Crashing the buffet

WARMUP: 0500-0505
Q school followed by 3 side straddle hops to practice calling cadence. We got places to be.

THE THANG:

Coupons: sandbags and 60lb kettlebell. One guy without a coupon

0505-0525
Ruck to Golden Corral, trading coupons as needed
Moderate complaining about the kettlebell

0525-0540
Crash the party at Golden Corral
Line up all the gear
All PAX do 10 merkins, sprint to other side, 5 burpees, then choose your weapon. Faster guys got first pick. There aren’t enough coupons for everyone.
The recommendation before starting was to not be without a coupon.

The converged PAX were now separated into 3 groups:
Ruckers – those who picked up a ruck
Couponers – Slicks who picked up a sandbag or kettlebell
Slicks – Those who were not able to get a coupon

DORA – Couponers are the timers, everyone else does reps until they return.

Round 1:
Ruckers do merkins
Couponers carry coupons to other end of parking lot then do 20 squats with coupon.
Slicks do burpees

Round 2:
Ruckers do squats
Couponers carry coupons and do 20 overhead presses
Slicks do burpees

Slicks were taken off the hook and allowed to choose someone to trade with.

repeat round 1, then we had to get back to COT. Departed at 0540.

0540 – 0601
A brisk ruck back where there was even more complaining about the 60lb kettlebell, and arrived at COT at 0601. No extra charge for the extra minute

MARY: no time

ANNOUNCEMENTS: trash pickup saturday, bourbon tasting saturday

COT: A reminder from Slapshot about safety and being sure someone has a phone – especially when traveling off campus, and especially now that the weather is warming up.

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Official Manion WOD

THE THANG:
Manion WOD
29 squats with ruck (with sandbags when available)
1/4 mile ruck (shared sandbags) some PAX run it
7 rounds

With about 10 minutes left on the clock @PunchList led us on some much needed broga.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-convergence/invergence tomorrow at WEP
-AMRAP for Autism event tomorrow at Mathew’s Sport Complex

COT:
@What did led us on prayer, thank you for your visit brother!

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Art for a Cause

Art for a Cause!!

Invigoration of male community leadership…..F3 The Fort.

In light our beloved brother and ruck-master Divac’s incredible efforts towards something dear to his heart, AMRAP for Autism, two amazing pieces of artwork were commissioned to and completed by our very own artist extraordinaire and beloved brother DaVinci. Each realistically captures a ruck and F3 water bottle ready to go to work, and would be a great addition to anyone’s man cave, office, game room, all-things-ruck display case, or elsewhere. If you have a patch display – imagine one of these pictures above or next to it, or with patches around it!  But instead of keeping these for ourselves……and it is VERY tempting…..BOTH of these will be raffled off to TWO lucky PAX to benefit Autism Strong Foundation’s AMRAP for Autism.  The combo of DaVinci’s talents, Divac’s D2D, and NASA’s ruggedly good looks (and gift of admin) resulted in a match made in Heaven that YOU can be part of too!

The deets / rules / regs:

