Officer Aaron Smith Remembrance WOD

YHC got there 10 minutes prior to the workout and ran all over the parking lot trying desperately to get the exercises written down with the nubs of sidewalk chalk at my disposal.  Finish with about 10 seconds to spare.  Quick disclaimer (more on that later) to the PAX I am all too familiar with and we got into it.

We gathered around and I educated the PAX on our purpose for the next hour.

Officer Aaron Smith’s life of public service began at the age of 16, when he joined the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department (MWVFD) as a junior firefighter.  He began serving the MWVFD “in full capacity” at the age of 18, and also went on to work as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for Roane County Emergency Medical Services, the St. Joseph Ambulance Service, Jackson County Emergency Medical Services, Camden Clark Memorial Hospital, and Med Trust of Myrtle Beach.

Officer Smith later became a South Carolina State trooper before joining the Horry County Police Department as a police officer.

His cousin Caroline Arthur wrote “Anyone who knew Aaron knew his passion for front line service. His many hours of service, lives touched, and lives saved will not go unnoticed.”

Officer Smith died on September 5, 2021 and was laid to rest September 12, 2021.

Officer Smith left behind his wife, Chelsy, as well as his parents, two sisters, and his brother.

Warm-up

  • SSH x25
  • Windmill x10
  • Run 1 lap for WOD orientation

I gave an overview of how the workout would work and we got into it.  After completing two of the exercises another truck pulled in.  A fit guy got out and said “I thought this started at 5:15.”  I replied “Not this one.  Just fall in with us.”  I didn’t know him, but he was clearly not a stranger to working out.  So I assumed he was already F3.  WRONG!  We were all so heads down in the work, that we didn’t realize we had an FNG until COT.  Horrible on our part!!!

The WOD

  1. 1.Start on the far side of the parking lot and complete the first exercise.
  2. 2.Run to the next island and complete that exercise.  Run back to the start and complete the first exercise.
  3. 3.Run back to the second island complete that exercise.  Continue to the next marked exercise and complete.  Run back stopping at each island to complete the exercise.
  4. 4.Continue until you complete all stations on the 5 rep lane.
  5. 5.Run one lap around the parking lot (0.40 miles).  This is done after each lane is completed.
  6. 6.Graduate to the next lane (10 reps) and do the same thing done on the 5 rep lane.
  7. 7.After completing the 10 rep lane and running a lap, grab a block to use for all stops on the 15 and 20 rep lanes.

Lane 1 (5 Reps per exercise) & Lane 2 (10 Reps per exercise)

  • Island 1 = HR Merkins
  • Island 2 = LBC
  • Island 3 = Bear Crawl
  • Island 4 = 4ct Plank Jack
  • Island 5 = 8ct Body Builder

Lane 3 (15 Reps per exercise)

  • Bent over Rows
  • Curls
  • OH Press
  • Squat Thrusters

Lane 4 (20 Reps per exercise)

  • Bent over Rows
  • Tricep Extension
  • OH Press

The counts:

  • Total distance = 3.15 miles
  • HR Merkins = 45
  • LBC = 60
  • 4ct Plank Jack = 30
  • 8ct Bodybuilder = 15
  • BO Rows = 105
  • Curls = 60
  • Tricep Ext. = 80
  • OH Press = 70
  • Squat Thrusters = 15

Our FNG held in strong with the front of the group.  His Wisconsin roots earned him the name Cheesehead.

It was great to grind through a difficult workout with such a strong group.

 

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3rd Manion WOD with the AKA crew

WARMUP: mumblechatter

THE THANG:
Manion WOD
29 squats with ruck (with sandbags when available)
1/4 mile ruck (shared sandbags)
7 rounds

We did an extra rounds as time allowed for extra credit

MARY: mumblechatter
ANNOUNCEMENTS: sign up for blood donations🩸
COT: prayers for families, kids and teachers during the last stretch of the school year

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Well Lit Hills

17 months since the last post at the AO: $0.00
52 minute round trip: $0.00

2 Jerry Cans and 1 60lb Sandbag: $$$$

7 PAX for the main event: $0.00

Running hills for 25 minutes to start… Priceless

 

YHC hasn’t been to Pantheon in quite some time. Not since 2020. It’s still the same West of the Peach Stand.

