Category: The Deep

Small tour of the Deep

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  • QIC: Lil E
  • When: 12/17/16
  • Pax: Cornerstone, Da Vinci, Whopper, Royale
  • Posted In: The Deep

5 men woke and decided that a little cold wasn’t going to prevent them from getting better today.

The Thang

Warmup jog around parking lot, mix in some high knees and butt kickers

COP

SSHs x 30, Imperial Walkers x 25, Windmills x 10, Merkins x 10, Squats x 15, Peter Parkers x 10, Parker Peters x 10, Sumo squats x 15, Morrocan Night Clubs x 25, Mountain Climbers x 10, Plank Punches x 10

The Thang

Ascending Curb Crawl

Start on curb and complete 1 derkin, bear crawl to curb on other side of parking lot, complete 2 derkins, bear crawl back to other side complete 3 derkins. Continue this until 13 derkins.

We stopped a couple times to regroup for a couple ten counts and some Mary. After the sixth derkin we did LBCs x 10, Flutters x 10. After 10th derkin we did hello dollies x 10, Rosalitas x 10.

Mosey to the hill. On the way though we stopped for some people chair and donkey kicks. 

People’s chair for 30 seconds, Donkey Kicks x 15

Repeato this time with 10 donkey kicks

Once at the hill we did Jacobs ladder. Start at the base of hill and run to top and do 1 burpee. Run down and back up and do 2 burpees. Continue until 7 burpees. This is a great hill, btw

Mosey to the back side of the school for Lt. Dan. Just like Jack Webbs, but for the legs. Started with 1 squat and 4 lunges. Completed up to 8 squats and 32 lunges. We stayed stationary with the lunges but was told it is often done with walking lunges. I am not sure it matters how you do it…these hurt

LBCs x 25, Flutters x 20, Freddy Mercury x 20

Did two rounds of suicides. Started at the basketball hoop, and used the fire hydrant, end of bleachers, and opposite basketball goal as our markers. 

Mosey back around to be front of the school to finish up with some Mary. Each person led an exercise. They were Freddy mercury, X and Os, American Hammer, Flutters and the last one is escaping me.

Moleskin

We had a small, but great group this morning.  Everyone pushed themselves hard.  The Lt. Dans were unpleasant and the ascending curb crawls weren’t exactly a good way to ease into the workout.

I have been to this AO, I believe three times, and on two of the occasions we never left the parking lot. This AO has a ton to offer and I wanted to see a bit more of it.  We made it to the hill and around to the back of the school this time.  Eventually, I will see all it has to offer.

Announcements and Prayers

Joe Davis Run – Jan, 7

Prayers for children battling leukemia.  Also, we prayed for those battling addictions.

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Hope Laps in the Artic Deep

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  • QIC: Cha Ching
  • When: 12/10/2016
  • Pax: Royale, Witch Hunt, Whopper, Andretti, Cha Ching
  • Posted In: The Deep, The Fort

5 brave men came out to the Deep for a sub 20 degree workout.  Was just about to get started when Whopper came sailing in 20 seconds late, hopped out of his car w/ a pair of shorts on and one glove (hey 1’s better than none).  Got right to it:

The Thang:  quick warm-up as I knew we’d be pressing for time even w/ the extra 15 minutes.  Did a quick lap around the parking lot followed by side straddle hops x30, merkins x10, Moroccan night club x20, low slow squats x10 and windmill stretch x10.  From there we took it across the street to the 400m track for some Hope Laps of Pain.  Before we got there the PAX were introduced to some of our props for today’s festivities – 4 large truck tires and a few cinder blocks.

At this point, we had 50 minutes to complete the following:  4 laps with 4 pain stations per lap (stations include chest, legs, core and then a plain old suck station).  First lap you do the first exercise of each station, second lap you do the first exercise from the previous lap and then a second exercise.  Third, Fourth you get the point.  My only twist on this semi traditional workout was that we’d have a Hope Theme per lap which would dictate how we got from station to station within that lap.  When I heard one of the Q’s from this past week in COT randomly ask a few PAX what they think of when they think of hope, 4 things immediately popped into my head.  Went something like this:

Lap 1 – Hope inspired by F3 – coming together in the early morning, sharing pain, hearing each others stories, our trials, our praise reports, prayers for one another, many of whom we barely know.  But to know these guys have your back when the going gets tough is the encouragement much of us need.  F3 Hope Lap means we run (like we always do) for two of the 100m stretches between stations and backpedal for the other two 100 meters.
– Station 1 – Spider-Man Merkins (knee to elbow) in cadence x5
– Station 2 – Narrow stance squats in cadence x10
– Station 3 – Freddie Mercury slow then fast then slow in cadence x5 slow / x5 fast / x5 slow
– Station 4 – Single Leg Burpees OYO x 5 each leg (10 total)

