Beyond The Lighted Stage

Ten of Fort MIl’s finest met at the newly remodeled Walter Elisha Park for a combined boot camp (The Fort)  and IR/walk and ruck(Milkshake).  I heard that the milkmen did a tour of downtown Ft. Mill holiday lights.  Here is what the boot campers did:

The Thang:

Senator Tressel on Q

After the standard disclaimer, the group moseyed around the parking lot and headed into the park before doing a 180 and jogging back to the pavilion stage for COP.

All in Cadence:

SSH x 25, windmill x 15, merkin x 10, IW x 20, squat x 20, CDD x 15, Freddie Mercury x 20, jumping lunge x 20, wide arm merkin x 15

Mosey to the playground:

Round 1:  10 pullups, lunge walk from the playground to the side walk, 20 merkins, lunge walk back

Round 2:  10 pullups, run from the playground to the walking path, 10 burpees, run back, 10 bomb jacks

Round 3:  10 pullups, bear crawl from the playground to the walking path, 20 diamond merkins, karaoke back

Boat and canoe x 5.

Hand off to Grinder

Dora 1, 2, 3  (100 merkins, 200 calf raises, 300 LBC).  Partner runs around the playground.

Mosey to the small lot at the park entrance and circle up.  With the pax in a circle, one person in the center did a modified American Hammer (20 count with a brick) while everyone else performed an exercise.  Everyone took a turn selecting an exercise and sitting in the center.  Today, we did merkins, flutter kicks, burpees, and others I cannot remember

We finished off with the ACDC hit, ‘Thunderstruck’.  Every time the band sang the word ‘thunder’, the pax did a burpee.   It was a crowd-pleaser and now I don’t like that song as much as I used to.

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

What a pleasure to be back at the Fort on a Saturday!  Alcatraz is my usual Saturday stop, but Grinder asked me to Q this past Sunday and I gladly accepted.   It’s been close to a year since I’ve been back to Walter Elisha Park and well over three years since I’ve Q’d a workout here.  Wow – how different it looks now! The town did a great job with the upgrades to the park and it was pretty cool to do COP from the stage of the pavilion.  I see many more there on future Saturdays.

It was a pleasure to be back at WEP and to lead the group on a beautiful morning.  Good to see my brother Cable Guy back in action after an extended absence, and yes, I just put another reference to my favorite band Rush into an F3 backblast (RIP Neil Peart).

Announcements/Prayers/Praises

  1.  Adopt a Highway starting today (way to go Fogerty and F3 for continuing to give back to the community).  #HIM
  2. Prayers for ST’s friend Joe with cancer, and for those suffering from Covid 19.
  3. Praise for DD’s friend (a single parent) who raised a son graduating from HS.
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Thanksgiving Convergence 2021

68 PAX in attendance for a pre-thanksgiving beatdown and some fellowship on a brisk morning Thursday 11/25/2021.

 

With the anticipation of fried turkey, oreos and coffee brought by @Change Order, @Smuggler and @RubySlippers, mumble-chatter abounded,  until @Hardwood took the center and called attention at 0600 hours. Disclaimer was disclaimed and the call for new FNG’s was made, no new FNG’s was the lone blemish on the otherwise fantastic morning in my humble opinion.

Run options led by @Gekko and a Moderate group led by @TripleLindy set off as the rest of the PAX moseyed towards back of Springfield Elementary. First Destination was in parking lot way back by the Middle School.

Circled up and @Hardwood called out the following exercises:

SSH- 40

Windmills

Downward Dogs and Honeymooners

Low & Slow Squats

Cyclops: Stay in Squat Position and complete Moroccan Nightclubs

 

The Thing

Series of Webs

Starting with Merkins and Overhead Claps

1×4 for 10 rounds of excruciating shoulder pain, mumble-chatter becoming more focused on the task at hand

more SSH 🤮

Next we completed ANOTHER WEB, worse than the last,

Shoulder Taps and Moroccan Nightclubs

1×4 for 10 more rounds that was never ever going to end

Lots of requests for Burpees strangely or anything other then arm workouts!

