Category: The Fort

2017 Merkin Challenge

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It is that time of year again to set your goals.

Last year, I was able to reach my running goals thanks to the training and support of F3 Bing.  He was patient with me and my slow pace during our long runs.  He also offered good advice about shoes, stretching, and other ways to improve my running.  I thought I would throw out a challenge since I know how much he loves merkins.  The goal I set for him was 25,000 merkins by the end of the year.  I agreed to do at least 50,000.  I got a soft commitment so I thought we would set it in stone by posting it out to the Pax.

The rules are simple.  Keep track of the number of merkins perfomed each day (F3 workouts count)  Remember, good form, none of those half Carolina Dry Dock/Merkins where your body is not moving. The purpose is to develop consistency over time and improve our overall fitness. The great thing is you can do them anywhere…home, work, even when you travel.

 

Here are the yearly goal level:

Merkins                    Level

25,000                       Silver

50,000                       Gold

75,000                       Platinum

100,000                     Diamond (Beast mode)

 

For your convenience, here’s a link to the tracker: http://bit.ly/2iYDvdE.

 

Fishsticks and Bing

 

 

 

 

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PREBLAST – F3 DADS New Year’s Style, 13:00 at WEP on 1/2/17

Time to burn some of the Christmas and New Year’s calories and wear the 2.0s out a little bit with some F3 Dads. We will start at WEP at 1:00PM EST. This is a great way to get your kids and you started on the right track for 2017. Come with your 2017 word to share. We will start with a moderate WO and based on who shows up, we may split into groups for young, middle, and high school kids. I plan on taking the middle ages, so if you want to take your or old let me know. If not, we will keep it right down the line for all to enjoy.

We will end with a kick ball or soccer game, or both depending on numbers.

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Leading at Block Party: A restrospective

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  • QIC: Dark Helmet
  • When: 12/27/16
  • Pax: CSPAN, Double D, Witch Hunt, Cha Ching, Java, Birdcage, Flat Tire, DaVinci, Atticus, Bounce House, Dark Helmet (QIC)
  • Posted In: Block Party, The Fort

Sometimes just the exposure to good ideas or great men can make you better. Most times you have to work for it. Woody Allen said (paraphrasing) something along the lines of “half of life is just showing up.” Even if that’s true, it’s still only HALF.

So how did you get here? How did you reach this point where you are willing (and able) to look at the alarm clock with bleary eyes and then ignore the lie your body (and that angry little troll in the back of your mind) tells you and go ahead and get up and make something happen. Every man has their own personal reason for pushing himself. I’m not so interested in the exact reason most of the time, I’m mostly only interested in the fact that you keep pushing.
Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it is getting. You don’t like the results? Change the system.

So, throughout our workout this AM, I peppered in some of my half-baked thoughts around leadership that I’ve learned in my short time on the Blue Ball…
First, from Boy Scouts: Leave everything, and everyone, better than when you found it/them. That’s our goal for today. (And mine for every day that I breathe)

THE THANG:
Warm up
• Jog around the park with dynamic warmups – then circle up in cul-de-sac
• Windmills x 10
• Merkins x 15
•Squat x 20
• SSH x 25
• Then, as a special treat, since no one brought FNGs, 10 burpees OYO as punishment.
• Mosey to the playground and grab a partner. Size always matters.

PART 1:
The hard work of this world will not be done by weak men. It will require physical, mental, and emotional strength and sobriety. We cannot execute the work we have been given by SkyQ unless we are willing to push past limits. We also can’t let the men around us be weak. (So get to EHing!)

Leader Thought 1: As a leader, going it alone is a terrible idea most times…
• Each PAX will need to get to 75 pullups. You will work until you can’t anymore, then you will call for your partner. He will lift you for as many as you can, then you will switch, and keep switching until each of you hits 75. If one of you isn’t doing anything, plank.

Leader Thought 2: A leader doesn’t stop until it’s over.
• 1 minute AMRAP burpees. Push the entire minute. DO NOT slow down, DO NOT rest, DO NOT stop.

Leader Thought 3: When you are a leader, conflict will arise. It may be between two of the people you lead, it may be between you and someone you lead. Leaders know that there are 2 sides to EVERY story – which means you aren’t always right. As Grandma would say, you can’t slice cheese so thin that it doesn’t have 2 sides. So we are going to create something that has 2 sides to point this up.
• Back to back squats x 25
• Mosey to bottom of driveway into park

PART 2:
YOU CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY – The things that keep you from doing what you want are largely in your mind. They are the BS stories that you tell yourself as to why a thing can’t be done. Can’t is a BS word. It usually means “won’t” or “am afraid to try”. I tell my girls, “I am yet unable” is a fine answer, but don’t EVER tell me can’t.

Leader Thought 4: Choose the harder thing. It’s almost always the right answer.
• In one hand, I have a harder exercise. In the other, an easier one. You pick. I asked CSPAN. He picked harder. You’re all welcome.
• Grand Old Duke of York – bear crawl up the hill, 5 jump squats, crawl bear down, 10 merkins (supposed to be 5 rounds of that, but time only allowed 1)

Leader Thought 5: The difficult people in your life are difficult for a reason. As a leader, your job is to find out their story and then offer lots of grace. Take a chance on those people and on being able to make it work with them. Think of how much grace and what a chance God took on you being their leader…
• Find out the age of the oldest guy (sorry Double D) – do that many flutters in cadence (49)
• Back to COT

Final thought: Remember, in any fight, love always wins.

