Remembering Badger

Thirty-five of Fort Mill’s finest gathered at Springfield Elementary to honor a brother who left us too early:  Matt Giesler, aka Badger.   Matt was originally from Wisconsin but made his home in SC with his wife Becky and his three children Brayden, Ashlyn, and Carsten.   Badger was a neighbor and friend to me, Decibel, Trucker, and Jiffy, and this morning, his fellow brothers of The Fort joined us for a brisk morning workout.  Here is what we did:

The Thang:

Senator Tressel led the pax on a short lap around the drop-off lane of Springfield Elementary before ending up in the adjacent field for COP.

All in double count cadence:

SSH x 25, IW x 25, merkin x 10, windmill x 15, mountain climber x 25, Freddie Merc x 25, hello dolly x 25, squat x 25

Line up next to the set of cones:

Round 1:  Lungewalk to 1st cone, 5 squats, continue to 2nd cone, 10 squats, continue to 3rd cone, 15 squats, run backwards to the start.

Round 2:  Bear crawl to 1st cone, 5 squats, ….., run backward to the start

Round 3:  Run to the last cone, 10 burpees, and run backward to the start

Handoff to Decibel:

Do the following exercises with a lap around the field between each:

MERKINS X25
ALTERNATING LUNGES X25
TOE TAPS X25
TONY HAWK BURPEE X15
GORILLA HUMPER X20
IMPERIAL WALKER X20
EMPTY WHEELBARROW
SQUATS X20
LBCs  X39
E2K X20 EACH SIDE
ROSALITA X25

Heals to Heaven x25

COT

Naked Man Moleskin

ST’s comments:

I was truly touched by the number of men who showed up today to honor Badger.  I know that many of the men did not know him, but it meant a lot to us to have such a large group together as we remembered Badger.    It was another reminder to me of what a special thing we have at F3 here in Fort Mill and how much my F3 brothers mean to me.

Decibel’s thoughts:
It is hard to believe that it has been 4 years since Badger went to be in heaven.  I
was blessed to spend time with him prior to his passing.  We talked about him
being saved and how important that was to him.  He let me know that his M was a
big reason he was saved but also saw my family’s reaction to losing our
daughter and son and our dependence on God at that time.  I am saying this to let
you know as Christians people watch our actions and want to make sure our
actions match our words.  I encourage every Christian brother in F3 to live out
your faith and in times of need lean on God just like Badger did in his time.
My M and I received a letter from Badger.  In that letter he mentioned F3 and the
support he and his family received after the diagnosis.  I remember him just being
in awe of all the people that were praying for him.  He was so touched by this
community that he asked that I make sure that his boys get involved in F3.  They
would have been there today, but his youngest wasn’t feeling well. To have 35
men in our community support Badger is amazing.
Badger was a man I respected to the utmost.  He was not a guy that sought
attention or glory, but he was always there when you needed him.  He loved his
family and was a loyal friend.  I am still in awe of how he bravely prepared to walk
into heaven.  It was so comforting to know he was going to see Jesus.  He told
me many times that he would take care of our babies (Elizabeth Grace and
Garrett) until we met up with him.  Badger was a great Father and I know he is
having a blast with my kids in heaven.
Let us all take this time to pour into, support, love on and encourage our F3
brothers. Then take that momentum and turn it to our families.  Then take that
momentum and pour it out on the least and the lost in our community.  Badger
knew that God had a purpose for him and that purpose was to spread the word of
God’s Grace and Love.  Let’s make that happen for him.

Prayers and Praises – as spoken during COT

Announcements:  F3 The Fort 10 year anniversary starts this week.  Check Slack for the schedule of events.

 

TClap |
0

Running … into trees

It was hot and humid, first day all year as such.
We ran.
Some ran 3.4 miles.
At least one ran 5.5 miles.
At least one ran into a tree (it’s not a laughing matter)
At least one hung out by the bank and smoked Marlboro Reds (rumor has it)

Get off my lawn!

Looks like we made it,

Barry Manilow

TClap |
0

Convergence For Our Brother Shower Curtain

WARMUP:
Four Lines: Toy Soldiers, Butt Kickers, High Knees, mosey with Q to first of four rotations
THE THANG:

Slapshot’s Pain Station:

Each Pax performs

50 Merkins
100 LBCS
50 HR Merkins
100 4-CT Flutters

Every minute a timer would go off and we’d run from one side of the “track” to the other. We would then do two burpees and resume the exercises.
Group 4 only had 3-4 minutes left so we did 10 Burpees OYO then Captain Thor until 5:55.

