F3 Knoxville

Tag: Brick

You Can’t Take That Away From Me

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AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Lulu (Greg Huddy), F3 Pluto ( Hugh Nystrom), Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Cart Girl (John Sadler) (Chatt, TN), Brick, Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Jumbo(Carter Dickens), Choir Boy, Pusher, Mr Jinxy, Snap Glove (Sean Selos), Beaker (Manny Selos)
FNGs: 2 Snap Glove (Sean Selos), Beaker (Manny Selos)
COUNT: 15
WARMUP: Run Around the Parking Lot, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, Curly Stomps, 10 Imperial Walkers, 10 Windmills, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Tempo Squats, 5 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Pterodactyls Forward and Backward.

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini Cardiac and to the benches by the trail before going downhill. From this point we will do the following: Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to first curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back; Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to second curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back; Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to 3rd curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back. The Clydesdales will sweep rabbits to 3rd curve after they finish the 3rd set of Bench Lifts.
Next, we will continue south on trail and do Nickel, Dime, Quarters. We will do these past the dock area. Once past the dock area we will mosey on the trail until it curves west. We will then resume with the nickel dime quarters until we reach pavilion that is near muscle beach. Here are the exercises:
Merkins
–
Jump Squats
–
Freddie Mercuries
–
Mosey to Muscle Beach. Each man chooses two different exercise machines to do 25 reps with. After finishing, do Baby Crunches until all men have finished.
Mosey to parking lot by the soccer fields. We will go clockwise around the parking lot twice. The first time around we will sprint to one crosswalk, then walk to the next, continuing that pattern around the circle. The second time around we will Bernie Sanders to one crosswalk, then walk to the next, continuing the pattern around the circle.
Mosey to the Bidet. We will run clockwise around the inner circle, stopping at the benches to do 20 Decline Merkins. After arriving back down, those finishing first do Baby Crunches until the six arrives.
Mosey to the Caribean. We will go to the west end. From there we will sprint to the east end but stop at every island to do 2 Burpees.
Mosey toward AO parking lot but stop to get CMU weight rock by the entryway. We will do 25 Overhead Presses.
Mosey to AO.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Polar Bear Plunge on January 1, Smokies Convergence on January 4, Hot Toddy Triple Q at Asylum on January 11.

COT:
Prayers
Prayers for our brother, Sparkler, as he will be getting treatment for Prostate Cancer. Prayers for people traveling at Christmas like Crawdad and Jumbo who head toward Texas today. Prayers for those who are lamenting or suffering this Christmas. Prayers for us that we may be HIMs, keep an eye out for those who are suffering, and be an encouraging spirit for them.
Message

They Can’t Take That Away from Me
2024 was a year of loss and destruction for many people out in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina due to the almost unimaginable flooding and disaster caused by Hurricane Helene. It was horrific to see people losing their homes, their cars, their furnishings, and much of the belongings that they had saved for a lifetime.
As I approach retirement, I couldn’t help but think, “What if that was me?” Jan and I have saved part of our earnings each year through our working years, putting it in good ol IRAs. As we approach retirement we feel that we have enough savings to get by on. But what if that savings were to go away? What if our economy goes downhill and our stock market plummets? What if we lose our assets and home through some unforeseen disaster? Events like Hurricane Helene show us just how possible that can be.
There is a song that has come to my mind quite a few times related to all this. Some of you guys may know that song by Ira and George Gershwin called “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
Some of the lines go like this”
The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No, no, they can’t take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off-key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can’t take that away from me.

Those are all things that money can’t buy. I guess that’s why the song has stuck in my mind. If I lost all my assets, what would I have? How about you guys? If you lost your possessions, what would you have? For me, I would still have the love of my wife and children. I would still be able go to my church and see my church family. As for tithing’s, 10% of nothing is nothing, so that would be fine! I would still get to see you brothers in F3. This incredible bond and experience we have is Free 99, baby! And, I would still have my Lord above. In fact, if they were to take everything I have and lay my head down in a guillotine, I might be shaking in my boots and crying my eyes out but I would still have my Lord above.

I encourage you to think about and ponder what “THEY”, that ubiquitous word for disaster in scenarios like we are talking about, can’t take away from you. As for me, I would hope I could survive disasters knowing that there are some things that money can’t buy, some things worth so much more than money or even earthly existence, some things they cannot take away from me.