 

YHC began the 2nd half of the workout with more SSH

Mosey around to front of Middle School with 3 stops for 5 Burpees OYO, at the request of the PAX

Line up at bottom of small hill in front of school and explain the workout, AMRAP LEG CIRCUIT

Teams of 4 ish men cycle through three exercises at bottom of hill individually:

2 Squats

2 Split Lunges

2 Bomb Jacks

Next Broad Jump up Hill to top and complete the following:

2 V-ups

Bear Crawl to bench

2 Step Ups

Run around and down to bottom of hill stopping at cones for 2 burpees (two stops per lap)

Meet back at bottom of hill and repeat, only this time DOUBLE ALL REPS TO 4X

Goal is to complete 5 rounds or AMRAP, almost completed but just short of time before we had to get back to COT

YHC shared a article on Gratitude, and then @Shady shared the heart of the Fort, the success of @Seamstress initiative with the help of the PAX, @Seamstress shared his excitement and appreciation for the success of the event! Great job by all T-claps!

Finally we had a shovel hand-off YHC taking the Ranch from a long line of great site Q’s which I hope to make proud.

Then we were finally able to enjoy the fried delicacies and coffee! Cheers!

 

 

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Convergence – Shop Vac

65 PAX gathered to remember Shop Vac. Probably had closer to 70 at different points during the hour. Fishsticks took the Milkshakers

Lutefish warmup:
Sean Kelley, 56, Shop Vac

There are a couple of young men I was hoping would hear this this morning. While I’m talking to them, I’m also talking to myself and all of you.

We all know that or God, SkyQ, has written our books. He went before us, He knows us by name, and He alone knows when our earthly lives begin and end. God knew our brother Sean was to come home. And it doesn’t make sense to us.

But let me ask you this. What would it be like to know that when it is our time that we would also know that we accomplished the tasks that the Lord created us to do? God knows the great plans He has for each of you. You are here for a reason.

Wouldn’t it feel comforting to know that you full executed your purpose here on earth? Today we celebrate Sean, who I believe did just that. Sean loved his sons. It’s all he talked about when we worked out together. That, and his dream to have a home in Beaufort. He lived out and executed his purpose. We now have 2 of his sons as our brothers, and how great it is that the world is better because of him. Recover on your feet.

I read a quote recently:

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced; live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”

Sean is rejoicing and would want us to do the same. And he would want us to do 56 side straddle hops in cadence.

Split out to:

  • Kettlebells
    • Uhaul
  • Bootcamp: split PAX into two groups for 20min sessions
    • Ruby Slippers
    • Band Camp

Uhaul’s KB workout:
56 Squats
56 Curls
56 Skull Crushers
56 Calf Raises
56 Uhauls
56 Flutters w/ press (4 count)
56 Dead lifts
56 Lawn Mower Pulls R
56 Lawn Mower Pulls L
56 American Hammers
56 LBCs (4 count)

Band Camp’s portion:
EMOM
minute 1 – 20 burpees
minute 2 – 30 jumping lunges
minute 3 – 40 Freddie Mercuries
minute 4 – 50 Carolina Dry Docks
minute 5 – 60 SSH

7s w/ Mike Tysons and Squats
Mode of transportation: bear crawl/crawl bear

Some in cadence jump squats, core work,

I found a backblast from Shop Vac…It reads with a lot more significance to me now. https://f3thefort.com/2021/04/14/403656/
I may have said something asinine while holding a squat and quoting his backblast.
Something like:
Have understanding when I say 5 more squat jumps
Show tolerance when I say 6 more squat jumps
Practice patience when I call 7 more squat jumps
Take direction as we’re now hitting 8 more squat jumps

Did a little sprinting as well with the second group. (Shop Vac would not have approved, and neither did most of the PAX)

NMM: Shop Vac’s love for and pride in his sons was palpable. He made me want to be a better dad. I’m glad to be around men that make me want to be better. Shop Vac was one of those dudes.

Ruby Slippers’s portion:
I had the pleasure of working out a lot with Shop Vac. His attitude, smile, and laughter infected you immediately every time you met him.

YHC remembers a time during COT after a workout where frustrations from my work life came bubbling to the surface. After I vented to the PAX about the situation ( usual selfish rant where everyone else has a problem but me ) and the Q finished prayer, Shop Vac pulled me to the side and gently explained that it was my attitude that needed to be adjusted, not everyone else’s. He did it in a manner where I gladly and thankfully accepted his advice.

The Thang:
At every Shop Vac Q you could count on stations, simple exercises and/or routines, and minimal running. The six was never left behind at a Shop Vac workout so we are using the buddy system to make sure that does not happen at this workout.

