Category: Pre-Blast

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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Wild at Heart is Back!

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“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs…ask yourself what makes your heart come alive, because what the world needs is men fully alive”

 

Why is it that the desires we find deep in our hearts are so far from the lives we find ourselves living?  It is this question and the question of the antidote for this lack of whole heartedness that we will be searching for over the 7-week temporary Third F AO “Wild at Heart”.

 

This is a journey into whole heartedness guided by a video series from Wild at Heat Ministry – see the trailer HERE!  Each week we will gather to watch the video (each about 20 min) and have some guided discussion over coffee afterwards.  Our hope is this 7-week session will be the beginning of a deeper work to unlock our masculine heart and unleash the impact we are meant to have in the Kingdom.

 

It’s time to cut through the BS, it’s time to remove the fig leaf, it’s time to stop living from your false self…it’s time to be fully alive!  It’s going to be a wild ride…join us!

 

When: Each Wed from April 19th – May 31st at 0615-0715

 

Where: Springfield Community Clubhouse – 420 Horton Grove Rd, Fort Mill

 

Schedule is designed so that you can post at 1st F of choice then head straight to the clubhouse for 3rd F.  Coffee/Water will be provided each morning.

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

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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
https://braid.co/p/march4autism – $$
https://tinyurl.com/march4autism – bracket
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Partake

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  • QIC: Battle Bot
  • When: 04/20/2023
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

In 1971, 5 California high schoolers started meeting after practice at 4:20PM to partake in some… extracurriculars. This went on to become the international sensation that is 420.

 

As high impact men and leaders in our community, we can participate in this past time: not by smoking intoxicating plants, but by smoking our bodies. Inspired by former Navy Seal Jocko Willink, the workout is simple:

420 burpees

 

Some may call this completely stupid and utterly pointless. They would be correct. 420 burpees is a significant challenge, and it will push you beyond your comfort zone. But you can be sure that it will make you a stronger and harder man, and expand your envelope of what you think is possible.

Location: Veterans Park

Date: 4/20/2023

Time: 0500

 

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Mental Battle WOD 2023

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This year marks the fourth year for the Mental Battle WOD (workout of the day) and this year I’m happy to share that the boys in Winston-Salem North Carolina, @F3WinstonSalem on Twitter have designed a great starfish type workout.

Workout was designed by Spicoli and mental health stats were provided by Giles, an NC licenses psychologist who specializes in working with men.

With further ado, here’s the WOD:

This workout is inspired by the 5 Core Principles of F3:

1) Free of charge.
2) Open to all men.
3) Held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold.
4) Peer led by men who participate in the workout in a rotating fashion, with no training or certificate necessary.
5) Ends with a Circle of Trust.

It’s #5, the COT, that brings us all back together; gives each man a chance to listen and be heard; bring praises and concerns to the man next to him. In my opinion, it is the most powerful principle and allows for forming and strengthening bonds between each of us.

Warmarama

Suggestions for exercises to be done in cadence:
Side Straddle Hops
Imperial Walkers
Abe Vigodas
Grabbing Grass with a clap
Merkins
Broga stretches

The Layout for the Workout:
In a field or large parking lot, create a box with five markers where the center marker is fifty meters from each of the four markers used to make the corners. Each of the four corners will be a specific station.

Starting in the middle, run to Station 1, do the exercise, then run back to middle, do burpees, then run to Station 2, do that exercise, then run back to middle, burpees, and so on. Once you’ve gone to all 4 stations with burpees in between, that round is over and you’ll progress to the next round. Add an exercise at each station each round.

For example: during round 3, at Station 1, you’ll do ten hand release merkins, ten clap merkins, and ten toe tap merkins, then run to the middle, do eight burpees, go to Station 2 and do the three exercises there, etc.

1 round= 1 trip to all 4 stations, coming back to the middle in between

***For the First Round Only***
For the first round, keep the PAX together. The Q will read two of the statistics about mental health (below) each time you come to the middle to do burpees. After that, progress through the other three rounds of the workout.

Middle Station (COT)

Round 1 = 2 Burpees (for a total of 8)
Round 2 = 4 Burpees (for a total of 16)
Round 3 = 8 Burpees (for a total of 32)
Round 4 = 16 Burpees (for a total of 64)

(Double Burpee count each round, so Round 4 would be 16 burpees each time you come to the middle)

Station 1 (Free)

Round 1 – Hand Release Merkins x10
Round 2 – Add Clap Merkins x10
Round 3 – Add Toe Touch Merkins x10
Round 4 – Add Mike Tysons x10

Station 2 (All Men)

Round 1 – Shoulder Tap x15 (Double Count)
Round 2 – Add Mountain Climbers x15 (Double Count)
Round 3 – Add Peter Parkers x15 (Double Count)
Round 4 – Add Donkey Kicks x15 (Double Count)

Station 3 (Held Outside)

Round 1 – Monkey Humpers x20
Round 2 – Add Bonny Blairs x20 (Single Count)
Round 3 – Add Side Lunges x20 (Single Count)
Round 4 – Add Jump Squats x20

Station 4 (Peer Led)

Round 1 – LBCs x25
Round 2 – Add Freddy Mercuries x25 (Double Count)
Round 3 – Add Heels to Heaven x25
Round 4 – Add Superman 25X

Modify as necessary. Need a longer workout? Repeat Round 4 until you’ve filled the time. Add a few minutes of Mary at the end..

