Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona Episode: March 5, 2025 Title: Discussing Trans Athletes In Competition - Remembering Our Own Struggles w/Puberty Including Frank's Early Shaving And John's Blue Marker Story

1. Introduction

In this episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness on 98 KUPD, hosts John Holmberg (referred to as Brady) and his co-hosts engage in a spirited discussion about the participation of transgender athletes in competitive sports. The conversation intertwines contemporary debates with personal anecdotes from the hosts' own experiences during puberty, offering both critical perspectives and humorous reflections.

2. Controversial Discussion on Trans Athletes

The episode delves into the contentious topic of transgender athletes competing in women's sports. Brady initiates the debate by critiquing the competitive balance, particularly highlighting perceived disparities in athletic conditioning and defensive capabilities.

• Brady (00:35): "I didn't really see a great conditioning situation going on over there... if I was on a volleyball court and I saw the opponents had three girls in the starting rotation that were, you knew they weren't jumping too high."

The conversation intensifies as the hosts recount specific instances from high school volleyball games, questioning the fairness and readiness of certain teams.

• Brady (02:18): "Incredibly athletic woman wouldn't have knocked one of them out. It was, it wasn't the most well-conditioned high school volleyball team I'd ever seen."

The discussion becomes more heated when addressing incidents where transgender athletes may have inadvertently caused harm, leading to debates about safety and regulation.

• Brady (04:00): "She was training a golden corral. She got hit in the face with a volleyball... it's defense."

3. Drawing Parallels to Personal Puberty Struggles

Transitioning from the main topic, the hosts draw parallels between the challenges faced by transgender athletes and their own struggles during puberty. This segment serves to humanize the debate, providing personal insights into bodily changes and societal expectations.

• Brady (08:18): "There are still rules. There's a way we did something and then all of a sudden it just changed overnight."

4. Personal Anecdotes: Frank's Early Shaving and John's Blue Marker Story

A significant portion of the episode revolves around Frank's humorous recounting of his early shaving experiences and John's "blue marker" story, symbolizing the awkwardness and confusion of adolescence.

• Frank (11:23): "I never lived that because I was 13, shaving my back."

• Brady (25:37): "It was a blue like marker pen... it's a publess brick."

These stories highlight the discomfort and experimentation that often accompanies the transition from childhood to adulthood, drawing a lighthearted connection to the broader discussion on gender and physical development.

5. Broader Conversations and Tangents

Throughout the episode, the conversation occasionally veers into other areas, including the decline of radio as a medium, personal interactions with guests like Cato Kalin, and brief forays into political commentary.

• Brady (06:40): "Everything seems like a distraction to me."

• Frank (33:53): "Cochise from... Dead, Kennedy's, Limp Bizkit, Pantera, Iron Maiden..."

These tangents, while less central to the main topics, showcase the hosts' dynamic and the show's characteristic blend of serious debate and casual banter.

6. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a blend of comedic relief and reflections on the day's discussions. The hosts acknowledge the complexity of the topics covered, balancing personal stories with broader societal issues.

• Frank (39:02): "Nobody ever got to him and said, why don't you just cut this one short and have him say..."

Overall, this episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness offers listeners a mix of provocative discussions on transgender athletes in sports and relatable stories from the hosts' own formative years, all delivered with the show's signature humor and candidness.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady (02:18): "Incredibly athletic woman wouldn't have knocked one of them out. It was, it wasn't the most well-conditioned high school volleyball team I'd ever seen."

• Frank (11:23): "I never lived that because I was 13, shaving my back."

• Brady (25:37): "It was a blue like marker pen... it's a publess brick."

• Frank (39:02): "Nobody ever got to him and said, why don't you just cut this one short and have him say..."

Holmberg's Morning Sickness continues to blend topical debates with personal anecdotes, fostering an engaging environment for listeners to explore and reflect on pressing social issues through the lens of the hosts' unique experiences.