Category: 3rd f

2024 Shield Lock Service Month

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All of January 2024 The Fort is be holding a Shield Lock Service Challenge Competition!

It’s time to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself, is my Shield Lock strong enough to prevail as champions of the 2024 prestigious F3 shield!!!

We will be holding the following 3rd F Service Events:

  1. Bethel Men’s Shelter 1/4
  2. Trash Pickup TBD
  3. Blood Drive 1/18
  4. Fort Mill Care Center – TBD

The point based competition will be as follows:

  • 10 points rewarded for the above service events per shield lock.
  • 5 point for any other volunteer opportunity. This is where you can get creative. Could be anything from helping an old lady across the street to getting your neighbor’s cat out of a tree
  • 3 points for every $10 donated to the Dam to Dam fund raising.
  • 2 points for attending a Bible Study (The Testament, McGospel) / Hanging With Stang

In order to get credit for the event, you have to take a picture together with your shield lock at the event or the receipt of the transaction and post it to the #2024-shield-lock-service-challenge slack channel.

The Shield Lock with the most points at the close of 1/31/2024 will win the prize of the 2024 Shield Lock Service Champion Shield.Good Luck and God Speed!!

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Haunted Ruck for a good cause

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🎃 Haunted Ruck II 🎃 date has been setup for Wednesday October 25th at 6:30pm;  this year I teamed up with Skeletons for St Jude to help alleviate high costs of treatments for families that are carrying the burden of pediatric cancer and the expenses.
We’ll meet at Model A at 6:30pm and promptly launch, ruck to my house and back, roughly 4 miles total. Expect 1:15 minutes or so… M’s 💃, 2.0’s 🧛‍♂️ and 4.0’s 🐕‍🦺 are welcome. We’ll mingle back at Model A for refreshments… YES, there’s a patch 👻 (Bonus points for wearing a costume 🦹‍♂️)

Come ruck/walk for a great cause.

Hope to see you there

TINSEL 🎄

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SLT Notes – 1FQ

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Michael Pysher 41 SlapShot

 

Our leadership team has been thinking and talking a lot about our mission. That is, why we do what we do. For me, being a 1FQ is not about burpees, push-ups or how fast we all can run our miles. It is, simply put, how we can connect our physical fitness with our fitness as men, fathers, husbands, and members of our community. For our region it’s how we further the mission of F3 by aligning our first F with Fellowship and Faith.

 

When I think about why I came out 4 years ago on a cold March morning to run and do push-ups with a bunch of strangers it’s not the “why” of coming out that first post. The more important questions are; why did I come back, why did I stick around, and why did I ultimately accept the 1FQ role.

 

Part of that why is of course physical fitness. We all of us get a rush out of doing this don’t we? The feeling of accomplishment that we’ve run more miles in one morning (or two) before 6am then other men will run in an entire week. That feeling of camaraderie when we complete an Iron Pax workout and fist bump each other at the end of our shared suffering.

 

But that’s not the only reason I keep coming back and I’d argue it’s not the only reason why a lot of your keep coming back.

 

We do what we do here in the Fort and in 1F because it’s more than burpees, it’s more than pushups its about how we prepare and deal with all of our obstacles day in and day out. By taking on the physical we make ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually stronger in the process. Because none of us do this alone. That sense of togetherness extends from fitness to the fellowship aspect. From there, we start to accelerate our impact in our greater community.

 

Whether it’s the races we run to raise money for charities, or the men of our group who have taken it upon themselves to lead community initiatives ranging from 5k’s to men’s shelters, to adopting a highway.

 

The bonds we’ve formed in the gloom build the foundation for us to have a larger and greater impact than any of us could’ve accomplished by ourselves.

 

In that spirit, your SLT team is dedicated to continue to accelerate as a region and increase our impact on our community one merkin, one burpee, and one Catalina Wine Mixer (it’s a real exercise trust me)  at a time.

 

So, what is the answer to the question Why? Well part of the reason is because it’s fun of course. Another is because of the sense of community we’ve built with each other. But for me, what keeps me coming out week after week, month after month, is a simple phrase that in this one shot we have in life we don’t really have to do any of this……. We GET TO DO IT.

 

Thank you to all who share the gloom with us, to all who push their mental and physical selves and most importantly to those who take that shared suffering and focus it on how to answer that question Why?

 

With that said Can’t wait to see you all out there in the gloom accelerating all 3F’s One burpee at a time 😉

 

Michael Pysher 41 Slapshot

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Letter to The Fort

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THE MISSION

“The Mission of F3 is to plant grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.” This mission is two interconnected parts, one part accelerating the other: 1) our workouts and 2) our community.  It has been proven across numerous communities just like Fort Mill that F3 makes a man stronger and then that man makes his community stronger. As a member of the pax, you personally have two responsibilities: 1) Emotionally Headlocking (EH) other men in our community to join us so they may stand up straight like you, and 2) to become a Virtuous Leader in this community.

