Shownotes Transcript
♪♪♪
Well, welcome to the Jason in the House podcast. You're going to like this one. We have a really good guest and we got some news and we definitely got some stupid. I mean, there's always somebody doing something stupid. Oh, yeah. We got the stupid for you today. But I want to start out with a few things in the news that we're going to talk about this week.
Minas Fard, she is from Sweden, and she wrote this article in the last few days in the Wall Street Journal. And it says,
Amazingly enough, she had to compete against a man who was, at the time, ranked 390th among NCAA Division II men. He's 390th in Division II track and field. So he switches over in 2019 and decides to run in the women's. His real name is Craig Telfer, but he goes by CeCe suddenly, and now he went out and won. We're going to hear the story of the person later.
the female, the woman who actually won the event, even though she, he would say came in second, but we're going to hear that story. You know, we've Riley Gaines is one of our favorite people on the planet. She's been on this podcast. You want to hear a good podcast of ours, pull up the one where we do with Riley Gaines, but I'm really excited to talk about this with Mina and her personal experience with
Not in swimming this time, but in track and field. And I think it's important that we always kind of understand this. If we're going to save women's sports, then we've got to be able to examine what's happened out there. All right, so let's talk about the news. Because it is unbelievable to me that we are still having any sort of controversy about Elon Musk, Doge, and the idea that we are going to
have a serious reckoning here in the United States about rightsizing and getting our government to do the right thing. If you're going to be a recipient of Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, don't you want to get rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse so there's actually more money there for the people who truly need it, deserve it, and in the case of Social Security, earned it? Yes. The answer would be yes.
But somehow, some way, the Democrats think that, oh, no, let's go after Tesla. I mean, these videos now that we're seeing about keying, you know, taking a key and putting a big scratch on Tesla cars and all these. I mean, it's unbelievable to me the people that they're catching. First of all, they're idiots, okay? I have a Tesla Y. We've had it for a couple years now. Julie and I, my wife, we love it.
It's a great car. I also have a Ford F-150, and we have a Suburban. So, you know, hauling around grandkids and stuff. But, yeah, I got grandkids. So what they don't understand about the Tesla, these...
idiots, is that they come with nine cameras, eight on the outside, one on the inside. So you think you're going to be real clever and real, oh, I'll just walk by this car and just key it. I mean, I'm looking at foxnews.com right now as we're recording this. Tesla owner hits back after man caught on video keying Cybertruck.
I mean, these people are absolutely nuts. And you know what? They think they're just so righteous. They're terrorists. I mean, this fits the very definition of terrorism, right? You're trying to intimidate people. You're trying to do harm to people for a political means. And remember, it was just last year. Democrats, they wanted to mandate that we get rid of. They were literally going to pass legislation saying,
to get rid of gas-powered vehicles in favor of going all green because no emissions. Now they're suddenly against cars that have zero emissions. Like, that's a bad thing? Unbelievable, because they don't like Elon Musk. Now, if you haven't seen, you can go online. You can find this at foxnews.com. But I'm telling you, Brett Baer's interview on Special Report –
where he talks to Elon Musk and seven people that are involved and engaged on Doge, and you hear what they're doing, how they do it, and what they're finding, you would think that Democrats would embrace this. And I guess that's where I'm, you know, I look, I served in the United States Congress eight plus years. And what I'm really disappointed is I don't, with very few exceptions, Ro Khanna being one of them,
Very few exceptions. Do you hear Democrats, you know, denouncing the bombing of Tesla dealerships and the keying and destroying of vehicles and Molotov cocktails being there? I mean, come on. With Democrats, your silence is deafening. And, you know, where's Chuck Schumer and all this? These are not leaders.
So not only are they not calling out the violence, but they're not supportive of the idea that we're trying to get rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse. And you've probably seen the videos of Barack Obama and others, Joe Biden saying they want to do the same thing. But now that Donald Trump's doing it and Doge is finding things that are just unbelievable. I mean, it's truly stunning how the waste and the fraud and the abuse has been going on.