Lap 2 – Hope inspired by our community – since moving to this area, I’ve seen signs of how truly good most of the people in this community are.  Regardless of our elected officials locally or at the federal level, it’s on us to drive incremental change.  The “light the world” campaign is a great example of this, or the progress our church families are making in reaching the community / those in need.  It starts right here – be that encouragement and hope for those around you.  Community Hope Lap initially was going to be centered around “one brick at a time” but I couldn’t find any bricks in time.  Instead we ran our laps w/ 50 lb truck tires – since we were one tire short, Andretti took one for the team and ran 400m w/ a cinder block on his shoulder (ouchie).
– Station 1 – Spider-Man Merkins in cadence x5, Diamond Merkins in cadence x5
– Station 2 – Narrow stance squats in cadence x10, Wide stance low slow squat in cadence x5
– Station 3 – Freddie Mercury in cadence x5 slow / x5 fast / x5 slow, Flutter Kicks on Elbows in cadence x10
– Station 4 – Single Leg Burpees OYO x 5 each leg (10 total), Plank Rows 10 per arm

Lap 3 – Hope inspired by my kids – whether it be their endless curiosity, their unfailing love for us, they are the light to so many around them.  They provide hope to me every day.  Our Children Hope Lap required us to carry or push one another – literally.  First two 100m transitions were partner carries (carry and carried) w/ the last two 100m stretches requiring you to push your partner as they resisted and then vice versa (since we’d were an odd numbered group, Witch Hunt took one for the team and ran w/ two truck tires).
– Station 1 – Spider-Man Merkins in cadence x5, Diamond Merkins in cadence x5, Hand Release Merkins x5
– Station 2 – Narrow stance squats in cadence x10, Wide stance low slow squat in cadence x5, 30 seconds jump squats
– Station 3 – Freddie Mercury in cadence x5 slow / x5 fast / x5 slow, Flutter Kicks on Elbows in cadence x10, American Hammers in cadence x10
– Station 4 – Single Leg Burpees OYO x 5 each leg (10 total), Plank Rows 10 per arm, 10 burpees with thigh slaps (forces you to get off the ground – appreciate the inspiration Witch Hunt).

Lap 4 – Last, but certainly not leastt was the Hope inspired by the One – who no matter what happens in our lives, he will be there for us and will guide us through the hardest of hardships.  I’ve always struggled w/ talking to him about everyday things (it’s always been about bigger “more important things”) but if you take the time to engage and pray for the little things in life, it’ll help you through the bumps / roadblocks of every day living, work, family and financial struggles – you just have to ask for it.  Took the following quote out of the monthly theme document – “This hope is given not by what we do, but what has been done for us – Everlasting Hope.”  Three 100m runs were done w/ our arms raised in surrender to him; with one of the 100m done as power skips (intended for 2 of those but we were gassed).
– Station 1 – Spider-Man Merkins in cadence x5, Diamond Merkins in cadence x5, Hand Release Merkins x5, Nose Grinders (start w/ hands close, walk out your arms as wide as you can and then do a push up – it’s an 8 count by the way) x5 – don’t smoke your face, it’s highly likely
– Station 2 – Narrow stance squats in cadence x10, Wide stance low slow squat in cadence x5, 30 seconds jump squats, Single Leg Squat Basketball Jumps (w/ shot) x5 per leg
– Station 3 – Freddie Mercury in cadence x5 slow / x5 fast / x5 slow, Flutter Kicks on Elbows in cadence x10, American Hammers in cadence x10, Single Leg Mountain Climbers x5 per leg
– Station 4 – Single Leg Burpees OYO x 5 each leg (10 total), Plank Rows 10 per arm, 10 burpees with thigh slaps (forces you to get off the ground – appreciate the inspiration Witch Hunt), Burpee Plank Jumps (burpee down to push-up and then explode forward landing back in the push up position.  Each burpee requires 3 of those push-ups and then you can jump back up) x5 (major suckiness))

From there, we headed back to COT to close it out – prayers included:
– Witch Hunt’s wife’s fathers health
– Royale’s father feelings of hopelessness
– Andretti’s kids
– Whopper and his buddies safety today while shooting guns
– Safe travels for my wife and I this week
– Olaf’s wife and baby as always

Was a pleasure to lead you guys today.  Had a great time.  Appreciate the fellowship afterwards and the coffee Andretti.  See ya next weekend.  Later

Cha Ching

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Bring your Passion to The Deep 12/3/2016

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  • QIC: Olaf & Witch Hunt
  • When: 12/3/2016
  • Pax: Reborn, Royale, Cha Ching, Olaf (QIC), Stork, Witch Hunt (QIC)
  • Posted In: The Deep

I had the distinct honor to Co-Q the Deep with THE Olaf. Knowing Olaf was going to bring his normal high energy it was up to me to match it.

When everyone arrived there was total of 6 Pax ready to brave the workout to come.

