At one of our races, Sylvia was trying to teach us this dance move. Some links on the site may be affiliate links. Conejo Valley Guide | Conejo Valley Events, Beach Scene in McFarland, U.S.A. Filmed at Sycamore Cove Beach, Point Mugu State Park, walk, ride or hike from Newbury Park via Sycamore Canyon. Back then I took everything so serious. I was only a year old when the accident happened, so I didn’t know my cousin or Sylvia. Because, finally, “McFarland, USA” is a paean to family and community. Sylvia was bound and determined to visit Hawaii. It was filmed at Sycamore Cove Beach at Point Mugu State Park. She encouraged me by telling me we all felt the same. In McFarland, USA, Jim White (Kevin Costner) takes a job as the … Her name is Emma Sylvia Garcia. It’s a true story about the 1987 McFarland High School cross country race team’s rise to fame. I would spend the next several years questioning God and wondering WHY he didn’t just take me. And a story about why, even as so much of what we see about the so-called “American Dream” is tinged with disillusion and corruption, the United States remains a land of some kind of opportunity for millions of people who come here to do back-breaking work, day in, day out. I don’t remember anybody else’s but they nicknamed me “Twinkie.” I asked, ‘Why Twinkie?’ and Alicia and Sylvia both laughed and said, ‘Because you’re so cute and tiny like a little Twinkie.’ I kept the nickname and even used it as my blog handle when I was blogging on a couple of Bakersfield Californian websites.”, David Diaz, one of the three Diaz brothers featured in the film, says Sylvia was “a quiet, well respected young lady with a beautiful smile and disposition about herself. It was 85 degrees, sunny with a very slight breeze. Fun was all that was on our minds. (Sylvia’s given name was Silvia Virginia Perez Diaz, but she chose to use Sylvia. To learn more about the story of McFarland, the hardships it encountered, Silvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez and the role the cross country teams played in bringing some sunshine to a town enduring unspeakable tragedy and heartache, please visit these links on this blog: The real McFarland USA kids and coach Jim White, Show the world what has happened to my son, Pictures from the Bakersfield sneak peek of “McFarland USA”. The Conejo Valley Guide® "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, local things to do, holiday event compilations, announcements and more. This was a special moment for the kids, because none of them had ever seen the ocean. She loved everyone. Copyright© 2007-2021, Conejo Valley Guide™. It was the first time all of us ever stepped foot on a beach. Even though we both have the same last name, we are not related and she made sure to tell me that on a few occasions. That sounds so cold, so callous, but the McFarland shoots always stayed with me. I could go on and on, John. Because my parents worked, I would have to wait for a long time at the school to be picked up. The movie follows novice runners from their home town McFarland, an economically challenged city in California, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), a … Now, I’ve learned to incorporate her way of thinking into my life. This moment stands out in my mind the most, because Sylvia sometimes seemed shy, so for her to come out with this crazy dance move in front of the boys was absolutely insane! I tried to go to first period, but Herlinda’s chair was empty. The memorial pages from the 1986-87 McFarland High School yearbook. You can't have my job, but I'll tell you a story, Twinkies, Hawaii and messages in the sand: The story of Sylvia and Herlinda, The real “McFarland USA” beach scene, from the album of Silvia Diaz, A look at the real “McFarland USA” kids and coach Jim White. The film premiered on February 20th. Herlinda and I became close through cross country, but she was my sister Rocio’s best friend since elementary school. I think of her of how much she enjoyed the journey. I was in the gym waiting for volleyball practice to start when Linda came in and said, “I’ve been looking for you. Above all, what’s missed is the unexplainable way you had of bringing order, comfort, and ease in our lives. I still have so many unresolved issues about my childhood but at least now as an adult I have learned to appreciate how those crippling moments made me into the person I am today. Since the deaths, things were different for me. We get money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on our site. There’s nothing like a bunch of boys and girls chasing each other around in the orchards! “There are so many people out there who don’t have photo memories of those times. What makes McFarland USA so successful, and so bracing, is the way that its protagonist becomes aware of something that is rarely broached in these sorts of narratives - … I didn’t want to admit that I felt like a failure. I remember the funeral. We did our homework every day. I remember that I started the run later and my sister, Tammy, came to get me as she had work that day. Even though we both have the same last name, we are not related and she made sure to tell me that on a few occasions.”, “Herlinda was one of the smartest, if not the smartest, students in our class. Now we are each related to both of them! I’m going to ask more people. Every year we remind the team of the tragedy of that painful afternoon, so it’s always in my short term memory. The movie is based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team, composed of seven Latino high school students of McFarland … “However, we have never forgot and most importantly, we will always remember Sylvia Diaz and Herlinda Gonzalez for their ultimate and personal willingness to endure this great sport we love here in McFarland and hopefully in the whole USA.”