They're just absolutely nowhere. And I think the American people are seeing through that. And I hope it makes a fundamental difference because it is just wrong, wrong, wrong on every single level. That's what I really want to talk about. But you know what? We also, we got to talk about something stupid here because you know what? There's always somebody doing something stupid somewhere.
Okay, first one up, Jasmine Crockett. Laughingly mocks disabled Republican governor. Calls him Hot Wheels. Are you kidding me? You've probably seen this story. Look, Governor Abbott is one of the most effective governors. He happens to be the governor of Texas. He's a very good, aggressive governor on a highly complex, big, massive state. I mean, I got a lot of kudos for Governor Abbott. Now, he was...
Hot Wheels
Really? I mean, these Democrats, they try to go out and say, oh, they're the party of tolerance, diversity, equity, and inclusion. And you got somebody who's bound to a wheelchair through really no fault of their own. But regardless, the idea that you're going to go out and mock him because he's in a wheelchair. What happened to the Democratic Party? I didn't think they were. How can this be acceptable to
And you hear zero Democrats calling him out on this. If they're out there, tell us, ping us. But I'm telling you, it's just unbelievable. All right, number two. This happened. This does put a smile on your face. It's stupid, but it's pretty funny. A Bulgarian football club. Think soccer. They call it football. But Arda Karzala something. I can't remember. I can't pronounce this guy's name.
They apologized after holding a minute's silence for a former player. You know how they go when somebody's died. We're going to hold a moment of silence. We're just going to hold a minute. Well, it ends up he's still alive. When officials realized their mistake, they said they wished their former player many more years of good health.
All right, that was kind of stupid. Turned out to be a good part of a stupid, but oh my goodness, that is pretty funny. But yeah, that actually happened. So anyway, NBC News is reporting United Airlines flight to China diverted to San Francisco after pilot. Well, he forgot his passport. Whoops.
The plane ultimately left on this Saturday evening about six hours behind schedule because somehow, someway, they got up in the air. Then the pilot realized, whoops, I forgot my passport. So we're going to have to turn around. All, I don't know how many couple hundred people were on there, but...
Whoops. That was a little stupid. This one's really good. This is from the Associated Press. The Royal Air Force engineers shamed by judge over theft of Paddington Bear statue. Two men who had been drinking kicked and yanked on a statue of Paddington. This is that fictional orphan bear came to England from Peru until it broke in half. Then they took it.
Oh my gosh, guys, how drunk are you if that's actually true? What's happened? It's the allegation. We'll see if it's actually true. But come on, you got to be kidding me. All right. There is a video. You can go online and see this. This liberal lady gets all just bugged out because she's trying to attack a Trump supporter. Guy's wearing a hat. Just make America great hat.
to go run after somebody caught it on video. She just does a face plant and I'm sorry, but you know what? That's just kind of stupid, folks. You don't chase some guy to rip his hat off his head. How triggered are you? All right, this one, according to the New York Post, North Carolina man
dresses up in a bear costume to scare off a persistent real-life black bear. Okay, the guy in North Carolina has a black bear that just can't get rid of him. So in Asheville, North Carolina, the video, he approaches this black bear in his own brown bear costume. I mean, literally, like, takes his head off. Like, it's like a college mascot thing.
And then he's attempting to scare it off. And the video is quite funny of him seeing him doing this. But you know what? The black bear, it spooked him. He scampered away. Now, we don't know if he's come back. He's been there multiple times. But I'm telling you, it is a worthy video. And that rounds out the stupid. Because there's always somebody doing something stupid somewhere.
All right, time to bring out our guest, Mina Svard. And look, she has got an amazing story and I want you to hear it. I've never talked to her. This will be my first time chatting with her too. So let's bring on Mina. Did I say it right? You said it the American way, so I would say it's right. What's the real way? What's the way like your parents would say it?
They would call me Minna Svad. Okay, I'm going to stick with my way because I don't think I can replicate that. It's the easiest one. You know, people have been calling me Minna Svad for seven years now, so I'm used to it. All right. Yours is way cooler. It sounds much better. I just can't replicate it. That's all. So...
Thanks so much for joining us. Look, I read your piece that you wrote in the Wall Street Journal, and it's amazing. And it makes me mad, makes me frustrated. And the headline is this, My Stolen NCAA Championship. I was the first college woman to be told her victory was worth less than a man's feelings. So...
