. In California, Cardenas notes, the movie is a lot bigger deal. His former team members are making the rounds, speaking at schools and churches. He had always wanted to be in law enforcement eventually pursued that career, starting in the 1990s. and the longitude is 5.915300. Theres make-it or break-it drama in his recruiting efforts, drama of the kind that reveals the characters of the young men and White. "They do kind of make fun of us because we dont speak the language. The team hot to where they went because of you and others. Jose Cardenas became a writer for The Los Angeles Times and is currently serving his country in the U.S. army. Victor Puentes, one of the brightest students on the team, went to college but then had to leave school when his mom got sick. Marsh says she hopes the movie will help her runners understand that hard work pays off. Regardless, all opinions are honest and our own. McFarland also had a superb girls cross-country team. You were and are a team player. The town is a known resort and a destination for tourist since it is situated on the shores of a large natural lake, the Lac du Bourget, which is a home to a few SPA resorts and excellent places to relax. Because his citizenship application never went through, Cardenas was deported to Mexico after serving 10 years in federal prison. They find themselves in a mostly Hispanic community, and when they go to a local Mexican restaurant, a group of young Hispanic men who sport an intimidating gangbanger look makes suggestive comments toward Jims daughter Julie. The McFarland team continued to run races in North America, Europe, and Asia. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Besides Mr. White, other good-hearted adults looked after the towns needy youth. He would often buy shoes and food for his runners. Jose Cardenas has made peace with seeing his life splashed across the silver screen. Jim doesnt want their spirits to sink too low and takes responsibility for the loss, saying it was on him. By the way, these are me and my kids two sonsfrom the burbs and a foster daughter from Guatemala the ones you are helping me to teach that anything is possible if they work hard enough. -BakersfieldCalifornian.com Did Coach White really help the kids work in the fields? As one of the runners said: McFarland was a more balanced community of Latino and white residents then. Currently, he is a correctional officer at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California. ", Perhaps for "dramatic" reasons, the all-Hispanic team's opposition in the movie is made up exclusively of blond, privileged, preppy snobs. Then you spent afternoons running miles upon miles upon miles. 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. 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. 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. David has a Facebook page, but there hasnt been any updates posted since 2014. I used to run in races when I was around the age of twelve, and much like Mr. Cardenas did duringg the state championships, I pushed too hard at the start and didnt last. One of these leaders was. While Jim and his daughter Jamie watches the boys in his PE classes run laps around the track, Jamie makes a comment about Victor and Johnny being incredibly fast runners; Jim agrees, and has an epiphany: to start a cross-country team. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Just like in this movie Coach White kept pushing the boys forward, and where he got them. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. I saw the film as being about your tenacity, determination, loyalty, perseverance, athleticism, and strength. "They wanted the farm kids in the movie," Cardenas said. When we run, we own the earth. During his first PE class that day, Jim meets the Diaz brothers: Danny, Damacio, and David (Ramiro Rodriguez, Michael Aguero, and Rafael Martinez). Jims wife Cheryl makes friends with Javis girlfriend (Martha Higareda). 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. David Diaz and Valles are still running buddies, and Diaz recently completed the 5K Fog Run in Bakersfield. Maria Marisol: [reading Jose Cardenas's paper] We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. "We were competitive, but the world of cross-country running is such an insular, quiet community that the runners were more friendly.". His wife enjoyed it more than he did, he says. Keep going. Johnny Sameniego: Sergio Avelar . We speak to the gods. "It worries me because you never know whats going to happen, and you cant do nothing here," he says. You didnt let your team down. Well, my story is very long with happiness, sadness, accomplishment, rewards, and many more. If you listen to how the runners speak about him (including current runners), you can tell he made a lasting impact on their lives. Your personal disappointment gave another teammate (who, according to the movie, had nothing to offer the team butkeeping his faster brothers on the team) his first chance to make adifference. 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. 4. Jim is so distraught by this incident that he begins to seriously consider leaving McFarland and accept the job offer at the wealthy school. The community has been real supportive of his being here, Marsh says. I came across this letter of yours, and I must say I am touched and inspired by your words. 30,291. His group painted a section of the border fence in Tijuana red, white and blue with the names of deported veterans. Every word was right on. Jose, who was one of the top four runners for the team and a key scorer, really did start the race too fast, a very unusual move for a runner who had just recently ran the same course perfectly. I will look for more pieces by you, as well. This past weekend I saw McFarland, USA, a movie about one phase of your life, growing up in the agricultural town of McFarland, California. Coach Jim White, whom the team called "Blanco," persuaded Cardenas to switch from football to cross-country. He hadn't lived in Mexico since he left when he was seven years old, and he spoke little Spanish. The McFarland team continued to run races in North America, Europe, and Asia. Lupe has Javi fix Cheryls car after it breaks down and gives Cheryl a free manicure in her salon while she waits. 