Set-up 4 stations in the shape of a square in the middle parking lot at The Armory. 4 stations represented each member of the Kelly family, there were 4 exercises at each station, partner work to complete a cumulative total of 56 reps of each exercise:

Sean’s station:
– Merkins, Diamond Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, CDD’s
Stacey’s station:
– Crunches in cadence, Flutters in cadence, Big Boy Sit-ups, Straight Lower Leg Lifts
Jack’s station:
– Squats, Jump Squats, Lunges, Jumping Lunges
Brian’s station
– Side Straddle Hops in cadence, Seal Jacks in cadence, Mountain Climbers in cadence, Plank Jacks in cadence.

PAX partner up – complete all 4 exercises at a station and then mosey to the center. YHC stood in the center of the square to represent Francis, Shop Vac’s faithful four-legged companion, where PAX would come to complete 56 monkey humpers.

Continued around the stations until time was called.

Video Evidence: https://twitter.com/jisenhour/status/1456967297453727750

Welcome FNGs: Bow Wow Wow, Bam!, Triple H, Dictator, Wax Off, and Pool Boy

Prayers for Sean’s family.

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700 Club

This morning the Pax participated in the kickoff of Football season by completing 700 reps of a few different exercises across the football field to become a member of the treasured 700 Club.  This is a special club to be a card carrying member.  Your prize for being a member will be soreness tomorrow so enjoy.

Warm up
SSH
Windmill
Cherry picker
Slow count merkin
Hillbilly walker
Big Arm circles

 

Thang
Ladder on football field.  Exercises performed on the numbers started at the Goal line
Burpees (1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1) (10 – 1, 20 – 2, 30, 3..50 -5, 40 – 4…10, 1)
Merkins (5,10,15,20,25,20,15,10,5)
Squats (10,20,30,40,50,40,30,20,10)
LBCs (10,20,30,40,50,40,30,20,10)

To wrap up the workout we Bear crawled 50 yds.

If you are trying to do the math the additional 50 exercises came from the warm-up.  Trust me we hit 700.

It was an honor to lead the men this morning and I appreciate everyone not cusing me out loud during the merkins and squats.

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Crowded Colosseum

As I caught my breath after a two mile pre-run with Straight-Up and Shady, I noticed the line of headlights from the cars arriving.  I wasn’t expecting to have as many Pax this morning, but this was a good problem.  In addition, we had an FNG, Jorge, dressed with cut-off sleeves and ready to roll.

After the disclaimer, We moseyed to the elementary school parking lot for the standard warm-up exercises (SSH, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, Moroccan Night Clubs, and Planks Stretches).  Lots of chatter so it was time to step it up a notch.  We ran down to the bottom of the hill on Dave Gibson Blvd.  The next exercise I borrowed from Spiderman’s Q at Alcatraz.  We partnered up and wheel barrowed up to Patricia Lane.  Each time the partners switched up, they had to perform five burpees.  Extra credit Ab work for those who completed early.  We were not done yet, we finished up the wheel barrow exercise at the end of Patricia Lane.

Next, we jogged over to the office building for a round of Dora 1-2-3.  Same partners, one partner would run around the parking lot while the other started on the list of exercises ( 100 Hand-Released Merkins, 200 Dips, 300 Squats).  Mumble chatter died down, men were focused.  Once complete, we had enough time to jog back to COT.  I mentioned to stay with your partner and find out something new about him.  I think it is good for us to make those personal connection to reinforce F3 is more than a workout group.

Great job by all!

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Sweep The Leg: Called in off the Bench to Close this one out!

Respect the Claves as started a few days early! Vuvu called me up to fill in and I happily accepted.

The Thang:

19 PAX emerged from the gloom at Sweep the Leg for a Monday morning kick in the teeth.

  • Mosey to the Baxter mushroom pool and do lunch walks until 6 arrives
    • Take a .5mi lap and then complete the reverse board of pain, dropping one exercise each round
    • 10 Dips x1
    • 10 Merkins x2
    • 10 Squats x3
    • 10 Big Boys x4
    • 10 Burpees x5
  • Back to COT with anywhere between 3-4mi and potentially 50 burpees

Cyclops got the Bundt cake prize

River Rat had the actual birthday

Shortstop prayed us out and it was surely a gift for sure!!

 

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Merkin Monday

5 pax came out for 3 miles and 3 11s of merkins.

