Tag: Harry Carry

A Bo-Berry Good Time

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YHC was joined by 8 #HIM at the Ranch. After a brief disclaimer, here’s what we did:

The Thang

  • 10 SSHs (IC)
  • 10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
  • 10 Low Slow Squats (IC)

Mosey to picnic tables

  • 15 Irkins
  • 15 Derkins
  • 15 Dips

Mosey to back of the school

  • 4 Corner Elevators (add 5 reps at each corner – 10, 15, 20, 25)
    • Merkins (70 total)
    • Calf Raises (70 total)
    • LBCs (70 total)
    • Overhead Claps (70 total)

Mosey to the Middle School Track

  • Bo-Berry Biscuits (sprint the straights, jog the shorts add 10 Burpees each lap)
    • Total Burpees – 40

Long mosey back to COT

3 Minutes of Mary

  • 10 Boxcutters (IC)
  • 10 Hello Dollys (IC)
  • 10 Freddy Mercurys (IC)

NMM

Thank you for the opportunity to Q this morning. It was an honor to break a sweat with you men by doing the hard thing.

Sometimes we need a reminder that success is often on the other side of fear. What is the thing that has held you back from accelerating? Is it fear of the unknown? Fear of the “what if?” Is it lack of confidence? Lack of courage? What opportunities have we missed because we were afraid of trying something?

I’m reminded of the story where Jesus walked on water. His disciples and their boat were getting tossed around by a roaring sea. They were afraid. Through the wind and rain, they saw a figure coming towards the boat. After first assuming it was a ghost, they realized it was Jesus. He told them to take courage and not be afraid. In typical Peter fashion, he replied, “If its you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replied, “Come.”

He gave no further explanation of how to go about walking on the water. Was it left foot first? Jump in? He just said, “Come.”

Peter took that step of faith and then he grew afraid. The water was deep, the waves were high, what if he drowned? As he began sinking, Jesus reached out his hand to save him.

What will it take to have water-walking faith today 2,000+ years later? Maybe its realizing that what you assume is a failure is really just an opportunity for learning. Maybe its realizing you have a support system of people who will not let you fail. Perhaps its time to reevaluate your circumstances and consider trying that new business venture. Maybe its time to have a little faith that you’re in good hands.

“Take courage. Do not be afraid.”

Italian Job

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6

Made the cut at Varsity

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It was a good morning for a pyramid scheme at Varsity

Disclaimer was done
Warm up jog down around the loop at the elementary school and back to the pull-up bar area.
Warm up exercises: Wind Mills, Moroccan Night Clubs, Turkish Get Ups

Grab a pull-up bar station for the following:
10 Merkins, 5 Pull-Ups
20 Merkins, 10 Pull-Ups
30 Merkins, 15 Pull-Ups
30 Merkins, 15 Pull-Ups
20 Merkins, 10 Pull-Ups
10 Merkins, 5 Pull-Ups

Run 1/4mi on the track then pyramid #2:
10 American Hammers I/C
5 V-Ups
20 American Hammers I/C
10 V-Ups
20 American Hammers I/C
10 V-Ups
10 American Hammers I/C
5 V-Ups

Run 1/4mi on the track then report to the goal line
Bear crawl to the 50, run to the opposite goal line then back to the 50
Crawl bear to the end zone then run to the other end zone

Run 1/4mi on the track then back to the goal line
Sprint to the 25 then back to the goal line for 10 Jump Squats
Sprint to the 50 then back to the goal line for 10 Jump Squats
Sprint to the 75 then back to the goal line for 10 Jump Squats
Sprint to the opposite goal line then back to the goal line for 10 Jump Squats

Some additional ab work prior to COT.

Maximus

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4

Long laps for slow PAX

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10 days ago YHC got a message asking him to Q at Sweep the Leg. Now, a little background, the only way I’ve come close to the top 3 finishers at STL is when there have been 4 people in attendance, and usually STL picks a top finisher to Q.  I accepted almost immediately, but then almost had to take it back when I remembered that today is the M’s (somethingith) birthday.

