Category: Brothership

Charter Band-aids for Little Warriors – PreBlast

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As most of the PAX in the Fort and Rock regions knows my 5 year old daughter (Emma) is a leukemia survivor. We still make a trip every 4 weeks to get blood drawn to check her counts at Levine Children’s Hospital. We also stepped up and raised money last year (Christmas time) for a fellow brother bout-time out of Area 51 son Jennings who has leukemia also.

It has come to my attention that the budgets have been cut in some of the pediatric departments and the first thing to go is usually the character band aids. You say how important is to have these band-aids? Well as far as the cancer kids go every time the have their PORT’s (Port is a small medical appliance that is installed beneath the skin. A catheter connects the port to a vein) which for some kids is traumatic they get a band-aid over it. For others that are done with treatment such as my daughter Emma has to go back for the next 21 years to get checked (mainly blood counts). This not always easy for instance this past Wednesday she was poked 3 times. Well at the end the band aid can put a smile on a child’s face. This also goes for those kiddos that have to constantly get blood work done not just cancer kids.

So what I am challenging you to do is every week you go grocery shopping buy at least one box or more of character band-aids girls or boys. Also Spread the word in every COT. I will tweet out what AO’s I will be at and if anyone wants to step up and help me collect that would be awesome.

I also challenge others in different regions to pull together and do the same thing. My goal is to gather as much as possible and split it between Levine Children’s Hospital and Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital (St. Jude Affiliate Clinic) before Christmas.

Let a simple act of kindness put a smile on a little fighters face.

AYE. Lets do this.

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JOE DAVIS + SPEED FOR NEED = IMPACT

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In just under a month, we will have an opportunity to run one of the best races of the year which has become our Signature Fort Race, The Joe Davis Run for Recovery.

This year is going to be particularly special in that we will also be adding the opportunity to push race chariots for SPEED FOR NEED.

Here’s how you get involved, if you know of someone who has a child with a disability, someone who has a child whose home has been affected by addiction, or a child in some other kind of need, then DM Dark Helmet on Twitter and let him know. If you would like to help push, let him know.

We have a chance to have as many as 6 chairs there (several are already spoken for, but some are empty). That’s the most of any race yet…

So man up! Register, find a “Track Commander” to push, and let’s get after it!

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THE PAX OF FORT PLEDGES TO HELP ANOTHER BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY OUT

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Its Christmas time and the word of the month is giving so I am asking if you would take moments pray about giving to help a fellow pax. Last year Stang got the Fort and the Rock pax to donate gift cards, cash and presents for me and my family.  This was huge for me and my family, with that  being said I feel the need to help a fellow pax and give back. I have been in touch with our pax of the Fort looking for someone to help out. This morning in COT it was mentioned by Destiny that a fellow pax’s son has just been diagnosed with leukemia and his wife is pregnant with twins. Then again Ginsu and Rock thrill had a tweet about it and come to find out it is an Area51  pax named Bout time his sons name is Jennings. This hits close to home and just knew this is who we need to help this year. a few

If I have never had the pleasure of posting with you in the Gloom I would like to take a second and share my story, Dec 2015 on Christmas eve my 2.5 year old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia ALL Type B, on Christmas day she had surgery to have a port installed and her first 3 rounds of chemo. We spent Christmas in the hospital and I broke down never cried so hard in my life. I reached out to God prayed that everything will be okay and about 10 min later after the took my daughter back for surgery he answered my pray because a peace just came over me and heard the words its going to be okay.  The last 2 years have been a hard 2 years with ups and downs but also have enlightened me, allowed me to get closer to God.  It also allowed me to become apart of F3 with out the men of this group not sure where I would be mentally and physically today. I like to thank you for the push the words of encouragement.

 

I am asking pax to give what your heart tells you. Prayers gift cards, cash etc. I have seen what awesome pax you can be when challenged to give you all always go above and beyond.

