Stories from F3 The Capital
Fighting Friedreich’s Ataxia via Super Bowl Squares
After covering our annual operating costs (~$500), the F3 The Capital Region is raising $5,000 to fund research for Amon Killeen’s (@Dungeon Master) daughter Mayme who was recently diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) – a debilitating, life-shortening, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. See https://www.curefa.org/ for more information.
From @Dungeon Master: “Mayme is able to walk now with a slight wobble. Over time, the disease creates motor function challenges with people ending up in wheelchairs and other complications. My family is grappling with this. It is very raw, and it will take some time to adjust to the new normal. As a parent the most difficult part is her prognosis and imagining how her life may become more difficult without effective treatments or a cure. I greatly appreciate F3’s efforts to dedicate its fundraising to Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), which is the leading research advocacy group, co-founded by a couple in Fairfax, VA.”
Here’s how this year’s 50/50 Super Bowl Squares fundraiser will work . . .
1) For a primer on Super Bowl Squares: https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/02/13/how-do-super-bowl-squares-pools-work
2) Squares are $10 each and will be randomly assigned, and grids emailed out to all participants before Super Bowl kickoff on Sunday Feb 11th.
3) 50% goes directly to support FARA, and 50% goes to the winning squares on each grid (10% after the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters, and 20% for the final score).
4) You do NOT need to be involved in F3 to participate. Please share the links and QR codes (attached) with friends and family, to your networks on social media, and see if your company will match donations (send me the match receipt and you’ll get extra squares).
5) Donate here (https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/91r8yG6yzC), or direct via PayPal (F3fundraiser@gmail.com), or Venmo @chrismritter. Don’t forget to include your Name and email (and if applicable, your F3 name, Region, and AO) in the memo line.
Deadline is 3pm on Super Bowl Sunday February 11th to purchase squares.
Direct donations can also be made via their website – https://www.curefa.org/index.php
Thank you for helping Mayme beat Friedreich’s Ataxia!
Leader Appreciation
COT: The sign of successful leader or High Impact Man #HIM is to see what they Gave Away, what lives on beyond what they started. Reflecting on MjP’s departure from our region, we have to give thanks for all that he’s Given Away to our region. The chapter in the Q Source ( https://f3nation.com/q/) titled Positive Habit Transfer, reminds me of what MjP has done with our Region. In order to give something away, a HIM must possess it first. MjP has Positive Habits, which he gave away to many guys in our region. Those positive habits became our Guard Rails to becoming better men, better leaders. It’s now our turn, as leaders in F3, leaders in our community, leaders in our family to Give Away our Positive Habits to others. So that they in turn use it as guard rails to developing positive habits. “None of us alone is a great man. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.” Thank you MjP for all that you’ve done and continue to Give Away!! – Hightower
1stF Q – Legacy
It is my honor to write to you as the new 1stF Q of TheCapital Region. To introduce myself, I am Legacy. I have been doing F3 since March of 2022. I do my beatdowns primarily in Arlington and Falls Church. These are the Patriot, Horizon, Ignite AO, and also the Sandlot. I have been Site Q of the Sandlot for about a year, and, in the last few months, I have been active with Major Payne in starting up Ignite AO, which, having started in August, is already thriving. In October, Nano asked me to come on-board as the region’s 1stF Q, which I am proud to do. My first submission for the monthly newsletter is on the 1stF itself.
The 1stF is Fitness. It is our organization’s magnet. The core mission of F3 goes way beyond workouts. But workouts are our organization’s primary activity. The 1stF is the gateway to everything else. So, I need your support. Because, if I don’t do my job right, a lot of guys won’t even get to the 2nd or 3rd Fs.
So, questions—why is the 1stF the gateway? Why does the 1stF have to be the magnet? Here’s how I would explain it.
We are going to pick the Average Guy off the street. And we are going to ask him one of two questions. I provide those questions below, and on the following line, I will give you what I would expect the answer to be.
First Question to Average Guy: Hey, do you want to go hang out in a coffee shop with a bunch of guys you don’t really know and talk about your life and stuff?
Answer: Hell no! Are you joking?