No false modesty here, my running game has improved significantly over the last 12 months, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the more aquatic, fried-snack based PAX in long distance Qs (though I give a ton of credit to them for kiting me along over the past who knows how long).  At the end of every STL session my brain is usually so starved for oxygen that the left half of my brain has logically concluded that i have died, and the other side is reliving the horrors of the Whinny the Pooh ride at Disney World.  I love it!

So, big thanks to Vuvuzela for inviting me to take the reins.

I knew I’d need something to keep the expeditious PAX engaged that would also make room for personal survival, but also made it difficult, if not impossible, to cheat on the running.

The gloom

After driving out to the Colosseum and dropping off some signage and lights, I hauled arse to CoT and got there with just enough time to realize I had two left hand gloves and swap them out.

6 PAX were stretching and chatting when I arrived and since I used my extra time to replace one of my gloves, the disclaimer was very short. I simply said, “Welcome to Sweep the Leg. I assume you’ve all read the disclaimer, let’s go, wait, who’s that guy?” as I pointed at Grinder. Fishsticks vouched that he knew the risk and off we went as I said, “Oh, and I’m 38 Special, we’re headed to the cul-de-sac at the end of Patricia”

The thang

After the 1/2 mile warmup. YHC handed out instructions. Every stop would need to multiply the lap number by a certain number of exercises. At the cul-de-sac it would be 10x SSH, which we did in cadence before starting.

Run towards the school and at the L that turns in, a sign was waiting that said:
<—-
5x Dips x Lap
3x Werewolf x Lap

YHC forgot to mention what a werewolf is, and I still had energy enough at this point to still be near everyone and demo the werewolf (I call them circular pushups, but in the exicon, it’s a “Werewolf”)

Turning left here (because of the arrow!) run down the hill a little ways and there’s a sign at the bigger traffic loop:
—–>
3x Burpee x Lap
5x BBSU x Lap

Each lap was almost exactly 1 mile.

CoT

Fishsticks and Tesla got 1st place, very shortly followed by Vuvuzela.  The were actually the last three arrivals, but they did four laps and the rest of us just three.

Counted and Announced and asked for prayers or praises from everyone.

nmm

SLT has no ten counts, no stop and breath moments. It’s all about pushing forward knowing that it’ll be over (in one way or another) in 45 minutes or so.  It’s about as blank as my mind gets trying to pull myself up that damned hill on Dave Gibson.  If I let my mind wander, I’d probably just fall into the ditch.

It hurts and it’s cathartic.

You want to know what I’m dealing with inside? Get me  thoroughly exhausted. Too exhausted to care if the world knows the worst things I think about myself. And then head to CoT. Today I shared about trying to get my weight (back) down. I’ve tried prayer, begging the M to hit me with a broom if she sees me unconsciously eating a stack of cookies she insists on leaving in one of those glass displays on the counter, self shame…

I heard some good prayers from exhausted PAX today. Real needs expressed. Always good to hear those.  And Quack Attack is good company on long killer sessions like today.

Looking forward to the next STL…

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2

Running in Circles

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8 HIMs gathered at Ring of Fire today with many thoughts on their mind. Would Pusher bring it? Would it rain? Would we do pull ups? These questions among others brought the Pax into the gloom seeking all 3 F3s and YHC was happy to oblige.

After creating the Weinke, Kaiser reached out to ask that I bring a Bible verse with me the next day. This request led to some soul searching. YHC first thought was to go with Galatians 5:13 which describes our need to serve others in love. Around 4 AM, I woke to the idea of Ephesians 5:8 which calls us to live as the light in this world. Both of which aligned with being examples in every relationship.

The idea behind the Weinke was circles. In 2020, it felt like I was running in circles, each time having to overcome hurdles, only to have those same hurdles pop back up again the next time around. 3 circles were chosen and away we went.

