F3 Knoxville

Don’t Be a Bystander!

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Steam, Brick, Lilydipper, Lizzy, Pusher, Drum Major, Tenderfoot, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Switchhitter (Tony), MD Hammer, Welches (Leland Murphy), Rooney (Carl Whipple), High Heels (Henry Ritchie), Title IX (Christian Prescott), Colonel (Alex Wallace), Fist Bump (2.0
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
WARMUP: – 20 SSH (4ct, IC), 20 Moroccan Nightclubs (4 ct, IC), 10 Tennessee Rocking Chairs, 10 Windmills (4 ct, IC), and some Twisties thrown in for good measure.

THE THANG: MOSEY to the rock pile in front of the Colosseum. MOSEY to STATIONS at Base of Everest Summit. GRAB ~5 COUPONS (rocks) and MOSEY to STATION 1.
FOUR STATIONS, THREE ROUNDS: Start at any station, finish it, RUN A LAP PLUS ONE STATION and do the next one.
STATION 1 (IRON PAX):
ROUND 1: 7s WITH THRUSTERS AND HAND RELEASE MERKINS. MODE of TRANSPORTATION: BURPEE BROAD JUMP
ROUND 2: 7s (SAME). MODE of TRANSPORTATION: EL CAPITAN
ROUND 3: 7s (SAME). MODE of TRANSPORTATION: GORILLA RUN

STATION 2:
ROUND 1: Ab Blaster! 20x each of the following (all 4-count): American Hammers, LBCs, Flutter Kicks
ROUND 2: Arm Blaster! 20x each of the following: Hand-release Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, Shoulder taps (2-count)
ROUND 3: Leg Blaster! AIKEN LEGS: 20 Squats,20 Lunges (2-count), 20 Squat Jumps, 20 Side-Straddle hops, left foot forward,20 Side-Straddle hops, right foot forward

STATION 3:
ROUND 1: BEARMUDA TRIANGLE! Bear crawl to first cone, 1 Burpee, second cone, 2 Burpees, third cone, 3 Burpees. Rinse and repeat
ROUND 2: Bearmuda Triangle, but…LUNGE to each cone and do 5, 10, and 15 Jump Squats at the three cones. Rinse and repeat
ROUND 3: Bearmuda Triangle, but… HOP to each cone and do 5, 10, and 15 Iron Mikes (2-ct) at the three cones. Rinse and repeat

STATION 4 (Benches)
ROUND 1: 20 Bench Dips, 20 INCLINE Merkins
ROUND 2: 20 Bench Dips, 20 Carolina Dry Docks
ROUND 3: 20 Bench Dips, 20 Shoulder Taps (2-ct)

(We got about 1/2 way through this beast before time)
MARY: Homer/Marge

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: This week, on the anniversary of 9/11, I’ve been thinking about sacrifice. How does one prepare oneself to act selflessly to save others? Is that even possible?

Sully Sullenberger, the pilot of the plane that crashed in the Hudson in 2009, wrote about an experience he had when he was 13 in his book HIGHEST DUTY; he was at home watching tv and saw a report of a woman who was sexually assaulted and beaten just outside her house. She ended up dying from the attack. During the investigation, it was discovered that over 30 people heard her screams, but no one called the police because they thought someone else would, or they didn’t want to get involved. They chose to be bystanders.

People that choose NOT to be bystanders, and who choose under very stressful situations to put others’ welfare above their own, like all those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11, have a very different mindset. But why? How? Sullenberger writes in his book: “I believe many people in those situations actually have made decisions years before. Somewhere along the line they came to define the sort of person they wanted to be, and then they conducted their lives accordingly. They told themselves they would not be passive observers. If called upon to respond in some courageous or selfless way, they would do so.”

That is a DEEP COMMITMENT one makes with oneself. But he swore as that 13-year-old that he would never be a bystander, never let someone in need go without help. And he says that promise to himself ultimately helped him act instinctively to save 155 people that were in his plane the day it went into the Hudson River. I would wager that nearly all those First Responders who lost their lives at the Twin Towers on 9/11 had gone through a similar mental process at some point in their lives.

HIMs are not passive observers! My coach used to say before our soccer games, if you visualize it, you will do it. Take a moment and visualize how you would react in an emergency, what you would do if someone needed help in a life or death situation? Will you be a bystander? Or will you act.

Aluminum PAX

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Drum Major
PAX: Lizzy, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Lilydipper, Switchhitter (Tony), Brick, Steam, Rooney (Carl Whipple), Welch’s, Pusher, MD Hammer, Dain Bramage (Will Olson), Curveball, Abacus
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
WARMUP:

10 Side Straddle Hops

10 rockettes

10 baby arm circles each way + overhead claps

10 cherry pickers

THE THANG:

Mosey to traffic circle – 20 flutter kicks together

Mosey to new parking lot by new baseball fields

Aluminum PAX modified workout

Set Tabata timer for 1 minute, rotating

When 1 minute timer sounds every time do 5 burpees. Then start in on the rotation of exercises.

100 squats

100 LBCs

100 SSHs

When you complete 100 of your exercise run loop mapped out around full outside of parking lot.

If you get through all 3, rinse and repeat.

 

Mosey to small turf baseball field and lineup up at home plate.