NMM:
– When you are about to share a thought that starts with “I learned this when I was a Boy Scout”, make sure it’s not immediately following some comments about rear ends, or anything else questionable.
– Birdcage likes partner carries. He complained about not doing them. Then again, it may have been sarcasm…
– Bounce House will always make you look slow. Also, I wish I had half the maturity and drive at 17 that he does.

Until next time…
Helmet, out.

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The Fort-Christmas Convergence 2016 – Something for Everyone!

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  • QIC: Cake Boss, Maximus, Zima, Senator Tressel, Double D, CSPAN
  • When: 12/24/16
  • Pax: Alright Alright, Atticus, Barry Manilow, Bart, Bob the builder, Bonsai, Brick, Cake Boss, Car Bomb, Cha Ching, Chaser, Chedda, Cobra Kai, Cold Cuts, Condiment, Corn Hole, Corruption, CSPAN, Dark Helmet, Davinchie, Dead Meat, Decible, Deep Dish, Ditch Witch, Donald Duck, Double D, Fishstix, Flat Tire, FNG - Slider, FNG - Toll Dozer, Frat Boy, Fun House, Gecko, General, Geronimo, Gilmore, Hasselhoff, Hoosier, Jekyll, Jiffy, Lil E, Long Shanks, Lug Nut, Main Frame, Mary Lou, Matrix, Maximus, Mr. Clean, Mr. T, NASA, Nomad, Olaf, Old Bay, Orange Crush, Package, Patton, Peabody, Peg Leg, Pusher, Quack Attack, Red Banjo, Ringer, Rock Thrill , Rooney, Royal, Santini, Senator Tressel, Shady, Shark Bait, Slinger, Snookie, Socrates, Spark Plug, Spiderman, Spitz, Spud, Stang, Sub Prime, Sweeper, Tater, Tesh, Tico, Trucker, Twister, Whoppner, Witch Hunt, Zima
  • Posted In: Millllkshake, The Fort
It was a glorious morning and the weather was perfect for a Celebration of new life but also the convergence of the finest men in Fort Mill Region. Today was the 2nd Annual Clave Boss 5k and bonus Ruck with follow up convergence of 3 Wise Men of High Impact Beat Down!
 
I Cake Boss was honored last year to Q the Christmas Convergence. Apache started the Cake Boss Calves 5k, however spelled the “Certificates of Completion” inaccurately “Clave Boss 5k”. Well….it stuck and that is what we have now.
This year with the new shiny object of Rucking, we added the Pre-Ruck and Ruck during the convergence. I think it was pretty horrible, but guys keep doing it.
0600 – Launch of Clave Boss 5k and Ruck. Probably 15 men in each group. 5 Men made two laps for 10k option
  1. Sweeper finished 5k in 20mins
  2. Alright Alright (visiting from Dallas, TX) finish in 22mins

Proud of Mr. T and NASA for strong finish of 5k

Maximus finished the 10k ahead of 4 other brothers. Well done by all!

0655 – I Cake Boss called all PAX together for quick recognition of our 5k and 10k top finishers with Bundt Cakes. Well deserved and next year the prizes with continue for other categories…. as we grow so will the convergence!

0700 – Mosey all PAX to COP warm up with YHC
Large COP circle and we did a few exercise moves
  • 25 SSHs
  • 15 Imperial Walkers
  • 10 Merkins
  • 15 LBCs

Time for split into Ruck and 3 Wise Men Beat Down.

Frankincense – Senator Tressel
The Thang:
Mosey to the football field bleachers and split into two groups.  Run bleachers up/down twice and walk down to the running track.
Bear crawl along the track to the second set of bleachers and run up/down twice.   At the first bleacher level, stop and do 10 derkins and 10 dips.
Get back on the track and bear crawl to the first set of bleachers, then run up/down twice  Walk down to the track, do 10 merkins and 15 Freddie Mercs, then mosey to the field.
COP (all in cadence)
SSH x 20, Merkin x 10, windmill x 10, Moroccan nigh club x 20, IW x 20, Diamond merkin x 10, Squat x 15
Mosey to the goal line and form a single line facing the opposite goal line.  Lunge walk 10 yards, do 1 burpee, lunge walk 10 yards, do 2 burpees…..all the way to 100 yards and 10 burpees (crowd pleaser – looked easier on paper and became a little more than moderate at the end)
Mosey back to the start and circle up again.  All in cadence:  wide arm merkin x 20, cherry picker x 15, peppermill x 10
On the goal line, break up into 4 groups.  Run 50 yards at 50-75% speed, short recovery, and repeat 5 times.
Circle back up for ABLAB:
LBC x 20, Rosalita x 15, Pretzel crunch x 6L/6R, Boat/Canoe x 4, Hello Dolly x 15
Form 2 lines and indian run back to meet the whole group.
Strong group today and nice to see some new faces.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Thanks for offer to Q, and thanks for all your work coordinating everything for this convergence.  84 is a big number for just the Fort Pax and friends.  Hope you and your family have a great Christmas and God Bless.
Frank
Gold – Double D
This is Cake Boss writing and I can’t remember all of the workout….think I blacked out or was dreaming about the cake I gave to the 5k participants….I don’t know
  • Mosey to School entrance for some exercise moves and run up and down the driveway
  • Mosey to mini parking lot for Dirty Macduce…12 exercises in groups of 3 with lap around island….think some guys are still running around the island
  • Hand off to Santini for some ickey shuffle with burpees and merkins or something
    • 2 rounds of similar awfulness
  • Mosey to alley for some leg work and wrap up with seal team sit ups where package knocked himself out against the wall…..scrambled eggs but still made it for COT!!

