F3 Knoxville

Springbrook Legacy

THE SCENE: 48 degrees F, 64% humidity, dark
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, Little baby arm circles, Windmills, Inchworm merkins with extra stretch.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the upper field and stop at the fountain.

Route 66 #1:  With the fountain light pole as a home base do a compound Route 66 up the Greenway.  Run to first light pole and do 1 merkin and 11 WWII situps, run back to starting point and then run to the second light pole to do 2 merkins and 10 WWII situps.  Continue back to the starting point before running to each successive light pole to increase by 1 merkin and decrease 1 WWII situp.

At light pole 7 we all recovered and then ran cross country to the source of the Springbrook stream.  After some comments we ran back to the home base at the fountain.

Route 66 #2:  With the fountain light pole as a home base do a compound Route 66 down the Greenway.  Run to first light pole and do 1 dry dock and 11 squat jumps, run back to starting point and then run to the second light pole to do 2 dry docks and 10 squat jumps.  Continue back to the starting point before running to each successive light pole to increase by 1 dry dock and decrease 1 squat jump.

Around light pole 7 we all recovered and ran back to the fountain to learn a few things about the fountain construction and the King’s and Queen’s Chairs rock formation above the fountain.

We ran back to the AO via the Troll Bridge, another structure from the early Springbrook era.

At the scrapyard we did 20 pull ups and 20 step ups per leg before circling up at the Pavilion side for Mary.

In reality, no one was able to complete all of the prescribed beat down due to time constraints.  No complaints were registered.

MARY:
Edward Scissorlegs, flutter kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 HIMs and no FNG’s
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Springbrook was an area owned and developed by the Aluminum Company of America starting in the 1910’s.  Company executives at the time decided to set aside one acre of park land for every 100 employees.  What is now Springbrook Park from Hunt road past Springbrook Pool originated from the ALCOA promise. Many of the structures like the fountain, stone bridges, and pool date back to the early 1930’s with much of it being built by company employees.  When orders were low during the Great Depression, management would assign workers to perform construction work at the park.  We also need to remember that most of the infrastructure of the area was provided and build by ALCOA because none existed prior to the company’s arrival.

This is a significant difference from our day and time.  Now, companies want concessions from local governments before they commit to moving in.  They want tax reductions and improved infrastructures.  They expect the communities to already exhibit those things that add up to good quality of life for their employees.  Seldom do we hear of a company starting from scratch and providing all those things.

It is good to know our beginnings.  It is good to know of our legacy.  F3 is leaving a legacy in Springbrook Park (the Bomb Shelter).  The great thing is that F3 is adding to the legacy of Springbrook Park with its goal of providing Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith to anyone that shows up.  I think it is a legacy that those who poured and will pour their effort into Springbrook Park will be pleased to see.

No man left behind; no man left unchanged.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Swerve as he officiates a funeral and for Woodshack and Dreamer and their families in the death of David White.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
3rd F at JUCO on March 28th.

March Slaughterhouse

THE SCENE: Dark and gloomy, high chance of smoke
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
S.S.H. x 10 IC;  Cherry Picker x 5 IC;  OHC x 10 IC

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the “new” parking lot, brief stations in the first corner, split into 4 groups of 3 for the main event.  4 corners of the lot, each has 2 exercises x20 reps to complete.  After completing corner reps, run 3/4 of a lap to next station, moving as a group.  AMRAP.  Each group completed at least 2 full 4-corner laps.

  • Corner 1:  diamond walk ; 10kg bushwhacker (lunge while swinging a 10kg kettle bell in front of the face)
  • Corner 2:  burpees ; smurf jacks
  • Corner 3:  CMU pullovers ; CMU BBS
  • Corner 4:  broad jumps ; 4ct American Hammers
  • Mosey back to AO

MARY:
Roughly 2 minutes remained upon arrival back to AO, just enough time for 50 Overhead claps, in cadence.  Judging by the grumbling, this was the correct recipe.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This was a tough one men.  I knew walking in that I would struggle to hold it together, and almost didn’t make it through the first paragraph of the poem.  My grandfather cut a poem out of a newspaper sometime in the 1940’s or early 50’s, titled “Thoroughbred Man” that he gave to my dad circa 1953.  My dad carried it in his wallet for 50+ years, to the point that he had to laminate it with a new typed copy just to preserve it.  He passed it on to me in 2002 before my first trip into a warzone.  Years later, I had it emblazoned on a plaque for him to put up on his wall.  He passed away in January 2015 after struggling through dementia and alzheimers’ for several years.  That was the longest day of my life, standing watch at his bedside for 20 hours, praying and talking to him.  I had siblings rushing in from as far away as Colorado.  About an hour after the last of us got to spend some 1 on 1 time with him, we all held him as he breathed his last, then his stubborn heart (if you knew him, you’d understand) went on for another 5 minutes.  I didn’t have the composure to share all of this in the BOM, so here it is.  I prayed for him.  I wanted more time with him, but I also knew that it would only prolong his suffering.  I prayed for God to take him.  After I took the plaque down off his wall, it stayed hidden, in a closet.  When I moved I put it up in my workshop, but still didn’t see it often.  I spent a lot of time embarrassed and ashamed of the man that I had become.  I wasn’t living up to what I was responsible for.  F3 has changed that in me.  Laziness, fear, and anxiety are afterthoughts now.  The plaque is in a spot where I see it daily, where it should be, as a reminder of how I need to live for my family.  It reads:

Am I the thoroughbred man, I want my laddie to be:

In the days that are now his future, Do I want him to be like me?

Nature’s put my mark on his features, I’m putting my stamp on his soul.