__

Here are some statistics regarding mental health and its effects on our community, especially for men. During the First Round, the Q will read two statistics at the middle station each time the PAX comes back to do burpees.

1. Although men are marginally less likely than women to develop a significant mental illness during their lifetimes, about 1 in 2 men will have a diagnosable disorder at some point in their lifetimes.

2. Men are about 2x less likely than women to seek help if problems do occur.

3. Almost 50% of men feel that they are struggling more than they admit to people in their life.

4. Depression looks significantly different in men than in women… Women tend to present as sad and withdrawn, while men tend to present as irritable and angry.

5. Men are 2-3x more likely to abuse substances in an attempt to manage their mental health, which often leads to other health problems.

6. Suicide rates in men have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, and at present, men are 4x more likely than women to die by suicide, and this risk increases with age.

7. Therapists that specialize in working with men often use different strategies to make therapy feel more approachable… therapy doesn’t have to look like sitting in an office and crying about your feelings!

8. Therapists have historically done a pretty crappy job of helping men, though things are slowly changing. Men often go to therapy at the urging of a loved one, but men tend to drop out of therapy sooner than women because they find it unhelpful. This is a legitimate problem, and you’re not crazy if you’ve tried therapy before and it wasn’t helpful for you! If you’re thinking about reaching out to a therapist, consider finding one that has specific expertise in working with men. (from Giles, who is a therapist and can offer this opinion form a place of experience).

Thanks again to the boys in Winston-Salem and follow the F3 Mental Battle on Twitter at @F3Battle and on the Nation’s Slack as well at #f3-mental-battle-challenge.

With that, the Thrill is gone and keep getting after it sharing the battles with your brothers!

Drop Thrill out.

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AMRAP 4 Autism – F3 Nation

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B.L.U.F.

AMRAP 4 Autism – F3 Nation is a fitness charity event designed to increase awareness, build and strengthen community and make a positive impact in the lives of children and families effected by autism.  This pre-blast is written for Regions across the Nation to facilitate the event with their local Pax.  All that’s needed to get started is a local event Q willing to lead.  Is that YOU?

The Why:

As this is being written today the rate of diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder is 1 in 44.  This rate increases with boys (our current and future PAX) to 1 in 26.  ASD is one of the most commonly diagnosed developmental disorders in the world and also one of the least understood.  This is YHC’s story – my son Noah was diagnosed in 2021 and since then our world has flipped upside down.  I knew very little of what autism was, what the effects to Noah would be or the extremely high cost of therapy and the burden/stress that would bring to us as a family.  Autism has no cure, it is forever a part of the lives of those diagnosed and their families.  Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver better results across the lifespan.  The average cost of therapy is $60,000 per year and can increase up to $200,000 without insurance.   Autism Strong Foundation is a non-profit who started AMRAP 4 Autism in 2013 to provide a strong community, support and most importantly hope for the autism community.  All funds raised through Autism Strong are mindfully donated to the autism community in a way that will make the greatest impact; connecting families and children to the resources they desperately need.  YHC is honored and excited to bring this fitness charity event to F3 and with the help of the Pax expand the impact to the community as only F3 can!  Through this event we will raise awareness, strengthen the community by connecting those effected with autism to Autism Strong Foundation and the resources they need, and make in IMPACT through our giving and doing what we do best…a #snottwoggler of a workout.

The What

This will be a 4-6 week campaign across F3 Nation and culminating in local AMRAP 4 Autism workouts – predefined and intentional to get the most of the PAX and honor the autism community – in the month of April (anytime that works for the Pax/Q) in conjunction with Autism Awareness Month.  Each region will have a designated fundraising page within the Give Lively platform and facilitated by Autism Strong Foundation.  The local A4A Q’s are encouraged to come up with creative fundraising methods as well as message THE WHY of Autism Strong Foundation and their own personal story in order to encourage PAX to give and expand our impact.  Autism Strong Foundation is based in Charlotte and services Mecklenburg County and the 6 bordering counties (Union, Cabarrus, Iredell, Lincoln, Gaston and York (SC)) through the Landon’s Hope Scholarship which provides complete coverage for therapy services for scholarship recipients.  The foundation also services all residents in North Carolina with an autism diagnosis through Autism Summer Camp Scholarships to Camp Royall (no maximum age limit).  If your region is outside of this served area we will partner with you to make sure the funds raised go directly back to the autism community in your area (through direct scholarship for a pre-determined recipient or another local organization serving the autism community).  Bottom line – we will figure it out to ensure funds are mindfully distributed to make the most impact.