[genesis-ruck] On Mondays We Ruck

AO: genesis-ruck
Q: Single (Ryan Chambers)
PAX: Steam, Brick
FNGs: None
COUNT: 3
WARMUP: Cherry Pickers, Little Baby Arm Circles, Willy Mayes Hayes, Little This N That, and a trip up Moto Hille with our Snadbags

THE THANG:

On the Circuit court 4 stations at the corners
Reps start at 20 and drop 5 each round. Perform
Sandbag carry movement in between stations and after all 4 stations are complete do a 200m cool down ruck.

Station 1: Sandbag Curls

Station 2: Sandbag Squats

Station 3: Overhead Press

Station 4 Deadlift

MARY: Ruck back to Flag

ANNOUNCEMENTS: See Slack

COT:

When wealth is lost, Nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost, when character is lost, everything is lost.

>From the book Dialed In by Jim Ramos

Wave

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Glamper, Crash Dummy, Tenderfoot, CRISPR, Pusher, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Brick, Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), Cheetah Boy, Heart Stop
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WARMUP: 20 Side-Straddle-Hops, Run Around Parking Lot, 10 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, 10 Tennessee Rocking Chairs, 6 Baby Arm Circles Forward and 4 Pterodactyls Forward, 6 Baby Arm Circles Backward and 4 Pterodactyls Backward.

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini Cardiac and stop at left of crosswalk. We will do 10 Imperial Walkers.
Mosey on trail and part of Dragon Tail then on grass up to Haslam’s Rock. We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.
Mosey to Coliseum. We will stop to do 20 Flutter Kicks
Mosey to Circle where main road converges with main park roadway. We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to parking lot at entry of park at Northshore. We will stop to 20 Hello Dollies
Mosey to the large pavilion and go to section with picnic tables. We will divide into teams of two for Doras. While one partner runs completely around the pavilion, the other will do exercises at the picnic tables. Partners then switch. Here are the exercises that each team does at the picnic tables:
100 Picnic Table Pull-ups
–
100 Incline Merkins
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100 Bench Dips
–
Mosey past playground area to soccer fields’ parking lot. We will do suicide run to end of parking lot, stopping at each crosswalk to come back and do 15 Baby Crunches before running to the next crosswalk.
Mosey to Muscle Beach. Each man will do 25 reps on two exercises of choice.
Mosey to the Bros Bowl. We will stop to do 10 Tempo Squats.
Mosey to the west end of the Caribbean parking lot. We will run to the east end of the parking lot stopping at every island to do 5 Big Boy Sit-Ups
Mosey back to the AO.

MARY: Stretches

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Convergence at Roco this Saturday. Polar Bear Plunge on January 1.

COT: Waving Goodbye

Deanna Dikeman is a photographer who lives in Columbia, Missouri. Her parents lived in Sioux City, Iowa and Dikeman visited her parents every year, frequently more than once each year. What do loved ones do when you leave their home after a visit? They often stand outside the house and wave good bye. In 1991, Dikeman decided she would take a photograph of her parents each time they waved good bye. Her father died in 2009 at the age of 91. Her mother continued to wave goodbye until she passed in 2017. What remains are beautiful memories and a very moving series of photographs that were featured in an article in The New Yorker in March of 2020. I encourage you to look it up. If you don’t remember Deanne Dikeman, just Google “woman who took pictures of parents waving goodbye.”

If you had photographs of your loved ones waving goodbye to you each time you left then, what would that look like? I think of those waves goodbye from my parents and grandparents as well as my wife’s parents. I don’t have a history of photographs but I do have a history of wonderful and touching memories. I hope that those of you who are fathers will create such memories for your own children when they are old enough to live away from you.

I like how, in F3, we spend some time after a workout chatting with our brothers and then telling them goodbye when they leave from the workout or leave from our Board Meeting. I couldn’t help but think of Colonel’s young son, Fist Bump, when I thought of waving goodbye . . . all of us waving good bye and him enjoying that so much and waving back to us. Gents, there is something special in knowing, whether it be family or brothers in F3, that we mean something to someone, that they are sad to see us go if it is going to be a while before they come back (like when Switchgrass has had to leave us for months to go off for service in the National Guard), and that they look forward to seeing us again. So . . . thank you, Lord, for good byes.