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' 55.0800'' E. Coordinates of Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France is given above in both decimal degrees and McFarland, USA, its leading man Costner and the seven novice actors who play the storys cross-country team run their feel-good story to the finish line in inspirational style. Johnny Ortiz, an actor who held roles in the Kevin Costner-led film "McFarland USA," and "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," has been charged with attempted murder, Fox News has confirmed. DMS (degrees, minutes and seconds) format. And Rita Peebles, a cook in the cafeteria, slipped five bucks into my pocket before every away meet so I wouldnt go hungry when the bus stopped at McDonalds. I think its a pretty darn big deal.. McFarland, USA (2015) Vanessa Martinez: Maria Marisol. The land is ours. Jose Cardenas became a writer for The Los Angeles Times and is currently serving his country in the U.S. army. In the rest of the movie, he takes a back seat to the actors portraying the runners who performed better at the race. The school is notable for its succession of twenty-four CIF Central Section championships in cross country between 1987 and 2013. Also, around 500 McFarland residents (4%) are the average age for high school seniors (18-19). When we run, we are the gods. He competed in the 1,500-meter and 800-meter races and was a part of the team that won the conference in 1994. Like his new students in McFarland, hes beaten down, carries a chip on his shoulder, is pessimistic about the future. 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 . Jos is my cousin & an inspiration to all the family. 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. 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. Jose, you are a success & a hero. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Another accident killed McFarlands football coach and several beloved students from the school. 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. Well said! Jose Cardenas always wanted to serve in the military. Cardenas admits hes had mixed reactions about the movie. We had the right principles and the right attitude. The Perezchica brothers Henry and Jose led McFarland, finishing 22nd and 37th overall . Gang problems, as depicted in the film, were a real issue in McFarland. Shafter, California, a town that neighbors and competes with McFarland in sports, also had a remarkable cross-country team that excelled despite its small school size and limited resources. Have a team. He remains an active and well-loved member of the McFarland community, often working with youth. 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. Then I transferred to Humboldt State. 79 were here. He also occasionally travels as a motivational speaker and in the course of doing these promotional appearances, he has seen the movie eight times. We are portrayed as the underdogs, but thats not necessarily the way you see yourself as a child.. The community teams up with the White family to raise money for better uniforms for the cross-country team, and they throw a delightful quinceaera party for Julies 15th birthday. "The main crop was almonds. He does a great job. What happened to Jose Cardenas McFarland? The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. Thomas Valles attended and ran for the College of the Sequoias after he graduated from high school. Jim sees this and knows that Jose has put too much into the start of the race and will likely fall back at the end. I hope you continue writing even as you pursue your career in the Army. Despite the setback, the boys stick with Jim and continue training. Niki Caro Writing Credits . You won as a team and you played such an important role in this team. 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. It was awkward doing the red carpet, he says, but it was a lot of fun.. Cardenas was a reporter for newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and St. Petersburg Times before joining the Army six years ago. You deserve the accolades and life you have been given due to your hard work! Mr. Cardenas, chin up! Change). We saw the movie as a team, but we also wanted to invite local runners and the whole community, too.. Visit MrsKathyKing's profile on Pinterest. He now lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife and daughter, where he is a staff sergeant in the Army. Still, my heart began to sink when a screening of McFarland, USA rolled around to its climax. Besides Mr. White, other good-hearted adults looked after the towns needy youth.. The cornerstone facts are true, but the story itself is not necessarily very accurate. After high school, Cardenas went to a junior college "half-an-hour up Highway 99 and continued running, but on paper. as part of a group of deported veterans lobbying the government to allow them to return to the U.S. Adelante Latin America Reporting Initiative. 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. Then computers.". His alumni now coach the cross-country programs for the elementary, junior high, high school, as well as McFarlands Parks and Rec teams. The father agrees. 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. Le explica a White que comenz trabajar en los campos a los 10 aos. We push too hard and flame out. Running 8-12 miles a day, and going to school, AND working in the fields as much as time allowed. 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. Mcfarland High School Class of 2011 Ricardo Carmona . This movie has been an awesome inspiration to me, cause it takes back to my childhood years, and how tough it was at times, but I had the type of parents, and Im so happy to say, that were always pushing us to be better. It took one of our usually slower runners to sprint mightily down the stretch. The shoe bounces off the locker, hits the player in the face, and cuts his cheek. While he was in the military, Cardenas applied for U.S. citizenship, but he says his application was never processed. Jose Cardenas, 67, stands at U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana that has been painted with the names of deported U.S. veterans. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? I took it for granted that I would go. But Cardenas isn't that worried about the enduring connection to one of his most regrettable moments. Here are our top 10 picks, Super Mario Bros. Movie hits $1 billion, is No. It was a real eye-opener for our kids, because the kids in the movie picked in the fields before and after school.. In June 2016 he plead guilty and his sentencing will occur in September 2016. 