Weather

49 degrees with a threat of rain; Rain started at 6:08 AM

The Thang

Proper Disclaimer was uttered

Mosey to Elementary School lot

  • Toy solders/High Knees
  • Karaoke left
  • Lunge walk/Mosey
  • Karaoke Right

COP

  • SSH x 30
  • IW x 15
  • Merkins x 15
  • MNC x 20

Lets get it!

Circle #1 – stop at each 1/4 of the circle

  • 1st stop – 10 Burpees
  • 2nd stop – 20 Squats
  • 3rd Stop – 30 Mountain Climbers
  • 4th Stop – 40 Flutters
  • Rinse and repeat 3 times

Circle #2 – included the hill

  • 1st Stop – 10 Irkins
  • 2nd Stop – 10 Bombjacks
  • 3rd Stop – 10 Monkey Humpers
  • 4th Stop – 10 Big Boys
  • Rinse and repeat 3 times

Circle #3 – School driveway

  • Partner up due to time
  • Partner 1 runs circle
  • Partner 2 does exercises
  • Rinse and repeat
  • 20 Step Ups
  • 10 Dips
  • 30 Merkins
  • 40 Freddy Mercuries

 

Moleskin

  • Thanks to Kaiser for his leadership and the request for the Bible verse
  • Prayers for Splinter and quick recovery
  • Prayers for continued growth as spouses
  • Accountability to be a “light” in this dark world
  • T-claps to Harry Caray and team for putting together the Dam to Dam Bar 10k

The gloom is always the best way to start your day!

Pusher

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9

Ten Secrets to Success

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Five men showed up this morning at Gold Hill Middle School.  It was wet and rainy, but it did not stop these men from giving their best efforts. Disclaimer complete, we moseyed to the back of the school for warm-ups (SSHs, Imperial Walkers, Windmills, Plank Stretches).

Next, we ran to the front of the school.  I always enjoy reading and hearing about success stories.  The struggles, hardships, and the eventual victories.  Since I am old as dirt, I can tell you there is no secret sauce but I came across this list of traits published by Investor’s Business Daily after studying leaders and successful people.  These  traits, when combined “can turn dreams into reality.” 

Back to the workout. . Each trait was read then we completed 90 seconds of the exercises listed below.  We ran a lap around the carpool circle and repeated process until all ten traits were covered.

  1.  HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.  (Merkins)
  2. DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them. (Squats)
  3.  TAKE ACTION: Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started. Just do it. (Freddy Mercuries)
  4.  NEVER STOP LEARNING: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills. (Flutters)
  5. BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up. (Carolina Dry Docks)
  6.  LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes. (Plank Jacks)
  7. FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY: Don’t let other people or things distract you. (Lunges)
  8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE; BE DIFFERENT: Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity. (Shoulder Taps)
  9. DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others. (Calf Raises)
  10. BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE; TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: Otherwise, Nos. 1-9 won’t matter. (Burpees)

We finished up with a short jog to COT.

Great job everyone!  

Final note..I know from experience that you tend to fall on your face several times before you see a victory.  It doesn’t get easier as you get older, but you continue to get up, dusts yourself off, and keep moving forward.

 

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The Respectables take over The Fort

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Long Duck and YHC had the Q at The Fort on Saturday.  Long Duck gave the disclaimer and quietly mentioned that we would be running (same for the second half).

We circled up in the church parking lot for warm-ups (SSHs, Windmills, Imperial Walkers). Next, the instructions:

  • Run to Main Street and back
    • Exercises in parking lot
      • 10 Burpees
      • 20 Merkins
      • 11 Big Boy Situps
    • Rinse and repeat 3 times

Long Duck  shared his personal journey and the significance of the numbers used for the repetitions.

Next, hand off to Fishsticks. Short message about never giving up.