The PAX rolled up and the disclaimer was given. We repeated the five core principles and off we moseyed into the gloom.

Hill work on Hubert Graham

Run down the hill past 5 light poles, ascending movements at each pole to the stop light. Repeat.

Burpees 1-5

Merkins 5 per pole

Lunges 5 per pole

Skater Jumps 10 per pole

Mosey back to shovel flag

 

Partner DORA w/coupons

50 Burpees – Farmers Carry out and back

100 OH Press – Bear Crawl out and back

150 Squats – Run/Nur out and back

200 SSH – Farmers Carry out and back

250 Flutters – Farmers Carry out and back

 

We finished up in the middle of the flutters. YHC was sad to not put the stamp on the 250, but 0600 is 0600. Solid work given by all PAX.

 

NMM

In the middle of the hill repeats, we stopped for story time. Long/short, YHC played a part in helping someone stop choking to death last night. Michelle Schmidt is her name. She almost passed away right next to us. Her daughter in law was running late and could have showed up to learn terrible news. It could have been different. She could have passed away and everything changed for those in her life. God did not have that plan last night.

After the adrenaline subsided and the night moved on… I tossed the situation around in my head every which way. Reminder – life is precious. It could end in the wrong swallowing of a taco. What are we doing today in light of this fact that life could end at any moment?

Prayers/Praises

Cable Guy and family for the loss of his son.

Aquaman and the loss of his son.

Michelle Schmidt and her living another day.

 

38 Special – thanks for tapping YHC to lead today. It was a great time.

Punch List out.

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Prison Yard Beatdown

10  Pax converged at the rock on a cool Saturday morning 0630 for a full body beatdown led by Sasquatch and YHC.

*pre-pull-ups were completed by Skipper, Maximus, Sasquatch and YHC. All of them.

Sasquatch kicked the sesh off with a brief disclaimer and  a unique and effective warm-up that included:

SSH

5+ minute plank with upward dog, downward dog (with multiple variations)

Peter Parker

Parker Peter

Plank jacks

Merkins

Wide-arm merkins

Now that the upper body and core were fired up we moseyed over to the playground where we completed:

3 sets of 5 pullups

5 toes to bar

10 partner clap pushups

wheelbarrow ~20 yards

2 sets of 5 curb merkins

5 curb burpees

5 curb sit-up-getups

1 set of 5 windmill merkins

YHC took over right at 0700 and brought the PAX back to the parking lot where we split into two groups, first group (A)  runs lap around park, stopping at all park benches to complete a number of exercises, return to parking lot and switch with group (B) who is completing exercises in cadence with good form (AMRAP):

1st lap, Group B- Deep squats (AMRAP), Group A – Runs with 10 dips each bench (20 total)

2nd Lap, Burpees (AMRAP) and Step-ups (20 total)

3rd lap, Monkey Humpers (AMRAP) and Derkins (total)

After much grumbling and some counting methods no better than our last few elections we switched it up and moved to front of parking lot for some more partner work.

First partner sprints to far end of parking lot, 2nd partner holds plank. We did 3 or 4 rounds

Finally we did some Mary for 3 minutes, flutter kicks in cadence and american hammers to get us to 0730 and COT.

Thanks for the opportunity Skipper!

 

 

 

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Took Shatner out

WARMUP: alla carte, probably yoga heavy
THE THANG:

Series of exercises with a mode of transportation in between. We moved through the short side of the parking lot.
10ish reps in each

Suitcase row
Over head press
Clean, squat
Side lunge
Bear crawl
Man maker
Waiter carry
Half Turkish getup
Bear craw
Side lunge and clean
Swing
Pull
Snatch
Thrust

It was hard. Finished strong with: Burpee Snatches

COT:

I broke Shatner. Love that guy, hope his back is better now that I’m writing this a solid 4 months later. Always an honor to lead.