Head to COT

 

Myrre – CSPAN

See link:

http://f3nation.com/2016/12/26/a-black-diamond-on-christmas-eve/

 

All groups regathered at COT for wrap up after some Plank and 6Min of Mary until 6 was in.

87 PAX was our number

YHC brought all PAX in tight to explain my madness behind the characters of the Christmas Story

  • Joseph had a plan, to get married, have a family and build the family business and career. He was a good man, doing all things right when a wrench was thrown into his plan. God had another plan for him and it was not an easy one, but still Joseph’s choice.
    • What would you choose? Are you hearing God’s plan for you as it differs from what you think?
  • The Shepherds were doing their jobs and minding their business. They had low self esteem and society did not think much of them, however God chose them to announce the birth of Jesus! God has a purpose for everyone and if you think you have no value or voice sometimes….God does not see it that way.
    • Listen to your heart and follow God’s lead. God has a reason and purpose for each of us.
  • The Wise Men had all the resources and education. They were smart, wealthy and in the know of all that was happening. Our culture says this is more important than God, however God reached them through this education of the stars to find Jesus.
    • Are you depending on your resources and “stuff” to get you through this life and the next? Use it to find Jesus and He will get you the Joy you are searching for.

As men we can identify in one of these groups or a mix of them. Bottom line is we all need the love, grace and forgiveness that God gives us through his son Jesus. He did this at Christmas over 2000 years ago and still today. If you want to understand this more, please message me, Cake Boss, as I want all of us to know God’s purpose for our lives in order to have the best abundant life here and after.

I challenged all the PAX on the Concept of “Audience of One”, #Ao1. That if we apply the idea that we are working, exercising, teaching, parenting, serving to an Audience of 1, being Sky Q (God), that we will give it our 100% for the one who gave it all for us. I challenge the PAX to apply this to be better for no one else but our creator and savior, so look for the #Ao1 in 2017 and watch leaders boom!!

Humbled and Honored as always to serve as Q but especially at the Christmas Convergence!

Rock Thrill gave us a great talk about his brother, family and community. Join the Joe Davis Run today!!

Thank you and Happy New Year to all PAX and families. 2017 will be EPIC in The Fort!!

Cake Boss

 

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How Do You Spell C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S ?

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  • QIC: NASA
  • When: Monday 12/26/2016
  • Pax: Bart, Cornhole (Respect), DaVinci, Mainframe, NASA, Royale, Wild Thing, and Witch Hunt
  • Posted In: Quagmire, The Fort

The day after Christmas can be tough some times. With all the ups of celebrating the birth of Our Lord comes the downs of the post celebration blues. What a better way to work them out with a good dose of F3 gloom with some fellow HIMs to share the pains.

It was a rather warm morning in December. I was feeling the blah of the cold I have been fighting for the past 2-3 weeks, but I was ready to sweat it out. You know F3 has become an integral part of your life when you look forward to the morning F’s no matter what the day presents when you wake. As I finished prepping the AO I rolled in to the COT area in my old rusty truck and initially saw only a couple of vehicles. I do not blame folks for staying in the fartsack the day after Christmas. But as time drew closer to 5:15 more folks rolled in. There was alot of smiling faces and mumblechatter about the previous day’s festivities. As I heard all the stories of great days I said a silent prayer to those less fortunate. I could not imagine a Christmas without joy in it, but for some that is what they know.

As time drew to 5:15, the disclaimer was disclaimed. No FNGs noted. Off we went……

A light jog along the front of Best Buy/Pet Smart with some but kickers, high knees, toy soldiers mixed in. As we turned the corner towards Home Depot we added in some side shuffles left/right, then continued to the parking lot behind River Bleu restaurant for the COP.

COP, 15 of each, in cadence:

  • Side-Straddle Hops
  • Imperial Walker
  • Windmills
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Peter Parkers
  • 10 sec each of Downward Dog and Honemooner
  • Moroccan Night Clubs

The heart rates were up, muscles warmed, and sweat starting to roll. Even so, not much mumblechatter from a normally chattery group. Everyone must have really poured themselves into yesterday, mind, body, and soul. Totally understood. But now it is time to mosey over to the front of Target for The Thang.

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S Balls of Joy!

In front of the Target there are several red balls (bollards) that everyone who has been to a Quagmire or Swamp workout has come to absolutely love. I think the person who put them there is a member of F3 for they are made for our workouts. Next to each bollard I put a cone and index card with a workout denoted on it, with each exercise spelling out Christmas. Start to finish, suicide style, 25 of each, OYO:

  1. C – CDDs
  2. H – Happy Jacks – do 5 SSHs, then 2 jumping squats, then R&R until 25 SSH / 10 JS done
  3. R – Rosalitas
  4. I – Imperial Walkers – then Bear Crawl to next station
  5. S – Sumo Squats
  6. T – Triceps Curls (aka Dips) – we need more “T” exercises!
  7. M – Merkins
  8. A – American Hammers – the Crab Walk to next station
  9. S – Squats

After the last station, run the loop that encircles the entire Target parking lot, hanging a right at the gas station, then back to the start (about 1/3 – 1/2 mile or so) to rinse and repeat. Everyone did great, and we all got in 3 repetitions of Christmas and 2 runs before we headed back to arrive at the COT right at 6.

