F3 Knoxville

Tag: Operation

What the Hard Times Reveal

THE SCENE: Perfectness
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
THA-THANG:

  • Pyramid Dora 42 each
    • Merkins
    • Carolina Dry Docks
    • Grady Corns
    • Kettle Bell Swings
    • Lunges (1 ct)
    • Calf Raises
    • Ankle Taps
    • LBCs
    • Hello Dollys (1ct)
    • Crab Kick Outs
  • Pyramid Dora 42 each
    •  Good mornings
    • OH press
    • Bench Press
    • Rows
    • Curls
    • Squats
    • Big Boys
  • Pyramid Dora 42 each
    • Frog Squats
    • Twisting Gas Pumps
    • Rocky Balboas
    • Flutter Kicks (1 ct)
    • SSH

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
18

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I recently went through an experience with an old friend.  We grew up together, were room mates in college for years, and then live drifted us apart nearly 20 years ago.  So much so that I ran into his “wife” in the grocery store, asked how he was, and found out they got divorced.  A few months ago, his mother had a major medical issue.  He called me needing help, and like we’d never grown apart, I reacted, stepped in, helped get some stuff local handled so could get on the road to be with his mom.

The situation reminded me of a song called “Daylight” by Shinedown.  There’s a line in that song that says, “It’s amazing what the hard times can reveal.  Like who shows up, who walks away, and who’s for real.”  It’s easy to show up when times are good.  So, I challenge everyone to think about their life and to think about the people and situations where you will show up, and when you’re going to walk away.

 

Get in the Wheelbarrow

THE SCENE: Cool and breezy, around 40 degrees moderate cloud coverage
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check, if you could hear it over the mumblechatter, which picked up significantly when Brick and Steam decided to go bare chested.  Glass cutters club!
WARM-O-RAMA:

-10 SSH (20x, (4-ct), in cadence) RUN 2 CIRCLE LAPS (TO THE LEFT) R&R 10 SSH RUN 2 CIRCLE LAPS TO THE RIGHT

– 10 STEVE EARLES (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Rockettes, (4-ct), in cadence

-LBCS Forward/backward  (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to Serpentine Sidewalk north of the AO.
    • “2-4-6-8 WHO DO WE APPRECIATE” Run down sidewalk, suicide style, stopping at EVEN # lights to do the following exercises:
      • 2 lights: 4 MERKINS/ 4 lights: 8 merkins/ 6 lights 12 merkins/ 8 lights, 16 merkins. ON LAST REP SWEEP FOWARD
      • Rinse and repeat with SQUATS
      • Rinse and repeat with BBS (2-ct)
    • Mosey east on path to intersection, stop to do 20 Imperial Walkers
    • Mosey to base of Cardiac
      • 5s from base to first curve, starting with 1 OFFSET RIGHT MERKIN, run up and do 4 OFFSET LEFT MERKINS 1 JUMP SQUAT
      • Fellowship Mosey to second curve
      • 5s from Second curve to Benches, Starting with 1 FROGGY JUMP, run up and do 4 SMURF JACKS.
    • Mosey to AO

 

MARY:
I wanted to give Mary her due, since we’ve been ignoring this fair lady for awhile, so we had a good 5-6 minutes of Mary…

  • MURDER PLANKS
    • Plank position, knee to opposite elbow x 10
    • Reverse, x10
    • Hold Elbow Plank x10 seconds
    • R&R until time called
  • Captain Thors
    • 1 BBS/1 4-ct American Hammer
    • 2/8
    • 3/12
    • 4/16

Stretching with Pele
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 Hims and 1 2.0, Cheetah Boy
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

THE TIGHTROPE WALKER

There’s a story I read recently about a tight rope walker in Europe who was very talented, could do all sorts of tricks.  One of these tricks was to walk on tightrope while pushing a wheel barrow.  A Big Time Promoter over here in the States heard about him, and invited him over to North America to walk over Niagara falls for a lot of money. A LOT of money.  But the Promoter wanted to make sure the guy really was all that and a bag of chips, so he asked him to come over for a demonstration.  The tightrope walker was a bit insulted that his talent was being questioned, but he flew over, they went to Niagara Falls, he walked back and forth over the falls, without the wheelbarrow, and then he did it with the wheelbarrow.

When he was finished, he returned to the Promoter and said, “There!  Now do you believe I can do it”?

The Promoter said, “Yes, I’m sorry I doubted you, I believe you can do it.”

“No No” said the tightrope walker, “I want to REALLY make sure you believe in my abilities! After all, I don’t want you to have any doubts”.

“Of Course I believe you! I just saw you do it!  Yes, yes, I believe you!”

The Tightrope walker said with an evil grin…  “If you really believe I can do it… Then get in the wheelbarrow.”