After a quick disclaimer, we took a quick lap around the middle school to warm up and give Reborn a quick tour of the Deep. Ending the lap in the front parking lot, we circled up for a little COP:

Windmill IC x10
IW IC x10
Cherry Pickers IC x10

Now that we were properly warm and stretched it was time for The Thang:

To bring something I Q’ed at the Abyss awhile back, we took on the 100 Burpee challenge. It entails 10 count of 10 different types of burpees with a 25 second rest in between. The burpees were:

  • X Burpees
  • Split Burpees
  • Thigh Slap Burpees
  • Burpees w/ Parker Peter
  • Squat Hold Burpees
  • Burpees with SSH (3x)
  • One-Legged Skier Burpees
  • Heel Slap Burpees
  • Frop-Hop (3x) Burpees
  • Hand Release Burpees

Once finsihed and not wanting to lose momentum, we quickly moseyed over to the soccer field for the triple 7s . 3 pain stations, 1 excercise at each station for 7 reps. Completing the circuit equals one round and we would try to complete 7 rounds. We did 7 American Hammers, 7 Pull ups and 7 Mak Tar.

Running out of time for my half, we called it quits after 4 rounds.

Not wanting to give Olaf completely smoked Pax to start his portion of the workout, I gave a quick talk about balancing passion and indifference in your life. (See Below)

Now it was time for Olaf to take over. And take over he did. He blessed the Pax with the 12 days of Christmas.

Starting with the first day, a Pax would suggest an exercise. We would complete that exercise followed by the subsequent exercises until we got back to the first day (the Day would dictate the number of reps). We eventually turned this into the most painful (both because of the exercises and our singing) rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas ever heard. Below are the 12 Days:

 

  • Day 1: Sprint length of School
  • Day 2: Hand Release Merkins
  • Day 3: Kraken Burpees (For REAL!!! Thx Royale)
  • Day 4: LBCs
  • Day 5: Single Leg Squats
  • Day 6: Plank Jacks
  • Day 7: Cha Cha Merkins
  • Day 8: SSHs
  • Day 9: Freddy Mercurys
  • Day 10: Beast Crawls
  • Day 11: Box Jumps
  • Day 12: Standing Lunges

Pax were thoroughly smoked following this but it made for a very fun sing along.

After we were thankful for a short mosey back to COT.

Naked Moleskin

“Passion, not indifference, fuels greatness”

“It is conviction, not tranquility, that drives execution”

I spoke to the Pax about fighting the daily battle of finding Passion/Hope in your life. On a podcast I listen to frequently they talked about the dichotomy between being too emotional and not emotional enough.(Jocko Podcast Ep. 49. Just listen to the first 9 minutes. I will try to summarize but I cannot do it justice)

At a young age, we are full of passion and emotions almost to a detriment of ourselves. You hear about the angry teenager or the adolescent that throws tantrums. The constant response those youth get is “Calm Down”, “Relax” or “Get control of your emotions”. Because of this constant response we begin to react less passionately about things. Furthermore, when we get older we begin to find that not dealing with things that make us angry or sad simplifies our lives. By not dealing with anger or sadness or rage we also begin to loss touch with all the other emotions, happiness and laughter.

Up until recently, I found myself so fearful of facing the emotion of the low times that I could never enjoy the high times. I was stuck in a life of indifference and disinterest. Lately, I have tried to allow myself to react and feel whatever life throws my way. Take life as it comes and deal with the emotional reaction that it brings. By doing that it has really opened my eyes to what life has offer.

All this is not to say that we allow our emotions should dictate our decisions. We should always be in control of our emotions. However you can control your emotions, while still reveling in their glory.

So I challenged the Pax let their guard down. Expose their weaknesses. Take some risks. Open themselves to all the emotions of life. Stoke the emotional fire that is trying to burn inside you without fear or trepidation. Allow yourself to feel the pain, feel the frustration, the sadness and the anger, because in those adverse moments you also get to feel the joy, the gratitude, the passion, the HOPE.

Thanks to all the Pax that came out. And special thanks to Olaf for sharing the Q with me. Always humbling to lead.

Until next time, its back to the hunt…

 

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Dont Patch It, Change It…The Deep 11/19/2016

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  • QIC: Rolyale & Witch Hunt
  • When: 11/19/2016
  • Pax: Whopper, Olaf, Cha-Ching, Da Vinci, Royale, Witch Hunt, Vile, Stork (FNG)
  • Posted In: The Deep

Royale and I decided to split at Q on this beautiful morning at The Deep, with me taking the first half and Royale taking the second.

Once all the Pax we assembled (kind of), I gave the disclaimer and we were off. Once we started our mosey I see a truck enter the parking lot so we need to circle back and pick up two Pax and one FNG (Gave second disclaimer just to be safe). Back to the mosey.

We moseyed across the street and circled up in front of the elementary school for some COP:

  • 25 SSHs
  • 30 Morracan NCs
  • 10 Push Back Merkins
  • 20 Beast Crawls

Then we moseyed to the cul de sac behind the school for The Thang:

I setup four cones in a square pattern approx 25 yds apart. Pax would pair up and work there way around the cones.