3. Marsh praises local businesses for their support. Witnesses offer conflicting accounts, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Mars Voltas lead singer broke with Scientology and reunited with the band. The rest of the film was shot around Los Angeles and in Camarillo, California. The event is set for 5:30 p.m. and tickets are $8. Aix-les-Bains, city and Alpine spa, Savoie dpartement, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes rgion, southeastern France, southwest of Geneva. You didnt like your race performance. The film depicts McFarlands opponents as snobby, rich, and rude to the poor McFarland team. Jose, one of their key runners, starts out too fast. "I lost my job and everything, so I didn't have nothing.". He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The final climactic race in the film happened exactly as it happened in real life, including all of the drama. 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. Hes looking forward to answering questions about the movie tomorrow evening, and to talk about whats accurate and whats not. Disney Pictures can thank me, I guess, for creating some true drama To this day, I dont know why I went out uncharacteristically fast. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the given coordinates of the places in our database. Disney Pictures can thank me, I guess, for creating some true drama. Mcfarland High School Class of 1988 Jose Carmona. Latitude and longitude coordinates are: 45.688499, 5.915300. But "I broke out too early and faded about half way through the 3-mile course," Cardenas said. JamesEdition can help you find the home that match all the preferences for your dream home. As his addiction became worse in the 90s, he got in trouble with the law and served time in a penitentiary. Sending love & good vibes your way, always. We are real close. Es uno de los 3 hermanos que corre para Jim White. Cardenas grew up in a Hispanic community, and his team mostly competed against white teams. You moved on, kept running, went to college and graduated, creating opportunities that didnt exist before. One runner, Luis Partida, was replaced with David Diaz, the brother of Damacio and Danny Diaz. Samaniego currently holds CSUBs 18th best time in the 1,500-meter race. Jim Price, a janitor at the high school, let me live with his family. Omissions? Coach White took care of the young runners - sometimes getting them shoes or letting people stay with his family, as did the community. We just went to Cross Country Nationals in South Carolina. In an interview for the film, David also mentioned that he is a person of faith and that faith was a big part of the team. (Spoiler alert for movie fans who arent aware that Disney movies havehappy and dramatic endings). Im a german journalist, living in Paraguay with my adopted son and two other paraguayan foster children. "He thinks hes out there still, so someone needs to be there to kind of calm him down and stuff. In reality, White had been coaching the cross country team for seven years (since 1980). By this point, the team and the sport have become the great pride and joy of the community. View the profiles of people named Jose Cardenas. So Ill stop there, but I will say this, because of my parents always pushing me I have an AMAZING life!! He was drafted and served in the Army's 82nd Airborne division between 1970 and 1972. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Jose Cardenas, left, and actor Johnny Ortiz attend the premiere of Disney's "McFarland, USA" at the El Capitan Theatre on Feb. 9, 2015, in Hollywood, California. I was proud to get to play him.. I can understand your disappointment at your personal performance and I cannot take away those feelings but I what I can share is how I felt and that was a profound sense of pride and admiration toward fellow Mexican-American. Jim White retired from coaching and still lives in . Quotes.net. Sponsored . 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. The incident costs White his job, and, with no other employment choices, he moves out of town with his wife Cheryl (Maria Bello) and two daughters, Julie (Morgan Saylor) and Jamie (Elsie Fisher). LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like JOSSUE CARRILLO CARDENAS discover inside . Thomas is the head coach of the McFarland Track Club for kids and I help him with that. The climb upward from despair for Coach White isnt easy. The actor playing me takes off too fast and begins to fade halfway through the three-mile course. Team God bless you , I really enjoyed your article Mrs. Laura Diamond, and I am watching McFarland as I write. They got that right. The movie is also going global. Many other shots of the town and high school were also filmed on-location. Maria Marisol : [reading Jose Cardenas's paper] We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. 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. "Sometimes he wakes up and he goes crazy," Cardenas says of his son. The latitude of Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France is 45.688499, John Ortiz as Jose Cardenas in "McFarland, USA." McFarland, USA John Ortiz as Jose Cardenas, Ramiro Rodriguez as Danny Diaz, Carlos Pratts as Thomas Valles, Sergio Avelar as Victor Puentes, Michael Aguero as Damacio Diaz, Kevin Costner as Jim White, Hector Duran as Johnny Sameniego and Rafael Martinez as David Diaz in "McFarland, USA." Those were my parents. Today, in his 40s, Cardenas lives in Chesapeake with his wife, Melody. Victor Puentes. We are all human, which is to say we are all flawed, and to expect perfection is to expect the impossible. Which is why, when Mr. White was trying to persuade me to switch to cross-country for my junior year, he jokingly told me that they would win the inaugural state championship with or without you.. White really did go and work in the fields and pick crops with his runners to show support to them and their families, as it is portrayed in the film. All together now: Ommmm and Just Win,Baby, Never a Dull Moment, With The Big QuestionsKid, Open Letter to Jose Cardenas, One of McFarland, USAs Real LifeChampions, View lauranicolediamondauthors profile on Facebook, View @LauraNDiamond1s profile on Twitter, View laurandiamonds profile on Instagram, DELIVER ME: True Confessions of Motherhood, McFarland, USA - The 1987 McFarland Cross Country Team, Open Letter to Jose Cardenas, One of "McFarland, USA"'s Real Life Champions, Forget spring cleaning in a soon-to-be empty nest.
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