What happened to Jose Cardenas McFarland? Jose, one of their key runners, starts out too fast. McFarland USA poem by Cardenas - YouTube Pace yourself. Remembering 1987: McFarland Fact vs. Fiction - California MileSplit It moves me everytime I watch the movie and I WATCH IT OFTEN WHEN I NEED TO FEEL GOOD. As one of the runners said: McFarland was a more balanced community of Latino and white residents then. We still enjoy the whole running thing. "They have to add up the average.". 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. Mr. White was our physical education teacher, and thats when he first encouraged us to run cross-country. The player, Johnny, is also kicked off the team. If you listen to how the runners speak about him (including current runners), you can tell he made a lasting impact on their lives. 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. The lake also has the largest and the most beautiful natural lagoons of the country. This past weekend I saw McFarland, USA, a movie about one phase of your life, growing up in the agricultural town of McFarland, California. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. He was an inspiration and a father figure to the boys, Cardenas says. His wife Cheryl, who tirelessly supported her husband and his coaching, described the runners this way: These kids are like our own kids and grandkids. I never get tired of reading the essay & watching the movie. 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. Cardenas, a staff sergeant in the Army, lives in Virginia Beach, Va., with his wife and daughter. That was my normal, and that was good.". Appreciate your different philosophical way to look at things. Road map of Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France shows where the location is placed. Marsh praises local businesses for their support. McFarland, USA (2015) - Plot - IMDb "Jose Cardenas had had a bad race," Valles recalled recently about his teammate who was the team's seventh runner that day, finishing 148th. During that year when the team won the title, all three daughters were actually in college in Texas. Corrections? 3. Le explica a White que comenz trabajar en los campos a los 10 aos. 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. Also the challenges they all face in life, not to mention cross-country races against better-supported and -trained teams throughout California. Now, we take our kids out of state for runs, three to four times a year. Victor Puentes served a sentence at the penitentiary, but continued his education and got a good job. The land is ours. The Disney studio, maybe, should thank me for adding a little drama but, all these years later, I'm having to relive it.". 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 havent ran another race since middle school because of it. I enjoyed your essay as well. Jose has done speaking engagements as well since the movies release. He's fighting to get back to the country he and his family have served for decades. And Cardenas still runs, but not competitively. Meanwhile, the White family builds a bond with the McFarland community. 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. Mal Vincent has been a longtime culture writer for The Virginian-Pilot. He transferred to Humboldt State University, in Arcata, Calif., and earned a journalism degree. : I love that his story continues to inspire so many people. 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 album has been published and can. No one is perfect. Still, my heart began to sink when a screening of McFarland, USA rolled around to its climax. Sports can be a great teacher, in the losses as much as the wins. 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. and the longitude is 5.915300. McFarland won a state-record of nine championships with Jim White as coach. You inspired me Jose Cardenas!!! Beautiful family. The school is notable for its succession of twenty-four CIF Central Section championships in cross country between 1987 and 2013. You see I was in the same boat as I was growing up in Salinas Ca. He competed in the 1,500-meter and 800-meter races and was a part of the team that won the conference in 1994. McFarland was a more balanced community of Latino and white residents then. Courtyard by Marriott has donated a room, and Cheerwine has donated bottled water for Saturday. Jos is my cousin & an inspiration to all the family. The film depicts the McFarland team forming and winning the state championship in the same year (1987). In reality, their opponents were more friendly and respectful. 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. "Sometimes he wakes up and he goes crazy," Cardenas says of his son. "They do kind of make fun of us because we dont speak the language. He then worked at an institution in Soledad, California, followed by a job at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, California. Give others a chance to shine. I will look for more pieces by you, as well. Thomas is the head coach of the McFarland Track Club for kids and I help him with that. 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. "It worries me because you never know whats going to happen, and you cant do nothing here," he says. Its good to hear from you. You didnt let your team down. Danny Diaz (Ramiro Rodriguez), Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz), Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts) and David Diaz . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. He says Tijuana is almost like living in the United States because there are many Americans there, but there's one big difference: Cardenas can't see his family, who lives just across the border in San Diego, his home of more than 50 years. "The life out there and the life in here is totally different," he says of living in Mexico. Niki Caro Writing Credits . 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." 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. 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. One runner, Luis Partida, was replaced with David Diaz, the brother of Damacio and Danny Diaz. "He thinks hes out there still, so someone needs to be there to kind of calm him down and stuff. Today, in his 40s, Cardenas lives in Chesapeake with his wife, Melody. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the given coordinates of the places in our database. In response to his essay, Laura Nicole Diamond wrote an open letter to Jose to encourage him and let him know how an inspiring example he was to people. Then I transferred to Humboldt State. , THANK YOU FOR COURAGE. The McFarland team continued to run races in North America, Europe, and Asia. Thank you for sharing your view as his cousin. (Jason Kempin / Getty Images). 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. ), Aging beloved YA author Judy Blumes inevitable foil isnt so bad after all, Review: The entertaining Peter Pan & Wendy charts a familiar course to Neverland, Rihanna has Smurfs on the brain for her next movie: Hope this gives me cool points, Review: In Guardians 3, ultra-weird superhero fun doesnt have to be Rocket science, The new Tom Cruise just might be a London office worker with a taste for risk. Warmly, Laura. And White wasnt the only adult who looked after the kids. "The inspirational message of the movie is essentially true," he said. 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, No stupid Mexicans. I knew a movie involving one of the biggest disappointments in my youth might be made someday. Kevin Costner stars as White, an embittered man whos struggling to support his wife and two daughters. His alumni now coach the cross-country programs for the elementary, junior high, high school, as well as McFarlands Parks and Rec teams. The community has been real supportive of his being here, Marsh says. (Erika Aguilar/KQED News) The California Report The mother of the three Diaz boys really did forbid them to run cross-country at one point. I began to lose track of my teammates and my town. We push too hard and flame out. JamesEdition can help you find the home that match all the preferences for your dream home. Marsh says she also appreciated the scene where Cardenas took off too fast in a race and hit the wall. McFarland USA will choke up undemanding viewers, but there isn't enough in it to be remembered as a great sports film. Meanwhile, Jim settles into his neighborhood and learns about the troubled life of one of his other students, Victor Puentes (Sergio Avelar), whose uncle just got out of prison and whose father is still in prison. I wish you great strength, grit and joyful moments. Johnny helps to recruit other students: Victor, the three Diaz brothers, Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz), and Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts). Joe Vaughn is best known for leading the Buena High, California girl's basketball team to 500 plus victories. 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. 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. I was born ina family where everyone goes to college. He has a wife and a daughter. 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. In addition, McFarlands mysterious cluster of cancers, which rapidly claimed the lives of several children, happened around the same time and gained national media attention. No stupid Mexicans. 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. Jim White and his wife Cheryl, depicted as kind, caring people in the film, were that way in real life. View the profiles of people named Jose Cardenas. Please use Latlong.net at your own risk. "They wanted the farm kids in the movie," Cardenas said. Thank you for sharing your appreciation! Jim White represents the very best of the best, a quiet, graceful man who somehow let these kids know what was possible, he says.
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