Ok, that didn’t go too well. Let’s try something else…
Alternative, Second Question to Average Guy: Hey, instead of paying a gym thousands of dollars this year, would you like to do free group workouts with other guys?
Answer: Hmmm. Maybe. Tell me more…
Two different answers! Truth in advertising: the second question didn’t score a resounding yes. After the “tell me more,” it can get tedious. You may have to hear a bunch of whining about how “I can’t workout at 5:30 in the morning,” and all that jazz. We need to get the Average Guy over that hump. Sadly, some will never make it over. We can’t save everyone. That is not the point right now.
The point right now is this: Average Guys will more readily come to group workouts long before they will engage with fellow men on other fronts. There’s no time now to delve into the reasons behind that right now. Let’s just accept it as an “it is what it is” kind of thing, so I can get to more pressing matters.
More pressing matters: to get an Average Guy to come back again after coming out the first time, the workouts we run need to have a balanced environment. They need to be challenging, but not overwhelming. Indeed: the workouts can, in fact, be very challenging, and FNGs will not be turned off by that aspect. But. But. It is a significant “But.” But, during these challenging workouts, we need PAX to be sufficiently aware that FNGs are typically at earlier stages of their fitness journeys. FNGs need our respect, encouragement, and support.
If an Average Guy FNG comes out to an F3 workout and gets the misimpression that we are bunch of workout snobs who get our kicks by judging others, we likely won’t see that guy again. And I wouldn’t blame him. On the other end of the spectrum, if the Average Guy comes out and gets the misimpression that we aren’t serious at all about working out, we probably won’t see that guy again, either. Average Guys are busy—they don’t have time to waste on half-assed groups.
Thus, for 1stF purposes, we must get the balance right. Here’s a great punchline: in F3, we are great at getting the balance right. We do exactly that in The Gloom every morning, all across TheCapital Region. It’s our wheelhouse. The magnet is turned on!
I gotta move this story along. The magnet is on—but we have to keep it on. Alert! We cannot stagnate. We cannot rest inside the comfort zone of the status quo, even when it is a pretty good status quo. Once the Average Guy comes out a few times, they are rank-and-file PAX. We need to keep rank-and-file PAX coming back.
While continuing to welcome FNGs, we must create an environment in which the rank-and-file PAX push themselves. How do we do it? Peer leadership. We are still in our wheelhouse.
F3 is not an organization with leaders. We are an organization of leaders. To get our 1stF to the highest levels, the Q must rotate. The Q must rotate widely. A wide variety of Qs means a wide variety of workouts. It is an absolute genius program design element to prevent stagnation in training. Each Q brings their own strengths to the day’s workout. “Q Juice” is real, and it is Q Juice that powers our 1stF to levels that bring results – for an Average Guy—that will surpass those of even the best commercial gyms and professional trainers.
F3 destroys the fitness industry in the competition on price. But I would contend that—putting price aside—F3 delivers more effective fitness training than commercial gyms. With price disregarded, F3 is a superior training environment –for Average Guys–than a commercial gym. This is truly where the magnet is on and stays on. How can free workouts led by a rotating group of non-professionals be more effective than what you can get from trained professionals—at the cost of thousands of dollars?
I am not a professional. But, in my experience, there are two keys to optimal fitness training: 1) consistency and 2) intensity. Let’s just say that the Average Guy can somehow find and afford a commercial enterprise that delivers the “100% perfect workout” design. Indeed, that’s unlikely–even in a robust market. But that is a story for another time. Let’s assume the Average Guy can buy the “100% perfect workout.” That workout must be executed consistently and with sufficient intensity.
Consistency: even that “100% perfect workout” is going to deliver suboptimal results for the Average Guy if he ends up missing that workout often, say 1 time out of 3. The open secret of the fitness industry is that people pay but then fail to show. The fitness industry doesn’t really care. The Average Guy will miss—be honest—around 30% of the workouts he pays for. Some guys do better, yes, but let’s be honest about the numbers. Average guys end up missing a lot of their non-free workouts. So your 100% perfect workout already needs to be discounted to about 70%.
