AO: The Patriot
Co-QICs: Maj Payne and M Rogue
The PAX: Lazlo, Spokes, Lucius, Flipper, Fish Fry, Fuzz, 2.0s RedCard and SharkBait, FNG RicFlair
11 PAX gathered for a New Year’s Day beatdown to experience the origins of fitness, fellowship and faith as we in F3TheCapital know it. The workout was simple, but not easy. It was a near (not exact) repeat of what the PAX at Charlotte, NC’s A.G. Middle School performed 10 years ago. The following is mostly a true story…
The Warmup:
One lap around track, then (slight modification from the original) 10 x each in cadence: SSH, IW, WMH, Cherry Pickers, LBAC forward and reverse
The Thang 1 (Led by Maj Payne):
Introduction to basic exercises (x 10 IC):
- Merkins
- Wide-Arm Merkins
- Diamond Merkins
1 x track lap — SharkBait took off, and the race was on! Much faster laps than originally hoped for, but the speed made it better.
Introduction to basic exercises (x 10 IC):
- Dollys
- Flutter Kicks
- The Little Baby Crunches
1 x track lap — Again, fairly radipo. All survived.
Introduction to basic exercises (x 10 IC)
- Side-Straddle Hop
- Squat Thrust
- Mountain Climber
1 x track lap — The fastest yet. Good to bring this to a close!
This brought the PAX to the 20 minute mark. YHC suspects the original beatdown included a fair amount of explanations and demonstrations for the gathered PAX 10 years ago. Whatever the case, this group needed more, and Rogue was happy to oblige.
The Thang 2 (Led by Rogue):
2 rounds of 30 seconds on / 30 seconds “rest”
Round 1: Jump squats / Squat hold
Round 2: Jump rope / High plank
Round 3: Star jacks / Reverse plank
Round 4: Snow boarders / Rest (like…true rest)
The original plan was to do 3 rounds. Since YHC wanted to play some F3 Kickball, time dictated the PAX would complete only 2. You’re welcome.
The Thang 3 (Maj Payne back on Q):
F3 Kickball
– Fielding team must do 3 x burpees before fielding the ball after it’s kicked, although PAX can catch it out of the air for an out
– Kicking team does 10 x an exercise announced by the pitcher
– Rotate after all PAX on a team kick or after three outs
– Normal kickball rules otherwise; modify as necessary
COT: 10 years ago today, F3 didn’t exist. The PAX that gathered that day at A.G. Middle School in Charlotte were simply expanding upon the Campos workout that traditionally met in Freedom Park. The PAX recognized that the group had grown too large and needed another site. It was a fitness endeavor, but the men leading it knew they wanted more. They just didn’t know exactly what it should be at the time. Indeed, they didn’t know what was in front of them at the time — just that they wanted to make it better. Similarly (but of course, different), one year ago, the PAX of F3TheCapital (and truly all F3 PAX), didn’t know what was in front of them. No one saw the pandemic coming, but it came, and it affected all of us in one way or another. We in F3TheCapital shut down for months, heeding the laws of the land at the time. But we came back. And the reasons we came back probably vary from man to man, but certainly all would agree we came back to make it better. We all strive to make things better. We want to improve ourselves, improve our relationships and improve our communities. This is the like-mindedness that brings us together. We are men of fitness, fellowship and faith, and we should all take time to consider what that means to us in this New Year, and what we can create that we will celebrate 10 years from today!
Aye!