  • Each piece is 9in x 12in picture, matted in an 11in x 14in frame
    • Brown background is conte pencil media
    • Color background is watercolor paint media
    • Both signed by the artist
  • Raffle ticket purchase starts 05:00 EST Saturday 4/30/2022 and runs through midnight EST Saturday 5/21/2022
  • Drawing will be held on 18:00 EST Sunday 5/22/2022
  • Cost of raffle tickets:
    • $25 each
    • 5 for $100
    • 8 for $150
    • 12 for $200
    • 13 or more: $16 each
    • No in between ticket quantities
  • How to purchase raffle tickets:
    • Venmo: @Eric-Ransone, last 4 of cell is 1794
    • PayPal: @EricRansone
    • Be sure to include your full name, F3 name, cell phone number, quantity tickets, and a small love note to NASA in the notes of purchase/money transfer
    • Confirmation / notification of payment received will be sent via text
    • You can notify NASA via text at 407-902-1794 if you want to let me know it’s coming
  • Each raffle ticket purchase will be for an opportunity to win either picture, but not both
    • If a duplicate winner is picked after the first drawing, a new name will be drawn for the second picture
  • Winners do not get to choose which picture they want
    • First picture to be drawn for is the one with the brown background
  • Drawing will be held either via electronically (electronic raffle pick means) or via old school printout and hat drawing, pending number of entries received
  • Drawing will live streamed on Facebook, follow NASA (Eric Ransone) to get the feed
  • Delivery / pickup of pictures to / by the winners will be determined once winners contacted after drawing
    • If non-Fort Mill and immediate area resident, shipment will be arranged accordingly
  • ALL proceeds from raffle will be donated to Autism Strong’s AMRAP for Autism!!
    • Delivery method of funds to A4A is TBD and may be live streamed as well, or just a simple electronic donation on behalf of The HIM of F3 The Fort.

Please consider purchasing a raffle ticket. Each ticket matters! According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children in the United States today. The Autism Strong Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization who provides local children with autism financial aid scholarships for therapy services, summer camp, and young adult weekend away experiences.

It is more than a workout.

YOU can be part of this worth cause! Thank you, good luck, and SYITG!!

–  NASA, DaVinci, and Divac

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Manion WOD so I can wear my shirt.

WARMUP: Short Ruck with sandbags to starting location. Hillbilly Walkers, Imperial Walkers, SSH, and Low Slow Squats in no particular order or count.
THE THANG:
7 rounds
400m ruck
29 back squats with our without sandbags
MARY: Cobra Kai led broga
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Men’s Shelter Dinner, Manion WOD on 4/29/2022
COT: Stays in COT

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Using a Sandbag Timer at The Ranch

IT was a warm windy morning (but dry) as we all gathered at The Ranch.  We began with a quick warm-up of SSH, Monkey Humpers (for Bobber as he drove in), Imperial Walkers, Hillbilly Walkers, Windmills and Moroccan Night Clubs.

We then moseyed over the the front of the school to be a bit protected from the wind and did 2 sets of wall sits with a 10 count down the line followed by plank-45 degree, BTW each for about 20 seconds.  It should be noted that during this portion Bobber seemed very confused that further movements would follow the pervious one and seemed to be trying to get a jump start heading back to the parking lot each time.  The look of confusion as he returned to the wall was priceless… each time…

The body of the work consisted of AMRAP of the following movements with the timer being a PAX shuffling with a 60lb sandbag (120 for Bobber) to the painted rock and back. Several PAX commented that this list seemed similar to Tuesday only without the set number of reps, to which I pretended not to have heard… I mean there are only so many options right? Plus I’m sure I added at least a few new things… I hope…

  • Squats
  • Merkins
  • Monkey Humpers
  • Donkey Kicks
  • Calf Raises
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Side Straddle Hops
  • Al Gore with Moroccan Night Clubs
  • Box Cutter
  • Plank Jack
  • Dry Docks
  • Seal Jacks
  • Flutters
  • Shoulder Taps

We completed about 3 rounds and then returned for COT

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Insider baseball

Kaiser took the lead and started us off with the warmup.

We then proceeded to bear crawl together across the field. No one could pass the Q, and we stopped at regular intervals for some pain.

Next up was some Dora. Partnering up, one partner ran down the field and back, while the other worked on Merkins, squats, and LBCs. After LBCs for the 6, Kaiser passed the torch to Battle Bot.

Starting with reps of 10, we hit 10 burpees in the field and worked our way counter clockwise around the path. Pain stations were as follows in the map below

Lap 2 was 15 reps of each.

Some quick Mary, followed by COT, then coffeeteria at Tega Cay Deli

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No Arrival

40-some pax posted to the region’s Ground Zero at WEP for a smorgasbord of pain, from 6@6 to Millkshake to a tried and true BC beatdown.  A very explicit and thorough Disclaimer was pronounced by Dark Helmet for the benefit of our FNG, and then the pax blasted off.