We ran to the warehouse parking lot on Wither street.  If you haven’t been there, it is at the top of a hill.  We ran down the hill and at each right turn, we performed the following exercises (Carolina Dry Docks, Squats, and LBCs – 10 each), ran back to the warehouse parking lot for another set of the exercises.  Rinse and repeat until we reached Tom Hall Street.

Great job by all!

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1

Pain posting at BAOPS

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Alcatraz eventually became a prison on an island in the cold waters off the Northern California coast. It was known to be difficult to escape for the inmates that called Alcatraz home. The waters surrounding it were cold and rough, much like its residents.

When Trucker took over Alcatraz, he had a vision for our own little AO on the island, well, it’s really a peninsula but just go with me here. He wanted those that posted at Alcatraz to experience their hardest (or close to their hardest) workout of the week. The idea of coasting into the weekend wasn’t exactly his cup of tea. That said, for those of us that Q Alcatraz now, we have the Trucker-created acronym, BAOPS, in our minds when planning our pain. BAOPS stands for the Best AO for Pain on Saturday. You get the idea now?

For Ruby Slippers and I on this brisk morning, we knew we had to answer the call. The planning began earlier in the week when Ruby said he was incorporating cinder blocks. That’s when I knew this would be top-shelf. Ya see, when a man named after fancy footwear says he’s bringing pain like that, it’s time for the rest of us to bring our big-boy shoes. He shared his plan with me on Friday night and I had to chuckle; it was all I could do to keep from splashing at the thought.

To kick off this adventure, Fish Sticks, Trucker, Geronimo and I decided we needed to get to the AO early for a few rounds of pull-ups which has become quite the nice addition. At 0630, we had 17 of us gathered in the parking lot to embark on this journey.  While not swimming cold, choppy waters, we did see all the cinder blocks lined up and knew we were in for something special.

Ruby took control, disclaimed us and warmed us up with Wind Mills, Tappy Taps, Burpees, SSH, Merkins, Burpees and a few other things. Who does burpees in a warm up? We then all grabbed a cinder block, made our way to the field and counted off in 4’s for the 4-corner beat down. He had set up 4 stations in the corners about 15yds apart from each other.
Station 1: 10 Man Makers, 20 Cinder Block Swings, 30 Overhead Presses
Walk to station 2 with the cinder block in the rifle carry position, overhead.
Station 2: 10 Man Makers, 20 Cinder Block Swings, 30 Bent Over Rows.
Lunge walk to station 3 while holding the cinder block.
Station 3: 10 Man Makers, 20 Cinder Block Swings, 30 Derkins w/ your feet up on the block.
Walk to station 4 with the cinder block in the rifle carry position, overhead.
Station 4: 10 Man Makers, 20 Cinder Block Swings, 30 Curls
Lunge walk back to station 1 while holding the cinder block.

We continued on this circuit until our never-ending 30mins had expired. It felt like 30 days and holy smokes, the collective groan from the PAX almost woke the neighbors. We were all on the struggle bus after this and guess what, we were only 1/2 way through this wonderful nonsense.

Gee, THANKS TRUCKER!!! Now we’ll hand off to Maximus for what was intended to be the tour de hills of our lovely AO. Once I told the PAX about the 3 hills we were to be visiting, you could hear it again. That collective groan, yeah, it voiced itself again. Anywho….

Mosey to Hill 1 at the front of the neighborhood by the Fire Station:
Run down without busting your tail for 5 burpees and 10 Flutters I/C
Run up the hill for 2 squat burpees and 10 Flutters I/C
Complete this 4 times

Mosey to the next hill, Hill 2 down by the circle:
Run down the hill for (5) 8ct burpees and 10 Freddy Mercury’s
Run up the hill for (2) 8ct burpees and 10 Freddy Mercury’s
Complete this 3 times

C’MON MAN!!!! REALLY???? Did our time really expire before we can complete Hill 3? Yes, yes indeed. Fortunately, we got back to the AO in time do complete a few rounds of Mary.