See your site Q’s for collections and or Dark helmet , Stang, Witch hunt, Royale and Cornerstone, we want to wrap it up by 12/22/17

 

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Proverbs 18:16

A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 

Thanks Again HIMS

Cornerstone

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Pre-Blast: A Letter to My F3 Lancaster Brothers

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To my F3 Lancaster brothers who have been struggling lately,

I have only a few rules for my life. I could probably add a couple more, but these are essential:

  1. Do my best to love God and try to realize He loves me, just as I am, not as I think I should be.
  2. Do my best to love my wife and kids by decisively making choices, every day, to do the little things that will eventually add up to mean something significant.
  3. If I’m going to do something, do it right the first time. When I don’t get it right, own it and make it right.
  4. Accept responsibility for failure; lavish praise for success.
  5. Honor our Nation by remembering and celebrating those who have protected her.
  6. Finally, never quit on a hill.

I’ve failed a time or two at all but my last one. I never quit on a hill – ever! My speed might slow, I might limp as my sprint turns to a jog, but I do not quit. I do not walk. I do not stop.

Before jacking my back up, I used to be a runner. I’ve never been fast and a single marathon in 1999 was enough for my bucket list, but I loved running. When I was sidelined six years ago, I dropped into depression and fits of rage. Running had always managed my emotions. Running was my prescription. Frustrated? Run! Tempted? Run! Angry? Run!

I joined F3 7 months ago and it has changed my life. I’m even back to running short jaunts when my back allows. I might be “the six” on any run, but I don’t quit – ever. It might get ugly and slow, but I don’t quit.

I’ve seen a lot of HIMs wrestle with sad clown syndrome (we all do). I remember your faces and a few of your F3 names. Some of you, my F3 brothers, started well but have drifted to your old life (you’re not alone… every one of us has our ups and downs). We miss you. I miss you.

4am wakeups are tough. Getting out of a comfortable bed to post in 20-degree weather is hard. But, such choices are the hill set before you. These are your daily red pills. You can chose to drift back into the lifestyle you had before F3, but I wonder, wasn’t there something from within your soul that drove you to post that first day? Isn’t there something missing in your life, now that you’ve slipped back to the former ways, that you need to get back? I know you feel that call of the wild to become the best man you can be for you, your family, and your community. It’s not too late; it’s never too late.

If you’re in town and not working a swing shift this Saturday, you have only three options:

  1. Post at the Joe Davis run in Rock Hill (great cause / great HIMs);
  2. Join us at Normandy (I’ll have my 2.0s “Parkour” and “Jumper” assisting me on Q) or post to another site if you like;
  3. Ignore the call of the wild God placed deep inside of you.

This is your hill. Don’t quit. Don’t stop. Don’t give up.

YHC, Bourne

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

– Theodore Roosevelt. “Man in the Arena.” from Citizenship in A Republic as cited in theodore-roosevelt.com.

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Bounce House # VQ

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  • QIC: Bounce House & CSPAN
  • When: 12/9/16
  • Pax: Bubba Gump, Corruption, Bolt, Bueller, Hot Sauce, Repeat, Pusher, Dark Helmet, Tesh, Geronimo, McGyver, CSPAN, Seacrest, Longshanks, & Bounce House
  • Posted In: Brothership

Conditions awfully cold, windy, and 22 degrees

I did the disclaimer

Lots of #mumblechatter as we ran around trying to stay warm and loosen up, we did all my favorites in cadence to ten repetitions

We had one more run by The Hive to talk smack and i handed off to Bounce house for his VQ

We entered an unnamed facility

And did a series of awful exercises using the features of said unnamed facility

Lets just say most of us took the burpee penalty rather try and keep up

Bounce house handed it back to me with and we did some more running and ABLAB

We caught up with the boys from The Hive for COT

COT / Prayer & Praise / BOM

Excellent testimony and prayer from Bounce House as he took us out
AYE!
CSPAN

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Faux-PoPo Brothership

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  • QIC: CSPAN
  • When: 11/25/16
  • Pax: Repeat, Maximus, Dark Helmet, The Prodigy, TChaser-Hilbully, 1-Niner, Atlas, and Tesh
  • Posted In: Brothership, The Hive