Cone 1: Partner A: 10 Merkins; Partner B: 15 Squats; Partner A: 20 LBCs; Both 1 Burpee
Cone 2: Partner B: 10 Merkins; Partner A: 15 Squats: Partner B: 20 LBCs; Both 2 Burpees
Cone 3: Continue pattern adding 1 burpee at each cone

The goal was to continue this pattern until we got to 16 burpees, we got close. Whopper and Cha-Ching made it to 14 Burpees before we called it for time.

Great push from all the Pax. Started easy but finished tough.

After a quick 10 count and some discussion about change, I passed it over to Royale.

We did a quick Black Snake Run over to the track for a pick your punishment. Royale gave us the option of the Merkin Mile or B.O.M.B.S. After the prior burpees, the Pax chose the Merkin Mile.

4 Laps around the track stopping at the starting line each time for 25 merkins. Not fun.

Quick ten count and moseyed back to COT, but since we still had some time left Royale graced us with the Caption Thor. 1 Big Boy Situp X 4 American Hammers all the way up to 10 X 40.

With the Pax spent, we circled up for COT.

 

Thanks to all the Pax for the hard work.

Until next time, its back to the hunt…

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More than 5 Alive with Panther pounding at The Deep

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  • QIC: Bolt
  • When: 11/5/16
  • Pax: Alamo, Bolt, Mainframe, Royale, Wild Thing, DaVinci, LilE, Olaf, FNG Jeremy - Regulator, Wopper, WitchHunt
  • Posted In: The Deep

YHC apologizes to the 11 PAX at the Deep for the delayed backblast, but thanks them another opportunity to lead at a Lake Wylie AO.

The PAX started arriving early on a brisk (never say cold) morning to get in a little F2 warmup jogging around the parking lot while YHC set out cones for pain stations. The time arrived and we gathered it up.

FNG Jeremy was present and the full disclaimer was covered by a couple PAX. A little instruction on basic workout procedures and counting was given. Some gloves were dispersed to a few who needed them. The Q wondered aloud if maybe the workout should stick to the parking lot, but knowing full well he wanted to get down, dirty and wet on the soccer field.  No strong arguments were made for staying dry.

The theme of “5 Alive” started with giving the PAX a taste of the Ruck thang by dispersing ruck packs (thanks Royale and WitchHunt) and each PAX would wear a ruck pack for 5 minutes, then hand it over to the next guy.  Having a ruck pack was going to suck at certain points during the workout.

Stretching exercises commenced with toe touches, back stretches,  15 SSH, 15 Moroccan Night Club, 15 Windmills…and another 1 or 2 YHC can’t recall. The PAX then helped carry sandbags to the soccer field where:

5 Cones

5 cones were set up along the sidelines in a rectangle and one in the middle. Each cone had 3 listed exercises. Short side of the rectangle to run backwards, long side to sprint across the field.

  • Cone 1: Legs: Squat Jumps – 15, Balance Dips – 10 each leg, Wide Squats – 15
  • Cone 2: Back: Superman – 20 second hold, Lean Backs – 10-15, Plank Opposite Appendage Hold – 20 seconds
  • Cone 3: Core: Flutter Kicks – 15, LBC’s holding 10 or 20# – 15, Side crunches – 15 each side
  • Cone 4: Arms: Standing Sandbag Raise w/ 30,40 or 50# – 20, Curls w/ Sandbags – 20, Merkins – 20
  • Cone 5 in middle:  Panther Pound Burpees – Q led; PPB – toe tap (as in football drill) until Q yells down, into merkin, roll right or left, jump up, back into toe tap to repeat

First lap through was led by Q starting with Panther Pound Burpees to get the blood flowing. We broke into smaller groups for the second lap and a half or so. PAX was brought back to the middle for more PPB’s.

Hillwork

From the soccer fields, we headed to “the hill”…I think this hill needs a name.  5 cones set up at top, broke into 5 small groups, each had a cone. Lunges up the hill, 10 merkins at top, walk down, 10 LBC’s at the bottom. Continue until :05 before end, and headed back. PAX helped carry everything back.

Hopefully with this workout, the PAX got the full effect of the damp and dirty fields, hitting the ground and rolling around. Remember, there were 3 PAX at all times wearing a ruck pack! Panther Pound Burpees become a lot more difficult with a ruck pack!

With an FNG present, we had a good talk about what F3 is all about. I think it’s important that FNG’s hear from the PAX as a group and learn what we do and why we do it.

Margin is the theme of the month. Maximize the use of your free time with special attention to your family.

Lake Wylie has a great base group of PAX and will continue to grow. Find those FNG’s!

Announcements – Sign up for Christmas party and Joe Davis Run.

Prayers for Olaf and his wife during her pregnancy.  Prayers for sick family members. Prayers for our country leading into the election.

A good group hit Dunkin Donuts after for some F2.