Aaaannnndddd, there you have it. BAOPS lives on!!!

Announcements: FM Study Hall volunteers needed. D2DB reminder. Do yourself and your concentrica a favor by engaging in everything F3 has to offer. Spiderman cemented this by a call to action for the PAX to GET IN A SHIELDLOCK. There were more announcements but I apologize, my stenographer failed to show.

Prayers/Praises: Some serious things on the hearts of our PAX and if you want to know what they are, you should’ve posted. Praise for our boy, Skipper, now 1wk into this new chapter of his life with us in F3. Welcome.

Until we SYITG,
Ruby Slippers & Maximus

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9

First Post of 2021

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What better way to start the new year than with your brothers in the rainy gloom? Well, 4 at Varsity did just that.

Today was really special for several reasons.

It’s F3’s 10 Year Anniversary.  I wonder if DREDD and the other Redwoods had any idea what this would turn into?  In Honor of that, we did the same workout they did on 1/1/2011.

First we started with a little mosey where we talked about who was up the latest and Harry Caray’s smart plan to go to bed, take a nap and then wake back up for the ball drop with his M and 2.0’s.  I’ll have to remember that for next year 😉

Since it’s 2021, our warm-up consisted of 21 reps of SSH, Marocain Night Clubs, Imperial Walkers, and 7 windmills (because we do them really slowly and I couldn’t cadence count 21 windmills).

Then it was a lap around the track and into the Thang.

Run a lap.

10 merkins, diamonds, and wide-arm merkins.  Run a lap.

Shield fell so far behind that we went back to pick up him.  He said he had to stop and tie his shoe to which we all said was a “likely excuse”.

10 knee up dollys (think bring your knees to your chest, back out, apart and back together is 1),  Freddie Mercury’s and LBC’s.  Run a lap.

10 Side Straddle Hops, squat thrusters, and mountain climbers. Run a lap.

Since it rained most of the night and was drizzling most of the morning up to this point, we decided that instead of running up and down the bleachers that were slick to do Jacob’s Ladder, we ran over to the hill by the pull-up bars.   We got an extra burpee in b/c YHC forgot that you have to run to the top first before doing the burpee.  The extra burpee was my NY gift to the group.

Since that only took about 25 minutes, I had to fill some time, but since we were at the pull-up bars, I figured why not.

21 pull-ups followed by 21 squats x2 rounds.

Then it was time to play with Cindy. 10 counts of bent-over rows (each arm), overhead press, goblet squats, curls, and KB swings. 2 rounds.

We finished COT with a discussion of our One Word from last year and this year.

On a personal note, these HIM’s are my SheildLock and were my quarantine workout partners.  I would be in a very different place (and not for the better) if it had not been for these men who I have learned so much from.  I hope I have impacted their lives as much as they have mine.  Here’s to 2021!

Cheers!

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6

Humble Pie

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7 men braved 18 degrees this morning at Alcatraz. Here’s what we did:

The Thang:

  • 25 SSHs (IC)
  • 25 Imperial Walkers (IC)
  • 15 Low Slow Squats (IC)

Mosey to Anchorage Lane

Once we arrived at the bottom of the hill of Anchorage Lane, Reborn told us the plan. We were going to Partner up.

Partner 1 was to Nur up the hill and run back down while Partner 2 performed exercises in a modified Dora. Then flapjack.

The exercises at the bottom of the hill were:

  • 100-Diamond Merkins
  • 200-Double Count Lunges
  • 250-Squats

Mosey back to the park

This took us to a little after 0700 and Reborn handed it off to YHC.