Intensity: And for those two times out of three that the Average Guy makes it? He is there working out by himself or with a trainer who is, by definition, not a peer. In those circumstances, the Average Guy is not going to perform at high levels of intensity most of the time. This is not a knock on Average Guys–I am one. Average Guys do not have the performance characteristics and drive of professional athletes. Once again, it is what it is. So, the 100% perfect workout, which already has been discounted to 70% because of poor attendance, now gets discounted again. We are at about 30%-40% perfect. I am not saying that this is bad. It’s better than nothing. But I am saying it is a lot less than advertised.
Now, let’s take that Average Guy out of the commercial gym and put him in the parking lot of a local middle school with a group of other guys. It’s amazing. Incredibly, somehow, the performance environment changes. Working out with your fellow men changes the equation. It just does. In the parking lot, you will have a workout designed by a non-professional. But it will be designed with common-sense principles picked up by a savvy – yet not professional—PAX. Let’s call that workout design “80% perfect.”
One last bit of math: an “80% perfect workout” performed with consistently high levels of intensity is going to deliver better results than the 100% perfect workout that exists only in theory, not reality. This brings us to the absolute triumph of the 1stF: our free workout, in the long-term, delivers better results than the ones guys are paying for
The magnet is on! This is a serious long-term magnet. Because PAX keep coming back. The quality of guys’ lives improves through long-term fitness. And communities form. 1stF complete!
I am about to the point where I need to hand you off to my brothers Rambler and Horshack for the 2nd and 3rd Fs, respectively. But one more final thing that will be big for me in 2024 as your 1stF Q: we must also do CSAUPS.
CSAUPS, you say? Yes! In addition to the weekly beatdowns, to further attack the status quo of stagnation, we need to throw in at least a handful of CSAUPs a year. The Murph, the 9-11 Stair Climb, the Grunt, the County Rambler, etc. etc. CSAUPS are status quo killers. CSAUPS bring our larger community together and push us even more aggressively out of our comfort zone.
STARTING POSITION—MOVE: RIght after this newsletter is posted, I am sending out an important Polly to gauge interest in the February/March CSAUP. Please look for this Polly and respond. TheCaptial Region Leadership wants your feedback. We need the PAX to be engaged, interested, and freed to lead. ON MY COUNT—EXERCISE! I am proud to be the 1stF Q of TheCapital Region. I look forward to a great 2024—filled with tremendous 1stF activities that will lead PAX to the higher Fs! SYITG!
What is the 3rdF?
Faith is the least understood of the three Fs – and it’s what probably makes F3 appear a little suspicious and cultish. Faith is a bit of a misnomer since F3 explicitly says it is “open to men of all faiths and no faith.” It’s not about religion, ascribing to any doctrine, or providing the answers to life’s mysteries. Rather, it’s about taking a chance, being vulnerable, and asking one another the deeper life questions we all share. Faith is a belief in something outside of ourselves and what’s empirically knowable.
As participants in a rotating peer led group, we open ourselves to be led. It begins with Q’ing workouts like almost all of us have done this year. That can lead to an AO having a shared purpose and broader impact beyond the 1st and 2nd Fs – for our marriages, families, and the larger community.
This potential impact is why Dredd, F3’s founder, calls the 3rd F the dynamite. Male community involvement rates are dropping at faster rates than male friendships and the 3rd F provides a counterweight to this trend.
So, if you’ve got an idea for making an impact big or small in your life and the lives of others, please remember you’ve got a built-in support team in the TheCapital Region and across F3 Nation to help you realize your vision.
~ Horshack – Oct. 2023
F3 The Capital’s 3rd regional Nant’an
Nano: Vision and Goals for the region
It’s not everyday that we get an opportunity to lead hundreds of men in any walk of life. The role of an F3 regional Nant’an is one such opportunity. It’s an opportunity to lead a group of high impact men (HIM) towards the outcome of greater physical, mental, and spiritual growth. With a region filled with HIM, the role of the Nant’an is to define the vision and goals for the region, both short and long term, to be a role model in championing the F3 core principals, and to build the PAX of today into the leaders of tomorrow. It is with this understanding that I am both honored and humbled in becoming the 3rd Nant’an for F3 The Capital.
