F3 Knoxville

Dear John

THE SCENE: Clears skies, 74 degrees F., 92% humidity
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Completed
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x20

Little Baby Arm Circles: x12 forward, x12 backward

Cherry Pickers x12

Overhead Claps x25

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Mt. Crumpet

Partner Up (one teammate ascends while other starts exercise count):

Run up, Merkins x12, Dry Dock x12                                     300 squats

Bernie up, Merkins x12, Dry Dock x12                                 150 BBS

Bear crawl up, Merkins x12, Dry Dock x12                          150 OH claps

Mosey to Grinder

Partner Up (one teammate runs suicide while other starts CME exercise count):

100 OH lifts                                                                            Suicides

150 Bent rows

100 Curls

100 cross over merkins

100 lunge dead lifts right

100 lunge dead lifts left

MARY:

Box cutters x20

Flutter kicks x20

Protractors, various

LBC’s for 1 minute

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Total of 20 HIMs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
It happened on my 5th of 14 trips to Saudi Arabia.  Typical of the United Airlines flight from Washington, DC we landed in Kuwait City and had to deplane while refueling the plane and taking on more passengers.  Over an hour later we would load up and head to my final flying destination in Manama, Bahrain.  3 to 4 hours later I would finish the drive from Bahrain to the work site in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia.

About a minute after deplaning in Kuwait City, I saw John entering the gate holding area and coming toward me.  I stood up, stuck out my hand, shook his, and said “hello, John, it’s good to see you.”  John nodded his head, gave a sheepish grin, and said it was nice to see me.  He continued over to a seat a few rows away.  I sat down and was kicking myself for saying what I said.  I decided to pull out a piece of paper and I wrote a note.  In it I apologized for greeting him with a casual “hello John.”  He deserved much more respect that that.  I recognized the service he has given to our country as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, the awful conditions and treatment he endured as a prisoner of war for many years, and his continued service as a United States Senator.  I wished him the best and continued success in his job.  My note began with “Dear Senator McCain.”  I handed Senator McCain the note as we were getting on the plane.  I said, “Senator McCain, this is for you.”  I got another sheepish grin and a slight head nod.

Getting off in Bahrain meant descending the stairs to the tarmac and getting on a shuttle bus to get to the terminal.  Senator McCain entered the bus shortly after I did.  From about 12 feet away we looked at each other.  This time he gave me a real big smile and a more deliberate nod of his head.  I believe his gesture indicated acceptance of my note to him.  I felt better about the entire encounter.

I reminded the group this morning that many of the exercises we did could not have been performed by Senator McCain because of the broken arms and leg he sustained while ejecting from his jet bomber and the subsequent abuse and lack of medical care he received in captivity.  I also said that this story is not really about him.  It is just because of his recent death that I was reminded that I learned something a long time ago that I wanted to share – especially with the younger men in our group.

There are many things that I have done wrong in my 66 years of life.  I have been unkind, judgmental, angry, and a host of other things.  I have hurt others with my words and deeds.  I have found that the best thing to do for those I’ve hurt, and for myself, is to try to make things right.  I try to own up to my mistakes and let those I’ve hurt know that I am sorry, that I recognize how I was wrong, and that I seek forgiveness.  It certainly isn’t easy but it is always good for the soul.  Going through that act of self-inflicted punishment introduces a little bit of pain that helps me on the straight and narrow in the future.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

The Gate

THE SCENE: Cloudy and hot
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 25 Squats, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to big tree by stop sign at northeast corner of admin bldg.  We will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to park perimeter trail where it intersects with roadway that heads to admin bldg.  We will do 25 Squats.

Run on perimeter trail as it heads west and north and curves toward the bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will stop at every fifth light to do 10 merkins, then continue.  At bottom of Mt. Everest we will do 25 Squats then run around big tree in middle of Mt. Everest, then come back to perimeter trail.  We will then do 20 Bicycle Kicks (four count).