You know, we've heard this story. We've had Riley Gaines on this podcast. We've talked about this issue a number of times, but...
For somebody who's actually gone through exactly what we've been talking about here, it is still amazing to me that this has happened and continues to happen. And look, President Trump is making a difference here and trying to right this wrong. But let's go back and, if you can, share with us your story, just kind of
start with you know i was born in and walk us through how you became one of the best runners one of the best athletes on the planet and what you went through um well i started track and field when i was four years old i jumped on the train when my older sister started she's two years older than me um
She didn't stick with it, but I fell in love with it. Now, where was this? It was in Sweden. So I was born in Karlstad and started track and field in Kils AIK. It's a little town outside of Karlstad. And then eventually I...
When I was around 11, 12, maybe I switched clubs because in Sweden we do track and field by clubs and not, it's not connected to the schools. So I started at IFJK, where I, well, I'm still, um,
connected to them and working out with them and stuff all right but yeah so in high school i went to wait a sec there that's some cold run in there right i mean we love sweden my wife is mostly swedish she's very in fact we went to sweden last year to go see the whole family homestead and all that but um my guess you're being in track and field is a little bit chillier than texas
It's very chilly. You see, that's a reason why I chose Texas. I wanted to get away from the cold and the snow. But yeah, no, in the winter here, it's been a few practices where we haven't been able to use the indoor facility. So you just have to shovel the snow on the track and keep the practices going. So when you were younger...
What was your sport? Like, what did you excel at? What did you know? All right, I can do this better than most of my colleagues here. When I was younger, I did almost everything. I wasn't good at everything, but I just wanted to be a part of it all. But I fell in love with hurdles when I was maybe nine, ten years old.
And I kept doing it. I mean, you're nine, 10 years old. Hurdles are pretty tall. Now they probably made them shorter. I assume when you're nine years old.
They're a little shorter, not that much. I had to compete with older people to be able to even get to run hurdles because they didn't have that event for my age. Right. And I remember at my first track and field meet in the hurdles, my mom was standing on the side and she hates the hurdles. Like she's so scared that, you know, you're going to fall or hurt yourself.
And she did not want me to participate. She was like, no, Mina, don't do it. Don't do it. And my dad and one of my coaches were standing on the side and they were like, don't listen to her. You got this. You have practiced. It's going to go all right. And yeah, that's it.
So when I mean did it become evident pretty quickly that even though you were competing against older girls that you could hold your own and do pretty well or how did that progress to the point that you became one of the world's best? I Yeah
Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. I know I wasn't like a star when I started. Sure. But I liked it so much. I just kept working on it and working on it. And then eventually, you know, a few years later, maybe like 13, 14, 15, you started to see a difference in my performance. And the technique started to actually look all right. Yeah.
And I was doing it in the right ways. I wasn't jumping the hurdles anymore. I was actually running it. Okay. So instead of kind of running up to it and jumping over it, you were just taking it in stride and able to get that leg out in front and get the other one over as well. I mean, I tried to run hurdles. And your mom wouldn't have wanted me to run hurdles either because it was very, very painful. Yeah.
When you're running and you think you can get over and then you don't, it hurts. Oh, it hurts. It sure does. Technique is important. Yes, it is. Something I never acquired, but I did try. I did run track and field and did like the triple jump and
And the 400 meters and I, not that I was any good, but this is in high school, but I did try it and I'm glad I did, but nowhere near what you were able to accomplish and do. You're listening to Jason in the house. We'll be back with more of my conversation right after this.
Okay, so...
You're going along and when did that transition to going to the United States come about? How did that happen? My senior year of high school, coaches from America started to contact me asking me if I was interested in coming to America, attending a university and competing for their schools. Were you winning in Sweden? I mean, you were like, they have championships and you were winning and they said, Oh, we like her. She's fast.
Yeah, I did well at the Swedish National Championship for my age, for sure. I have a few gold medals, a few silver ones.
