As 0530  approached at Jaycee Park, YHC assumed there was a multiple AO convergence happening. At 0525 YHC began silently counting all the PAX in sight… 31, 32, 33, 35, 40 and on it went until 5:29 there were 45 Alpha dogs ready to enter battle, including FNG Matt Thorne (F3 Village People).  As the faithful brothers of Natville kept pouring in for those 5-8 minutes it seemed like a Walking Dead episode collided with some hybrid CrossFit/military training exercise.  Are Dredd and OBT signing books today??  It was then that our elite force recon team of 10 PAX (run splinter group) adjusted their watches and sprinted out into the abyss toward Country Park, never to be seen again until 6MOM.  We’ll get to that later. So now with a PAX of 35, armed with ill fitting head lamps, compression socks, and clear hearts we waded into the gloom. For now, let’s go back in time to Wednesday morning for a retelling:

Warm-a-Rama – Mosey from shovelflag to end of parking lot with some early mumblechatter about this not being the Stampede or BRR, etc., etc.  We circled up for the Warm-O-Rama..

  • Alternating Shoulder Taps x25
  • SS Hops x 30
  • Squatted Chinook’s x 25
  • 5 Burpees OYO
  • Sun Gods x 15 forward / 15 reverse
  • Plank Jack’s x 20
  • Monkey Humpers x 15

We then broke off into 3 lines of 12+ PAX for an Indian Run southbound back to shovelflag area and again a chorus of mumblechatter sprang to life regarding the running but quickly silenced as sprints got underway.  The speed and violence in this evolution observed by YHC was impressive.  #thoroughbreds.

The Thang –  Mozied up and around community center/library into the baseball stadium where PAX were greeted with blue chem lights on each of the bases around the diamond.  On each base were simple instructions to perform 3 separate exercises.  But first YHC splits up the Battalion into 3 platoons of 12ish PAX.  Each platoon of 12 PAX assigned to a base.  Once on the bases it worked like this, all PAX begin with the 1st exercise listed and one man runs to fence and back, tagging out and next man runs to fence and back (rinse and repeato).  Those PAX not running, continue to perform exercise AMRAP style (as many reps as possible).  Once all PAX have run to fence and back, then move to 2nd exercise listed and so on.  When all 3 exercises completed, then advance to next base.

1st Base (Hand Release Merkins, WWII Sit Ups, Burpees)

2nd Base (Low Slow Flutters, Alt Shoulder Taps, Monkey Humpers)

3rd Base (Prisoner Get-Ups, Scorpion Dry Docks, Plank Jacks)

Called Omaha at 6:09 with PAX conquering two bases.  Mozy back to shovelflag for Mary and longest Name-O-Rama in Natville history.

6MOM

Low Dolly’s

Low Slow Flutters

American Hammers

Moleskin/Announcements:

  • #Tclaps to the 10 PAX that ran 4+ miles as splinter group.
  • Welcome back Kotters to Bundle, Tea Party, Botox, Bartman and Snowflake – Glad to have you back in the gloom
  • Speed & violence evident today
  • Boone’s Farm – Supporting the Tampa, FL launch – Oct 8th – Expenses covered by F3 Nation (See Boone’s Farm for details and logistics)
  • High Point F3 official launch @ High Point Athletic Center – Sat, Oct 1st in tandem with W-S.. (Depart via Carpool from Friendly Center shopping center in front of Harris Teeter @ 6:15)
  • Welcome FNG Matt Thorne (F3 Village People) – Perhaps the fastest nickname ever given out… Strong effort by PAX…  The dude works for YMCA.  Had to be done
  • Judy’s chair is still short of the $10K goal but within 2 weeks is already at $2K…  Please consider a donation and passing along our goal to friends, neighbors, colleagues so we can provide this critical benefit for her.  Thank you Butt Fumble for your leadership

My honor and privilege to get back to where it all started at Jaycee Park aka Natty’s Hump.  Not to get all nostalgic but I”m going to take the liberty of some reflection (and it won’t be read by most PAX anyway ;)…  It was here at this AO that the cornerstone of what we all enjoy and know as F3 was first laid…There was but one location and it was here.  It began with a Saturday and within two weeks a Wednesday was added.  We did not know the lexicon, the acronyms were weird and borderline cultish.  The idea of working out in the pouring rain without someone forcing me to was so foreign until DOS said “Gunny, I’ll meet you at your house @ 5:15 and I said 10-4”, ensuring that nothing would prevent me from keeping my word to a fellow PAX.  Guys introducing themselves as Wojo, Kilowatt, Swiper, Butt Fumble, Bodette, Sugar Cake, Full House, Daphne, J-Love, Stinky Cheese, etc., etc seemed a little strange at first. Standing shoulder to shoulder in a COT with the PAX and touching the man next to you (appropriately of course) might have felt slightly uncomfortable for some. We all quickly learned to love each man as a brother and that together we could live out a higher calling with purpose as evidenced by our Creator.  A pathway to living 3rd was a cloudy, unknown, nearly unreachable place for me personally.  I was either in a bar making high risk decisions, or teaching Sunday School, varying to each extreme somehow, with little stability in the center.  For me, living 3rd was a series of minimal peaks but mostly deep valleys drenched in self serving priorities.  That is until I saw other men around me living out their faith and the higher calling where perfection isn’t required but a willingness to enter the journey is.  The men of F3…  My life began to take shape when I got to know the men of F3 Natville and moreover; when I allowed them to know me.  It was here that I began to walk with others to reach new places that once before seemed impossible. TClaps boys..  Let’s keep on adventuring into each of the F’s humbly, shoulder to shoulder and side by side.

Gunny

 

 

PAX: Gunny

QIC: 8/24/16