Announcements:

  • Read the weekly newsletter!
  • Baxter trail run on New Years day
  • Joe Davis run for recovery coming up soon. Still time to register!
  • The Yeti is coming up soon as well

Prayers and Praises:

  • Prayers for those less fortunate and in need. Use the tools God bestowed upon all of us to be the vessel through which He works to try and make a positive difference in their lives.
  • Prayers for PAX out there, as well as their family and loved ones, who are going through various issues – Bart’s neice, Cornerstone’s daughter, Royale’s dad, Olaf’s newborn child, Qwerty, Puddles, and many others (my apologies if I missed any)
  • Prayers for all PAX to continue on their journeys of self improvement
  • Praises for everything the amazing F3 HIMs have done throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons – the turkey giveaway, Operation Sweet Tooth, the F3 Christmas party are just a few of the highlights (again my apologies if I missed any others). These are great examples of the positive impact that F3 has not only on the community, but on each other as well for the holidays can be trying times for everyone and each of these gestures of leadership and love helped uplift many and brought a positive, loving light into their holidays.
  • Praises for this past weekend’s convergence at The Yard organized by Cake Boss and others. It was an amazing experience! To hear the story behind the Joe Davis run from one of the Davis family members was sad yet inspirational and is yet another example of people making a positive difference in the community. Then to hear words of truth from Cake Boss himself was a great way to start off Christmas Eve.
  • Praises for this thing we called F3. At the end of this month it will be 6 months since I first posted to The Pantheon for a tough Q by Jekyll. F3 has been an amazing impact on my life in many ways and for that I am forever grateful.

With Thanks and Praise. Over and Out,
– NASA

 

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Let Me Run – Ashley Park – Fall ’16 Season Recap

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  • QIC: WWL, Repeat, Gekko
  • When: Fall Season 2016
  • Pax: Ashley Park Academy, 5th-6th grade boys, The Mayor, Strike, Tiger, Stunt Man, Stark, General, Slam Dunk, Bolt
  • Posted In: The Fort

For 7 weeks during September through November, WorldWide Leader, Repeat and Gekko have been investing their time twice a week, for an hour and 15 mins at a time, with 6-9 5th and 6th grade boys at the Ashley Park Academy (located off of Wilkinson Blvd).

Earlier this year WWL and Repeat awkwardly asked each other out for F3’s Whetstone partnership deal. At the time there was a lot of talk about finding your “one world problem”, where your dolphin and daffodil intersect to address that one problem you see everyday that calls to your heart. Neither of us knew what our one world problem was nor how to go about exploring it.

That’s when one of us suggested coaching a Let Me Run team. If you haven’t heard of Let Me Run (it’s the boys version of Girls On the Run), its a non-profit offering running programs to 4th-8th grade boys with the goal of combining exercise with fun activities and lessons to help boys learn teamwork, build relationship skills, create friendships, grow emotionally, amplify their self-esteem, empower themselves and others, and live an active lifestyle.

Let Me Run is headquartered here in Charlotte but has teams all over the U.S. They conduct two season per year, a Spring and a Fall. F3 is a major sponsor for Let Me Run, in fact, if a team has two F3 pax as the team coaches, F3 Foundation covers 100% of the cost for each boy on the team (~$115/boy)!

This Fall, the three us of committed to coaching a team at Ashley Park Academy, a K-8 school located in Mecklenburg County. Ashley Park is a title one school, its students and families live 120% below the poverty line and in one of the highest crime rated neighborhood in the area.

But don’t let that prejudge the students at that school.

Each Let Me Run practice starts with Words To Live By, a quote that tees up the character lesson for that day, we run a Unity Lap together, dynamic stretches, a 20-40 min running based workout, static stretches, push ups, a character building lesson and often some fun games. Each practice ends with a huddle, hands in and the Let me Run chant; Let me be me, let me reach out, let me run!

Below is a weekly recap over our seven week season:

Practice 1:
– We had NO idea what we had gotten ourselves into, WWL/Repeat had never coached a team before, we had no idea of how many kids would show up
– We had four or five boys the first day, we had no credibility with them, some kinda knew what they had signed up for, most didn’t
– Let’s just say the first practice gave us some GREAT positive criticism on what the heck we were doing there
– Most boys didn’t have their paperwork, coaches kinda had a game plan but not really, the boys couldn’t really run more than 75 yards before wanting to walk, every little distraction grabbed the boys attention over the attention of the coaches
– We learned we could only reasonably have their attention for about 2-4 mins at a time (for discussions)

Practice 2:
– Words to live by- A goal without a plan is just a dream
– Character building lesson – goal setting
– We assigned one coach to lead the practice, the other supported the lead and helped keep the boys focused

Practice 3:
– Words to live by- Let Me Run Boys are en courageous enough to be themselves. When we are ourselves, our unique gifts are allowed to shine!
– Character building lesson – discuss the Let Me Run Credo and Values
– We gave the boys their F3 names this practice, they loved it!
– Jamotis – The Mayor
– Tyrell – Strike
– George – Tiger
– Jaden – Stunt Man
– Gerardo – Stark
– Geffrey – General
– Dexter – Slam Dunk
– Tyvon – Bolt

Practice 4:
– Words to live by- The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.
– Character building lesson – teamwork
– We did some great water balloon relay races! the boys asked us to pop the remaining water balloons on-top of their heads in a ball of man.