A few bronzes in different events throughout the years. But I think that what got people really interested is my combination in the 400 hurdles as well as the pole vault. So I think that stood out for a lot of coaches. When did you start doing the pole vault? I mean, if mom's going to get concerned about hurdles, I can only imagine how concerned she was about the pole vault. Yeah, yeah.
I think I was 13 when I started. I told my dad that he had to call the track and field club coach and let him know that I want to start pole vault. And my dad was like, okay. So he called the coach. He was like, hi, I have a daughter. Her name is Mina Svad. And she wants to try pole vault. And since then, I kept doing it as well.
Okay, so you're doing both. Coaches are impressed. They're coming over from the United States. And tell me about that decision because that's a long ways from home.
Yeah, it is. Well, I talked to a lot of different schools, but the important thing for me was to find a coach that I was comfortable with. Took his time to get to know me as a person and not only as an athlete, you know, wasn't just focused on my numbers and how well I would be able to perform on my best day and my worst day and stuff like that. Right.
And when I talked to the head coach of Texas A&M, at the time Commerce, and now it's called East Texas A&M University, George Pinkock, so Coach P, I just felt like we really matched. I trusted him as a coach. I believed in what he said. He took his time to get to know me. He helped me with the application process.
It was just I felt that I would be able to make that big of a move when I found a coach that was supporting me in the stuff that I needed. So my main focus when I was choosing a school wasn't, you know, what will the school offer me? Where is it located? What, you know, the prestige in it. I just wanted to find a coach that would be able to work towards my goals with me.
Perfect. So there's a good batch and you take off and you come to America. Had you ever been there before? Yeah, the summer before I actually started going there. So the summer of 2017, I visited...
my sister's husband's family in Minnesota but that was the first time and then I went to Texas yeah Minnesota's cold like Sweden cold so yes that okay so you go to Texas tell me about that experience I mean you show up you don't know a person other than coach P right
Yeah, no. I remember stepping off the flight when I landed in Dallas and I looked around and I saw people wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots and I was overwhelmed. I thought I knew English before I moved there and then I heard a Texas accent and I was like, okay, this is going to be rough.
That's good. That's growing. That's learning. Yep, the Texas way. All right. So you get out to the school, and what was it like? It was almost surreal. You know, I've watched so many American movies, and it felt like I was in one. I walked around on campus, and they showed me around. Everything was beautiful. It was...
It honestly felt like a movie, I just couldn't believe that I actually got the opportunity to be a part of an experience like that. You know, through something that I love, that track and field would be able to give me the chance to travel somewhere and to experience a whole different culture and to get to know so many different people and grow in so many ways, you know, in my life that I wouldn't be able to if I would have stayed in Sweden. So...
You're now competing, right? You got colleagues that are your teammates, but you obviously did exceptionally well because you rose the ranks and you started to do pretty well. Walk us through that to the point where you got to the NCAA Division II Women's 400-Metal Hurdles Finals. Yeah.
Already as a freshman, I qualified for the national championship. So that's when I knew that
you know i actually have a chance of like doing something big um for myself but also for the school and for my coach and so me and my coach we were very focused on you know he was asking me of my goals and i told him that i told him straight up that i want to win the ncaa division two national championship in the 400 hurdles so he knew that that was my goal
And we worked all of the rest of the years that I had towards that goal. But in 2019, that was the year when I competed against CeCe Talbert. Okay, so 2019. But just to give us a sense, going into that race, what was your fastest time? Like how fast are you running not only 400 meters, but doing it with hurdles? How fast are you doing that at this point?
At this point, it's like 57. I'm really bad with numbers, but it was 57 something. But that was in 2022 at the national championship. Okay. You're running this less than a minute, which is crazy fast. I mean, that's unbelievable. All right. So sorry. Go ahead. So this is 2019, right? And you have now, you're a sophomore at East Texas A&M University. Yes.
So walk us through what happened. A few weeks prior to the competition, I found out that CC was going to run. Everybody was talking about it in the track community. The one thing I tried to do was focus on myself because... CC was born Craig, correct? Correct.