Badland’s Pain Station:

10 rounds Tabata – 45sec work 15sec rest –
SSHs, Freddy Mercuries, high knees taps, American Hammers, mtn climbers, laying Leg Raises, In and Out Plank Jacks, J-Los, star crunches, high knee goofballs

Punchlist’s Pain Station:

Light Pole Speed Drills –

5/10/15 Merkins
5/10/15 CDD’s
5/10/15 Bonnie Blairs

Bear-pees to finish

Shady’s Pain Station:

Sheet 1: 10 diamond Merkins, 20 Merkins, 30 Mountain Climbers, 40 Seal Jacks, 50 American Hammers, 50 Shoulder Presses, 40 Crab Cakes, 30 Flutters, 20 Big Boy Situps, 10 Flying Squirrels

Sheet 2: 10 Burpees, 20 Knee to Chest jumps, 30 Carolina Dry Docks, 40 Plank Jacks, 50 LBCs, 50 Squats, 40 Dips, 30 Calf Raises, 20 Wide Arm Merkins, 10 Dive Bombers

Each sheet ~50 yards apart. Do the top exercise on sheet 1, run to sheet 2 for first exercise, then run back to sheet 1 and do 2nd exercise…and so on. Furthest we got was 50 shoulder presses and 50 squats. And we had awesome music courtesy of Detroit.

Great job Qs

COT:

Today we came to support our brother, Shower Curtain. He is recovering from his injuries and will need our help and support for several months to come. More than a workout!

TClap |
0

What’s the count?

Big crowd at Clydesdales this morning. The planned route was followed by some and others took their own path. Twister has a new pair of shoes. Apparently, they were out of all the men’s colors.

TClap |
0

Lucky 7’s

WARMUP: Mosey to stop sign, run back towards CoT and perform exercise at each speed bump.
THE THANG: Lucky 7’s AMRAP
7 pull-ups
7 hanging leg raises
7 wide grip push ups
Walking lunge + broad jump to stop sign
Turn and run down hill to stop sign and back up
Rinse and repeat
**1st 3 rounds wait on the 6
MARY: multiple PAX chose Mary exercises
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Read the newsletter carefully
COT: Be the man God wants you to be and you want to be everyday when you walk back through your door at home. No matter what type of day you have at work out on the job be the man God created you to be at home. Who do you want to be everyday when you return to your family?

TClap |
0

The Forts fastest AO

Tuesday July 12th seabiscuit becomes the Forts newest official AO. Join us in the parking lot of Blues smokehouse @5:15am at the corner of Doby’s bridge rd and the bypass. This is going to be a speed based running AO, geared towards improving overall speed. If you’re not fast, then this is for you. If you are fast, this is also for you. It’s kinda like Disney, there’s something for everyone.

TClap |
0

Co-Q at the Colosseum

It was warm and humid this morning at the Colosseum. I led the first 22.5 and Dark Helmet was set to take the second half. 10 Bootcampers were joined by Maximas, Gears and Vuvuzela who went running OYO.  

I led us off with a quick 10 SSH and then moseyed to my portion of the workout.

I wanted to do something hard but self contained. The first workout that came to mind was Iron Pax 2019 Week 1: The Killer B’s.  

Starting at Cone 1 you broad jump 10 yards to cone 2. Complete 10 burpees, 10 Bonnie Blairs, and 10 Big Boy Situps-
Broad Jump to cone 3 and repeat the exercises and the reps. Broad Jump to Cone 4 repeat the exercises and the reps.

Once through the cones YHC gave everyone the option to either BearCrawl back or Sprint back. (if you were seen not sprinting I blew the whistle and the offending PAX was given 5 burpees OYO) I only blew the whistle once….on myself because I love burpees apparently.

Our goal was to get through 4 times in the 20ish minutes. I’m happy to say everyone worked hard and we got through it.

Once my time was up Dark Helmet took over and we moseyed down towards the school entrance. He handed us all a pen/marker and some paper and asked us to write a message to Decibel and his son Noah who is recovering from an operation. Once we all wrote down our messages we then raced to his office to put the messages on the door. The first one there got to pick the routine for the next portion of the workout.

After a loooong mosey up the hill where YHC HR hit 190 I was able to get to the office first and got the chance to pick the next part of the workout. Starting at the top of the hill we ran back and did 15 merkins and 25 4-CT clutters 4 different cones.

At that point we were getting close to 6 and we all made a jailbreak to COT. We were reunited with the runners who I think did 7ish miles and joined in on some LBC’s and Hello Dolly’s as we hit 6:00.

Announcements included F3 Dads, the Site Change of the Swamp, and a makeup of the Misogi. Prayers for health, mental, physical and spiritual.

Always great to Q and especially grateful for partnering with DOAH today. Thanks to all who showed!

TClap |
0

“No Misogi Today”

WARMUP: Short Mosey / Butt Kickers / Toy Soldiers (15) Side Straddle Hop, (10) Windmill, (10) Imperial Walkers, (10) Cherry Pickers, (10) Moroccan Night Clubs
Finished the warmups with a wall sit while the PAX did 2 burpees each. (3 sets)
THE THANG:
Round #1:
1. Burpees: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run
2. Merkins: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run
3. Dips: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run
4. Squats: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run
5. Lunges: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run
6. Flutters: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/4 Mile Run

Round #2: *Beat Your Reps from Round #1 shortened run and pushed harder*
1. Burpees: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run
2. Merkins: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run
3. Dips: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run
4. Squats: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run
5. Lunges: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run
6. Flutters: AMRAP (1:00 Min EA) then 1/8 Mile Run

MARY: N/A
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Prayers for Vuvu’s son and thankful for JWOW & Gears Anniversary’s
Message: Push hard but take the time to slow down and enjoy what you have! Great book from Gears!
COT:

TClap |
0

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

 

 

 

TClap |
4