Thanks again for the invitation to lead! Bolt

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trick or Treating at The Deep 10/28/2016

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  • QIC: Witch Hunt
  • When: 10/28/2016
  • Pax: Bart, Royale, Da Vinci, Whopper (FNG), Witch Hunt
  • Posted In: The Deep

What perfect weather we had for a little Halloween fun at The Deep. Small chill in the air but nothing that would keep the Pax away.

When 6:30 am hit, we had 4 Pax and 1 FNG (Thats 2 FNGs for Lake Wylie this week. Lets keep the momentum. T-Claps to Royale for the EH). Gave the extended disclaimer with the FNG present and we were off.

Quick mosey to the elementary school parking lot across the street for the warm up which consisted of:

  • SSH IC x25
  • Wind Mill IC x10
  • IW IC x10
  • Cherry Pickers IC x10
  • Mountain Climbers IC x10
  • Peter Parkers IC x10

Now that we were good and warm it was time to start the fun so we moseyed to the track.

The Thang

The Tombstone

Starting at the end of the first turn I placed 7 cones spread evenly across the track forming an upside-down U, or Tombstone shape.  At each cone was an exercise to be performed by the Pax 10 times. Starting at cone #1 we ran the full length of the tombstone ending at cone #7 and performing that exercise then returning to cone 1. At cone 1 you waited for the six while performing burpees. Once six was in you returned to cone 7 repeated exercise, except this time you stopped at cone 6 on the way back. The plan was to continue this sequence adding one cone on each lap. however to save some time for the rest of the workout, I called an Omaha and shortened the laps after we added cone 4, so we stopped at cone 4 for the remaining laps instead of continuing all the way to cone 7.

The exercises on the cones were as follows:

  1. Grave Diggers
  2. Jump Squats
  3. Merkins
  4. CCD
  5. V-Up Twists
  6. Dips
  7. Burpees

After a quick talk about tolerance, we were onto the next thing.

Trick or Treating (The F3 way)

We moved onto the football field inside the track. I placed one bowl in the middle of the 50 yard line and 2 other bowls in front of the goal posts. The bowl on the 50-yard line contained various modes of transportation, varying from easy [Treats] (I.e. Jog, bear crawl) to hard [Tricks] (i.e. Burpee Broad Jump, Lt. Dan). After splitting into two teams, one Pax would select a mode of transportation from the center bowl then head to there bowl in their corresponding endzone. Once they retrieved a piece of paper from there bowl they would jog back to the 50 yard line and meet up with the other group. One bowl contained numbers and one more contained exercises, the combination would determine whether it was a trick or treat (We ended up doing 10 Kraken Burpees, OUCH!.)

Unfortunately I didnt record the combinations we came up with but the Pax seemed to enjoy and punishment was delivered.

Finally time was running low so we took a long mosey back to COT, completing approximately 4 miles of running during the workout.

Thanks to the Pax for push and all the hard work.

Announcements

  • Christmas Party
  • Joe Davis Run
  • Read your newsletter

Prayers

  • All our solders overseas fighting the good fight
  • All Pax on IR

Now back to the hunt…

 

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Carnival games at the Deep

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  • QIC: Mainframe & DaVinci
  • When: 10/22/2016
  • Pax: Royale, Witch Hunt, Olaf, Cha-Ching
  • Posted In: The Deep

It was another beautiful, slightly chilly morning down at the Deep. DaVinci and YHC began trading messages (i.e. multi-tasking during work meetings) about wanting to do something different than the normal bootcamp and eventually stumbled onto a sports carnival approach. We both raided our kids toys for ideas we could use and put the plan in motion.

Warm-up:
> Mosey around school loops to far side of school so Witch Hunt could warm up.
> SSHs, WMs, IWs, Merkins, Mtn Climbers, Parker Peters.
> Mosey to other end of school.

The Thang:
We sat up 8 games with a pretty simple approach. One exercise when arriving at the game. Then someone attempts the game. If they succeed, moderate exercise. If they don’t succeed, original exercise plus another. Then after that is complete someone else attempts the game again. Success means easier means of movement to next game while not successful is a more difficult means of movement to next game. With instructions clear we began.

Game 1 – Free throws
Start=5 3M Burpees
Make=25 LBCs, Miss=+25 Merkins, Airball=+10 Burpess || Thankfully no airball, just a solid brick.
Make=Jog, Miss=Lunge Walk, Airball=Bear Crawl || Nothing but net (or chain), jog to next game.

Game 2 – Soccer penalty kick into kids size goal
Start=20 Jump Squats
Make=20 Mtn Climbers, Miss=+20 Plank Jacks || GOAL!
Make=Lunge Walk, Miss=Lt Dan || miss…Lt Dans across field (too far)

Game 3 – Throw a baseball into strike zone
Start=40 Moroccan Night Clubs
Make=10 inch-worm Merkins, Miss=+20 CDDs || Just a bit outside
Make=Job, Miss=Sprint || Uh, DaVinci might be the nicest PAX you’ve ever met but that was the ugliest attempt at a pitch we’ve ever seen!