Putting THANKS into ACTION

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg) , Brick, Pusher
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Pusher, Brick, Steam, Tropicana, Drum Major, Rooney (Carl Whipple), MD Hammer, Doubtfire (Nick Bond), Choir Boy, Gus and Hot Wire (DR)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP:
Triple Thanksgiving Q, baby! Brick got us warmed up quick… mixture of SSH, Burpees (done under protest because they are not a warmup), Baby Arm Circles small and large, and other means of torture disguised as warmup exercises.
THE THANG:
Indian Run to the Bros’ Bowl! Keep going right up to the top. Did some dips up there. Ran back down. Battle Buddy up, run around again, doing 80 squats each somewhere along the way.
(seems like we did incline merkins at the top benches at some point too…)

Hand the Q over to PUSHER. Mosey over to Muscle Beach! Do 20 reps of an exercise at the playground (choose your own adventure). Mosey over to the new parking lot. Do 10x Merkins, Wide Merkins, and CDDs at each of 4 islands and run back. R&R but with Squats, Jump Squats, and Calf raises. Then Pusher led us on a mosey of death, up to the roundabout. Steam picked his own route, which took him past the ballfields and stranded at the base of a very overgrown and steep hill. Which he climbed like a beast and joined us. Slow mosey to the small parking lot south of the overlook. Run around the loop, doing 20 SSH at the beginning, then 10 SSH at base of stairs and top.
Turn the Q over to PELE. Short mosey to garbage cans, where a frisbee and cones were waiting. Pele congratulated his co-Qs on their well prepared portions of the workout, and said enough of that, it’s time to have some fun. Played ultimate frisbee, warm colored clothing against darker. 3 modified burpees if your team drops the frisbee. 5 modified burpees if your team gets scored on, plus a Turkey Run of Shame back to your end zone. Warm colors lost, rather badly, forcing us to do a Turkey Run of Shame back to the AO as well.

MARY:
A few ab exercises to finish off.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tons. See the Announcement channel/main channel/newsletter.
COT:
Putting THANKS Into ACTION
Today is obviously Thanksgiving, and the purpose of the holiday is in the name. Give Thanks. I’m very fortunate, and have a pretty long list of things I want to give thanks for today…
1. My family, including those that are no longer with us, who gave me nothing but love and support as a child and young man.
2. My friends, past and present, who have been a source of companionship, flat out fun (sometimes too much fun…), and emotional support.
3. My career. It frustrates the heck out of me sometimes, but I have a good job, which is nothing to sniff at.
4. The basics: the food on my plate, the drink in my glass, the roof over my head, my health
5. F3: you brothers mean more to me than I can articulate. You inspire me, give me hope for our communities and lift my spirits on a constant basis
6. Last but not least, a Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally, in spite of my many flaws, and who is always there as a constant presence of Peace and Good. A compass that always points me in the right direction, if I have but the patience to listen and the wisdom to follow.
So I encourage you all to take a moment to go through your own lists of what you are thankful for. BUT THAT’S THE EASY PART! HIMs are men of ACTION, not just words. So I want to challenge you to put your THANKS into ACTION! How will you show or demonstrate your love and appreciation for the blessings in your life? Here’s what I’m going to do…
1. (FAMILY) Call my brother and his family, who are on vacation in Arizona, and tell them how much they mean to me and how much I miss being with them on Thanksgiving
2. (FRIENDS) Send intentional messages to special friends in my life letting them know their value to me.
3. (CAREER) Give back to those who aren’t as fortunate by participating in the RUCKSGIVING Event, my office Angel Tree event, my church.
4. (BASICS) Take time to fully appreciate and be grateful for the fact that I am one of the lucky few in the world that doesn’t have to struggle for food, clean water, a shelter to sleep in, or a health care system that can keep me safe from disease.
5. (F3) Continue to pour in my time and energy into this fantastic organization, and to take a moment to turn and look at each and every one of you here today, and thank you for your presence, your support, and the inspiration you provide to me that I so very much need.
6. (God) All God wants, all he asks from us, is our love. I intend to spend some time today in deep consideration of appreciation of his love and presence in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

[genesis-ruck] Saucy Nuggs x2

AO: genesis-ruck
Q: Mermaid
PAX: Brick, Steam, Single (Ryan Chambers)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WARMUP: Variations of back stretching

THE THANG: One bag with 75lbs plus a 60lb sandbag. We each carried the heavy for .25 miles, then stopped for PT, passed the heavy, and resumed our trek down kingston pike, over the gallaher view bridge, and back via the greenway. This was 135lbs and next we will bump up 30-40lbs as we train for the 200lb mile.

MARY: none we were late, but additional back stretching was suggested on your own

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Rucksgiving 11/30 and a litany of other things found in the newsletter or announcements tab in slack.

COT: training to be a leader, and a shameless plug for Forg3. The more we do things like read the bible, the more relevant those passages become, at least for me. As a few of us have been studying leadership, the same holds true. By studying, we are finding ourselves to be better prepared as leaders.