The Thang

The recitation of the 5 Core Principles quickly failed to meet DOAH’s standard, leading to some burpees.

Mosey around the parking lot with some toy soldiers and knee lifts mixed in, with the pax following onto the bandshell stage.

COP proceeded including more core principles along with some Merkins and DOAH’s proclamation that maybe the FNG’s fitness surpassed that of many of the pax present.  {Yes, he’s good at stirring the pot whether he’s poking at the Q or Qing himself.}

More mosey and more warm up exercises until the pax reach the far side of the WEP.

Enter stage left — the BAOPS boys via Clown Car — Trucker, Smuggler, Change Order & Longshanks, who just couldn’t stand the thought  of missing out on the best 1st, 2nd & 3rd F in The Fort on this given Saturday.  {Pro move by whoever made that call!}

Partner up for wheel barrow…to the playground…Yes…to the playground!…where the fun really starts.  {Fishsticks promptly cruised 85% of the way there to prove to his FNG that no matter what DOAH says, the FNG’s fitness had room for improvement.}

At the playground, each partner does 50 (yes, Five-O!) pull ups.  {Jiffy cranked out 30 in rapid fire.}

Some core work followed including LBCs and Rosalitas among others.

Handoff to Double D

Run to the bottom of the hill

Jacob’s Ladder with Donkey Kicks at the bottom and Sumo Squats at the top.  Traverse to the top via Bear Crawl and run to the bottom.

Mosey back to the parking lot with some Mary led by Jekyll

Climb the Stairway to Heaven via lunge walks, pausing for Carolina Dry Docks at each lamp post, starting with 5 reps and adding 5 more at each successive post.

Mosey down to the monuments with some Mary led by Longshanks

Circle up for an FNG introduction to Jack Webb by Change Order

Run home for final 2 mins of Mary by Longshanks

COT

NMM

A spirited pax at The Fort on this pleasant late winter morning!   Back to back weeks with a convergence at The Fort — thanks to the Alcatraz boys for adding their zeal to the day!

Maximus delivered the tailgate coffeeteria in the parking lot afterward and our FNG (EHed by Fishsticks) hung around long enough to learn the backstory of his name (Roy Kent) and to fill his rolodex with roofing customer prospects.

Welcome to Roy Kent!  Barry Manilow was quite vocal about the quality of the name and the importance of RK living up to it.  Well, if he doesn’t meet the mark, we can always default to what RK thought we named him — Rockette!

It was great to have Car Bomb among the pax today, fresh off his return trip from New Zealand, prior to his resettlement in another adventure.

The theme for the day was geared around the notion of life being an endless series of mountain climbs, peak after peak, with no arrival to the top in sight — ever.  Depressing, huh?  No, not for the HIMs of F3 and The Fort.  Give us the hard stuff.  We’re playing the long game and we know you can’t play it alone.  So keep posting, stay engaged with your brothers.  Together we’ll keep accelerating.

It was a treat to Q with DOAH for the first time.  We all look at him as just another member of The Fort, which of course he is.  At the same time, he also invests a huge amount of his life leading the 43 feet for the Nation.  Not only is it not easy being Frank {imagine how hard it must be for Traci his wife}, it’s also lonely at the top of any organization {how about leading one with 50,000 type A men?}, and it’s incredibly challenging to serve as the successor to any founder {would you want to try one Dredd’s shoes}.  Despite the small jabs, I say this with all seriousness — DOAH has taken on an extremely difficult challenge, one that he executes well with tremendous energy and virtue and that we all benefit from.  We’re fortunate that he calls The Fort “home” and that we get to take his crap on a regular cadence.  Thank you, DOAH!

Thanks to Grinder for the opportunity!  Always an honor to lead the men of this brotherhood!