Practice 5:
– Words to live by- Respect yourself and others will respect you
– Character building lesson – Respect
– We did a team relay challenge spelling our R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Practice 6:
– Words to live by- You have the power to encourage or discourage
– Character building lesson – how to be competitive without putting down the competition

Practice 7:
– Words to live by- Tears are words the heart can’t express
– Character building lesson – Real men show their feelings
– We did a great activity combining baking soda and vinegar (think volcano explosion) to simulate what happens when we bottle our emotions inside

Practice 8:
– Words to live by- Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness
– Character building lesson – You are what you eat
– We made a crisco sandwich illustrating the amount of fat in a McDonalds quarter-pounder, fries and McFlurry….. one boy tried to eat it…. he didn’t like it…

Practice 9:
– Words to live by- Be kind to unkind people. they need it the most
– Character building lesson – Why bullying is a bummer

Practice 10:
– Words to live by- Always stop to think whether your fun may be the cause of someone’s unhappiness
– Character building lesson – Taunting vs. teasing

Practice 11:
– Words to live by- Never ruin an apology with an excuse
– Character building lesson – apologies and making it right
– This was a particularly interesting practice, a few of our boys had to use the bathroom in the middle of practice (#2), after a lengthy break, a teacher came back outside and called us in, our boys had made a mess of the bathroom, toilet paper on the ground, water/soap on the counter and poop on one of the toilet seats…. So as a TEAM we all had to go into the bathroom and clean up the mess, and as a TEAM we went to the teacher’s room and apologized.
– WWL looks to Repeat and says “add this to the list of things I never thought I’d be doing”

Practice 12:
– Words to live by- Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out
– Character building lesson – Redefining success

Practice 13:
– Words to live by- What you call a hero, I call just doing my job
– Character building lesson – Everyday heros

Practice 14:
– Words to live by- Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance
– Character building lesson – Inspiration

At the end of the seven weeks and 14 practices, Let Me Run organizes a 5K and each team runs in it. This is what we’ve been training for!

5K recap

Takeaways from the coaches:
– Overall a very humbling experience, these families live off of $10-20k household incomes
– Money doesn’t matter to kids
– These kids were awesome, we certainly had our challenges, some days were better than others, but each boy at some point or another showed just how great and awesome they are
– Never underestimate kids, they may seem like goof offs or trouble makers at times, but they do pay attention, they do have good intentions and they are a lot smarter than you think
– Flexibility is important, we don’t always see eye to eye with one another and being able to empathize with each other so that you can adjust your interaction is a key skill
– Life is not fair, nor will things always execute as you’ve planned them, but if you treat each other with respect, you’ll make it through it and likely have a lot of fun along the way
– Take risks
– No task is too small nor any gesture of kindness unnoticed
– Everyone benefits when you delegate and entrust someone else to be responsible for specific tasks/items (i.e. kids loved leading our dynamic warm ups, pushups and stretches)
– Work hard, play hard is not an easy motto to instill. Consistency, perseverance and willingness to fail are necessary

So is coaching 9-10 year old boys about character building, exercise and accountability our “one world problem”? Maybe… maybe not… but we are certainly glad we took a risk and tried it, it may be more of an experimental process until we each find it.

A huge shout out to Gekko, he originally wasn’t roped into this, but when we made the call to the pax looking for someone to fill in a few days when someone was out, Gekko stepped up and he didn’t just fill in for two days, he joined the team and was an integral part of the team!

It wasn’t easy leaving our 9-5 corporate jobs two times a week for seven weeks…. But it was definitely time well spent!

Aye.
WWL, Repeat, Gekko

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NASA Claus and the 12 Pains of Christmas @The Poop Deck

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  • QIC: NASA
  • When: Thursday 12/22/2016
  • Pax: Andretti (Respect), Dark Helmet, DaVinci, NASA, Mr T., and Wild Thing
  • Posted In: Abyss, Poopdeck, The Fort

I am posting this to the Abyss since there is not an AO link set up for the Poop Deck.

Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho! Santa Q was out and ready to receive the PAX of HIMs this morning when they rolled in to the LW Bowl N Bounce. It was a great day, almost double the temp of yesterday’s frosty AM workout. What a treat in itself. Even so, only 4 additional brave souls ventured out this morning. Everyone was in a great mood. Alot of mumblechatter about Mr T’s very creative and fun VQ the day before. It is always great to start your day with a group of HIMs like this,

After the disclaimer was disclaimed, off we moseyed around the parking lot a couple of loops to get the heart rate up. I decided to keep it in the well lit areas since most of the PAX did not have lighting and this place is well known to have curb appeal.