Living in Faith requires us to get in that wheelbarrow and have trust and faith. Must give control up to God.  It can be a little bit scary.  When I was about 10 I went on the American Eagle roller coaster at Great America in Gurnee, Illinois for the first time.  Wooden roller coaster that held several records when it was built in the 80s, including longest drop and fastest speed.  Here are some stats on that sucker:

  • built with approximately 1,360,000 feet (410,000 m) of lumber,
  • 129,720 bolts,
  • 30,600 pounds (13,900 kg) of nails (How many of those have come loose over the years?)
  • 55 degree max invert angle (Think of that!)

Rickety, wheels squealing on the rails, lots of motion.  I was petrified.  But you have to believe that the safety measures are in place and that you’ll be ok.  But you don’t really KNOW it until you take that ride.  There are ups and downs, twists and turns on your faith journey.  But in the end, you’ll be exhilarated, like that 10 year kid on a rollercoaster.

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Get your dogtag order in!  Looking for new F3 Knoxville F1 and F3 leaders.  Hot Toddy Q this Saturday!

Distracted

THE SCENE: Sunny, temperature about 30 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators starting with seven, 10 Windmills, 10 Twisties, 10 Rockettes, Standing Stretches.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Lilypad.

From one curb we will sprint to the other, stopping at each of the tall light posts to lunge forward five parking spaces before sprinting again.  We will then Bernie Sanders back, stopping at each light post to lunge backwards five parking spaces.

Mosey past the southern Pavilion to the perimeter trail and head south.  We will go right toward the fence of the water treatment plant.  We will split into teams of two men each for Doras.  While one partner runs to the park bench just down the trail and back, the other works on exercises.  The partners trade places when the running partner gets back.  Here are the exercises:

  • 150 Flutter Kicks
  • 150 Baby Crunches
  • 150 Hello Dollies

Mosey west on the perimeter trail.  We will stop about halfway to do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey west again to the area near the electrical transformers and the dock.  We will split into three groups to go to three different areas and perform exercises at each area.  After completing the exercises, men run to the next area.  The areas and the exercise performed at each are:

  • Area 1:  Boulders near perimeter trail.  Pick up Boulder and perform 20 Bench Presses, 20 Curls, and 20 Rows.
  • Area 2:  The benches near the dock.  At benches do 20 Bench Jumps, 20 Bench Dips and 20 Incline Merkins.
  • Area 3:  At cone on perimeter trail west of the dock.  Do 20 Iron Mikes and 20 Squats.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey back to the area we did the American Hammers at.  We will do 20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to soccer fields.  We will go from west to east.  We will Bear Crawl for 10 Counts then Run for 30 Counts and continue this to the east side of the soccer fields.

Mosey to the Lily Pad.  We will stop to do 15 Imperial Walkers.

Mosey to parking lot that is just south of the Playground.  We will do 20 Bench Dips

Mosey to the Playground.  We will do elevens at benches starting with 10 Box Jumps and 1 Decline Merkin.

Mosey to eastern curb of the AO parking lot.  We will Karaoke left to other western curb and the Karaoke right back to the western curb.  Then will will sprint to the western curb.

MARY:
Leg lifts.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 men with one FNG.  Welcome new member Stubing!!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Distracted

In our modern world we are often distracted by so many different things . . . the internet on our cell phones, social media, tv shows and tv advertisements, the daily onslaught of mail in the mail box, emails, traffic, job duties, commitments to different organizations and causes, and . . . well, I could keep on going but you get the idea.  These distractions keep us from connection to our true selves and to God.  These distractions leave us off kilter and lead to our worries.

I recently read the following paragraphs from the great priest, theologian, professor and writer, Henri Nouwen.

Today, worrying means to be occupied and preoccupied with many things, while at the same time being bored, resentful, depressed, and very lonely.  I am not trying to say that all of us are worried in such an extreme way all the time.  Yet there is little doubt in my mind that the experience of being filled yet unfulfilled touches most of us to some degree at some time.  In our highly technological and competitive world, it is hard to avoid completely the forces that fill up our inner and outer space and disconnect us from our innermost selves, our fellow human beings, and our God.

One of the most notable characteristics of worrying is that it fragments our lives.  The many things to do, to think about, to plan for, the many people to remember to visit, or to talk with, the many causes to attack or defend, all these pull us apart and make us lose our center.  Worry causes us to be “all over the place” but seldom at home.  One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there.

