2024 Shield Lock Service Month

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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2024 Acceleration Project

  • QIC: Change Order, Cyclops, Shady and Pusher
  • When: 01/05/2024
  • Posted In: 3rdF, qsource

Pax

The mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. With over a decade of history in The Fort, no one can question the ability to plant, grow and serve small workout groups or our ability to lead within the community. Yet, just as in life, we must resist the status quo and continue to grow and develop whether in our role as husband and father, our fitness and as a leader. 

Leadership is defined by Q Source, the F3 Manual of Virtuous Leadership, as the ability to influence others to movement to advantage. This skill must continually be sharpened otherwise it becomes dull and weak. However our ability to influence remains consistent, whether it is sharp or dull, thus we need to develop this skill on behalf of those that we serve including our families, our friends and our community. 

In 2024, we are launching the Acceleration Project as a leadership development program to develop the leadership skills of those within our community. This program, over the course of the year, will seek to sharpen the participants, to resist the status quo and to engage our families, our friends and our community with the same vigor that we attack a workout. Over the course of the year, there will be (5) live workshops, action items between workshops and suggested reading. Behind the backdrop, the content will be based on Q Source and there will be multiple options for weekly discussion across The Fort. It will be introspective, you will be challenged as a leader and you will be uncomfortable as you develop new leadership muscles. 

Below are the details:

  • (5) Live workshops held at St. John UMC from 6:30 – 7:20 AM
    • Friday, January 5th
    • Friday, March 29th
    • Friday, June 28th
    • Friday, September 27th
    • Friday, December 20th
  • Weekly Q Source meetings
    • Mondays at Sweep the Leg – Olaf
    • Tuesdays at Q Source at Panera – Change Order
    • Thursdays at Coaches Box – Cyclops
    • Friday via Zoom – Olaf

This program would be applicable for anyone looking to get better as a leader including all Pax, Shieldlocks, Whetstones and neighbors. 

If you would like to participate, please complete the Google Form below:

https://forms.gle/jaiV6rpN9SunRpwL6

No matter your participation, do not accept the status quo as a leader. Your wife, your family and your community need you. Please let me know if you have any questions. SYITG

Pusher

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March 4 Autism – March Madness Pool to Benefit Autism Strong Foundation

MARCH 4 AUTISM is back!! This is a March Madness bracket challenge that will work like a 50/50 raffle where 1st place gets 50% of the pool and Autism Strong Foundation gets the other half. $25 per bracket – limit 10. For greater transparency and ease of use we will use a third party to collect and pay out all funds.DIRECTIONS:
  • Follow link below to submit payment for 1-10 brackets
  • Follow tiny URL below to sign up for the right number of brackets per the money submitted
  • Join #march_4_autism channel for the greatest trash talk of the tournament!
  • DM me with any questions
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Locking Shields_3rdF Thursday on the 3rd Thursday

PAX of The Fort,

10 years we have been at this thing called F3 and we have covered a lot of ground and accomplished great things. Most importantly we have helped each other accelerate and be better than we were yesterday.

Locking Shields is a new way of taking our shieldlocks and all of The Fort PAX deeper and wider. We need to keep challenging ourselves and move into deeper waters in order to tap into our true selves. Maturing not only physically but mentally and spiritually is critical for moving to a place of advantage in this thing we call life.

How will Locking Shields help mature us and take us deeper?? By being willing to have the hard conversations and reach deep into the things that every single one of us struggles with and needs to deal with. This is not to embarrass or shame anyone, but to move toward advantage and overcome the things that hold us back from the BEST US!

Locking Shields

    1. We will put out a monthly topic for Shieldlocks to discuss and all PAX to consider and discuss in smaller groups and circles the first two weeks of the month.
    2. Locking Shields 3rdF Thursday every 3rd Thursday of each month will be held at Hanging with Stang. A shieldlock group will lead through discussion on the topic of the month. From the smaller discussion groups to this corporate group, the discussion will be impactful in short time Thursday mornings.
    3. Sign your Shieldlock up to lead a discussion of choice. Something you know men deal with and could benefit from have the hard conversation. Let Cake Boss know you want to lead and get on the calendar.