Yes, sir. The name at birth is Craig, but decided to go by CC. Okay, go ahead. And Craig competed for Franklin Pierce university at the university. He competed as when he called himself CC as well. Um, but yeah, so I found out that CC was going to run. And let me put in context here. Cause you wrote this. Okay. Um,
This Craig competed in 2016 and 2017 for the men's team at Franklin Pierce University and ranked among Division II men. He was 390th. Okay. He was ranked 390th out of the NCAA Division II men. So he's not doing so well.
Not even in the top 350, let alone top 100, let alone top 50. So he decides, I'm going to compete in the women's events, correct? Yes. So everybody's talking about it. What are they saying? That a man is going to participate in the women's category in the 400 hurdles. And they were mainly talking about how unfair it would be.
A lot of people stated that how can you be allowed to compete as a woman when you a year ago competed on the men's team for the same organization, for the same school? How could it have been fair? Tell me what happened in the race. Well, the gun went off and the race was CeCe's. I mean, we weren't even in the picture frame of the video when he crossed the finish line.
And on that specific day when we were running, it was hard conditions. It was very windy. So people, well, as women were struggling, it was hard to, you know, get the steps right in between the hurdles. And you could also tell on the times of the other participants that we couldn't get down to the same times that as we did throughout the season. Meanwhile, Cece, he...
He ran his women's personal best that race. Who was the first woman to cross the finish line? I was. And what ran through your mind? It was so many emotions when I crossed that finish line because I knew somewhere that if I would have placed second behind a biological born woman, I would have been
so happy. I would have been proud. And I know I should be, but because of the unfairness and what NCAA had put us through, everyone that had to run with him, I wasn't happy. I felt cheated of my victory. I felt like I deserved to be the first one crossing that finish line. And it was hard because
A lot of people didn't really talk about this issue yet. It was something very new. So it was very quiet down. And I, when I crossed that finish line, I just started, tears started falling down my face. I wiped my tears really quick because I didn't want anyone to see that I was actually upset. And I walked away.
So I didn't take in the moment at all. And that's something that's really sad. I worked really hard to be able to qualify for that meet and to get to run that finals, just as all the other women did in that race. And...
That moment got taken away from us. Not just me. The girl who didn't even get to run the finals that got bumped out because Cece took her spot or the girl that didn't even get to qualify for nationals. She was left at home because Cece took a spot. The other runners, the other participants, the other women, what did, were they all talking about this? What were they saying? Everyone was very quiet. Um,
Throughout the meet, we kept hearing the speakers call out to reminders to be inclusive and show good sportsmanship. So I think everybody was scared to say something. I know I was. I didn't know what would happen to me.
Me participating in nationals, if I didn't listen to what they were telling us to do, I didn't know what would happen with my scholarship. I didn't know what would happen to my coaches, to my school. It was...
scared that everything that I had the chance to experience and would be taken away, that I would be sent home to Sweden or that my coach would have to take a punishment because I said something. That was the last thing that I wanted to do. I had no idea how the system worked in America. And, you know, it's not even my first language. And as a sophomore, I wasn't very
I was a little shy and I didn't want to make people upset or be rude in any type of way. You wrote, "That made me the first collegiate woman to be told her victory was worth less than a man's feelings." I thought that was a poignant way of framing what went on that day. And I think about, you mentioned two women who didn't get to qualify, didn't get to go on, didn't get to compete.
And I think that's also part of the issue here is they're displacing a woman who wanted an opportunity to compete and is obviously really good and super talented. But they get left at home in favor of somebody who is, at least according to the previous ranking, 390th in the Division II men's category. Mm-hmm.
Yeah, and what's sad about that, like, if you just look at the statistics going into that 400 hurdle meter finals, I was not ranked to play second in that race. I was ranked maybe seventh, eighth. I'm not 100% sure, but somewhere around there. And I still managed to play second on that day.
So the girl that didn't even get to run the finals, who knows what she could have accomplished in that specific race. Just because she would have been the last one into the finals doesn't mean that she wouldn't have been up there fighting for the medals. You're listening to Jason in the House. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
Learn more at supportmedicareadvantage.com.
paid for by Better Medicare Alliance. Here's something else that you wrote. Men have enormous athletic advantages over women, which is why women's hurdles are nine inches shorter than men's. Olympic gold medal winning times for men's 400 meter hurdles are about five seconds faster than for women. That's a difference of about 10% in eternity in this kind of sport. So
It does make sense to me that the hurdles would be nine inches shorter than the men's, which I don't know how tall this dude is, but... 6'2", I believe. So he's 6'2", running in hurdles that are now nine inches shorter. No wonder he gets such a good time. I mean, it's such an embarrassment. And you're how tall? 5'4". So you're 5'4", running against a 6'2 dude...
So where does this go from here? I mean, 2019, I think we've, I think America has woken up to this. This was, I mean, you were only two seconds behind him, which is, I mean, that's a lot, but it's not a lot, right? For, for given the difference here, what's transpired since then? Well, in 2020, well, after the national championship, I, I,
I was quiet. There was media reaching out to me, calling me. I turned off my phone. I was, again, after what the NCAA had said at the track and field meet, I was scared what was going to happen and the consequences of me speaking about what happened would have on, you know, like I said, the school, my coaches, my teammates and everything.
I turned off my phone and I didn't say anything. But in 2020, I had, you know, had some time thinking about what happened. And really, I thought about my feelings and where I was standing in this issue. And I realized that I have to say something like I can't be completely quiet.
So I decided to post an Instagram post where I stated that I was the fastest biological born female in that race and that I was the national champion. Since this wasn't something that a lot of people talked about, Cece, he screenshotted my post and posted it on his own Instagram story for his followers to see it.
And 500, 550 hate comments just dropped in on my post where they were calling me a transphobe, a racist, a homophobe. I got threats and I got harassed in my direct messages on Instagram.
So it didn't really go well that time. And I have to admit that it did quiet me down. I got nervous because I was living in a country that wasn't my own, without my family, without everything that I knew of. I didn't know how the American system worked when it comes to, you know, the police, if something would happen. I felt unsafe.
So they got me to be quiet for a little bit longer. But now you've decided, you wrote this piece March 17th, my stolen NCAA championship in the Wall Street Journal. And you're obviously talking out about it. Why now? And the second part of that is, you know, President Trump signed some documents to try to right this wrong piece.
what did you think when the president of the United States signed that exact, I think it was an executive order. I saw Riley gains and the other women, uh, go up against NCAA in this lawsuit. And I got really inspired by them because that was something that I didn't do, uh, that I was, I didn't have the knowledge of how to do it. I was scared. I felt alone. Um,
So that they were brave enough to do it inspired me. So I actually contacted Riley's attorney. And through Riley's attorney, I got in contact with icons. And icons has been a great support to me. They've been been there for me listening to me, talk to me and
I expressed that I wanted my story to be heard. I wanted to be able to help in any way I can in the lawsuit that they have going on. So, yeah, that's how...
how this article came along when I decided to actually take a step and take a stand and support these women that are going through the lawsuit. Well, good for you. I hope you get to be part of that. Have you had a chance to talk to Riley? Yes, I have. I actually went on her podcast, which was very fun. It was nice to talk to someone that has been going through something similar.
She's just wonderful. We've had her on this podcast and she is an inspiration and a leader in many ways. And I think you are too. I mean, the fact that you're going to step up and talk about this and write this article, I think it got a lot of attention and certainly got my attention. And I'm proud of the fact that you're doing this because I think there are a lot of women that have been
irreparably harmed, all in the name of, you know, DEI and trying to take care of somebody's feelings. I just, again, when you wrote, I was the first collegiate or college woman to be told her victory was worth less than a man's feelings. I think that's, that really hits home for me. Thank you. Honestly, in that moment when it happened and NCAA said nothing about it, they didn't
you know, try to protect women in the sport at all. I just felt like they wanted us to let this man walk all over us while expecting us to smile and applaud him for doing so. Unbelievable that would happen. But thanks for sharing your story. We wish you nothing but the best, Mina. You've...
you got a lot of strength and personality and obviously talent on in track and field that is not an easy sport. So, um, for what you've, uh, gone through, I hope it still ends up being more of a positive than a negative. And, and I think that you can do a lot of good with that experience that you have and, and know that you were the fastest woman you truly were. And the NC2A, uh,
screwed it up, they should make it right. But regardless, I hope you know the rest of your life that yeah, you were the fastest woman and earned that. Thank you so much. That means a lot. And thank you for having me here for opening your platform so that I'm able to talk about this and to let people know what is going on. All right. I'm going to try your name one more time. Okay. Ready? Minas Vard. Did I get it right?