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Hair Club for HIMs & others Conquer the Rooster

10+ pax of The Fort posted in The Gloom of Rock Hill amid heavy rain, high winds & falling temps to chase the rooster around the loop for 26+ miles.  Pax from Gashouse & Lake Wylie plus some FiA teams also joined the HIMs of The Rock for the CSAUP adventure, raising funds for Bethel Men’s Shelter in the process.

The Thang

Team relay consisting of 1 mile loops

25 loops completed in the following order:

JWOW
38 Special
NASA
Old Bay
Double D

Team completed 26th lap together for a total of 6 miles each, finishing in 3:35.

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

Congrats to HCHIMs on a great morning!  New milestones reached included:

  • First relay for JWOW and 38 Special
  • Return to The Gloom for Old Bay
  • Renewed lessons for NASA in tent set up in the midst of uncooperative weather
  • New glamour shots for YHC & JWOW in mullet wigs

Shout out to IJ, Longshanks, Cornerstone, Straight Up and Vuvuzela on their successful finishes with RH teams.

T-claps to Blueprint and Ponytail in Rock Hill for putting on a great event and to Catfish and Reborn for keeping The Rock solid!

These CSAUP events are as much about the fellowship with pax of The Fort and other regions as they are about pushing through the pain of the fitness elements (and the weather!).  A COT that includes a cold beer is a pretty good thing!

Six days until the Yeti!  Make it great!

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Laces Smorgasbord

Laces had 10 PAX with a
Smorgasbord on the menu

Warmup
Big 4 corners
SSH
Carioca
IW
Butt Kickers
HW
Shuffle
Mountain Climbers
High Knees
SSH
Toy Soldiers
IW

Moseying with some of the following at stops
BTTW
Aussie Mountain Climbers
Mike Tysons (quite a few of these)
Bear Crawls
Bulgarian Split Squats
Some yoga

When we made it to the pull-up bars, YHC had stashed some kettlebells and cinder blocks.

Split into groups for
10 manmakers
Or
10 burpee pull-ups
Switched out
5 manmakers
Or
5 burpee pull-ups
Switched to the last group with called up and down weighted squats or pull-ups

Moseyed back towards COT
Stopped along the way for:
Box jumps on the loading dock
SSH at the bottom of a hill
Bulgarian Split Squats
Mike Tysons at COT

NMM:
When you notice that something isn’t getting done (in this case it was me counting SSH in cadence at the bottom of that hill), it could be because it’s your job to do it. Go take care of business.

PAX at Laces today demonstrated they’re capable of some awesome work. It motivates me to post with guys accelerating like so many of y’all are in The Fort. I consistently look forward to seeing how our efforts in the gloom help spark impact outside of the gloom.


Band Camp dismissed

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No Arrival

40-some pax posted to the region’s Ground Zero at WEP for a smorgasbord of pain, from 6@6 to Millkshake to a tried and true BC beatdown.  A very explicit and thorough Disclaimer was pronounced by Dark Helmet for the benefit of our FNG, and then the pax blasted off.

The Thang

The recitation of the 5 Core Principles quickly failed to meet DOAH’s standard, leading to some burpees.

Mosey around the parking lot with some toy soldiers and knee lifts mixed in, with the pax following onto the bandshell stage.

COP proceeded including more core principles along with some Merkins and DOAH’s proclamation that maybe the FNG’s fitness surpassed that of many of the pax present.  {Yes, he’s good at stirring the pot whether he’s poking at the Q or Qing himself.}

More mosey and more warm up exercises until the pax reach the far side of the WEP.

Enter stage left — the BAOPS boys via Clown Car — Trucker, Smuggler, Change Order & Longshanks, who just couldn’t stand the thought  of missing out on the best 1st, 2nd & 3rd F in The Fort on this given Saturday.  {Pro move by whoever made that call!}

Partner up for wheel barrow…to the playground…Yes…to the playground!…where the fun really starts.  {Fishsticks promptly cruised 85% of the way there to prove to his FNG that no matter what DOAH says, the FNG’s fitness had room for improvement.}

At the playground, each partner does 50 (yes, Five-O!) pull ups.  {Jiffy cranked out 30 in rapid fire.}

Some core work followed including LBCs and Rosalitas among others.