SYITG

 

 

 

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The Bunky

In the gloom this morning, YHC Q’ed the “Bunky” WOD. In honor of my recently passed paternal grandfather, William “Bunky” Williams, IV. He led a good life with three children, five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. He lived to be 94 years. Below is the WOD that YHC wrote up to show him respect. He was an avid water sportsman, a fisherman, a merchant marine, and a baseball fanatic. Among other things, he taught YHC how to throw a knuckleball, took myself and my cousins crabbing on his pontoon boat, and taught me many things about the water.

Beyond what he did and didn’t do, and for aside from the obvious reason he is passing, YHC is feeling sad. I miss him, and will miss him for a long time. I also know that a window of mine into the past has closed. Grandparents span at least six generations. They are literally a time machine of knowledge of 100 + years. His grandfather, and potential great grandfather were alive when he was a child. My great, great, great grandfather and I could be connected via his memories. Take advantage if you still have those family members in your life. Their memories die with them if not shared with us.

During the WOD YHC would take short breaks and tell stories of his life – good and not so good. 

 

WEINKE

Lead off with 94 4-count Ruck SSH IC. 

Born 06/27/1927 – Died 02/06/2021

Rep Count of 6-27-19-27

Sandbag OH Press

Sandbag Squats

Sandbag Good Mornings

Crab Walk w/Ruck out and back

 

Midway Point

94 Single Count Flutter Kicks

3 children, 5 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren

3 sandbag get ups

5 Manmakers w/SB

6 sandbag over the shoulder

 

Second Half

Rep Count of 2-6-20-22

Sandbag Bent Over Row

Sandbag Clean and Toss

Sandbag Side Bends

Ruck Duck Walk out and ruck back

We made it to 20, and then hit 0600.

 

NMM

I mentioned my grandfathers’ struggle with alcohol and other things throughout the weinke. Divac mentioned in COT something very profound and true. Too often we spend our time thinking about what our fathers owe us, or what they did wrong. We are not perfect, and we know it. Neither were they. They have a story just like us and have reasons for why they did what they did – right or wrong. They don’t owe us anything – let’s flip the script here. We owe our fathers and grandfathers way more for giving us life, providing for us, loving us (to whatever degree), and creating opportunity. As long as we take what was given us and take it one step further for our children – that’s forward progress.

 

Solid showing today by some solid men. All of which I am glad to have in my corner.

 

Punch List out.

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Shoulders and Sandbags at Currahee

It’s February 1st, it’s cold(ish), GTE season is about to kick off and we’re at Currahee. I asked the PAX to bring a few sandbags so we had kettle bells and bags ranging from 20lbs – 80lbs which was perfect to welcome Badlands to his virgin ruck workout.

Disclaimer & ground your rucks

Jog around the parking lot
Grab your rucks and shuffle around the parking lot
Grab all the coupons and ruck around the parking lot

Good morning. I love you. Now do 20 Man Makers.

To the soccer fields:
Bear crawl (rucks only) 1/2 way across the field (shorter distance) then bear crawl ruck drag the remaining distance.
Go to one end of the field and set your eyes on the other end. Now we’re looking at the field via the long way.
Shuffle 1/2 way, 10 tricep extensions, shuffle the rest, 10 tricep extensions
NUR 1/2 way, 20 upright rows, NUR the rest, 20 upright rows
I promise I love you. Bear crawl 1/2 way (again, we’re talking about the long way), 10 merkins, bear crawl ruck drag the rest, 10 slick merkins.

Back to the coupons in the lot .
With rucks and all coupons, we’d ruck the big drop off loop with stops at each of the 4 corners for 3 exercises at each:
10 Ruck Thrusters
15 Overhead Press
20 Ruck Curls (this turned out to be the worst especially for Mainframe and his 45lb’er)

Rucks only and make our way to the flags
On your back, legs straight up and rucks overhead, LBC’s in cadence
Flutters in cadence
Rucks on your feet then modified LBC’s in cadence

On your feet.
PAX hold their ruck with arms bent at 90 degrees. Each PAX take their turn at performing 5 good ruck curls while the rest hold the 90.