Run to every fifth light and stop to do 10 Big Boy Situps.  Continue this until we get to roadway that comes in from Northshore gate.  Stop to do 20 Hello Dollies.

Run across roadway, staying on perimeter trail.  Run to every fifth light and stop to do 10 Shoulder taps (ten taps each shoulder).  We will run until we reach soccer fields.  Stop to do 20 Box Cutters.

We will next go across soccer field.  We will lunge to first line, run to next line, lunge to next, run to next in alternate fashion until we reach the end of the soccer field.  We will stop to do 25 Squats.

Mosey to stop sign at southeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  Stop to do 20 pickle pounders (four count).

Run to Boulder Pile.  Pick up appropriate size boulder.  We will do 25 overhead presses, 25 Curls, 25 Rows and 25 Triceps.

MARY:
Plank Stretches.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seven men present, one FNG, Josh, a good friend and coworker of Hooker.  We named Josh “Hotspur.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This is a poem written by Marie Howe.  It is about her brother who died.  He was sick and knew he would die when the moments this poem describes takes place.  In this poem he points out to the poet the importance of life’s everyday moments – like eating a cheese and mustard sandwich.  Maybe it is these moments that we are really waiting for, not the big successes, the big job, the big whatever.  For what do the big successes gain us?  Only the opportunities to have special moments with others.

THE GATE BY MARIE HOWE

I had no idea that the gate I would step through
to finally enter this world
would be the space my brother’s body made. He was
a little taller than me: a young man
but grown, himself by then,
done at twenty-eight, having folded every sheet,
rinsed every glass he would ever rinse under the cold
and running water.
This is what you have been waiting for, he used to say to me.
And I’d say, What?
And he’d say, This—holding up my cheese and mustard sandwich.
And I’d say, What?
And he’d say, This, sort of looking around.
We spend much of our loves working towards something, trying to achieve whatever version of success we or others have implanted in our minds.  We often fail to take notice of the simple events of daily life, the simple things around us, such as the folding of sheets after laundry, the walls and pictures in the residences we live in, the simple conversations with loved ones and friends, the beauty around us, whether it be the mountains in the distance or a simple weed growing on the ground in front of us.  Marie Howe’s brother points out that these are the moments and things we are waiting for.
Let us savior these days, these things, these moments that God has given us.  Van Morrison speaks of this in his song, These Are The Days.  He says in the poem that we must savor these days as if there is no past, no future, only now.  He goes on to say:

These are the days by the sparkling river
And His timely grace and the treasured find
This is the love of the one great magician
Turned the water into wine

These are the days now that we must savor
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You’ve got to hold them in your heart.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Beer run to Union Jacks directly after this workout.

Tennis Anyone?

THE SCENE: Dog Pound, Very nice morning with a hint of Fall perhaps?

Warm up:
SSH
Cherry Pickers
Imperial Burpees
Other stuff
Tha Thang:
Mosey to tennis courts
8 stations:
1) “Jump rope” x100
Imperial Burpees x10 (5 Ct IW between)
CMU squats x30
Bear crawl down and back
Merkins-10 wide, 10 reg, 10 diamond, 10 shoulder taps
Bobby Hurley’s x20
Anti gravity Merkins x15
Lunges down and back
After each exercise run lap around inside of courts
Repeat till Q calls off the dogs
Then suicides at every line on courts across with 10 Imperial Burpees and 10 diamond merkins at the end.
Form two lines next to each other-
fire chase while holding Boat canoes each member does 20 LBCs up and down the line. Sprint to end line and recover.
COT: 15 pax including one FNG Walkman
BOM :
Heard this song and the lyrics really let me know the extent of Gods love for us.
Reckless Love lyrics
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
……the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
…..it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
……I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.
Moleskin: Welcome FNG Walkman to the pax! He was run-by EH by a couple of us during the TTTP, saw the shirts and looked us up online.

 

Return to Core Mountain

THE SCENE: Jucomanjaro-r-us
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to new FNG – Dave -> DC

WARM-O-RAMA:
Mosey to Juco-manjaro base and start the Thang!