F3 has become an integral part of my life, and I’m more than willing to give back. But, questions arise: Am I ready for this role? Will I do a good job? These self-doubts are ever-present and hard to suppress. However, I’m not alone in this endeavor. I have the experience and support of both Major Payne and Hightower, the region’s first and second Nant’ans, and I have my shared leadership team (SLT) to rely on. Furthermore, the fact that this opportunity pushes me out of my comfort zone is a clear sign of a “disruption” in my status quo. It indicates that this opportunity will undoubtedly require me to grow as a leader to succeed.
Will I have enough time? This is a question I had to consider in more depth, because time spent working on F3 “things” potentially means less free time, less work-time and most importantly, less time with my family. As I reflect on my work-life balance, all of the time spent on F3 has been repaid many times over. My fitness level has maintained or improved over the last few years which helps me serve as a role model for my kids. I have a full social calendar and opportunities to participate in many more events than I’ve ever had since beginning my professional career. I have built close friendships with many of my F3 brothers, and I continue to grow as a leader as I am surrounded by many great men of F3 The Capital. While not everyone recognizes it, all of the men in our regions are leaders, yet we all still have room for growth. Therefore, I think leaning into F3 will be an important growth opportunity for myself, and we can all accelerate the growth by leaning in together.
I want to share my perspective on F3’s leadership structure and the individuals currently in these roles. From the F3 Nation down to every region, the organization is intentionally designed to have an extremely flat hierarchy. Instead of having a senior leadership team, we have a shared leadership team with a mission of invigorating male community leadership and the 5 core principles defining our workouts. Most importantly, every PAX (member of F3) is “freed to lead.” This means that everyone should feel empowered to take charge and need no approval to do anything that fits within the scope of our mission and core principles.
The Fitness aspect of F3 serves as the spark, attracting men to give it a try. The Fellowship acts as the glue, binding men together and keeping them coming back. Faith, on the other hand, is referred to as the “dynamite,” by DREDD, the F3 co-founder. For F3, faith does not mean religion. Rather, it is a recognition that our lives are finite and the belief that how we live our lives has meaning. It represents the inevitable and intentional mental and spiritual growth that occurs as we HIM influence one another and strive to influence things larger than ourselves. Faith is what brings meaning to our lives and involves giving to others by nurturing future leaders and making a positive impact on the community.
To align with these three “Fs,” we have three SLT roles: the 1st F Q, 2nd F Q, and 3rd F Q. The role of the 1st F Q is to support the AO Qs (Area of Operations Qs), develop ways to enhance fitness outside the AOs through monthly challenges, and plan larger events like convergences and complete stupid and utterly pointless (CSAUP) events that occur a few times throughout the year.
The role of the 2nd F Q is to organize regional social gatherings of the PAX with no specific purpose other than hanging out. These gatherings could include getting together for a beer, organizing cornhole tournaments, poker nights, or any activities that the PAX want to do. Each AO can also have their own weekly or monthly events, and the 2nd F Q should collaborate with these leaders to unite the region.
The role of the 3rd F Q goes beyond fitness and social interactions; it focuses on nurturing the mental and spiritual growth of the PAX. The 3rd F Q is encouraged to find ways for the PAX to “get right” while also organizing events for F3 The Capital Region to give back to the community. This could involve community service events such as assembling furniture for the Ronald McDonald House Foundation, participating in the placement and removal of wreaths at national cemeteries, Adopt a Highway, or any community service activity that benefits your local area. This area is of particular interest to me and I’m interested in increasing the number of 3rd F events we are involved with and would love to hear ideas from the PAX regarding what we should participate in and who would like to lead them.
The rest of the SLT consists of the Commz Q, Weasel Shaker, and in our region, an Expansion Q. The Commz Q acts as our webmaster and oversees our social media platforms. His main objective is to keep all PAX members informed about the region’s events and activities. Moreover, the outward-facing social media presence is an excellent way to raise awareness about F3 and its activities within our community.