The How

A4A “Game plan” developed for local Q’s to utilize – other than the workout, fundraising page and the T-shirt’s, local Q’s are FREED TO LEAD

A4A Game plan to Include:

    • AMRAP workout – 4/5 exercises, 54 reps, 32 minutes, AMRAP with coupon, partner or OYO
    • Give Lively fundraising page through ASF – for regions outside of ASF reach there are options for directing funds based on need of local PAX
    • “Day Of” logistics support – “tips and tricks” to make AMRAP day smooth
    • Communication channel for local Q’s to get help and share what is/isn’t working
    • MudGear T-shirt pre-order will open mid/late March
    • Fundraising ideas to help increase the impact
    • More helpful stuff as YHC or others think of it…

For more details or to answer any questions or to get started reach out to YHC through the below contact information!

Blake Faucette (F3 – Divac from The Fort Region)

847-544-8997

ablake.faucette@gmail.com

 

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Litter pick up – Community Svc

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March 18th is tentatively set as our first pick-up for the US21 adopt-a-Highway litter pickup! We will have 4 opportunities in 2023. Once a quarter is the plan.  All supplies provided ( bags, gloves, safety vests, pick up sticks, eye-wear, and fellowship) All that remains is YOU.
Plan for about 1 hour and 30 mins – 2 hours maximum. We will meet at the Harris street park around 7:45am.
We will walk up the hill to US21 and split up into 2 groups.  One group will head north to the Peachstand and back and the other group will head south to Sutton Rd and back.  (1 mile each direction)

We could use 10-12 guys to keep this an efficient and timely process. 2.0s and Ms are welcome as well as anyone who would like to participate in our community svc event.

Thank you to all who participated in 2022. Looking forward to seeing new faces as well as the HIM who assisted last year.

US 21 from the Peachstand south to Sutton Rd ( Circle K – gas station) is the road that we adopted!!

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Continued blessings to Kenya!

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F3 Kenya :flag-ke: Update:
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes :athletic_shoe: :mans_shoe:
So I wanted everyone to know the funds we collected last year to send shoes to Kenya have been depleted and we still have roughly 1/2 the shoes left to ship! Now
@Sprocket
has graciously been holding them for us and I personally will continue to send them in small quantities like you see below as I can afford but would welcome any assistance from the Pax in the region. Not only that we have a new request to assist F3 Kenya in a new way in a more perpetual fashion that I believe will be far better in the long run for this community. Now I feel led to continue to support these men but I understand there are many, many equally as important and more local initiatives in the Fort to support. If you feel led however to help with this initiative please consider donating towards the $800-$1000 estimated to send the rest of the shoes we collected last fall.
Thank you again for all of your generosity this far. I’ve gotten to know F3 Safari well and the man’s heart for his people is incredibly humbling. It’s been a joy like none other to partner with him and what’s he’s doing out there!

Here is the link for the go fund me. Thank you so much brothers!
https://gofund.me/fa87cd6a

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Baseball to Support Odd Kidneys 4/29

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Attention Charlotte baseball fans! Support a great cause and catch a thrilling game at the same time! Get your tickets now for the upcoming Charlotte Knights game, where a portion of the proceeds will go towards Odd Kidneys, an organization supporting people through the kidney transplant process. Not only will you be cheering on your favorite team, but you’ll also make a difference in the lives of countless individuals and families affected by this serious condition. Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun and give back at the same time! Order your tickets through https://fevogm.com/event/Oddkidneys today and help us strike out kidney disease!

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Q-School 101 & 601

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It’s time to head to school or maybe even back to school for some continuing education credits.

If you haven’t Qed, if you’ve Qed a tad, if you’ve Qed a few and want to add some pizazz to your next weinke, then Q-School 101 is for you. Band Camp is leading a tour-de-force course on the nuts and bolts, ins and outs, brass tacks, and the tidal wave of minutiea that go into creating, executing, managing, and adapting the leadership opportunity that is Qing an F3 workout.

If you’re a Site-Q, if you’ve been a Site-Q, if you’ve delusions of grandeur, then Q-School 601 (graduate level) is where you belong. Slapshot is going to bring the the power play and guarantees you can lead with a hat trick of all 3 Fs.

Both the 101 and 601 will launch from the following AOs on the dates listed:

  • 2/21 – Ballroom (Tues)
  • 3/30 – Matterhorn (Thur)
  • 5/1 – Honey Badger (Mon)
  • 6/14 – Bushwood (Wed)

More dates to come in the fall. Stay tuned. Keep EHing, encourage the FNGs to make a second/third post, support the VQs, and let’s get after the business of being better.

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