Conditions were beyond perfect for Black Friday 2016, 53 degrees and clear

Disclaimer witnessed by my personal legal counsel

run mile to ship

#AMRAP = course setup = up stairs 10 Americans, run across top deck, 10 Americans, down stairs, 25 LBC, run across bottom deck, 25 LBC and that equates to a “one”

men are running fast on 3rd lap and spread across deck when rental officer #1, aka “golf cart warrior” starts chasing us…jailbreak to street…rally up…Omaha, Omaha, Omaha…to far lot now known as “American Burger”

we got introduced to rental officer #2 aka “sleepy in a jeep”…wake that guy up

restart our circuit in a big boring parking lot..get 3 more laps…Niner was trying to get in 6 miles…#malemodel

mosey home completing exercises at every other light pole to 10 repetitions

land bird exactly at 0600

COT / Prayer or Praise / BOM

Naked Man:
-mini convergence with Hive today
-Dark Helmet can still climb a wall
-Deck should still be off limits
-Fun and Fit group this morning
-Quality #chatter
-Quality #cropdusting
-Cream corn works better than gravy
-#cobains for what felt like a walking tour of Savannah, without the ghosts or drinks…

Be a better man today than you were yesterday, #ALR, #ABH,
CSPAN

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It Takes Only 2 To Brothership

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  • QIC: Old Bay
  • When: 11/18/16
  • Pax: Repeat, Old Bay
  • Posted In: Brothership

When Repeat hit YHC up the day before asking if I could substi-Q Brothership, I jumped at the chance. Parking deck access or no, it’s an epic AO that will continue to get better with time. Much thanks to Repeat for calling me up.

For this week, it was only the site Q and workout Q that posted. But 2 is all it takes to be brothers at Brothership.

Traditional run from FMHS to Kingsley, and all the way to the Lash Group parking lot. Warm-Up consisted of a few standard warm-up exercises that slip my mind.

The Thang – Part 1
In the back of the Lash Group parking lot, there is a retaining wall that is waist-height at the ends, with a nicely sloped hill ascending beyond for 10-15 yards. Pax started about 15 yards on the parking lot away from the wall, ran to the wall, climbed it, and then did various moving exercises up the hill. Pax then ran back down the hill, down the wall, and back to the starting point in the parking lot. Here are the moving exercises done on the hill:

  • sprint
  • left shuffle up
  • right shuffle up
  • backwards
  • skip

The Thank – Part 2
Run to the lowest part of the back entrance to Kingsley, which happens to be 7 street light poles from a traffic circle. Pax were to run up to the circle, perform 20 dips, then during the descent, stop at each street light and perform an ascending number of a particular exercise.

  • Round 1 – Burpees – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 – total of 28
  • Round 2 – Bombjacks – 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 – total of 56
  • Round 3 – Merkins – 3, 6, 9,12, 15, 18, 21 – total of 84
  • Round 4 – LBCs – 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 – total of 112

Run back to FMHS. Total of 4.5 miles.

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Sleepy McSleepface…

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Holy cow… As I sit writing this now, I gotta say, I am TIRED. The Brothership is slowly building its reputation as the worst thing you can do to yourself on a Friday morning. I couldn’t let my Q fall short of the hype, so here’s what we did:

WARM-UP:
Lap around the FMHS lot
10 Windmills
10 squats
10 Merkins
20 Mountain Climbers
20 SSHs

Warm enough? Run the mile to the parking deck in Kingsley.
At the entrance of the deck, we waited on the 6 (YHC) and then proceeded as follows:
Run down the street/hill behind the deck to the stop sign – at the bottom, do 1 merkin.
Next, choose either bear crawl halfway up (about 150 yards) or run all the way to the top (not quite 1/4 mile) by the deck again and do 2 merkins. Repeat until 12 merkins were completed.
Next, repeato only with big-boy situps. We got about to 8 or 9 on the situps and then it was time to head back.
Run the mile back to the FMHS lot for COT.