THE VISION

Several months ago, Double D convened a group of pax to strategize about The Fort’s future—to discuss our next Position of Advantage. Two key positions emerged: 1) Accelerating our Leadership Development Process (LDP) and 2) being more visible in Fort Mill through our marketing efforts (MKT). You will see these two positions added to The Fort’s leadership team (SLT) and a lot of momentum created around these fronts.

THE STATE OF THE REGION

The state of The Fort is strong, but not so strong that we can stop paying attention. We have a lot to be grateful for: a growing pax full of High Impact Men, an abundance of AO’s with a variety of options, our longstanding commitment to all three F’s, a strong SLT and much more. We also must continue to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men. We must continue invigorating male community leadership. The Fort’s SLT are all volunteers whose lives have been deeply enriched by F3 and are committed to serving the PAX and Fort Mill. Whenever you have ideas, questions, concerns, or just a funny joke to share, let us know.

SYITG,

Esso

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Journey: ’23 -’24 Starting Sept. 12th

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Click to Register:  <LINK>

Are you ready? For what?  To meet your maker…

I would argue that none of us feels ready or prepared to stand under the scrutiny of the Light at the end of our lives.  We are all on a Journey from being lost to being found, from our sinful nature to a more Holy purpose, from being worldly-centered to Christ-centered.

It doesn’t matter if you are new to your spiritual journey or you grew up in the church and have half the bible memorized we can all get 1% better and take another step toward our spiritual maturity.  The Journey is about challenging ourselves individually and as a community to lean into our relationship with Christ and to be a light in this world.

The Journey is a 9-month Discipleship process to help individuals find an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ that will enable them to become Influencers in their world.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Jesus- John 15:5

Learn more:  www.influencers.org

The Process

Small Group Discussion Meetings
A Journey group meets every week or every other week for about 9 or 10 months, either in person or on-line.  You will get to have candid conversations with this group, share spiritual discoveries and encourage one another.

Personal Bible Study including Journaling
We will teach you how to connect with God through His Word.  One key tool we use is Journaling.  Our goal is for you to have a hunger for God’s Word and become a self-feeder.

Personal Guides to help show the way
Every Journey Group has Guides who are on The Journey with you.  They are not teachers or counselors, but rather, facilitators to help point you in the right direction and to monitor your progress.

Retreats
We incorporate 3 different retreats where you will spend extended time away with your group and with the Lord.  These are usually on a Saturday.  All of these are designed to help you carve out more time for intimacy with The Father.

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The Journey – 23 – ’24 Tour of Duty

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Are you interested in growing in your faith walk? Discovering a path toward an Intimate, Abiding relationship with Christ through a small group study during the ’23 – ’24 school year.

Maybe you have been in the church for your entire life, the last 10 years or you are just now opening your mind to this idea of a higher power… a “Sky Q”.  Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, we all have room to grow and mature in our relationship with Christ.

We are all on a faith journey and some of us are more or less equipped to take our faith deeper.  If you have a gap in any of these areas then I have a challenge for you.

1.      Do you feel that you have created a solid foundation of knowing who God is and his desire to be a part of your life?

2.      Are you in a group that is consistently seeking to grow in a relationship with God?

3.      Do you feel that you have an adequate tool kit to help you grow deeper in your faith?

On July 13th (for 4 weeks) at ‘Hanging with Stang, we will be launching into an introduction of the Journey through a short study.  Come and join to learn more and see how this intersects with your season of life in your faith Journey.  Please reach out to Chicken Hawk, JWOW or Cornerstone with any questions.

 

 

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HIM Camp

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The Fort Retreat – Pre-Blast

Details:

  • Who: PAX of the Fort (This could always include an FNG…..)
  • What: “HIM Camp”
  • Why: A weekend of dirty, dangerous, and difficult things that forge bonds and accelerate us to live right and lead right. Will include specialized skilled training, retreat content campfires, and hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  • Where: CRI Base: (Clickbait’s Headquarters)
  • When: 8/11-8/13
      • Arrival window Friday, 8/11, 2-10 pm
      • Opening session at 7 pm
      • Depart Sunday, 8/13, by 10 am
  •  How:
      • Register at: https://criout.regfox.com/f3-him-camp
        • $50 fee covers cost of training sessions
      • Shieldlocks / PAX are preparing meals onsite to keep costs low.
      • Transportation OYO or group together.
      • There is an option on the registration page to join a 12-passenger van departing at 10 AM on Friday.
  • Packing List: (The facility has a dining facility, showers, Dorms, and A.C.)
      • Bedding (pillow, sheets/blankets, or sleeping bag)
      • Bathing suit
      • Sturdy shoes for hiking, flip-flops for showers
      • Backpack or Ruck
      • Water Bottle or Hydration Pack
      • Headlamp
      • Personal Snacks
      • Bug Spray

F3’s mission is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men to invigorate male community leadership.

Toward this end, we’re carving out time to be prepared for the challenges that may come our way, that we would lead well, serve and overcome them.