As Hightower likes to say, the Weasel Shaker has his finger on the pulse of the region. This can be achieved by tracking various numbers such as posts, Qs (workout leaders), FNGs (Friendly New Guys), etc. Additionally, the Weasel Shaker can take a more proactive approach by visiting different AOs and communicating with AO-Qs to gauge the well-being of each AO.
Lastly, our new SLT position, the Expansion Q, has a forward-looking vision for the region’s growth. They contemplate questions such as which AOs need to be split to facilitate further expansion, which regions are currently lacking in service, and how we can pool resources to support new or struggling AOs. These are the key concerns of the Expansion Q.
To keep this post short’ish, below is a table displaying the individuals in different SLT roles and the AOs they regularly post. If anyone is interested in one of these positions, feel free to contact them. We’re eager to expand the leadership team and involve multiple guys in each role to share the workload and accomplish more!
| Shared Leadership Team Role | F3 Nickname | F3 The Capital Home AO |
| Nant’an | Nano | Delphi |
| 1st F Q | Bogey | The Patriot |
| 2nd F Q | Rambler | Olympus |
| 3rd F Q | Horshack | Freestate |
| Weasel Shaker | Lazlo | Horizon |
| Commz Q | Old Bay | The Patriot |
| Expansion Q | HIghtower | Olympus |
| Nant’an Emeritus | Major Payne, Hightower | The Patriot / Olympus |
Vision and Goals
As Nant’an, my vision statement is “to strengthen the F3 culture both within the region, and throughout the community.” If you prefer a slogan, here goes: “Building the men who build the community.”
As they often say in communications training, let me paint you a picture. Picture our region as a place where everyday you have multiple options to attend a workout. And, as you make your choice, your mind is set at ease knowing that no matter which AO you choose, you’ll get an authentic F3 experience. You’ll see the shovel flag as you arrive at the AO, the Q starts the beat down on-time, the mubblechatter is on-point and above the belt, you pick-up the six, leave no man behind, and close-out (on time) with a meaningful COT. These characteristics make up the core of the F3 culture that continues to thrive across the nation and the globe; therefore, I plan to embrace the F3 culture and reinforce it throughout the region.
Looking at the broader community, imagine the feeling you’ll get while driving down the street as you pass something your local PAX helped build, restore, or clean-up in your community. With the PAX of F3 The Capital as the vehicle, the attitudes and behaviors of F3 (i.e., The F3 Culture) is a necessary, uplifting force desperately needed in our community. As we help our PAX get right, live right, lead right, and leave right, our communities can benefit at the same time. In many ways this will be inevitable, but imagine how much more can be done when we are intentional about it.
To put these words into action my SLT and I will develop a strategic plan consisting of 3-5 goals toward which F3 The Capital will strive. These goals will be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), and guided by the vision set forth above. But, the SLT is here to serve the region so I would greatly appreciate all feedback and recommendations you’d like to provide.
I have high-hopes for this region and equally high expectations. With your help and commitment to building the men who build the community, I am confident we will achieve them.
A Blast From the Past
AROUND TOWN - as seen in ArlingtonNow! A Male-Only Workout Group is Coming to Arlington Anna Merod May 23, 2018 at 2:45pm (posted here June 22, 2023)A group encouraging peer-led, male-only workouts is coming to Arlington. Jim Gregory is the organizer bringing F3, a national organization whose name stands for “fitness, fellowship and faith,” to the county. Gregory first experienced F3 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Then, when he moved to Arlington, he reached out to F3 about establishing a group in his new home. “I had a great experience down there with these guys who were fun people to hang out with and it’s a free workout and I thought you know I want to start something here,” Gregory said. F3, which was founded in 2011, has the stated goal of encouraging male community leadership. Gregory said part of the motivation for starting a male-only workout group is that it’s an opportunity for men to find friends. He added that it can be difficult over time for men to create meaningful bonds after they leave college, get a job or get married.
“It also might help them become better husbands, better friends, better bosses, better crazy uncles,” Gregory said. “It helps them become better at it, because they develop confidence in a friendship group and a peer group that they can relate to that they may have lost.”
