Q: Z-Pack
PAX: Shotgun, FixerUpper, DoorKicker (Jud), Natty, Magic Mic (Jarrett Woodall), Prairie Dog, Recoil (Blake Conley), CrossPuke, Mountain Ice, Scalper
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WARMUP:
SSH
Windmills
Squat and Reach
OH Claps
Baby Arm Circles
Michael Phelps
Ring of Fire Merkins and Squats
Mountain Climbers
Mosey to our favorite parking lot
(I accidentally woke up a guy sleeping on a sidewalk next to the church building on the mosey)
THE THANG:
12 Days of Christmas beatdown. So you do the workout just like you sing the song. The list of exercises is:
1. Tres Merkins (diamond Merkin, regular hand width Merkin, wide hand width Merkin)
2. Two times Bernie (we ran backwards a certain distance, twice)
3. Mucho Leggos
4. Plank Jacks – 4 ct
5. Burpees
6. Plank Toe Touches – 4 ct
7. Carolina Dry Docks
8. Lunges – 2 ct
9. Shoulder Taps – 2 ct
10. Jungle Boys
11. Merkins
12. Side Straddle Hops – 4ct
If you finished in time, do the July 1st F challenge – 10 big boys, 10 captain Thor’s, 40 American Hammers – 2ct. Then start on another 12 days of Christmas. Everybody had a great time, at least that is what I tell myself
Notes: It was very humid as usual. We listened to classic Christmas tunes sung by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. We talked about our favorite childhood Christmas presents. Nobody threw-up, which was disappointing.
MARY:
nope
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None this morning, but now that I read Mermaids email, oh yeah:
1. 2nd F opportunities
1. tomorrow at 11:30 am Mexico Lindo Lunch
2. Wednesday at 11:45 am Soccer Taco Lunch at North shore Town Center
1. F3 Veteran Survey – contact Door Kicker
2. F3 RoCo Convergence on 8/2/2025 at 7am at Rampart, there is a signup link in Mermaid’s email
3. F3 Dad Camp 8/15 -17, there is a signup link in Mermaid’s email and more details.
4. Street Hope – Otis is getting F3 Knoxville organized this year to support an anti human trafficking campaign. Mermaid’s email has more details.
5. F3 Knoxville 10 year anniversary convergence on 11/8 at 7am. Probably at Asylum
6. GoRuck Tough and Basic 11/14-15
All these events are in Mermaid’s weekly email along with a lot of other great stuff. Let me know if you want to get the weekly email and I will get you on the distribution list.
COT:
It was warm inside though, even hot. Dad had the wood stove roaring with the blower on high. The living room was scented with Cedar. A couple of weeks before Christmas, Dad, my brother, and I would venture into the neighbor’s pasture to chop down the perfect Brockman family cedar tree. Our ChristIt was Chistmas Eve. It was cold outside but no snow, which was typical for Knox County in late December. mas tree was a hodgepodge of lights and ornaments that we had collected over the years. I thought it was great. I would lie on the floor and stare at the twinkling lights while classic Christmas tunes played on Dad’s old reel to reel tapes. There were beautiful egg ornaments that my Aunt Ruth made for me and my brother. I used to slowly turn the egg in my little hand, studying the illustrations.
My older brother and I were so excited for the next morning. Sleep came with great difficulty. But, sleep I must and the quicker the better to speed the hours until we could rip into our presents. As I lay in bed trying to sleep I wondered if I would hear Santa on the roof. I wished I could catch a glimpse of him one year. I also wondered if I would get the big gift I put on my list. Finally it was morning! My brother Aaron was calling my name. “Its Christmas, Z-Pack, get up. Lets go to the tree.” It was the morning that all kids longed for. At school we had all been counting down the days. The Christmas pagents and parties were fun, but now it was the real deal, the big day. We weren’t disappointed. I still remember some of the GI Joe toys and Hot Wheels tracks that we got. Then there was the one year we got a Sega Master System! That was a big deal.
It was and is a familiar, magical season for kids year after year. There were familiar songs, movies, smells, and holiday treats that we looked forward to each year. It was and is a special family time. We share it with friends and with our communities. It’s a shared experience in Western culture. Christmas is a good tradition that knits us together and sustains our cultural heritage. We just celebrated another great tradition with America’s Independence Day. Our shared experiences and beliefs make us a people. There was a time recently when some people wanted to replace Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. Not for me, no sir. Its Merry Christmas for me. Let’s keep our good traditions going strong so that our grandchildren can enjoy them for generations to come.