Handoff to Double D

Run to the bottom of the hill

Jacob’s Ladder with Donkey Kicks at the bottom and Sumo Squats at the top.  Traverse to the top via Bear Crawl and run to the bottom.

Mosey back to the parking lot with some Mary led by Jekyll

Climb the Stairway to Heaven via lunge walks, pausing for Carolina Dry Docks at each lamp post, starting with 5 reps and adding 5 more at each successive post.

Mosey down to the monuments with some Mary led by Longshanks

Circle up for an FNG introduction to Jack Webb by Change Order

Run home for final 2 mins of Mary by Longshanks

COT

NMM

A spirited pax at The Fort on this pleasant late winter morning!   Back to back weeks with a convergence at The Fort — thanks to the Alcatraz boys for adding their zeal to the day!

Maximus delivered the tailgate coffeeteria in the parking lot afterward and our FNG (EHed by Fishsticks) hung around long enough to learn the backstory of his name (Roy Kent) and to fill his rolodex with roofing customer prospects.

Welcome to Roy Kent!  Barry Manilow was quite vocal about the quality of the name and the importance of RK living up to it.  Well, if he doesn’t meet the mark, we can always default to what RK thought we named him — Rockette!

It was great to have Car Bomb among the pax today, fresh off his return trip from New Zealand, prior to his resettlement in another adventure.

The theme for the day was geared around the notion of life being an endless series of mountain climbs, peak after peak, with no arrival to the top in sight — ever.  Depressing, huh?  No, not for the HIMs of F3 and The Fort.  Give us the hard stuff.  We’re playing the long game and we know you can’t play it alone.  So keep posting, stay engaged with your brothers.  Together we’ll keep accelerating.

It was a treat to Q with DOAH for the first time.  We all look at him as just another member of The Fort, which of course he is.  At the same time, he also invests a huge amount of his life leading the 43 feet for the Nation.  Not only is it not easy being Frank {imagine how hard it must be for Traci his wife}, it’s also lonely at the top of any organization {how about leading one with 50,000 type A men?}, and it’s incredibly challenging to serve as the successor to any founder {would you want to try one Dredd’s shoes}.  Despite the small jabs, I say this with all seriousness — DOAH has taken on an extremely difficult challenge, one that he executes well with tremendous energy and virtue and that we all benefit from.  We’re fortunate that he calls The Fort “home” and that we get to take his crap on a regular cadence.  Thank you, DOAH!

Thanks to Grinder for the opportunity!  Always an honor to lead the men of this brotherhood!

SYITG

 

 

 

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Convergence: Love & a passing of the flag

Station 1 (Santini): Traditional Pain Platoon

Just your basic beat the hell out of your legs exercises of lunges, squats, and burpees intermixed with meditation and box breathing exercises. Sprint to the top of the hill, recover, and do more exercises including Moroccan night clubs and Carolina dry docks.

NMM: Anxiety and gratitude are not able to occupy the same space.

Station 2 (Shady / Maximus)

Warmup (Shady) – 21 SSH, 5 burpees, 18 SSH, 5 burpees, 12 SSH, someone whined about burpees so we did 10 diamonds merkins…then did 5 burpees
Group 1
  • partnered up and Dora style started out with 100 pull-ups.  Partner 1 on the pull-up bar, partner 2 did a lap around the playgroud
  • Stayed on playground, stayed with partner, Partner 1 AMRAP merkins while partner 2 ran the length of the playground and back to AMRAP merkins
  • Stayed on the AMRAP theme with flutters, then back to merkins, then back to flutters…then (I think) time was called