. Call me crazy, but it was FUN. I want to love life as she does. Grab your friends and family and run to see McFarland USA!! I’m grateful for that night. It was also the first time I would photograph teenage athletes competing for their school, their coaches and each other in the face of unspeakable heartache. I still love my team. Then there they are! No one ever visited me at my home. Back in ’85 we all crammed into that old Chevy. We also had mothers of the team that would feed us burritos before the race and make sure we were doing okay. I was determined set a good example for my children and provide them with a better life than I had. Hahahaha. 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 and the release of the film brought national attention to McFarland. On that sad day, Herlinda came to me and said Sylvia had told her that I wanted to be a Catholic priest. They went out of their way to help anyone who reached out to them for help. I built a wall of an attitude around me because I didn’t want to feel like a failure. SAC. Conejo Valley Guide® covers thousands of events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County, California and surrounding areas. Sometimes a setback like that brings people and teams closer and more intimate with each other, and we found ourselves running for McFarland, Mr. White and most importantly, for each other,” David Diaz said. I try to love as they showed me love. “After the accident, my parents didn’t want me to run, they were scared. I lived out on Famoso and Woollomes, a farm labor camp just north of Richgrove (it has been demolished since then), so it was about seven miles away from McFarland. Embarrassed, I acted like I didn’t care, which was all a lie. I felt guilty that I wasn’t there…that it was them and not me. Raul would walk across the graduation stage in the spring without his sister, her hopes and dreams a memory beautifully preserved by his photographs. We were afraid to ask details as somehow not knowing took away some of Sylvia’s and Herlinda’s pain that they must have felt during the accident. I’m not sure if it was Coach White or Coach Pierson waiting. I was assigned to cover two of McFarland’s races in the days following the accident. In this image released by Disney, Kevin Costner (foreground left) embraces Carlos Pratts in a scene from “McFarland, USA.” Ron Phillips AP The remembrances provided by their friends, relatives and teammates were so loving and heartfelt, I am including them, in their entirety, following the story. The memory of Sylvia and Herlinda has always held a place in my heart. My sister had passed from cancer in 1980 after a long battle. Herlinda was bound for greatness and every year during XC season when the hot summers start to dissipate and the leaves start to change colors, I am reminded of how sensitive life really is. Those beach pictures are from the first time (Coach) White took us after the Atascadero race. She was an angel. She put us in the car with her and we took off. Coach White Motivates Danny and Victor - McFarland, USA 1:24 Jim and Jenks Go Toe-To-Toe - McFarland, USA Deleted Scene Knowing what I do now, I see that I had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and still struggle with it as Adult ADD. That is the lesson she left me when I heard the doctor say, ‘I’m so sorry, there was nothing we could do.’ I learned to love life.”. They knew how to brighten our days. Our coaches were so hot. I grew up in McFarland with Herlinda, and we were in the same grade. She was a reminder to me of what I was not. Back then I was your typical teenage girl who couldn’t see past her teenage problems and was just trying to make it through life one day at a time. It hurt to see that they were not even mentioned in the movie; they were just as much a part of the team. I know that at one point my aunt Linda and and uncle Guadalupe (Herlinda’s dad) wanted to move Herlinda to a cemetery in Texas but decided to leave her with her eternal friend Sylvia so they could be together. One can be here on earth one minute and gone the next. I miss their contagious laughter and smiles. We sat on the bed as our hearts went out to Alicia and Delfina as they had to witness the whole thing. Learn more about McFarland, U.S.A. at movies.disney.com/mcfarland-usa. She loved the pop culture of the time and was up to date on the hit music. That night, Connie Rosales – the lady who paid for my cheer uniform because I couldn’t afford it, drove all the way out there to see me. Photos of the real “McFarland USA” kids and coach Jim White, Photos of the real “McFarland USA” beach scene from Sylvia’s album, The funeral of Mario Bravo, McFarland’s sixth cancer victim, Photos from the Bakersfield premiere of “McFarland USA”. It was a lady driving. She masked it all with an “I don’t care” attitude. “God, she had such a great laugh. According to this website, the actual beach visited by the team was near Morro Bay. It was good, old fashioned fun. It was such a defining moment for our team, our school, and our community. I was the one always paranoid about cars so I would look (and) then look again before switching to the other side of the road. In junior high, I was Herlinda’s campaign manager when she was in the eighth grade. My parents knew too well the pain of losing a child. By every account from their friends, relatives and teammates, these were two special and deeply-loved girls. I’ve always felt like if I was there I would have been able to save her. Much smaller. Update, February 19, 2015: I found these additional photos from my coverage of the 1986 South Area championship at Hart Park. And so she spent the better part of that year working towards both goals. 