“Diamond of Fire”

1 man goes around bases forward. When he hits 1st base the next man goes. Everyone else does merkins until their turn comes.

After home lineup on other side as you come in and start doing box cutters until last man comes in then do the same thing going backwards (3rd, 2nd 1st, home).

 

Mosey back to flag, via Pickett’s Charge

MARY:

Ended with some stretching at the flag

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:

Loneliness Epidemic article

Between 1990 and 2024, the percentage of college graduates who reported having zero close friends rose to 10 percent from 2 percent, which is upsetting enough. Among high school graduates, the percentage rose to a heartbreaking 24 percent from 3 percent.

For context about 55% in America are college graduates, so that leaves 45% who have a high school diploma or less.

In 1990, an impressive 49 percent of high school graduates reported having at least six close friends. By 2024, that percentage had been cut by more than half — to 17 percent. The percentage of college graduates with that many friends declined also, but only to 33 percent from 45 percent.

Causes? You may think politics, but I would say that may be more a symptom than a cause. Surely COVID and everything being online and the ease it is to isolate yourself, surely cannot help. We as a collective group need to worry less about the cause…

 

Article in NYT is quoted:

 

What is the most important single thing that you can do to heal our national divides and to improve the social and economic mobility of your struggling neighbors?

I’d submit that it’s not voting for the right candidate (though you should certainly do that), nor is it engaging in activism to raise visibility for a worthy cause (though I endorse that as well). Instead, it’s something that is at once much simpler but also much more difficult.

Make a new friend.

 

Maybe you could even make a new friend outdoors, away from your phone, spending zero dollars, while getting some exercise and hanging out with other guys where politics, education and economic levels are not a factor? If only such a thing existed, wow what a cool thing that could be. I reiterate Crash Dummies challenge from Tuesday. In the next month try and convince a FNG to come out, you may be helping them more than you realize.

Earn the moniker of a man

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Piston
PAX: Crash Dummy, Piston, Brick, Lilydipper, Lizzy, Dain Bramage (Will Olson), Colonel (Alex Wallace), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Curveball, Drum Major, Rooney(Carl Whipple), Fist Bump, Josh Hughes aka Gargoyle
FNGs: 1 Josh Hughes aka Gargoyle
COUNT: 13
WARMUP: Projectovators, Tennessee Rockin Chairs, Squats, Merkins, Cherry Pickers, Shoulder Burn

THE THANG:
Divide into 2 groups rotating between two workouts
Workout 1:
15 minute AMRAP
8 Burpees
9 Heels to heaven
73 SSH

Workout 2:
15 Minute AMRAP:
10 Merkins
17 Shuttle Runs
51 Squats

MARY: 2 Minutes of Undertakers

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Someone needs to pick up a Q; named FNG Gargoyle.

COT: To earn the moniker of man, regardless of age, we are called by God to do 3 things: work, protect, and love.

God called Adam to do this, even before sin entered the world. It is a man’s responsibility and duty to earn that moniker daily.

Getting back into the groove

AO: shamruck
Q: Mermaid
PAX: Swifty, slappy, Dumpster Dive, Eliza, Lizzy, Booster, Baby Boomer, Mermaid
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
We explored the roads in Belmont West and Gulf Park and had a great time catching up with guys we have not seen in a few months.

Following the Ruck, we discusses being vulnerable, sharing problems, and being open to seeking help. These topics tie into the QSOURCE OTB that we are experimenting with on Sunday mornings to potentially have a non exercise AO that focuses on teaching leadership principles. This is continuing on the Grow School Leadership training from the GTE, and the concept of “unlocking” men.

Easy Breezy Beautiful Cover HIMs

AO: the-equalizer
Q: Bookman
PAX: Ribbed, Smithers, Bookman, Brick, Steam, Blindside, Eliza, Stripped, Madoff, Lizzy, Oscar Meyer, Mermaid, Borg, Snitch (Cory Beilharz ), Snowbird
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
Before I get started, the weather was freaking amazing considering how it’s been for the past few weeks. We always get that tease of fall, but it usually doesn’t happen until August. Gives you the energy. That and the sweet 80’s hair band playlist.

WARMUP: SSHs

THE THANG: Grab a CMU from the smokehouse, carry to splashpad

starfish dice game
– Center of star, roll die, do blockees to the count of what shows on the the die
– Outer dice (includes usage of CMU):
– Bent Over Rows
– Curls
– Split Squats
– OH Presses
– WW3 Sit Ups

MARY: Imperial Walkers for a few seconds

ANNOUNCEMENTS: UnCOVErd this Saturday, We have a Pavlov situation that forces Steam to remove clothing when the word unCOVErd is used. Marine Mud Run in August. See Lizzy for sign ups and detail. He’s manning the F3 tent there!

COT:
Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see (ah-ah)
Our troubles are all the same (ah-ah)
You wanna be where everybody knows your name

It’s the theme to Cheers. However, it holds true for me. When I’m struggling or just off, it’s always great to know that there’s a place where dudes are there to work with you, check on you, and sometimes be in the same stank you’re going through. You’ll have a good time. You’ll learn from others, they’ll learn from you. And remember, it’s Nationwide. It might not be a great as F3 Knoxville, but I may be biased. Still, it’s good to know that there’s a place to go to, and there are many here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Nation. Check out F3nation.com/locations if you don’t believe me.

:aye: