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Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And today, we are talking about the Olympic Winter Games, which are underway in Italy, and they'll be continuing through Friday, February 22nd. Here at Eastern Michigan University, we are very proud to say that an EMU alum has been chosen for Team USA. Jasmine "Jazz" Jones is a former member of EMU's track and field team. She was chosen to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, where she will compete in the two-woman bobsled heats beginning on Friday, February 20th. And today, we are most fortunate to have Jasmine as our guest. She joins us from the Olympic Village in Cortina, where she is holding onto big aspirations of bringing home the gold. First of all, Jasmine, a huge welcome to our program!
Jasmine Jones: Hi! Thank you so much for having me! I truly appreciate it!
Caroline MacGregor: You know, we are all extremely proud of you here at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, and, of course, we are keeping our fingers crossed for your great success.
Jasmine Jones: Oh my gosh! I'm super excited to compete for this big stage and for everyone I'm doing it for!
Caroline MacGregor: I can only imagine! Tell me a little bit about your experience so far in Italy. And then, we'll get a little about what brought you here.
Jasmine Jones: Yeah, for sure! So far, this experience has been...oh my goodness, I can't even say. Like, it's been great! I've been taken in each moment at a time. This is my Olympic debut, so I'm just enjoying every step that it took to get here. I don't compete until the 20th and the 21st, so a lot of my time is dedicated towards training, dedicated towards recovery. So, that's a big part of my day of just making sure I'm balancing those two, as well as eating and sleeping.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. I have to ask you. Tell me a little bit, if you would, about what got you here, because I did hear that you almost contemplated giving up the sport.
Jasmine Jones: Yes, it was a lot going on. It was the season 2023 going in 2024. I was fresh out of WCAP, the World Class Athlete program. So, I had really high momentum coming out from there going into that season. And following, going into championships that year, I had a death in my family that was truly hard for me. And going through the season, I was really battling with that mentally and trying to make sure I'm putting forth my best effort in each run. And there was a lot of crashes that happened that year. So, that season was definitely, it was disappointing for me. And I was trying to think of a way where I definitely needed to come back even stronger, physically and mentally, and I was able to do so.
Caroline MacGregor: And I believe you also have a daughter who was born in 2021. Is that correct?
Jasmine Jones: Yes, for sure! Yeah, that's my daughter, Jade. She was born in 2021. Back then, I was trying to aim for the 2022 Olympics postpartum. And women's bodies are different, and I definitely tried to rush that back, and I shouldn't have. I should have just truly listened to my body and take my time. And, yeah, coming back four months after I had my daughter, Jade, and I was really trying get that momentum going, but it didn't work out for me. But I was able to learn from those mistakes and relearn my body to adapt into making these games.
Caroline MacGregor: How are you physically now? Obviously, you're competing in the Olympics, so you have to be at a pretty good stage. But, as you say, it takes a lot of care each day to consider what you're doing with your body as an Olympian.
Jasmine Jones: For sure, it does. It definitely takes a lot making sure you're disciplined, you're listening to your body, you are getting that best recovery that you can get. So far, looking into these next few weeks, I'm truly excited. I'm starting into my taper mode, which means that now I'm getting a little bit faster, the weights are getting lighter, so I'm really excited to see how everything gets put together.
Caroline MacGregor: One of your coaches, your former coach here at Eastern Michigan University, Chris Best, he was your former coach of EMU's track and field programs. He's often talked of your ability for quick starts back in your sprinting days. And he says this is obviously going to be very helpful to you in your quest for gold.
Jasmine Jones: Oh, for sure! It definitely goes hand-in-hand. They definitely always look for track athletes. That's essentially how I was found where they saw my different stats in my sprints, as well as my lifts. So, those definitely translate over into the bobsled world since, for me being a push athlete, that star is the most important.
Caroline MacGregor: And also, I believe, your head track and field coach, Sue Parks, has also complimented you on your work ethic and toughness, competitive spirit. So, you really made quite an impression here at EMU.
Jasmine Jones: Oh my goodness! I'm thankful for them! They definitely pushed me to have that mentality of I have a goal and I need to go and achieve that. And there was work to be done. And, especially freshman year, I'll never forget talking with Coach Best and Coach Parks that I need to do something different. I need to come back stronger in each and every way. And I'm truly grateful for them of giving me that push, that tough love that I truly needed and how it's gotten me to this point.
Caroline MacGregor: And you are actually EMU's first Winter Olympian ever.