F3 has a female workout group affiliate called Females in Action (FiA), but Gregory said he doesn’t plan on being the one to organize an FiA in Arlington. Though he did say he hopes maybe the wives of F3 members will start one.
Though at least one resident contacted ARLnow.com to criticize F3’s exclusion of women, Gregory said he hasn’t personally received any criticism for bringing F3 to Arlington. He has about 25 men signed up for the first workout, which is set to take place at 7 a.m. on June 2 at Greenbrier Park, next to Yorktown High School. Photo via Twitter/@F3_Arlington_VA
F3 The Capital History as of June 17, 2023
This June 17, F3 The Capital will celebrate five years since a group of HIM (High Impact Men) planted its shovel flag in Arlington, and the time has really flown by! Since establishment of its first AO, The Patriot, at Yorktown High School, the region has grown to 21 distinct AOs with 33 workouts every week, and the region continues to expand!
Looking back to F3 origins in the DC area, it began in 2012 with a Charlotte-based PAX named Belk traveling to the area and inspiring a handful of guys (Horshack, Early Bird, Winklevoss and others) to duplicate the concept of the newly formed F3 Nation. This became a single mobile AO within the DC area, primarily meeting at Roosevelt Island. Though many have left the area, a small group persisted until today, working out at the AO now known as Mt Vernon, which was established by Early Bird and is now led by Winklevoss. Horshack, from the “Free State” of Maryland, vowed to open his own AO, and in 2020 he made good on this promise when he planted the shovel flag in Bethesda, MD, forming the FreeState AO.
Early Bird & Winklevoss 
Horshack w/ Deagle at FreeState AO
In August 2017, Major Payne moved to Arlington from Chapel Hill, NC and wanted to continue with the brotherhood he discovered in the land of the Tarheels and Dooks. So, unaware of the Mt Vernon group, he planted the shovel flag in Arlington, remaining “off-the books” for almost a year. It wasn’t until North Carolina PAX from both F3 Churham and F3 CARPEX traveled to Arlington the following summer for three consecutive weekends (June 2, 9, 16, 2018) that F3 The Capital officially launched with Major Payne as its first Nant’an.
Maj. Payne @ PAX at the Lincoln Memorial
Within months of The Patriot launching as F3 The Capital’s sole AO for MWF workouts, Hightower (also hailing from F3 Churham) and his family moved into the Burke area of Northern Virginia. Once settled, he got to work establishing the region’s second AO, Olympus, at Lake Braddock Secondary School for Th/Sat beatdowns, and shortly afterward opened Compound for Wednesdays
Hightower leading #TheMurph 
As new PAX established AOs in increasingly distant areas of the National Capital Region, it became apparent that the region needed to starfish, and under the leadership of Hightower, the region’s second Nant’an, F3 The Capital helped to establish F3 Blue Ridge and F3 Annapolis through Site-Qs-elevated-to-Nant’ans Refueler and Chew Toy, respectively. Both of those regions are flourishing on their own now, which is a true testament to the men who established them and the F3 Nation model.
In the ensuing years, F3 The Capital has impacted men’s lives through some of its hallmark CSAUPs such as February’s “Abominable Ruck Challenge” (or ARC as it’s lovingly known), the 9-11 Stair Climb at the Lincoln Memorial, and “The Grunt” held each Veterans Day in November. And in March 2023, F3 The Capital hosted GrowRuck Training Event (GTE) 35, where more than 100 PAX, in one way or another, experienced the most powerful CSAUP the F3 Nation has to offer.
F3 The Capital now has transitioned to its third Nant’an, Nano, and boasts new AOs in Falls Church, Springfield, Mt Vernon, Alexandria, Bethesda, Beltsville, Navy Yard, Herndon, Gainesville, and even North Beach, MD.
Hightower passes The Capital to Nano, May 2023
It’s clear, more starfish regions are in its future, and more growth – physical, mental and spiritual – is inevitable. Through great leaders, great actions occur, and that is what F3 The Capital is blessed with across all the PAX.
- Maj. Payne
June 2023
F3 The Capital 