After the warmup, we circled up for the COP. Right when we were about to start, in swoops Dark Helmet to join in the festivities. In light of the birthday of Our Lord, we did 25 of each:

  • Side-straddle hops
  • Imperial walkers
  • Windmills
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Moroccan night clubs
  • And to stretch out a little more Santa Q threw in good bit of downward dog, honeymooner, and alternating arm/leg extensions while on hands and knees

Now for the Thang

The 12 Days of Christmas Pain:

NASA Claus came prepared with a red bag full of goodies for each and every HIM, whether naughty or nice they have been. In Santa Q’s sack was 12 ‘presents’, complete with bows even. With warmth from his heart Santa Q gave each HIM a present. The joy and excitement each HIM had of receiving these wonderful, yet unknown gifts was an incredible sight to see. I wish I had my camera at the ready! After a gift was opened, the group had to partake in the pain it presented. Not only that, the HIM who opened the gift got to lead the exercise it outlined. They were gifts that kept on giving. Each HIM took turns opening their gifts from NASA Claus to find the following pains:

Gift # / Pain:

  1. 10 Burpees OYO
  2. 25 Monkey Humpers, cadence
  3. 25 Merkins, cadence
  4. Run Forrest, Run! – run a loop around the entire boat ramp parking lot, about 1/4 mile loop
  5. 30 Plank Jacks, cadence
  6. 25 LBCs, cadence
  7. 25 Carolina Dry Docks, cadence
  8. Bear Crawl loop the circle of HIMs –  had to open the circle a little for this one
  9. 25 Long, Slow Squats, cadence
  10. 20 Hello Dollys, cadence
  11. 25 SSH, cadence
  12. Crab walk loop the circle of HIMs

Doing the math the group each received 2 gifts to complete round 1. Due to tough economic times, we had to regift and Santa Q redistributed the presents for round 2, letting each HIM reach into Santa Q’s sack to grab a gift of goodness. Unfortunately due to time we cut short round 2 to only 6 presents. Even so, it was alot of pain combined with alot of fun. Each and every HIM had alot of laughs.

We regrouped near the COT where we had a brief ablab workout where NASA Claus let each one of the group pick an exercise and run it until we ran out of time.

Announcements:

  • Read the weekly newsletter!!
  • Joe Davis Run still open. Sign up!!
  • F3 Dads today at 11 at Turner Field in Tega Cay
  • Christmas Eve Convergence and 5K run this Saturday at The Yard

Prayers and Praises:

  • Prayers for anyone feeling the voids mentioned below in the Moleskin
  • Prayers that we all are given the strength, courage, and discipline to be better in all aspects of our lives as well as make a difference in others
  • EH people into the world of F3
  • Praises for the difference F3 has made in our lives

The Moleskin and 365 Days of Christmas Challenge:

This is something I have been mentioning since Thanksgiving at each workout I have been posting to –

The Christmas holiday season for some can be a time of great happiness, joy, and love, not to mention a wonderful time in which we celebrate the birth of our Savior, The Lord. Love from family, friends, and The Lord fill our hearts and we in turn reciprocate that love, especially during the holiday season. We have all been blessed with the things that we can do and the things we have, as well as The Lord in our everyday lives, whether we all realize this or not. Some people are not as fortunate for whatever reason. Each Christmas holiday season, society in general takes this as a time to spread joy and happiness by various means to others less fortunate. The outpouring of love and support is an amazing thing for all to do, and I am thankful and grateful there are many people out there who do this. It clearly shows what either the individual or the collective whole can do to make a difference in the lives of others. Even so, there are many out there who still have a void in their lives, whether it be devoid of love and support from family and/or friends, or the love and support of The Lord.

I challenge each and every one of us to take it to the next level – fill those voids you may see and treat each and every day like it is part of the Christmas holiday season. Spread the love – from yourself, from word of The Lord, and/or from this amazing gift we all call F3. Take your time to make a difference. Don’t wait for Christmas time to come around, for the needy always have needs 365 days of the year. Carry the spirit of Christmas around with you at all times and pay it forward. Many of you HIMs associated with the F3 world already do this. If you are one of those, EH someone you know, the more the merrier, to join you in one of your deeds of making a difference – in family life, the community, the F3 PAX, or life with The Lord. I challenge each of you all to lead us all to become leaders, and make a positive impact 365 days of each and every year.

Merry Christmas!

-NASA Claus

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This is What Happens when SOB’s Invade The Fort

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  • QIC: Longshanks, JRR Tolkien
  • When: 12/17/2016
  • Pax: Fire Hazard, Jiffy, River Rat, Barry Manillow, Deacon, Sir Topham Hat, MacGuyver, Reborn, Quack Attack, Tesh, Chicken Wing, Flat Tire, Oil rig, Santini, Mario, Thin Mint, Bolt, Matadore, Double D, Bounce House, Sweeper, JRR. Tolkien, Longshanks
  • Posted In: The Fort

Many of you are wondering, how the heck did Tolkien get asked to Q down here in The Fort? Well, glad you asked. Wakey-leaks has secured of an actual transcript of a conversation between JRR Tolkien and Longshanks on course at the Fort Bragg Spartan Race, where Tolkien SMASHED ‘Shanks time…. here it is in the interest of public disclosure:

Shanks: so word has it you got the biggest mouth in SOBland, maybe F3? Is that true?
JRR: Of course that’s true. I can because I’m a sponsored athlete.
Shanks: HEY SO AM I!!! Oral IV, Athletics 8, and a few more
JRR: pfft… they made a Pokémon Go character after me. And at least 10 pandas were named after me globally in 2016. In fact, I’m working with BUCCI right now to advertise their new men’s handbag line.
Shanks: BUCCI? You mean GUCCI right?
JRR: no BUCCI… the unlicensed knock off stuff. Much cheaper in cost and quality. Like the Piffany jewelry you got your M for her birthday, only different.
Shanks: WOW… you’ve really made it! Well I got named Longshanks because in prison I had the record for keystering the longest shank in my you know what!!!! #LegendStatus
JRR: Don’t touch me… (stare and silence)
Shanks: You really do have a big mouth. I respect that, I talk a little bit of junk myself. Being from Wisconsin and all, where our sports teams are supreme.
JRR: Ummm… my Creighton Bluejays whooped up on your Wisconsin Badgers by 12 a week or two ago in hoops.
Shanks: Oh yeah, well I have the record for most kids in a Physical Education Class in South Carolina at 20!
JRR: Dude, kids are required to go to your class. I can get 20+ PAX to show up in the freezing rain to post at one of my workouts…even when it’s not in my on region.
Shanks: Hey can you help me over the 8’ wall? Like the movie says, white men can’t jump.
JRR: 30 burpees brother… see you at the finish line. I’ll be waiting to give you your medal after I have a beer.
Shanks: That’s it Tolkien… winner Q’s in the loser’s region!
JRR: Deal… see you at The Fort!
Shanks: By the way, when are you going to start running elite instead of competitive?
JRR: I’m not elite.
Shanks: I know (mic dropped)

The Thang:

Warmup: (5min)
Mosey, Side Shuffle, karaoke, butt kicks, high knees
Imperial walker (cadence)
Low Squat (down- up) x 15
Merkin (military cadence- up down) x 15
Plank (left hand high right foot high) 10 count switch
Run back to truck

Part 1: until I call time which was 3 1/3 rounds (15min)
partner 1 bucket carry across lot (put bucket down you owe 10 CDD)
Partner 2 backwards run up hill and back down.
Partner 3 bear crawl/crab walk

Hill > bucket > crawls > Hill…

Part 2: Run to playground area, partners (10min)
1 pull-up
5 toes to bar
1 pull-up
5 knees to elbows
1 pull-up
(Switch with partner who is doing 5 reverse burpees and then American hammers)

Handoff to Longshanks 2H Q

Mosey to The Parking lot in front of Synergeics for some extended Dora:
Partner runs to the hill and back while partner exercises:
100 Bombjacks
200 Squats
300 LBC’s
200 SSH
50 Burpees

Start Moseying back for COT but stop for:
10 Dips (IC)
5 Derkins
10 Dips (IC)
5 Widearm Derkins
10 Dips (IC)
5 Diamond Derkins

COT and BOM

Announcements – Turkey Giveaway in Paradise, Christmas Party, Operation Sweet Tooth, Joe Davis Run

Prayers

NM (Tolkien):

YHC has always been impressed with The Fort’s creativity, involvement in the community, and dedication to investing in each other. Whether it’s hosting CSAUPs like Fast5k (nevermind you all cheated with the high school track star), bringing hundreds of turkeys for community outreach AND showing up in person to hand them out, or cranking out eye popping numbers for F3 Dads. The Fort has something special and should be very proud of your region. Special thanks to Longshanks for inviting me to come co-Q with him, truly an honor, dude is a beast and YHC is looking for big things from him in the 2017 Spartan season!

Flat tire was working an extra muscle group today exercising his lips by flapping his gums, even more than his core and legs!
Tesh already knew a ‘Shanks workout would be easy so he did a 3+ mile prerun first.
The very best of SOB-land showed up to throw down with The Fort and all of them came to play: Fire Hazard showed up early for a prerun with JRR Tolkien then transformed into a burpee machine during Dora. Mario was up all night hopping from bar to bar chasing after the ladies #fathersnightmare . We’ll just call it a CSAUP because his efforts were “Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless”. Hey blame the lexicon, not me! But he did make the workout and was always at the front. Thin Mint looked in mid season Spartan Race form during the bucket carries and is just as fast backwards as forwards. YHC expects him to podium a race later this year… ELITE style.
One of the Fort’s leaders Reborn came back for the 6 on every run section, and another BOLT made sure to stop by for COT after hitting The Reservation. Thanks for your leadership men.

NM (Shanks):

1. By the way Tolkein is spelled token, as in he’s token something, don’t worry its medicinal.
2. Only reason Tolkien talks about Fort Bragg is thats the only Spartan Race he beat me in this year. Charlotte Sprint Saturday. Nope. Charlotte Sprint Sunday. Nope. Asheville Super. Nope. Did he even do Asheville? Nope. Carolina Beast Saturday. Nope. Carolina Beast Sunday. Nope. Oh yeah he ran the Sprint Sunday. Weak. Kid Rock has more wins against me this year than you do.
3. Actual conversation with Tolkien this Saturday. Hey we need one more for our six man Ultra Team for P200 as one guy dropped out. Tolkien – thats too much running. So no.
4. In all seroiusness, great to have Tolkien out to help lead the workout. Couple of months ago he stated how he needed to come to a workout in The Fort, but only after Kiawah. YHC said that I have the Q the week after Kiawah. Come on over and I’ll let you lead half. Knew what was coming then. #epicbeatdown
5. Guess YHC need to come to SOB land to repay the favor. #wheresmyinvite
5. Blessed by all that showed up with Turkeys and presents. Both were a success.