Jasmine Jones: Yes! I'm so excited! I've always wanted a banner. I'm definitely excited to be a part of that legacy with Brittany and Donald when they went to the recent Olympics. So, I'm definitely grateful to just be up there with them and just proud to be that first Winter Olympian.
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me quickly about your Air Force---sorry, you joined the Air Force World Class Athlete Program. Tell me a little bit about this, if you would.
Jasmine Jones: Oh sure. So, it's definitely a program that we have in bobsled. And having this program allowed me to truly have an offseason and focus in on my sport. So, they allow me to really represent the USA in more ways than one, and I'm proud to do that. And they allow to focus on having really good training, allow me to have financial stability, allow me a career, and then, after the games, I start homing in on my actual job in the Air Force, which is supply. And I'm just truly thankful to have that career stability.
Caroline MacGregor: Absolutely! And I believe you are stationed here back in the U.S. in Lake Placid, New York.
Jasmine Jones: Yes, that's where our Olympic training facility is. And I use that to, it's super random, just like training, eating and everything like that. That's where my strength coach is as well. So, I'm truly grateful to be in Lake Placid.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. And I'm sure your friends and family are just overjoyed at you competing in this year's Winter Olympics.
Jasmine Jones: I've been getting a lot of support and love, and it just really shows how much that I've really gone to this point. And then, I'm just thankful to have this much support and love from family, friends, back in high school and college as well and just know that how many people are rooting for me.
Caroline MacGregor: What is the mood like currently? It's got to be one of, I would think, extreme excitement in the Olympic Village right now.
Jasmine Jones: Yeah, it's definitely been exciting. We gather round. We're watching other people compete in everything. I was able to go to a curling match, the gold medal match yesterday, for the USA team versus Sweden. And that was, oh my gosh, it was so much fun and just being able to see them in their own element. So, it definitely brings different sports and learning exactly what they do and what got them to this point. So, it's really nice sharing stories.
Caroline MacGregor: Have you had a chance to see any of the sites, or have you just really been homed in on preparations for your event on February 20th?
Jasmine Jones: We had our testing event here in Cortina back in November, so I was able to get out a little bit more. Now, I've truly just been homing in on performance and making sure competition is good. But every now and again, I enjoy going into town and getting a tiramisu from this cafe. It is my absolute favorite!
Caroline MacGregor: Oh, that's good stuff, I have to say!
Jasmine Jones: It is!
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me about your dreams as a young girl. Did you always have these aspirations to participate in the Olympics?
Jasmine Jones: Oh, my goodness! My dreams are always to go to the Summer Olympics. I was definitely, through and through, track and field. That was always my goal and dream. And now, being open to this pathway with bobsled, I never would have thought it would have been a possibility. And now, I'm here and at the Olympics. So, I truly feel like I'm fulfilling that dream that I had when I was a kid of dreaming about being at the Olympics, being an Olympian and being at this high level of achievement with fellow athletes that are at the top of their game. So, I'm truly excited!
Caroline MacGregor: And your experience here at Eastern Michigan University, how did you end up going to Eastern Michigan University? Because you are from Pennsylvania.
Jasmine Jones: I am. I'm around Greenford, Pennsylvania. It's a little bit outside of Pittsburgh, and I signed super late than I was supposed to. I was really battling back and forth with two schools. I was battling going to Pitt, which is in my hometown, and Eastern and really looking back and comparing the two. And I just truly loved being on campus at Eastern. I felt that true college vibe. I was able to see the grass. And, I don't know, it was just fun and being there having those as teammates with the girls and how they treated me. And I was really excited of going there. So. That definitely played a role into me choosing Eastern.
Caroline MacGregor: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Jasmine Jones: Oh my goodness! I'm excited! I'm over here getting hyped up. I just feel like I'm ready to go, and I'm ready to put on for everybody. I'm here to put on for Eastern. I'm here to put it on for my family back at home, my friends. And, yes, what I said to my Instagram post, "This one's for all of us!" So, I'm really excited!
Caroline MacGregor: It's certainly been a privilege to speak to you, and a huge thank you for joining us today from Italy! And all the best! We are really rooting for you back here in Ypsilanti!
Jasmine Jones: Oh, thank you so much! I definitely appreciate it! Definitely miss being in Ypsilanti a little bit. It's crazy how long it's been. And, yeah, I'm just thankful!
Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti, your community NPR station.
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