I don’t think I even need to add to Nouwen’s message because it is so clear and strong.  I will, however, add one more quote from Henri Nouwen about worries:

It wasn’t that the gospel proved useful for my many worries but that the gospel proved the uselessness of my worries.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks for Stubing having a baby coming soon and for two of F6’s work colleagues having recent babies.  Prayers of thanks for Waffle House and his son’s safe return from Guatemala.  Prayers for Captain Crunch on the recent loss of one of his parents.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hot Toddy Triple Birthday Q at Asylum on Saturday, January 28.  Today is first day of Cap’n Crunch’s five week leadership study at Panera Bread Conference Room, Bearden.

You Are More Than Your Job

THE SCENE: Windy, temps in low 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Cherry Pickers, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Windmills, Sitting knee stretches 10 count right, forward and left.
THA-THANG:
Mosey up Dragon Tail to Haslam Rock.  Stop on roadway to do 20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to Coliseum Courtyard Area.  We will run counterclockwise around the sidewalk loop.  We will do the following exercises around the circle:

  • First loop:  20 Bench Dips at Coliseum and Admin Bldg steps and 20 Merkins at the two sides of loop.
  • Second loop:  20 Box Jumps on Steps and 20 Carolina Dry Cocks at sides of loop.
  • Third loop:  20 Calf Raises on Steps and 20 Diamond Merkins at side of loop.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey to roadway area close to Haslam Rock.  We will do 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey on Perimeter Trail to area at bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will split into teams of two and do Doras.  One partner runs to the construction fence going south on the perimeter trail, touches the fence and runs back.  The other partner works on the listed exercises and then partners switch.  As a team, the partners will do the following exercises:

  • 150 Freddie Mercuries (4 ct)
  • 150 Jump Squats
  • 150 Baby Crunches
  • 150 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Abdominals
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
21 men with one FNG:  Robert Kelly whom we dubbed Kung Blue.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I know that some men in our brotherhood and some M’s of our brothers have struggled with the jobs they are in and the vocational decisions they are attempting to make. It is difficult to have a job that just doesn’t seem right for you.  It can be bewildering to wonder what direction your professional life should take. It can feel oppressive to go to a job you just don’t like and wonder when the right job will come along.  I look back to my own vocational struggles when I was in my 20’s and early 30’s. I can say that during some of those struggles I was clinically depressed.

As a 66-year-old who has been in the job market for quite some time, let me offer some words to you that may help be of benefit to those of you who have struggled vocationally or who have loved ones who have struggled:

  1. You are more than your job.  I know of people who feel they have never found the “right job.”  But some of them are amongst the finest people I know.  Yes, at parties we may introduce ourselves to others and answer the questions about what we do for a living.  But that isn’t our identity.  There is so much more:  our worship, our families, our friends, our activities outside of work, how we listen to others, how we treat others, how we lead others.
  2. If you are dissatisfied with your job, keep looking.  That doesn’t mean quit your current job.  But network with others, talk to your brothers, let them know you are looking for something new.  Also, when you interview for jobs, that in itself can be a learning process.  I am proud of my son, Bennett, for his growth through networking and interviewing in the past year.  He had a good job but wanted something different.  He thought he wanted to get into the banking industry but he wasn’t sure in what area or what direction to take.  He gradually found out a job that is fitting his desires by networking and interviewing for jobs that weren’t quite the fit.
  3. As our brother High-Heels said in a recent Q, even if you aren’t thrilled with your job, it’s a blessing to have it.  You are getting paid.  Your job is putting food on the table.  There are many people who are jobless and hungry.  Don’t forget that.
  4. You have an opportunity to serve others, no matter what your job.  You can smile at your customers, try to make their lives better, and enhance the lives of your fellow employees with a kind and eager spirit.  And, no matter what your job, whether physician or trash collector, that work is probably contributing to what makes our world spin.

I will sum up the last point with some of the words from a song we sometimes sing at my church called “Day by Day.”

Server, you remind us of our Savior's bowl and towel.
Teacher, you are raising up a child to be kind.
Lawyer, give us hope that justice one day will surround us.
May God's kingdom come, on earth His will be done.

Farmer, you are working for a table full of bounty.
Painter, with each color you are teaching us to see.
Nurse, yours are the healing hands that touch the poor and broken.
May God's kingdom come, on earth His will be done.

Lord, be close to us.  Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, please put Your hand on us day by day.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Jinxy and his family after the death of Jinxy’s father.  The funeral was today.  Prayers of praise for Operation as his wife is over six weeks pregnant after she and Operation went through such a lengthy time with issues of infertility.  Operation is going to be a great father!!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hot Toddy Triple Q at the Asylum on Saturday morning, January 28 at the Asylum!  Pusher will have his Birthday Q with Lumpia likely in February!

Passing of the Flag

THE SCENE: Ummm… perfect? low 70s, sunny, awesome.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Done satisfactorily.  Announced that this would be a CO-Q with the one and only STEAM!