Longshanks out (mic drop) again

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Planet Pain 12-17-16 With 15 HIMs Hope is in the Air. 2.66 miles in the cold and rain!!!

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  • QIC: Samurai
  • When: 12/17/16
  • Pax: Ponytail(R), Walker(R), Peach(R), Freon, Jag(R), Mongo, Chernobyl, PCH, Bubazilla, FNG(Viking R), Incoming, Nail Pop, Uga, Hot Sauce, Samurai(R)
  • Posted In: The Fort

This cold and rainy Saturday was to be a Co-Q with YCH and Hydrant but unfortunate for us Hydrant did not make the flight back from Colorado.  Drug test may be needed Monday!!!  LOL

I humbly lead 14 other HIMs (1 FNG Viking) through a  Planet Pain workout and was honored by mumble chatter and patience.  My winkie held a half workout but we made it through with flying colors.

Welcome and disclaimer given

Warmup

SSH

R/L L/R

Imperial Walkers

SSH

Hillbillyy Walkers

Mosey to the back of the ATC but called a Omaha when I spotted wooden benches that were in need of some love.

Irkins

Derkins

Dips

Mosey to one of the Practice fields and ran three 50 yard sprints and jogged back and recovered between with some Hope words

Moseyed to the High Jump pad for some AB work and Merkins

Moseyed out of the Jail yard fence for some 1/2 exercise and runs

Runs looped the entrance circle and the exercise were

CDD

LBC

Merkins

Moseyed to the Stairway to Heaven

People’s Chair

Al Gore (Tree Hugger)

Rinse and repeat

Ran the stairway

Merkins

LBC

Mountain Climber

Then we tried a Merkin Failure I saw posted on-line

Merkins till failure then slowly move from the top of the merkin to the bottom (SLOWLY) x3 then hold 6″ until failure.  Jag was King of the Merkin today!!! Awesome work

Moseyed back to the COT for 5 minutes of PAX Choice and The Pledge of Allegiance lead by Jag

Announcements

Turkey Give Fort Mill, F3 Christmas Party, Christmas Eve Workout at Olde Town 0700 all other AOs closed, Joe Davis 5K10K run and Pre-P200

Prayers were asked and Jag delivered an awesome closing prayer

Coffee-ria  at Patty Wagon where 8 HIMs ate and swapped stories

 

Samurai honored and out

 

 

 

 

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CSPAN & Double D #OLDSchool @F3TheFort

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  • QIC: CSPAN & Double D
  • When: 12/10/16
  • Pax: Chicken Wing, Sweeper, Longshanks, Crab Cakes, Flat Tire, Mary Lou, Oil Rig, Geronimo, Matador, Atticus, Jekyll, Tesh, Bubba Gump, Change Order, Barry Manilow, Bounce House, Double D, Mr Clean, Pusher, Maximus, Bonsai, What Did, McGyver, Airbourne , Dark Helmet, and CSPAN
  • Posted In: The Fort

Conditions were miserable cold and 22 degrees

0600 8 men started the festivities with a pre-ruck of 3 miles with coupons

0630 6 men started off with pre-run with Nantan Pusher and a 5K of fun

0700 26 men gathered for an epic #OLDSchool beatdown

we picked up the Q for Peabody who is on IT, #TAP and get well my friend

Disclaimer

I got to start the festivities on Q

and we were off and running with a plan of “pearls on a string” and Double D and I had planned to visit every church in downtown Fort Mill and it was mission accomplished. Quality old school beatdown where @F3TheFort started.

couple of crowd pleaser moments were the stair repeats and the dance lessons at First Baptist

great group of #HIM out today

high quality #mumblechatter throughout

couple of good sermons

and we finished just over 3 miles

COT / Prayer and praise / BOM

Naked Man Moleskine:

here is the link to the video:
https://twitter.com/darkhelmetf3/status/807577856956137472https://twitter.com/darkhelmetf3/status/807577856956137472

here are some of my sermon notes:

1. Reflection on 2016 for you
a. 1st F = are you satisfied? Are you healthy? #250? CSAUP?
b. 2nd F = are you investing in and outside your #shieldlock?
c. 3rd F = as a leader others are watching, are you better or worse as soldier in The Lord’s Army?
d. Is your Work better or worse?
e. #Concentrica? Are those relationships in order?
i. Center bullseye = M or wife, next ring #shorties or kids, next ring #shieldlock or best friends, next ring is blades or younger men you are pouring into, and the last ring is your work because you need to eat…
f. How is your attitude? Are you having fun even when it is not fun? Goats post on mindset training
e. What would an FNG think of you and your group?

2. #BigBucks
a. What are you the most proud of to this point of your life?
b. Is F3 a passion or is helping men your passion?
c. Verses

i. Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

ii. Luke 6:31
Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

iii. Matthew 20:26
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

iv. John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease

Double D message on hope and supporting docs are in this weeks newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/csXK_Dhttp://eepurl.com/csXK_D

We appreciate the opportunity to Q,
AYE!
CSPAN & Double D

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