So what are we really talking about here. As men we have certain tendancies and bend. Here are some of the things that lead to our Jesters manifesting somewhere in our lives:

    • Identity
      • Worthiness
      • Performance
      • Control
    • Anxiety/Stress
      • Loneliness
      • Hopelessness
    • Virtuous Leadership
      • In Marriage
      • Raising 2.0s
      • At work
    • Faith
      • Grace
      • Love
      • Wisdom
      • Empathy
      • Humility
      • Worship
    • Finances
      • Debt
      • Budgeting
      • Communication
      • 2.0 lessons

The list goes on and on, but this is not a cliffnotes version. We want Shieldlocks to go deep and Locking Shields will take all the PAX into the deep waters.

See you in Da Gloom!

Cake Boss

Join in on the conversations!!

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Through A Different Lens

Through a Different Lens

F3 (www.f3nation.com) has been an integral part of me becoming the type of person, the type of man, I am today. This development process is a long journey, absent a finish line. This process can be frustrating as one never truly arrives at an end point. The journey is full of mistakes and learning opportunities we call waypoints, along the path of becoming the man you were created to become.

As of this past weekend in mid-May, there have been 28 GrowRuck Training Exercises, or GTE, executed during the 10-year existence of F3. These events are leadership training weekends where participants are taught virtuous leadership principles and then tested to put their learning into practice. I have participated in 3, Louisville, Myrtle Beach and this past weekend in Northwest Arkansas. All these events, both those I’ve participated in and those I have not, are uniquely their own. They have their own leadership team planning them, often times have different members of the Trainer and Cadre teams executing them and different men signing up to participate in the hopes they experience the same memory-making, life-changing moments they’ve heard about from events past. GTE’s are an excellent way to cement the development process for a man.

I’ve had those life-changing moments and often talk of the physical and mental challenges our teams have overcome. It is a fantastic way for men to learn life lessons as they’re expected to implement leadership teachings during frequent periods of high stress and limited visibility. What made NW Arkansas different?

First, I was flying in to participate in this event with my brother-in-law of 16+ years whom I’ve known for over 20. He is my wife’s brother and is also the leader of the regional F3 group hosting this GTE. In addition to the family connection, we were on the same team or as we say it, we were in the same Platoon. We often rucked side by side, each having some kind of heavy object hoisted onto our shoulders providing an additional challenge. Under such conditions, much didn’t have to be spoken. There is now a shared connection that just exists because of that experience. Sure, family vacations and Christmas dinners will now include inside jokes or “remember when” stories, but it’s the bond gained through shared adversity that grows the relationship.

Second, I was a Trainer alongside a great friend of mine, Frank. As a Trainer, you have a few primary functions during the weekend. In the beginning, Trainers rally the men and walk through the plan and expectations for the weekend. Trainers execute the Saturday morning workout consisting of leadership principles taught in F3. The major function of Trainers, requiring the most investment, is leading the 3-hour training session we call Grow School during which we teach these principles in a classroom setting and share personal experiences to support the content. This content comes from the book written by F3’s co-Founder, Dave Redding, Q Source (https://f3nation.com/q-source/). Trainers go “Under the Log” and participate like every other man. The difference here, however, is that Trainers cannot offer suggestions or advice, or serve in a leadership capacity during the event. They are to suffer and celebrate in all the same ways the rest of their team does. As I learned this weekend, this is where the magic happens.

The final element that made this weekend different was the connection made with several of the men in our Platoon. Those men know who they are as we pushed each other throughout the event, learned of very similar life experiences or, they presented an opportunity of personal investment. That’s one of the many special things about these events, it is about way more than “just” a 14-hour ruck event. Bonds are created through shared adversity.

While these and other experiences from this weekend stay with me, it is that role as a trainer I want to dig into a bit more. I’m 41 years old and have a history of surrounding myself, and in some cases, befriending, older men. I just tend to hang around guys that are a few years my senior. In doing so, I often pick up on their knowledge and listen to pieces of wisdom that stick with me. Rarely do I consider myself as a source of wisdom for other men. So, as a trainer, one is forced to be in the wisdom sharing role. Leading up to this unique opportunity, I studied and asked men whose opinion I value all sorts of questions about my preparation, what aspects I should dig in on and more broadly, their advice on how to present this material.

The training went well. While I went long on some points and rushed through others, I believe the material I presented was conveyed in a manner easily digested. I got vulnerable with the roughly 60 men in attendance in sharing how I’ve misaligned priorities, led selfishly and have eventually surrounded myself with men to hold me accountable. In the days since GTE28, I’ve had a few men contact me and thank me for sharing about my life and even talked about how it is causing them to think differently. That’s about as good as it gets.