Group 2

  • Partnered up and Dora style, but this time 50 pull-ups with the run around the playground (Q modification given time and we aren’t cyborgs)
  • AMRAPs were just 1 round of merkins and flutters (again, I think…may need a lifeline here from Max)
  • We made our way to the hill with the statue where Maximus laid down the NUR up the hill and at the top 10 bomb jacks and ran to the bottom where we did 20 American hammers..we did this twice
  • W/ time to spare we ran to the top for 10 diamond merkins and ran to the bottom for 10 V-ups
  • In buzzer beater fashion, we ran to the top again for 10 ranger merkins and ran to the bottom for a partner 1 lay on the ground and grab partner 2s ankles where partner 2 would throw partner 1s feet down 10 times as you straight leg lifted them to his face

Group 3

  • Dora style 50 pull-ups with the run around the playground
  • We made our way to the hill with the statue where Maximus laid down the NUR up the hill and at the top 10 bomb jacks and ran to the bottom where we did 20 american hammers..we did this twice
  • Running low on time ran to the top for 10 diamond merkins and ran to the bottom for the ankle grabbing / feet throwing core exercise 10 times
NMM: After each of the groups had done their pull-ups, Maximus and Shady shared their thoughts and experiences on LOVE.
  • Shady – areas of focus were loving your brother and being your brothers keeper.  Sending a text or reaching out to someone to just say “hey, thinking of you” could change their day.  Realizing that the ones you love are watching you, emulating you, picking up on good and bad habits.  Realizing we don’t know it all, especially to the ones we love, is a sign of humility and a factor of growth and development.  For those of us with children, we have never been parents before so we honestly have no idea what we’re doing.  Love starts with servant leadership and personally for YHC, this usually progresses when the mouth is shut and ears are open.
  • Maximus – For my discussion on love, it begins with being intentional as love is a decision. We must make the decision to be intentional with our actions. Whether it be in our faith, marriage, parenting of our kids, with friends and yes, even with work relationships, we must be intentional. Think about how easy it is to get distracted, whether at dinner with your wife or even on a Zoom call for work. We often allow our minds to wander or even start doing something else while the other person is talking, looking for our engagement. Stop. Be the person who is present in the moment. Put the shoe on the other foot. Love that person as your relationship to them allows.

Station 3 (Pusher & Cakeboss): Love Edition

COP
  • SSHs
  • Windmills
  • Squats
  • Mtn Climbers
  • Merkins
  • IWs
Cake Boss spells love “B-U-R-P-E-E”
The Thang
  • Jacobs Ladder with Derkins and Monkey Humpers
  • Plank/Dip sequence
  • Bear crawl to top with burpees
NMM:
  • Cord of 3 strands cannot be broken. Having God in your marriage is the 3rd string. Adding communication to the marriage strengthens it. – CB
  • Gifts vs Gaps. Focus on the gifts that your wife or significant other bring vs what she is missing. Seeing her this way builds love. – Pusher
  • Much love was on display with all of the mumblechatter and fellowship. The relationships formed through F3 has increased our love internally and is reflected outward to our Ms, 2.0s, PAX and community… #morethanaworkout

Shovel Flag hand off for two leadership positions in the Fort:

Shady handed off the Nantan role to Double D
Esso handed off the Weasel Shaker role to YHC

Awesome work by the PAX today. Hard to put into words how much improved my disposition on life is since moving back to Fort Mill because of F3. Grateful for an opportunity to serve the PAX of The Fort.

NMM: Double D was the site-Q at Block Party when I started posting. If it wasn’t for his steady presence with a commitment to the integrating 2nd F and 3rd F elements into each workout, I doubt I’d have kept posting. Double D is a genuine human, I’m a better dude for knowing him, and I’m excited for his leadership.


Band Camp dismissed

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Q Swap

Today was RubySlippers turn at Q swap with Sole to Soul…but due to an injury and proposed surgery YHC took the reigns…

Four men took to the paths at Kingsley and rucked about 3 miles….the chatter was constant and there was even some laughter amongst the PAX….we even ran into a shieldlock rucking.. Wegmans and you won’t believe it DIRTY HARRY!!!!

We ended with COT and prayers for Ruby’s upcoming surgery

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