Your August 2023 Saturdays:

8/5 – Stuff the Bus
8/12 – The Fort Retreat
8/19 – Get your 2.0s ready for school on 8/21!!
8/26 – I don’t know, man. Make some decisions on your own.

———————————————————————————————————————


Parking Lot (TL/DR)

  • Epic workouts, hikes, and the completely unexpected.
  • Active Shooter Response Training
  • CPR and AED training
  • Continue awakening our ability to accelerate together
  • 3rd F element Qed by Kaiser
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The Testament!

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Hey guys! If you haven’t heard, the Wild at Heart series Q’s by @kaiser was a huge success! We had some great conversation and fellowship that lead to many sharing their hearts and becoming better men as a result.
Now that Wild at Heart is finished, this 3rdF AO will be known as “The Testament” and will be Q’d in a rotating fashion. We’re setting up a few bible study series with videos that will allow anyone to show up and be a part of the conversation (no pre-work needed) If you’re not already involved in a 3rdF event then this is will be the place to be!!
I will be taking the first Q for a 4 part series on Holy Habits. This is the concept of aligning your day to day activities with Gods will for your life. I’ll be sending out study guides before each meeting for anyone who wants to de some pre-work.

Come grow stronger in your faith along side your brothers!
6:15am every Wednesday at the Springfield clubhouse. Coffee is provided (and occasionally donuts!)

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The Murph

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PAX,

Start preparing for the annual MURPH Challenge on May 29th.

Why :  LT. Michael P. Murphy (SEAL) was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wings. Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. For his selfless actions, LT. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007. We honor his sacrifice and memory though The Murph Challenge.

The Workout:

1 Mile Run
100 Pull Ups
200 Merkins
300 Squats
Another 1 Mile Run

This year, we will have three options for the Murph after our regularly scheduled workouts.

Option #1:

Location: Nations Fort High School

Start Time:  0645

Option #2:

Location: The Print Shop

Start Time:  0800

Murph Flyer #1

** Registration is required for this event:  Link

select “The Print Shop by Amor Artis” as their gym affiliate.

Option #3:

Do Option #1 and #2

 

 

 

 

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F3 AMRAP 4 AUTISM – 2nd Edition

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F3 AMRAP 4 AUTISM

B.L.U.F.

Saturday April 22nd there will be a #BEATDOWN of epic proportions (AMRAP style) at Alcatraz.  This #SNOTWOGGLER is being delivered to support families with autism (like mine) get the resources they need.  The average cost for ABA therapy is $60,000 per year and can be much higher depending on the severity and need.  Autism Strong Foundation is a local non-profit that is “Founded on faith and led by inclusion, our mission is to provide the strongest support, community and hope for those touched by autism. All funds raised by Autism Strong are mindfully donated to our community in the way that will make the greatest impact; connecting families and children to the resources they desperately need.” Give HERE if you feel so lead.  Also shirts are live on Mudgear HERE (First order ends March 27 for delivery by event day – second order will launch soon after this one closes)

THE WHY:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:11

My son Noah was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in June of 2021.  The verse from Jeremiah is a truth that my M and I have hung on to ever since that day.  Admittedly there have been many days where we have doubted, more than I’d like to admit, as we’ve worked to learn and navigate this new world we were thrusted in to.  One of the most impactful things we have been able to do for Noah is getting him ABA therapy.  Through this focused therapy model we have seen Noah grow in so many areas.  Today we still receive about 20 hours per week of ABA but since we started Noah has become more expressive of his needs/wants, increased in his social skills, increased in his daily living skills and we can clearly see his confidence has grown.  We want all people affected with autism to have this same opportunity.

Through our journey we have found an amazing community and organization with a local nonprofit called Autism Strong Foundation.  The foundation was started to help families that cannot afford to help their children get the care they need for autism.  My M and I know firsthand, after battling with insurance for coverage, how difficult it can be to carry this burden on top of everything else.  We know many families are losing that fight or just cannot afford to help their children with the extremely high cost of therapy.  Some families must make a choice between paying the power bill or therapy for their special needs child, could you imagine that decision?

THE WHAT

  • F3 AMRAP 4 AUTISM is taking over Alcatraz on Saturday April 22.
  • 0630 launch with brief warmup and explanation of the day’s event
  • 0640 Event Start. AMRAP below workout for 44 minutes with coupon.  Partners recommended!
    • 54 man makers with coupon
    • 54 yard with coupon overhead
    • 54 thrusters
    • 54 bent over rows
    • Run 1 lap around the park with coupon
  • 0724 Clock Stops
  • 0730 COT & Winners Announced
  • 0745 Coffeteria

Other Details

  • Workout is open to ALL MEN – regardless of if you donate. #CorePrinciple and all…
  • We will be gathering as many coupons as we can. If you have a sandbag, kettlebell or cinderblock please bring it.  Recommend no more than 50 lbs.
  • AMRAP 4 AUTISM is an annual event started by Autism Strong Foundation in 2013. This year’s event will be in August and held in Charlotte.  YHC will share registration details as they come available.

How you can help

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