On Thursday, October 13, Thomas Valles spoke at the Ed & Betty Wilcox Performing Arts Center. Raised in McFarland, California, Valles was the number one runner for McFarland High School’s 1987 cross-country California Interscholastic Federation State Championship-winning team.
After high school, Valles went on to serve as a member of the United States Coast Guard before pursuing a career as a motivational speaker and a girls’ cross country coach at McFarland High School.
In preparation for Valles’ arrival, the students from Algona watched the Disney+ original film, McFarland, USA. McFarland, USA is based on the real life inspirational story of Jim White, assistant football coach and physical education teacher at McFarland High School, that recognizes the exceptional running abilities of some of the boys in his gym class. In the movie, White recruited a team of seven boys: Thomas Valles, Victor Puentes, Damacio Diaz, Johnny Samaniego, David Diaz, Jose Cardenas, and Danny Diaz, to create McFarland High School’s first ever cross country team.
Today, Thomas Valles and Johnny Samaniego travel to schools across the United States to share their story. From elementary schools to colleges, Valles and Samaniego connect with students of all ages sharing the message, “Champions can come from anywhere.” They share this message with the intention of giving hope to students with similar upbringings and inspire them to become champions of their own lives.
Another key message that Valles and Samaniego present to their audiences is that it is, “All in the attitude,” a message instilled in the boys by Coach White. In life there are always going to be situations you can’t control. They teach that even when things do not go your way, a positive attitude can make all the difference!
Students from Algona High School, Algona Middle School, and Garrigan got to listen to Valles speak. In addition to the message, Valles also shared differences between the movie and real life, main events that have happened in his life, and answered questions from the students and staff.