Core Mountain:

Starting at the base of Juco-manjaro, do 20 reps of an exercise and then go to the next station. The road to the top is 1800 feet divided by 18 stations that’s 100 foot transitions.  The exercises and transitions are

  1. Big Boy Situps
    1. Bear Crawl
  2. Crunches
    1. Crab Walk
  3. Scissors
    1. Lunge
  4. Flutters
    1. Burpee Broadjumps
  5. American Hammers
    1. Run 300 feet (out+back+out)
  6. Leg Lifts
    1. Peter Parker crawl
  7. Bicycles
    1. Bear Crawl
  8. Cross Toe Touches
    1. Crab Walk
  9. Rainbow Drops
    1. Lunge
  10. Windshield Wipers
    1. Burpee Broadjumps
  11. Cross Mountain Climbers
    1. Run 300 feet (out+back+out)
  12. Heel Touches
    1. Peter Parker Crawl
  13. Box Cutters
    1. Bear Crawl
  14. Hello Dollys
    1. Crab Walk
  15. Groiner
    1. Lunge
  16. Side Crunches
    1. Burpee Broadjumps
  17. Supermans
    1. Inchworms
  18. Plank Destroyers
    1. Peter Parker crawl

The first time (back on August 8th, 2018) we ran out of time at station 11. This time we made it to 14 when 6:07 timer went off.  We used the Mary time to get to the top with half the reps and only running in-between stations.  NEXT time we’ll probably just run in-between each station.  That would probably leave extra time for warm up and marry.  

MARY:

Mary, we don’t need no stinkin Mary, we’re too busy climbin a hill.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Snaggletooth, Neutron, Chaco, Booster, FNG(DC), Trolley

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Reminder info about bible app that has compare mode to see different versions, reading plans, and verse of the day.  Verse today https://www.bible.com/verse-of-the-day Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord .  Psalm 27:14

Humpty-Dumpty

THE SCENE: 72. Pretty humid.  Wispy clouds scuttling across the pale face of the waning gibbous moon.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x30 IC
Crab Kicks x(something… PAX lost the count after 1. I blame Mayberry.)
Windmills x10 IC
Travoltas x10 each side IC
Cossack Squats x20 IC
Hand Release Merkins x10 OYO

Special add-on of 5 burpees for every vote of “*&$## Waxjob!” in last night’s poll about swimming in the beatdown… Surprisingly, only 5 burpees!

THA-THANG:

Grab a battle buddy, grab one CMU per team, and mosey to the hockey rink.

Line up on one side for some Humpty-Dumpty Dora 1,2,3!
Partners share 100 merkins, 200 big boys, and 300 squats.
As one partner does reps, other partner:
-Runs to opposite wall,
-Picks up CMU and sets it on the wall
-Vaults over the wall
-Sets CMU on the ground
-Runs to the asphalt and does a burpee
-Reverses the wall process with CMU and does another burpee
-Runs back to partner

After a 10 count, line up along the end line for 7s OYO: 8-count Body Builders on one end, Squat Jumps on the other.

Gather up CMUs and head back to the AO

Surprisingly, only one Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. 10 burpees all around in memoriam.

MARY:
On your six for 15x Flutter Kicks IC, hard switch to 15 more Slutter Kicks IC
Left-Right-Center LBCs OYO until time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 PAX today including FNG Earwig! (Jerry Valentin)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Ps. 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart”.

Sounds great. “God’s gonna give me everything I want!” But that’s not what it says. He will give you the desires of your heart. His desires for you will be planted in your heart, such that they become your desires. These are his best for you, and these are what He will fill!

MOLESKIN:
I posted a poll last night to see who was interested in a swimming leg for today’s beatdown. Can’t say I was surprised by the responses to the negative, but also just a hair disappointed. That cool water woulda felt good this morning…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lunch this Thursday… It’s gonna happen! Also don’t forget F3-Versary first weekend in November.