NMM:
So, today was almost exactly 2 years since I started F3. (The real date is 11/14, but that’s neither here nor there) I brought a shirt with me that I have held on to for the last 2 years to show how much has changed. The First F is in MUCH better order than it used to be, but my 2nd and 3rd (particularly 3rd) F’s are even further than that. I have been sharpened for sure over the last 2 years. I hope that I have sharpened some others along the way as well.

Grateful for all of it. Thank you, men…

Helmet, out.

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#Woof

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  • QIC: Repeat
  • When: 11/04/17
  • Pax: Repeat, World Wide Leader, MacGyver
  • Posted In: Brothership

It was a light crowd this morning, but nothing was light about this workout. I had one goal this morning, to prove no deck doesn’t mean you can’t get a great (hard) workout in. The three of us took off to explore the other great parts of Kingsley. At the entrance of Kingsley I gave the “remember this route speech….” from the entrance take the second right over to the other entrance, take another route. Then another right. Well you get the point we made a rectangle. Right before we got the entrance to go back up the hill is where the pain started. Lap 1: 10 Burpees, 15 Merkins, 20 squats, and 25 LBCs. Run the route and increase by 5 for each exercise. We made it to 4 before we headed back. To start working on number 5 at FMH track. I have managed to avoid Jekyell’s  board of pain, but I heard rumors this was more burpees than the BOP. Ether way it was a lot.

Totals

135 Burpees

125 Merkins

150 Squats

225 LBCs

4.38 miles total

Great work guys, this was not easy this morning. To the many guys that said #brothership was going to be the normal Friday AO…. where are you at? This is still one of the hardest workouts in FM. Don’t believe me…POST

 

YHC

Repeat

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The Fort 1st F Convergence – 6 in 1 “Better Together”

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  • QIC: Cake Boss, Riddler, Sasquatch, Dark Helmet, Bones, Tesh, Repeat
  • When: 10/28/2016
  • Pax: Missing 2 names....my apologies! Airborne, Aquaman, Atticus, Backdraft, Barry Manilow, BassOmatic, Birdcage, Bolt, Bones, Bonsai, Bounty Hunter, Bull Winkle, Cake Boss, Catfish, Cha Ching, Change Order, Chaser, Chedda, Chickenwing, Cobra Kai, Corn hole, Couples, CSPAN, Culture Club, Corruption, Dark Helmet, Davinchi, Destiny, Dilbert, Ditch Witch, Dog Pound, FNG - Deer Hunter, Gilmore, Lil E, Mainframe, Newman, Olaf, Old Bay, On the Rocks, Package, Pinstripe, Rain Bird, Repeat, Riddler, Royale, Sasquatch, Shady, Sheet Rock, Short Sale, Skate or Die, Skinny Jeans, Spiderman, Spinner, Stang, Tesh, Training Wheels, Trucker, What Did, WWL, Zima
  • Posted In: Brothership, Slow Burn, The Hive, The Swamp, Varsity

“The evening of your life is determined by the morning of it.” -G Laurie

62 men decided to get their morning off on the right step. By coming together as a PAX to get better physically and spiritually. The Fort has 5 Friday AOs and then add in the Ruck option we have 6 options for men to challenge themselves and take the Daily Red Pill (DLP). Here at the Slow Burn AO, these other AO’s came to fellowship:

  • SlowBurn (moderate)led by Riddler
  • Varsity (high intensity)led by Sasquatch
  • Hive(kettle bell) led by Tesh
  • Ruck led by Dark Helmet
  • Swamp (boot camp)led by Bones
  • Brothership (run) led by Repeat

Here are the backblasts and details of the Pain in the gloom.  Thank you to Site Qs and workout Qs for cooperation and leadership in making this happen!

