THE SCENE: Mid 30s with a windchill just below freezing but dry, so that was good
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
18th day of the year – 347 days remaining. What are you going to do with them?
Actor Carey Grant was born this day in 1904. Actor Kevin Costner was born this day in 1955. Hockey player Mark Messier was born this day in 1961. Eagle Glenn Frey died this day in 2016. But, this day is not about any of them. Today, January 18th falls on the third Monday in January, which is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Today is the 35th national observance of MLK Day.
SSHs x 35 (4 ct)
In 1983, President Reagan signed a bill that would establish a nationally-observed holiday in honor of MLK. He is the only non-president to have received that honor. He is also the only non-president with a memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Burpee x 1
The holiday was first celebrated in 1986 on the third Monday in January near MLK’s birthday (January 15, 1929). It was not officially observed by all 50 states until January 18, 1993 (28 years ago today).
Little Baby Arm Circles Forward x 14 (4 ct)
Little Baby Arm Circles Backward x 14 (4 ct)
Some Michael Phelps
A little bit of this and a little bit of that x 2
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the Flag Pole
There is no better place to celebrate MLK Day than the Equalizer at Carl Cowan Park. Cowan was a local MLK, so to speak, who did a lot for equality and race relations in Knox County. In 1953, Cowan became the first African-American to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Knox County.
This has nothing to do with MLK or Cowan, but today we are playing Ghost-Man Baseball. No one had ever played it before because I just made it up. Here’s how it works (hopefully):
Home plate = the flag pole
First base = point in the diamond around the loop just beyond the playground
Second base = top of the diamond around the loop just beyond the tennis courts
Third base = point of the diamond around the loop in stinky corner
Divide into two teams
Team 1 runs to first base, does the exercises there and returns home. Team 2 does core exercises at home plate while Team 1 is gone. Team 1 comes back to home plate and does the core exercises while Team 2 runs to first base, does the exercises there, and returns to home plate. Team 1 then runs to second base, stopping at first base to do the exercises there before moving on to second base (because you have to touch the bag before advancing), does the exercises at second, and returns to home plate via first base (but not doing the first base exercises again on the way back). Team 2 is doing the core exercises at home plate and switches with Team 1 again. Repeat this process until each team has hit a single, a double, a triple, and finally a home run, i.e., ran all of the way around the bases to home plate (stopping at each base along the way and doing the exercises) and finishing with home run exercises at home plate (no sweeping back because it’s a home run). After the home run exercises, Team 1 does the core exercises at home plate while waiting for Team 2 to complete its home run trot and exercises.
Here are the exercises:
First base – Merkins
Second base – Squats
Third base – CDDs
Home Run – Burpees
As mentioned, today is the 35th observance of MLK Day. Also, MLK received a Nobel Peace Prize when he was 35 years of age. At the time, he was the youngest person to receive the award. Therefore, the reps at each stop, including the home run, are 35.
Home plate core exercises (while the other team is running the bases) are the team’s choice of core exercise(s) done the entire time that the other team is running.
It worked as planned, but we starting running out of time, so both teams did the home run lap together, and we only had time for 10 burpees at home plate.
Mosey back to the AO
MARY:
We got a lot of Mary in during the workout at home plate, trust me.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
11 HIMs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
In 1957, MLK and other civil rights activists – mostly ministers – founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (“SCLC”). The group was committed to achieving full equality for African Americans through non-violent protest. The SCLC’s motto was: “Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed.” MLK was elected president of the SCLC in 1957 and served until his assassination in 1968. During that time, MLK traveled over 6,000,000 miles, spoke over 2,500 times, and wrote 5 books.
MLK was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The night before his assassination, MLK gave a speech at a church in Memphis and seemed to foreshadow his death:
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. . . . I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
His words were truly powerful. Here are a few other examples:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
We need more leaders like MLK.
MOLESKIN:
During the workout, I shared some trivia about MLK:
MLK was born as Michael King, Jr. His father was a Baptist minister in Atlanta. Sr. visited Germany in 1934 and was inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader, Martin Luther. Sr. began calling himself Martin Luther King as a result, and Sr. later referred to his son as Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK was arrested 29 times and assaulted 4 times.
MLK received 20 honorary degrees from colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world.
In 1963, MLK became the first African American to be named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year.”
There are approximately 900 streets named after MLK in the U.S. Italy and Israel also have streets named after him.
On September 20, 1958, a woman stabbed MLK in the chest with a letter opener at a book signing in Harlem. MLK nearly died, but he was saved after hours of surgery. MLK later stated that he felt no anger or ill will towards the woman.
Prayers for Ribbed’s wife and Dusty’s cousin
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Blood drive at the Asylum on 1/29
CSAUP at the Asylum on 1/30