Then, we went under the log. Frank talks about his passion of “unlocking” men for their true purpose. This isn’t a vocational unlocking but a true, life-meaning, unlocking and discovery of your purpose for living this life. Over the course of the event, under extreme physical duress, exhausted, hungry, frustrated, and possibly even regretting their choice to be there, I witnessed a few men become unlocked. They were transformed from deer staring into the headlights to men that assessed a situation and jumped into action. Their action threw their own personal comfort out the window because after all, they weren’t in this event for themselves. Sure, it’s nice to overcome something physically hard, but they kept pushing because that’s what they expected from other men in the Platoon, to keep pushing. In other words, they weren’t going to let you quit.

A man will quit on himself before he will quit on another man. We had plenty of time to ponder quitting. While carrying a ladder weighted down with fire hoses, sandbags, logs and our own ~40lb rucks, one could rationalize quitting in today’s world. But guess what? We weren’t living in today’s world this past weekend. The actions by men, most whom I’d not previously met, were inspiring. I witnessed a man in his 20’s take over the lead role and absolutely crush it. We completed every challenge with time to spare, knew the expectations and found ways to support the team. I witnessed a teenager lead men 2-3 times his age, including his own father. As soon as one becomes concerned about the generation behind you and its ability to engage, he put an end to that thought. It wasn’t perfect but you’d be hard pressed to find another 15-year-old with the courage and fortitude to take that on.

I witnessed a man puking on a field come back and excel during this event. I witnessed a man who’s never led even a small workout go on to lead us through a mock casualty exercise. I witnessed the silent courage of countless men focus on everything else but their own personal suck, just so that they could be a motivating force for others.

In the end, I had a few men come up to me, face to face, hug me and thank me for the role I played. You see, I’ve always found myself on the receiving end of other men giving of themselves. This time, I gave some of myself away because I was honored to be asked and I cared about these guys before I even knew their names. These men in Arkansas, from around the country, thanked me because I cared about them. I encouraged them to press on, physically, and in their lives back home.

Imagine if we could get every man to step into an experience like this, realizing it’s about way more than carrying a weighted ruck for a few hours. What if we all had the life-changing experience to recognize we get to invest in others and be invested into, while going through shared challenges? In 41 years, I’ve not found an environment better than a GTE where a man can fail then overcome, on his way to becoming a more unlocked man. It is a process, and a very rewarding one at that.

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LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY/HELP NEEDED – Fort Mill Care Center

PAX,

As many of you know, we have had the privilege of mowing the grass at the Fort Mill Care Center. This spring will be our 7th season. Many of you have stepped up after hearing of this important need for this service. The Care Center does not have a budget for lawn maintenance. All of the funds available go to help their many clients. In addition to the lawn care, a few PAX took a Saturday to construct a shed to house the two mowers we have donated. The effort has not gone unnoticed. Through all of our efforts we have received many messages of thanks.

We are asking for one HIM to take over the leadership of this weekly project. We’d like to hand this off to someone who has a heart for what is happening at the Care Center. The essentials include the managing of the signup genius, promoting it weekly and the supervision that the job gets done each weekend.

Please give this some thought and reach out to me for more details. There is a sincere satisfaction of knowing we are making a difference as a small part of a vital community resource.  Thanks to all of you for your help over the past six years.

Assassin
Rob Jordan
704.626.2579

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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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F3 The Fort – Adopt a Highway (#2)

****March 5th 2022- 7:45am – 8:00am****

Men,

We have officially signed up for the Adopt-A-Highway Litter pick-up program.  Our adopted Highway is US21 from Peachstand south to Sutton Rd. (2 miles). We will have a sign installed to promote this section of the highway.  We are encouraged to complete 4 pick-ups a year (once a quarter).  All supplies will be provided.  All we need to do is show up.  The SC DOT will come out and pick up our bags along the route after completion.

**Our NEXT Clean-up date is tentatively scheduled for March 5th. (start time )  7:45 am – 8:00am**. There is no time expectation for participation.  Stay as long as needed or head out early.  Modify as needed. Plan for 2 hours if you complete the 1-mile loop.  We split up into two groups last time and met at the halfway point.

We will begin at the Peachstand (rear of the building) and coordinate.  I have 30 vests and all supplies.

Fogerty will be the main contact for this event over the next two years.