  • 10 Burpees
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 10 LBCs (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 9 Wide arm Merkins (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 8 American Hammers (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 7 Mac Tar Jais (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 6 Boxcutters (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 5 Sphinx Merkins (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 6 Flutters (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 7 Tempo Merkins (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 8 Freddie Mercurys (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 9 Merkins (IC)
  • Run across the parking lot and return
  • 10 Big Boy Sit-ups

Mosey around the Park

  • 20 Low Slow Squats (IC)
  • 20 Narrow Squats (IC)
  • 20 Calf Raises (IC)
  • 15 Irkins (IC)
  • 25 Dips (IC)
  • 10 Derkins (IC)
  • 15 Overhead Claps (IC)
  • 25 MNCs (IC)
  • 15 Seal Jacks (IC)
  • 1 Minute of Flutters

NMM

My pastor posted a message to Twitter yesterday that I found worthy to share.

“God chose to be born as a pauper, not a prince. In a stable, not as a superstar. As a servant, not a celebrity. What does that tell us about how important the Lord thinks humility is?”

In the age of coronavirus shutdowns, celebrities have taken to social media to say, “we’re in this together” from their palatial estates. Their messages have grown stale as people realize how out of touch celebrities are. Their self-absorbed, self-conceit is the exact representation of what we aren’t to be.

We are called to live third – to put God, family, and others before ourselves. When we get the order backwards, we crash and burn. As High Impact Men, we are bound for success. When we succeed, we must remember to stay grounded and stay humble. Keep close to your brothers and keep them in check. Allow them to keep you in line. We are actually in this together.

Aye!

Italian Job

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6

Post-turkey day accountability

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9 PAX converged on The Varsity for a post-Thanksgiving session of brogan with Sasquatch, a boot camp with YHC or a ruck/run option.  Harry Caray was prepared to lead the run but after no runners showed, he joined us for boot camp.  3 ruckers – Cake Boss, Wegmans & Body Wash – departed for the gloom and YHC announced us off with disclaimers, assumption of risk and advice to tread smartly and modify as needed.  Off we moseyed to the stadium.  Here what happened:

One 1/4 mile lap around the field and a left turn into the South end zone for a little COP – we didn’t need as much here due to the broga session that took place prior.  Nonethless, a combination of windmills, SSH’s, burpees, merkins, imperial walkers, etc.  moved us to the main event.  We moseyed to the North end zone and began at the goal line.

The number of exercises corresponded to each yard line and after each exercise was completed, the method of transportation to and from each 10 yard line back to the North Goal Line varied (NUR’s, moseys, 75% run, 100% all out run, etc.).

North 10 yard line – 10 burpees OYO

North 20 yard line – 20 Hand release merkins OYO

North 30 yard line – 30 double count American Hammers in cadence

North 40 yard line – 40 double count shoulder taps in the plank position and in cadence

Mid field – The 50 – 50 double count overheads claps in candence

South 40 yard line – 40 double count side straddle hops in cadence

South 30 yard line – 30 double count mountain climbers in cadence.  We stopped at 15, halfway through to throw in 3 burpees……..just because.

South 20 yard line – 20 single count marking OYO

South 10 yard line – 10 burpees OYO

South end zone – 10 double count LBC’s and 10 double count flutters in cadence

We then moseyed to the parking lot for the four corner light pole 10-20-30 round – we got through 3 of 4 corners before 0559 was upon us

Pole 1 – 10 H/R merkins, 20 lunges, 30 SSH’s

Pole 2 – 10 diamond merkins, 20 double count American Hammers, 30 squats

Pole 3  – 10 kracken burpees (crowd favorite), 20 jump squats, 30 single count LBC’s

A quick mosey to COT left us 45 seconds for a few varying angels of the protractor and then time was called at 0600.

Announcements – Read your newsletter.

Prayers and praises were offered up and YHC reminded the PAX that even on days not labeled Thanksgiving, we should strive to be examples of thankfulness and gratitude each day.

It is always an honor to be called upon to lead the PAX.  My thanks to Splinter for the call to the bullpen and helping keep YHC accountable on a morning where sleeping in would have been a really easy thing to do.

You never know who needs you to show, besides yourself.  Keep posting and being the example to others that our world needs so much.

Until next time…….

Cyclops

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