The American way, yeah. Do you want to try the Swedish way? No, go ahead. Tell me the Swedish way. It sounds way cooler. Minna svart. Minna svart. I'm trying. I'm really trying. Yeah, you did. You did. All right. Okay, I have to ask you a couple more questions as we go because we ask everybody these questions. Okay, ready? Yep. Pineapple on pizza, yes or no? Yes. Yes.
You know, we loved you until that answer. You got that one right. The judges do not like that answer. That's OK, though. Going to give you a pass on that one. But no, the answer to that one is always no. You're not from Hawaii. You're from Sweden. You don't put pineapple on your pizza. I'm still international for the Americans. Maybe it can fly under the radar. In Sweden, did you have mascots at your high school? No. Is that kind of a weird American thing?
Yeah, that's definitely a weird American thing. We see it, you know, in all the American movies and we're like, wow, they really do this? Yeah. Okay, that's pretty funny if you just don't grow up with it. But yeah, you see it in all these movies. Who is this character, this person suddenly dressed in a, like a bowl or whatever? Yeah, that is funny. All right. That's, that's pretty funny. What was the first concert you went to?
Yeah. Like music. I think it was One Direction. Oh, in Sweden? Uh-huh. They came to Stockholm. Yeah. Okay. Now, I went to Stockholm last year because my wife and our daughter...
massive Taylor Swift fans oh yeah so we out we did that we did that and she does put on an amazing concert I'll give her that but we did go to Sweden to go to a Taylor Swift concert well like I said my wife's family we went out on the countryside we were there for many days and but that coincided which was a good impetus to put the timing right there and
We had brilliant weather. It was perfect. And yeah, but we also went to the concert. Sweden is beautiful in the summer. Oh yeah. It's anyway, I can't name the town of where we were at. You would probably know it, but it's also pretty small. Okay. Last question for you. And then we'll wrap this up. Best advice you ever got. That's a thinker. Let me frame it, rephrase it another way. Best advice you ever got or what,
Best advice you'd give to a young athlete growing up. What would you say to a 12-year-old girl who's got the world in front of her and is thinking of competing in athletics? What would you say to her? Do it with love. That's good. As long as you love it, you're going to...
You're going to be able to stay motivated, stay focused. And you have to remember that you love it because there's going to be times where you have to pick and choose what you want to do. You might want to go out with some friends and have fun on a Friday night, but you know you have practice at 6 a.m. in the morning on a Saturday.
Remember how much you love your sport and remember how much you really want to reach your goals. So don't see the other things that you don't get to do as a sacrifice. See how you prioritize what you love. Great advice. Great advice. Thank you again. Thanks for sharing your story. And we wish you nothing, nothing but the best. So thank you again for joining us on the Jason and the House podcast. Thank you so much.
Mina's got an amazing story and it makes me mad. It's just so frustrating. But I think she's found the right place with it. And I hope you enjoyed it. And again, I encourage you, go listen to the Riley Gaines. This didn't just happen to some one person one time. These women have been brave enough to step up and tell their full story. And I think it's worthwhile to listen to it. So
Thanks again for joining us. Hope you can rate the podcast. Would love it if you subscribe to the podcast. I want to remind you, you can listen ad-free with a Fox News Podcast Plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. And Amazon Prime members can listen to this show ad-free on the Amazon Music app. Go out to foxnewspodcasts.com. You can check out others. There's a lot of good podcasts over there. Thanks again for joining us. We'll be back again with another cool, good guest.
This has been Jason in the house. Thanks for joining us. On the latest episode of the Fox nation investigates podcast, evil next door, female serial killer, Eileen Warnos, a Florida bound hitchhiking prostitute rose to infamy after killing seven men. Listen and follow now at Fox true crime.com.