Game 4 – Beach toss (mix of lacrosse and Hi-Li)
Start=50 SSHs
Catch=20 Dips, Miss=+10 Step ups || Thankfully Witch Hunt was ready for the wind effect on the whiffle ball…catch.
Catch=1/2 Sprint, 1/2 Jog, Miss=Suicides || I’ll blame the wind but no catch.

Game 5 – Golf chip shot into ring on ground
Start=15 Diamond Merkins
Make=20 Mak-tar Jais, Miss=+10 Knee-tar Jais || Can’t spell them but we did them all.
Make=Jog, Miss=Lunge Walk || Off the green…lunge walk it is.

Game 6 – 3 pt basketball shot
Start=5 3M Burpees
Make=20 Plank Jacks, Miss=+20 Mtn Climbers, Airball=+Kraken Burpees || No airball but ugly shot that at least drew iron.
Make=Bear Crawl, Miss=Crab Walk, Airball=Burpee Broad Jump || Pretty much repeat of first shot.

Game 7 – Football toss into can
Start=50 LBCs
Make=2 space bear crawl Merkins, Miss=+10 2 space shuffles || With some assistance from Olaf its good!
Make=Job, Miss=Job with extra lap around loop || Royale caught and dunked but PAX decided it was right to run the extra loop.

Game 8 – Lawn darts
Start=20 Wide arm Merkins
Make=25 Seal Jacks, Miss=+25 more Seal Jacks || Dart weight is not the same with the new kid friendly darts…at least that was the excuse given for missing badly.
Make=20 Hello Dollies, Miss=+20 Box Cutters || Royale asked if just the tip was in did it count? We didn’t have to explain that babies don’t really come from storks since the tip definitely didn’t get close.

Finished up the last game just with enough time to run around and gather all the equipment before COT. This wasn’t the hardest workout but PAX seemed to like the games. And we learned that we’re better at running and doing Merkins than playing a sport that requires finesse. Thanks to Royale for the opportunity to lead and all the PAX for playing along!

Prayers – Continued prayers for those affected by Hurricane Matthew. Prayers and praises for Olaf and his wife as they received some good news while they continue to go through a difficult pregnancy.

Logging off,
Mainframe

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Recon Ranger… Life of Danger…

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  • QIC: Dark Helmet
  • When: 10/13/16
  • Pax: Maximus, Bonsai, Kenyan (Respect), Witch Hunt, Royale, Shady, DaVinci, Dark Helmet (QIC)
  • Posted In: Abyss, Quagmire, The Deep, The Swamp

Lake Wylie continues to expand (but don’t think that means you shouldn’t be EHing guys, because you should) and so it’s come time to explore the possibility of a Thursday workout. With that in mind… A few stupid brave souls came to the Bowl ‘n’ Bounce to see what there was to do…

The Thang:
Warm up with a little jog (and a little stumble) around the shops with a little dynamic stretching.
Then we circled up for some windmills, IWs, SSHs, Merkins, etc.

Head to the front of the BnB for some foolishness:
Every two pillars there was an exercise written on the ground to be performed. Complete the line, then plank for the 6. (These are not in order, but I don’t remember the order… so there’s that…)
Alternate Bear Crawl then Crab Walk to each of the exercise stops along the way:
20 Merkins
10 Burpees
10 Squat Jumps
20 Hello Dollies
20 American Hammers
20 CDDs
and a couple of others I can’t remember…
After the 6 is in, partner up and carry back to the start, switching halfway along.

Rinse and repeat, except this time, alternate partner carries along the exercise stops.
After the 6 is in, grab your partner, do 5 partner squats then carry halfway and flapjack.

I think after that we did some horrible wall things and some Mary…

NMM:
So earlier, I said that there was a slight stumble. This was a lie… Coming around the side of the buildings in the dark, I ate it. HARD. I couldn’t tell if it was grass starting, or possibly a curb? Royale knew, and he got to about “CUR-” before I went sliding across the asphalt. I scraped my knee and my chin, did something terrible to my right shoulder (it still hurts), and also bruised my pride a little. After I stopped screaming like a little girl, and the Pax realized that I was ok, the barrage began of making fun. It’s why I love you all… It was cut short, however, by a woman calling out in the darkness “I’m just feeding the cats! I’m just feeding the cats!” I think we probably scared that poor lady half to death. We never saw her, just heard this disembodied voice “I’m just feeding the cats!”
8 guys come running around the corner in the dark at 0515… I’m thinking I’d have to check my shorts… I hope she was ok after that, but clearly, we startled her. Note for next time, which you’d think I would know by now, if you are in unfamiliar territory… YA MIGHT WANT A HEADLAMP. I’ve never claimed to be smart…

Helmet, out…

 

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“What a terrific AO you guys have here!”