Overhead ruck carry back to COT.

Hey Divac…GO PACK (Wolfpack, that is)
Maximus

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Dog (Dawg) Years

A band of 7 met at  Runde for the second Alcatraz workout of 2022.  After a fine disclaimer from Copay,  and a late, ‘comin’ in hot’ arrival by Divac, the workout commenced.  Here is what we did:

The Thang:

Copay on Q:

Form a quick circle for COP:

Do a standing stretch starting from the toes and reaching up to the sky with a calf raise (18 reps in cadence – cool!)  From there we went to side straddle hops at various speeds in cadence up to 80 (160 total)- crowd pleaser.

Mosey to the back of the parking lot near the basketball hoops.  Split into pairs and do the following:

Round 1:

Parter 1 does 42 squats while partner  2 lunge walks the length of the lot.  When the count is reached, partner 1 runs to catch partner 2 and flapjack.   Return to the start with more squats and lunge walks.

Round 2 – same as round 1?

Round 3

Partner 1 does 42 jump squats while partner 2 broad jumps along the parking lot.  When the count is reached, partner 1 runs to catch partner 2 and flapjack.

Circle back up and do 33  Superman back exercises (lie flat on stomach, raise legs and arms)

To finish his half of the workout, Copay gathered us for a Switzer (or maybe a Smart).   He talked more about this season’s Bulldogs and how they improved their fitness through ‘gassing’.  See reference below.  The Pax let out a collective sigh of relief.

Handoff to Senator Tressel

Form a line for an extended indian run along Windward drive.  Run about  2 laps between Tega Cay Drive and the circle at the end of Windward,  and then head back to the baseball fields of Runde.

Circle up for Tabata.  5 rounds:  20 sec work, 10 sec rest, rinse and repeat for 4 minutes per exercise, 20 minutes total.   Do the following exercises:

  1.  Merkins
  2. Freddie Mercury
  3. Carolina dry dock
  4. V-ups
  5. Burpees

End with the body destroyer for 60 sec

COT

NMM:

What a pleasure to share a Q with Copay!  I don’t see him very often, but he’s a good guy to be around – always smiling and positive.  Copay is a HUGE Georgia Bulldogs fan and he was still riding the high from Monday night’s championship win.   His portion of today’s workout was centered around Bulldog stats – years since last championship (42), the score (33-18), others I can’t recall.  Toward the end of his portion, he talked about how the Bulldogs improved their fitness through ‘gassing’.  I could sense the tension mounting with the Pax (YHC included), about what was going to happen next.  He never did tell us exactly what it was, but it didn’t sound pleasant.  Thankfully (or mercifully), Copy said that we were not going to do any gassing today and he handed the lead over to me (whew!)

My half of the workout included one of my favorites – the Tabata.  I learned this from F3 brother Chicken Wing several years ago at a workout.  It’s simple and requires very little planning, but it’s intense and always a tough one – the soreness in my upper body and abs are reminding me of that as I write this.

I was very pleased to see Photobomb and Smuggler out yesterday.  I saw Smuggler at Golden Corral on Tuesday and hope he and Photobomb continue to come back regularly.  We miss you, brothers!  It was a privilege to Q with Copay and lead the group today as always.  Copay’s tribute to the GA Bulldogs provided the perfect opportunity for me to use another Rush song title in my backblast ( huge fan – RIP Neil Peart).

Announcements,/prayers/praises

  1.  Dam to Dam Bar on Jan 29, Yeti coming soon, check your newsletter as always.
  2. Prayers for the Duffy family, Divac friend Sharon recovering from cancer and brain surgery, ST friend Joe with Cancer and co-worker on a ventilator (Covid).

 

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