WARM-O-RAMA:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

– REVERSE Tempo Squats x10, 4-CT, IC

– EL Capitan Lunges x10, 4-CT, IC

– SSH x10, 4-CT, IC

– PRISONER Cell Merkin Burpees x5, OYO

– E2Ks x 10 Left Side, x 10 right side 4-CT, IC

– CHERRY Pickers x5, 4-CT, IC

– TIE FIGHTERS  x5, Forward, x5 Backward 4-CT, IC

THA-THANG:

Bring CMUs down to bottom of the Summit.  Battle buddy up.

Partner 1 runs the mini-loop.  Partner 2 starts the DORAs.  Switch off.

Exercises, 50x each:

  • CURLS (4-ct)
  • OVERHEAD PRESS (4-ct)
  • GOBLET SQUATS (single count)
  • BIG BOY SITUPS (single count)
  • OFF SET MERKINS (Both sides =1)

BIRTHDAY CAKE RING OF FIRE

Get in a circle.  Battle buddies without CMUs hold a plank.  Those with CMUs will hold them above their heads, like candles.  These are those annoying fake candles that don’t blow out, though.  Sort of a Birthday cake ring of fire… One PAX will lunge around the inside of the circle, and “blow out” the candles as they pass.  PAX holding CMUs will go down and do one Blockee, PAX doing a plank will do 3 merkins.  PAX switch off holding the CMU and planking every round.

MOSEY up the summit.  One PAX rifle carries CMU, other Bernies next to him.  Switch half way. Return to AO.  HAND OFF TO STEAM, who lead us on the TOWER of POWER

MARY:
Motivators x 5

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

When I took over as AOQ on May 25 2021, I wanted us to focus on a few aspects of F3.

  1. Community Service: Coat Drive, Food drive, Cerebral Palsy center
  2. Cheerleaders for each other: Inside and outside the workouts
  3. Re-commitment to the values of F3. Effort, Form, Accountability

I’m really proud of the effort we’ve given to these points of emphasis over the past 16 months.  It has taken a commitment to these values, and we have risen to the occasion.  Well done, men!

But now it’s time to LOOK FORWARD  To a new chapter, both in my life personally as I move on the next half-century, and for the AO. Today, I couldn’t be more proud to hand the flag over to Steam.

To me, Steam is F3 in a bottle.

  • He approaches everything with a positive attitude.  There is no “can’t” in his vocabulary.
  • From constantly picking up Q’s, to taking on numerous leadership positions in F3… Social Media coordinator, Weasel Shaker, Troubadour leader and now AOQ… He leads by example, and it is infectious.
  • How often do you see him circling back to pick up the six? Say “you’re doing great, bro!” or complimenting someone on Slack?  Pretty much all the time…

I’ve never told him this, but working out with him at F3 was one of the things that helped encourage me to fully commit to the organization.  I had been coming sporadically, trying to figure out how much time and effort to put into it… I was cautiously invested in it, you could say.  After a few months, Steam showed up to the Fake Gloom (I think he had been in school for much of the previous few months?) and after working out with him a few times and getting to know him a little better, and seeing what he gave to F3 and what he said F3 gave back to him, well, it was really an inspiration to me that this organization was thought of so highly by a guy who had so many impressive leadership skills and positive outlook at such a young age. So, thank you, Steam, for being such a force of positive inertia for myself, and I’m sure many others.

The pastor at my church recently talked about 1 Timothy verses 2-7, which describes part of the conversations in letters that Paul had with Timothy.  Timothy was a very close pupil of Paul’s, many years his junior, and extremely competent and knowledgeable about the Scriptures, but preaching to his own congregation far from Paul.  The lessons Paul gave weren’t about how to give a great sermon, or what hymns to sing, etc. No.  They emphasized that the number 1 thing to do during your service is to PRAY FOR PEACE.  Big picture stuff, right?  So with Steam, in terms of teaching him how to Q, how to lead, how to inspire, I might as well save my breath.  He doesn’t need to hear one thing to me about any of that. Rather, similar to Paul’s words to Timothy, I would encourage him to maintain the Big Picture stuff.  What is F3 all about?  What makes it so great?  Steam already has everything he needs and more to step into this role, and I have no doubt he will keep the F3 flame at our AO brightly lit.

And as for RESPECT, which we spelled out using the first letter of each of the Warmup exercises (for those paying attention), I guess I get it now according to F3 tradition.  But I don’t want it from you just because it’s a number.  I want to earn it through my effort out here, my support of my brothers, and my commitment to the fundamental principles of F3.  Aye!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Prayers for several members of our PAX, who are recovering from injury or loss.
MOLESKIN:
Let’s Go STEAM!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
BROLYMPICS Nov. 5!!