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  • QIC: Crab Cakes + Double D
  • When: 10/15/16
  • Pax: Slaw, Def Leopard, Pizza Man, L'il E, Geronimo, Witch Hunt
  • Posted In: The Deep

5 pax from The Fort were joined at The Deep by 3 Gashouse Nomads (traveling Gastonia pax) looking for a fresh helping of Saturday morning pain.  The Gashouse crew explained the nature of their weekly Saturday morning nomadic adventures and made several complimentary comments about the AO at The Deep.  Then, after Geronimo posted at 0515 sharp, Crab Cakes promised a 20-minute warm-up, covered the Cliff Notes version of the Disclaimer and led the pax out.

The Thang

Warm up run in parking lot, high knees, butt kickers, side shuffles, karaoke

Line up for CC’s signature GORUCK session

Bear crawl as a group (must stay together) about 60yards (rinse and repeat)

Partner push sprints (partner 1 pushes partner 2 30 yards, then sprints 30 yard out and back and pushes partner 2 30 yards to starting point). Flapjack. Rinse and repeat.

Rugby sprints (pax start exercise IC and then on Q’s call sprint 30 yards out and back, wall recovery before next exercise)
Round 1: LBCs
Round 2: Flutter Kicks
Round 3: Mtn climbers
Round 4: Slow merkins

CC time check…17 mins in…oh no, it’s about to get worse!

Perfect merkin session — each pax does AMRAP merkins (perfect form to exhaustion, stop when form breaks down), then runs parking lot loop (rinse and repeat 2 more times)

More rugby sprints
Round 1: Peter Parker
Round 2: LBCs
Round 3: Freddie Mercurys
Round 4: Merkins

Handoff to Double D (for those keeping score, there was very little warm up and CC pushed to 30 minutes)

Pax moved to lower end of parking lot with a series of Crab Walks, Bear Crawls and Backward Bear Crawls.

Partners match up once again for 16 Trees session — each pair moseys via lunge walks throughout entire parking lot to cover each island with a tree (16 total). At the 1st tree, Partner 1 does 16 merkins, while Partner 2 planks (any form). Flapjack when pair reaches 2nd tree.  At 3rd tree Partner 1 does 16 CDDs while Partner 2 planks. Flapjack when pair reaches 4th tree.  Start cycle over at 5th tree and continue until all 16 trees are completed.  Pairs choose order and direction they want to cover all 16 trees in the parking lot.  Finish at the starting point.

Mary session — Rosalitas, Dollies, Flutters, Penguins (crowd pleaser), Sea Turtles

Monkey humpers x20

Hip slap derkins x10

Burpees x10 OYO

AYG run back to Shovel Flag

COT

Naked man moleskin

We had a very lively and energetic gang on this beautiful morning.  The single digit numbers meant there was no room to hide.  No worries, though, this group came to give it all they had!  Thanks for the enthusiastic participation.

T-claps to Crab Cakes for laying down a blistering 1st half.  The body language at the start was a solid head fake — no one escaped that portion of the workout without feeling a bit rung out.  It was a solid “welcome” to The Fort for the Gastonia pax…lots of chatter as we approached the 30-minute mark about whether workouts at The Fort go longer than an hour.  Good work, CC, and thanks for joining me!

Apologies to our visitors this morning for not taking more advantage of what the AO has to offer.  Recent backblasts revealed that running (including the track) had been a common theme, so the Qs opted to keep it close to home…very close!  It was kind of like when the solicitor rings the doorbell and you keep the conversation on the front porch!  It is a nice parking lot for sure, but there is more to the AO than that.  Sorry for the lack of hospitality in that regard.  Hopefully we will see you back in the future for a fuller tour of The Deep.

It was great to compare notes with our Gastonia brothers before, during and after the workout.  Engaging with pax from other regions reinforces the notion that this gift called F3 truly has universal appeal and application.  And we are each enriched by the breadth of experience each man brings to the brotherhood.  Thanks to the Gashouse Gang for putting the coordinates of The Deep into the GPS today!

For the pax of The Fort, take up the challenge of getting outside our region.  Gas up the car and hit the road.  You will represent The Fort well, and you will expand your F3 experience and circles.

S/O to Royale — thanks for the invite to Q!   Always a privilege to lead the pax.

 

 

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FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS: Calling all Fort and Rock Pax

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10/28/16
UPDATE:
I just got our work assignments.  We received 5 work orders for tree removal and 1 for house muckout (remove drywall, carpet, etc).  We will need to bring tools (chainsaws, axes, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, leaf blower, etc) like we did last week and additional tools (flat nosed shovels, hammers, sheetrock knives, wheelbarrows, etc) and safety equipment (gloves, safety glasses, dust masks, etc) this week.

The current plan is that we will meet at the Lowes by Baxter at 5:00 and leave for Conway, SC.  We would complete work at about 2:00 or 3:00 so that we can return for trick-or-treating with our families.  We will need to bring lunches and water.

Please DM @darkhelmetf3 or email me: frankschwartz@me.com with your HCs.

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10/21/16
UPDATE:
Work crews leaving out tomorrow. We will need help next week as well, so please check your calendars and let me know if you can make it. Here’s the details for tomorrow’s work.

Everyone,
We have been assigned 6 work orders to remove fallen trees (some greater than 18″ diameter) in the Bishopsville area.  We will be meeting tomorrow morning at the Lowe’s in Baxter at 6:00 am and will be leaving at 6:15. This will put us in Bishopsville at about 8:00.

We will be splitting into 2 groups and each group will have a team leader and will work on 3 work orders.  We will carpool and drive down as groups since the groups will be working at different addresses.

The teams are a mix of F3 Pax and Men (and one M) from my church. Again, there will be opportunity to go again next weekend, so LET ME KNOW.

We need to bring the following tools and we will split them up between the 2 groups:

Chainsaws (I think 5 were volunteered and so please bring them along with gas, oil, sharpening tools or whatever else would be needed)
Crowbars
Rakes
Axes
Wheelbarrows

Bring what you need to work safely.
In order to ensure we are as safe as possible while working on these projects, remember not to work after dark when good visibility is no longer possible, and please be sure to bring:

  • Safety glasses / goggles
  • Work boots or sturdy closed toe shoes
  • Work gloves
  • Pants (not shorts)

We need to bring our own lunch and water.  The team leaders will bring a cooler for water and drinks to be put in.

We will work until 5:30 or 6:00 and so if we finish our work orders early then we will see if there are other neighbors in the area that would like some help.  We can then find a place to eat in Bishopsville or head home. 

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10/19/16
UPDATE:
Flood waters are finally starting to recede on the coast in some areas to a point where we can get in to help. I don’t have all the details yet. They should be forthcoming soon, but here is what I know and what I need at this point.
WHAT I KNOW AT THIS POINT:
Early Saturday morning we are looking for strong backs and weak minds to travel to Myrtle Beach and Florence, SC to start the debris clearing. This means that we will need willing men, chainsaws, hand saws, loppers, shovels, possibly wheelbarrows, etc. We will be heading back that evening on this go around. (We will likely be doing an overnight trip next week once the mucking out of houses and such begins. Flood waters are not allowing for this in most areas at this time, is what I understand.) We will also be taking donations down with us. We will take the water that has been collected to now, and any other that we may be able to collect between now and then…
WHAT I NEED AT THIS POINT:
Your HCs ASAP! Hit me on twitter: @darkhelmetf3 (I’ll follow you back so we can share contact info if needed) and tell me if you can make it. It will be a very early start and a fairly late return that day.

Men, I know that there are TONS of ways to help right now, and TONS of places we could do it. If this doesn’t fit you, that’s ok, just help somewhere. However, this is what we are being asked to do for right now. It may seem like a small thing, but it will make a big difference.

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10/11/16
UPDATE:
Pax, I thought it would be good to give an update on where things stand with the relief efforts. There is much more damage and many more problems than we anticipated in SC, GA, and NC than we (in the Fort) have resources to take care of. It’s important to remember that we will hear of needs all over. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do it all. I often get frustrated and sad that we can’t just fix it, but so be it.

That said, at this time, we are in a holding pattern. The storm surge is continuing to rise in many of those areas, and over the next 48 hours or so there will be continued flooding and other problems that will continue to arise. It will likely be this weekend and into next week before we can safely enter any of those areas. So, as hard as it is, hang tight. Please keep letting me know about the needs that you hear of and about your individual availability to travel (possibly overnight) to affected areas over this weekend and into (and through) next week. Also, keep your eyes on the Twitter machine and FB, etc. for further updates.

Thank you, men, for all you do.
Helmet, out.

 

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10/8/16
Almost one year to the day from our relief efforts in Columbia, SC, and here we go again. Our brothers (F3), but maybe even more importantly, the communities where our brothers and sisters (God’s children) live are feeling the force and will soon be digging out from the devastation of Hurricane Matthew.

I am in contact with some of our coastal Pax and with members and leaders of my Church to try and get updates on needs. I imagine that there will be needs for donations, much like we had for Columbia (water, food, fuel, etc.), and also we want to organize work crews to go down as needed. At this point (10/8/16, 1700hrs), I know of many downed trees, lots of flooding, etc., but we do not know yet what can be done or when. Many communities (whole counties actually) have not started letting residents back in yet.

Here is what I need from you. I need to know if you can plan to go down with crews sometime in the coming days and weeks to administer relief. This will likely consist of delivering supplies, clearing roads, removing debris, and gutting homes and businesses that were flooded. We will need tools, strong backs, and donations. As soon as I know more, I will amend this post.

Again, at this point, if you can comment on this post, or DM me on Twitter, as to whether you can go and what days, that will help to start. Also, if you know of needs or people that are in those areas organizing efforts there, that would be great to know also.

Aye!

 

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