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 Antônio Pinto.The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures. Beach Scene in McFarland, U.S.A. Filmed at Sycamore Cove Beach, Point Mugu State Park. My name is Maribel Gonzalez Luben, and I am Herlinda’s cousin. The best McFarland, USA quotes from a movie about the true story of the 1987 McFarland High School cross country team. They always knew how to cheer us up. Before Herly’s and Sylvia’s death, we didn’t get much support from the school. When they passed away I felt like they were stripped from their life and dreams so abruptly and unfairly. “We would have been running together that day. 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. McFarland U.S.A. is a great "feel good" movie about a coach who leads the cross country team from McFarland High School to win the inaugural California state championship in 1987. She had many dreams about college and getting an education beyond high school. Herlinda was a ray of sunshine, the one to start the chanting in the locker room. The innocent crushes, passing love notes around the bus or in class…such innocence…the dares and triple dares. I could write a lifetime movie or give Dr. Phil a month’s worth of topics to discuss on his show with the next decade of my life. It was gold to us, but complete torture for the guys and probably Coach White as well. My kids and I saw the movie today in Thousand Oaks and we unanimously agreed it was outstanding. Two names I will always remember. After Sylvia  passed away, my mom and I spent the night at her house. One day they decided we should all have cross country nicknames and they kept giggling and giggling as they were coming up with them. Sylvia and I became friends through cross country also. I said all I want for my birthday is to be able to honor my friends. He carried me into the office, put a paper bag over my face and said “breathe into this.” That didn’t work out the way I hoped it would. Ironically I’d end up marrying into her family later in life. I have good memories. (Oh, how that stung me for a long time.) We also supported each other during the races, cheering each other on and yelling out supportive words to get us through to the finish line. In Spanish it means “Beautiful.”  Linda and I were very close and I loved her very much. It was that same year that I attempted to commit suicide at school in May of 1987. Slow down. I had gone to tutoring after school. She was constantly trying to impress him and make him proud. This movie chronicles the story of coach Jim White’s, played by Kevin Costner, relocation of his family to the Mexican-American farming community of McFarland, CA where he became the town’s high school cross country coach. At practice, we would run eight miles only to have her come back to say, “What else do you want us to do Mr. White?” (or Mr. Adams, whoever was there that day.) During the era of Prohibition in the United States, Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone and, because of rampant corruption, assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him. Two girls I wish I had known. She was going to lose weight. So I appreciate your take on things and what you’re trying to do. My name Eva Renteria Ricci . It was up to us, as we were the boys team’s cheerleaders and they were ours. But now, when I remember those stories, it’s not going to include “two girls killed one day in practice.” That memory has now been replaced by one of two beautiful, smiling angels, eternally 16 and 14-years old, forever running like the wind in heaven’s boundless skies. I photographed Thomas Valles, long before he would be made famous by the movie, just a kid, bringing his hands to his face in prayer before the start of the boys race and keeping them there for what seemed eternity. “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. That morning, I missed school. We ran over to them. When I opened those assignment envelopes and looked at those photos nearly 30 years later, they slapped me with an emotion that shortened my breath and caused my heart to skip a beat. 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. Take this opportunity and make something of it,’” Lopez Takahashi said. They would tell us to lean into the hill when we felt like giving up. She was a beautiful person. Unfortunately she only made it to Bakersfield. She never held back when it came to laughing, making people laugh, and just being downright silly. The nearly deflated bouquet of balloons from a crush of yours, one reading “I only have eyes for you,” dismally floated in your room, the lingering scent of your favorite perfume, Gloria Vanderbilt, still permeated your wardrobe. This Hispanic community showed such generosity and kindness to me, that I try to live my life in this same open way, to show kindness to all who I am around. Don’t squander this gift. In all honesty, I was afraid because I didn’t understand why…but looking back now that I’m older, I’m glad that I did.

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