Here are some of the logistics:

• Make sure your group knows that in case of bad weather the cleanup will be postponed. Litter collection should never be done in the dark or in bad weather.
• Notify local news media who may have an interest in publicizing your group’s activities. • Remind your group of the appropriate clothing. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts and sturdy shoes help avoid scratches and irritation from poisonous plants. Light or brightly colored clothing will make them easily visible to passing traffic.
• Be sure you have all the materials and supplies you’ll need beforehand, including first aid kits.
• Check with members of your group to be aware of any allergies that might be important (such as bee-stings, etc).
• Work out a plan for what you will do in the event of an emergency. Find out what the quickest route to the hospital is.
• Park vehicles at both ends of the adopted section.

• Volunteers must be at least 13 years old to participate in Adopt-A-Highway cleanups. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult on all Adopt-A-Highway cleanups.

The state does provide adopt-a-highway orange and blue bags.  Orange bags are for trash and blue bags are for recyclables if you want to recycle.  Your group is also provided with orange safety vests.   We do require four pickups every year, usually once every quarter.  All that is needed to be done after trash is picked up is to call or email me and I will send one of our crews to pick up the bags.

It is volunteers like you who are going to make a difference by speaking up and doing what they can to help their community.  Please let me know If you have any questions, I will be glad to assist you.

Thank you,

Sherry J. Johnson
Administrative Specialist/
Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator
SC Department of Transportation
803-327-6186 O I 803-327-6184 F
JohnsonSJ@scdot.org

District Four Maintenance
338 Robertson Road West
Rock Hill, SC 29730

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F3TheFort Holiday Drop-In

The Forts annual holiday party will have a different feel this year.
With COVID still lingering we have decided to have a gathering but it will be a bit different.

We are encouraging The PAX to go to dinner with your M and either your Shieldlock, Whetstone, or small group of fellow PAX and their Ms. After dinner we will all gather for an hour or so of a social hour(s).
This will give our Ms the opportunity to meet the crazy fellas we spend the early mornings with but more importantly their M.

We are all fortunate to have this crazy group it is also just as important to try and let our Ms meet some other ladies in the community and possibly let them start great friendships as well.

Make it a day of F3. Start with the golf outing, go to dinner and then grab a couple beers, a bottle of J Lohr wine, a cocktail and let’s kick off the holiday season.

If COVID worries you or your M we will have an outdoor area to hang out at as well as indoor areas.

Where- Springfield Community Center- by the tennis courts/pool
420 Horton Grove, Fort Mill, SC 29715

Time- 7pm-9pmish

When- Dec 3rd, 2021

Contact- Backdraft with any concerns…

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2022 Dam to Dam for a Cause

  • QIC: Backdraft, Cornerstone, Cyclops, Stang, Gekko, Nasa, Gears, Reborn, Slash, Pusher
  • When: 02/26/2022
  • Posted In: 3rdF, CSAUP

10 teams from across the Fort/Rock Hill/Lake Wylie regions have committed to the 2022 Dam to Dam Relay from Lake Murray to Lake Greenwood. In addition to this effort, these HIMs have committed to continuing the mission of F3 by invigorating male community leadership in a partnership with local charities.

Over the past 2 years, HIMs from the Fort have contributed over $45k back into local charities. in 2019, we provided over $15k in school supplies to Classroom Ready for students in need. This has led to a continued partnership since that time. In 2020, we provided over $30 to Harlans Heroes to support families dealing with pediatric cancer.

In an effort to continue to build our legacy in our area, we will be raising funds to create (3) scholarships at all local schools in partnership with the Foundation for Fort Mill Schools. Your efforts and donations will lead to a 10 year commitment to identify those students who exemplify community leadership.

In addition, we will also support 809 Foundation, Hometown Heroes and the St. Jude Dream Home. As a group, we felt that our fundraising could and should impact as many locally as possible.

We have set a goal of raising $50k for 2022. We ask that you support us with a contribution to the following link Dam to Dam for a Cause. Thanks in advance for your consideration and contribution.

In addition to the F3 Foundation, we have several upcoming events. Please see information below and contact the QIC for additional details:

11/19/21 – Bourbon Tasting (Cyclops – QIC)

Early December 2021 – Fort Golf Tournament (Stang – QIC)

12/24/21 – Santa Clave 5k and 10k (Boss Hogg – QIC)

1/29/22 – Dam to Damn Bar 10k (Hardwood – QIC)

TBD – Grapevine Night

More events and details to follow. Thanks for making an impact in our community.

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