A rusty COP
Imperial walkers x 15 in bad cadence
Algerian disco dances x 15 (might have remembered that one wrong)
Windmills x 10
Mountain climbers x 15
Alternating toe taps x 10

1st 11 – Diamond merkins/squats w/run up grassy hill
PAX mosied around the target to the Tuesday morning
2nd 11 – Merkins/flutters w/run up Tuesday morning parking lot
PAX nosies back to target, then to the fountain
3rd 11 – Derkins/step-ups w/run around traffic circle
Cut the last one a little short, back in time for COT

Thanks Olaf for the opportunity to lead, and for the push to do the backblast.

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Sloppy Joe, Slop, Sloppy Joe

A soggy beatdown at Laces In for 8 men.

The Thang:

Light COP

  • Windmills
  • Tappy Taps
  • Moroccan Night Clubs

Mosey to Parking Lot to “Bone the Fish”

5 Burpees OYO

Quarter Pounder in the Lot:

  • Run to first light, 25 Merkins, Run back
  • Run to second light, 50 Squats, Run back
  • Run to third light, 75 Mountain Climbers, Run back
  • Run to end, 100 SSH, Run back

5 Burpees OYO

Apple Turnover across the lot with increasing (+3) Merkins per parking row

5 Burpees OYO

4 Corners

  • 5x Around The World Squats OYO
  • 10x HB Squats IC
  • 10x Squat Jacks OYO
  • 10x Monkey Humpers IC

Repeat Doubling Rep Count

Mosey back to shovel flag for 3 min of Mary focusing on Abs

Announcements: Read your Newsletter

Honor to Serve.

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Swimming Laps on a Frigid Morning

17 posted to STL on a crisp morning, perhaps one of the last ones of winter 2020-21 with temps in the 20s.  70+ in the days ahead — sunshine and pollen, Spring is here.

The Thang

Pretty simple weinke this morning

Quick mosey to Baxter and the Mushroom Pool parking lot

From the parking lot run out Richard’s crossing back across Front St, past the homes of Sugar Daddy, Tesh and other pax around the loop and back to the MP parking lot

OYO exercises at the parking lot:
10 Burpees
20 Parker Peters
30 Squats

Rinse and repeat

Return run home

COT

Moleskin

Great to see the pax out pushing hard on a cold morning.  The pace was brisk too, so the bodies warmed up quickly.  Those who made 5 laps ended up with 3.9 miles and those with 4 laps finished with 3.4 miles.  A few OCD pax had to get that 4 mile click so they added a loop in the parking lot on return.  Great effort by all!

It was great to meet Juan Valdez for the first time — keep posting, amigo!

My word for 2021 is NOW.  It’s surfaced a lot in the first two months — a constant reminder to live in the real world with the people immediately around me in the place that I’m in at that moment.  Get out of my head and be aware of what’s happening NOW and how I’m called to live NOW.  Hopefully the challenge for each pax to live my word for this day bore fruit.

A big thank you to Vuvu for the Site Q exemption from the Top 3 rule at STL.  Always an honor to lead the pax.

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Cupid’s Cup 5k at Minnow Pond

The date on Thursday marked 6 years since YHC found himself in a non-siren, precautionary ambulance ride to Atrium Pineville with some annoying chest pain. Turns out my LAD needed 3 stents and I needed some cardiac rehab. Ever since then, about this time every year, I support that program by running in The Cupid’s Cup 5K put on by Atrium Health. The donations and support from F3 have always been overwhelming.

Well, 2020-2021 being what it is, the event was virtual this year. Not only that, but the cardiac rehab program added another Pax to its list of graduates. Bonsai, as you know, had a hiccup in his LAD this past summer. While both of us know that program is awesome, the F3 brotherhood plays an even more important role.

And it was on full display Thursday 2/11/2021. 25 of you came out to support us. You ran hard with us. You prayed with us and you supported the cause with you donations. It was truly humbling to be surrounded by so many Pax giving so much of themselves.

Congrats to Scalp for 1st overall and Long Duck for 1st of the respectables.

And please remember, if you’re experiencing any sort of chest discomfort, arm pain or unexplained nausea/vomiting, don’t brush it off. Get to the doctor/ER/Urgent Care. Time is precious when it comes to treatment and care. The time afterwards when you’re surrounded by the love and support of F3 is priceless.

Aye!

Boeheim

P.S. – Still time to donate/run virtually through Sunday 2/14

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