Can I help my boy reach the highlands, If I strive for a lesser goal?

’tis a sobering thought for fathers, aye a sobering thought for me;

As my boy sets on life’s ocean, shall he chart his course by me?

Shall he think the thoughts that I think; shall he say the things that I say;

Shall he live the life that I live; when I come to the end of my way?

To our boys is the task of the future, we’ll soon leave the world in their care.

As a father, I’ll help or hinder my boy’s life burdens to bear.

For this law is not to be broken, ’tis almighty God’s wonderful plan-

I must be a thoroughbred father, if I’d sire a thoroughbred man.

HIMs, we can’t be perfect.  But, we can do better than we are.  If you have to think twice about doing something, odds are it is sinful.  If you are about to do something that you wouldn’t want your wife, kids, or God to see you do, stop.  If you don’t want your son to grow up to be like you, change.  And, if you wouldn’t want your daughter to bring you home to meet you, sins and all, do something about it.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
JUCO is hosting convergence on 3/28/20, put it on your calendars and get out there!  Mermaid and myself will be heading up a pre-ruck from 0600-0700 before the beatdown, full smokey plus the third leg.

ImpromQ

THE SCENE: Great. Just great. No, really, it was great. Like I’m not being sarcastic or whatever, really nice. I swear! Dropped my daughter off at the Chapel for FiA, and started walking up to the AO. Nobody on the calendar… Looks like it’s time for a Waxjob surprise beatdown!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Made up on the spot, so I may not be remembering this right:
32 SSH IC (just until Swimmies decided which daggum shirt he wanted to wear)
5 Cherry Pickers
10 Tempo Merkins
20 LBAC each way
20 Overhead Claps
10 Tempo Squats
10 Crabettes

THA-THANG:
Mosey over toward Baby Everest. Make a quick 180 around the truck in the parking lot and back to the AO because I forgot my phone… Now on to Baby Everest for realz

11s – Start with one squat jump at the bottom, 10 merkins at the top. Bernie up (of course)
10x V-Ups
10x Wide Merkins
5x Diamond Merkins
Mosey around to the bottom of the hill.
Back up the hill! This time, Crawl Bear.

Mosey back to the AO just to pick up the Exercise Die, and head down to the playground for random Tabata.
Roll an exercise and do 4 rounds of 20s on, 10s rest:
Burpees
Crab Walk
Merkins
Plank (did this one for two rounds of a full minute each)
Water Break! (Run to the water fountain. It’s too close. Add 5 burpees)
Calf Raises (single leg)

MARY:
Just a little time left…
20x LBCs (4ct IC)
A tiny bit of Row your Boat

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
5 strong today
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Not much due to the short planning period… Received more than I gave. Thanks guys!
MOLESKIN:
Kudos to Gibbler and Hot Tub on the pre-ruck!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
JUCO Convergence! March 28! Be there!

Triple Trash Trot

THE SCENE: Clear, around 40, nice and breezy.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25
Tempo Merks x10
LBAC x20 fwd and back
OHC x20
Failure to Launch x6 (Q must have been counting slow)
Crabettes x10

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the large back parking lot

Starting in the first aisle, we have:

Merkins
Mtn Climbers
Dips
CDD

Start with 20 Merkins, run to the end of the lot and back.
Then 20 Mtn Climbers and 15 merkins and take a lap.
Then 20 dips, 15 mtn climbers, 10 merkins, lap.
Then 20 CDD, 15 dips, 10 mtn climbers, 5 merkins, lap
Then 15 CDD, 10 dips, 5 mtn climbers, lap
etc…
With every run, pick up one piece of trash from the parking lot and drop it in the can!

Two more aisles to clean up, with two more sets of excericses following the same ladder pattern:

Set 2:
Squat Jumps
Lunges
Calf Raises
Monkey Humpers

Set 3:
V-Ups
Pickle Pounders
Supermans
Box Cutters

MARY:
Not sure anyone made it to the Box Cutters, so we went ahead and did 30 of ’em IC
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 PAX, including one FNG, plus a pup showed up!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I came out to scout the place last night. I’m not generally particularly observant, but I did happen to notice how much trash there was in the parking lot. So I threw some cleanup into the workout. We filled a can up over the course of the beatdown and the lot looked much better than we found it, for almost zero extra effort. Of course, not everything has that simple of a solution, but the first step is always recognition. Try to keep your eyes open for those opportunities to do good. Sometimes even small actions can have a large impact in someone’s life.
MOLESKIN:
It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see 20 HIMs in the gloom this morning. With 20 men x 7 laps per set x 3 sets, that’s over 400 pieces of trash picked out of the parking lot. It was getting kind of sparse there toward the end…

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Opportunity for doing good: Wesley House snacks extended to Monday. Check GroupMe for deets.
JUCO convergence and 3rd F March 28
Hardship Hill May 2
All-TN F3 Convergence October 17 weekend in Nashville. Hoping to pull Dredd from Charlotte for a speaker!

Dora the Explorer Experience

THE SCENE: 46 degrees, all clear

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER


WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 20
Mt Climbers x 10
Tempo Merkins x 10
Windmill x 10
Tempo Squats

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Brick Wall – Dora Up
– 100 Burpees
– 200 Squats
– 150 Derkins / 150 Irkins
Mosey to CMU pile – New Dora Partner
– 50 Curls
– 50 Tri-extensions
– 100 Freddie Mecuries 4-count
Mosey to Pull UP bars
1 pull-up on your own to break in the new pullup bars

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Psalm 119:9,11

MOLESKIN:
Using Scripture to combat those areas where we as men need help

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Convergence at JUCO end of March-be there