The Swamp: 

Warm up
Phase 1:
  • Lunge Walks  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) 5 burpees | Lunge Walks  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards)  10 merkins
  • Bear Crawl  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) | Bear Crawl Walks  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) 10 Ranger Merkins
  • Broad Jump (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) | Broad Jump  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) 10 Wide grip merkins
  • Crab Walk  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards)  | Crab Walk  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) 10 Diamond Merkins
  • Partner Push  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards) | Partner Push  (25 yards)  Jog (25 yards)
Phase 2:
  • Wall sits 1 minute
  • 30 dips
  • Balls to Wall 1 minute
  • Line Jumps (side to side) 30
  • Line Jumps (Front to back) 30
Phase 3:
Partner switch
  • Sprint 100 yards | LBCs
  • Sprint 100 yards | Flutter Kicks
  • Sprint 100 yards | Freddie Murcury’s 
Bones

Brothership: Pax: Repeat, Corruption, Aquaman,  and Bolt

Mosey to Kingsley development down to roundabout on the road behind the parking deck.  Sprint and jog in-between each light pole to the entrance off of HWY 21. On the way back jog , sprint, 5 squats. At the roundabout go up the hill(towards 160). This time Jog two poles, sprint one, 10 squats. To the entrance off 160. Circle up for 15 LBCs and 15 merkins. Jog back out. We were a few mins late getting back to Empire, but had a total distance of a little over 4 miles.

 Repeat

Ruck workout:
Teams of 4 – carry to each station, then switch

1.    Carry the log

2.    Carry the worm

3.    Carry the baby angry gorilla, the shoulder bag, 2 KBs

4.    Carry the casualties


Lap around Lowe’s

–       Stop at guard rail to do 100 dips as a team

–       Stop at opposite corner for 100 merkins as a team

–       Stop in front of shed for 100 burpees as a team

–       Stop at railings in front of empire for 100 supine pull ups and 100 flutter ruck presses as a team

 
Drop the coupons off at the truck and then

–       Line up by Empire Pizza and Bear crawl to the first line, then double time the rest of the way

–       Repeato on the way back

 
Overhead carry rucks back to COT – Dark Helmet
Varsity
Brief mosey into some dynamic warm-up/stretches and SSH…
Power (almost an) Hour-
80s 90s 00s Rock songs blaring and changing every minute… so EMONTM (every minute on the minute) for 22 rounds: 3 plank jacks, 2 burpees, 1 squat jump, side shuffle total ~30 yards there and back… then EMONTM for 20 rounds: 3 burpees, 2 peter parkers, 1 jumping lunge, side shuffle total ~30 yards to and fro… mosey back to COT.
*Note: 104 burpees completed
SLOW BURN
To set the stage I place 16 cups around the outside of the parking lot with two exercises on them.
Paired Pax off with someone they did not know in group of 2 or 3. Each group started on exercise 1
and moved clockwise around to each cup. Once they finished the first round, they would move on to the
next exercise in round 2.

Exercises Included:

Merkins
SSH
Low Slow Squats
Bobby Hurleys
Kraken Burpees
Prison Cells
Burpees
Carolina Dry Docks
Dive Bombers
Wide Arm Merkins
Diamond Merkins
Box Cutters
Hello Dolly
Flutter Kicks
Jump Squats
Bomb Jacks
Plank Jacks
American Hammers
Monkey Humpers
Imperial Walkers
Overhead Claps
Mountain Climbers
Squats and several others

Indian Run with a 10 merkin drop from the front. Once pax completed ten the next line leader would drop, give ten and catch back up to the line. Repeat all the way back to COT.

Finished up having pax holding a cup. We had three cups flipped over on the ground. I spoke to filling our cups daily from the Lord relying on his grace and mercy through his word. The three cups on the ground represent the brothers that need our support and the Lord for daily guidance. If we leave them turned over they will never come to see the true love of the Lord. So remember reach out to those pax that you have not seen in a while and see how they are doing. The Lord fills our cup daily so that we can be a blessing to those he puts in our lives.

Psalm 23:2

Aye

Riddler in for the Slow Burn

Awesome turn out and great morning with men that are getting better together. See divided we can only accomplish a little, but with a brother and someone to hold us accountable to our goals, we can accomplish so much more. Let’s continue to give it away brothers and get more men out of the Sad Clown syndrome and get better!!!
Cake Boss
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