The BackBlast:

AO:

special_event

Pax Names:

Cricket, Misty, Carmen San Diego, Spaceballs, Babyface, Drumstick, Turnpike (FNG), Titlemax, Homeboy, Chitwood, Hombre, Woody, Hard Hittin, Gut Check, Manning, Jungle Love, Band Camp, Good Hands, Odd Job, Pie Bar, Swisher, MSG, Shirley Temple (FNG), Goat Milk, Satellite, Hartford, Quaqmire, Drone, Westside, Kiffin, Trill, Bloodhound, Cuban, Old 96r, Garfield, Wiggum, High Tops, Dory, X Files, Hasbro, Hooch, Papa John, Ricky Bobby, AC, Sgt Slaughter, Tina, Mic Check, Spit Valve (FNG), Festiva, Dizzy, Nomad, The Mole, BailOut (FNG), Aquaman, Lawdog, Dixie Chick, Poo Bear, Chops

Number of Pax:

58

FNG Names:

Turnpike, Shirley Temple, Spit Valve, Bail Out

Number of FNGs:

4

Intro:

Getting a convergence of 60+ was the high bar… instead we got 66 degrees on Jan 1st, and if only a few additional drunk spooners of the PAX would have join the other 58 of us at the 1st Lion’s Den convergence we woulda killed it. But it was awesome just the same!

Warm-o-Rama:

Mozy down hill and between parked buses to Liberty Bus lanes. Then 10 SSH, 10 Weed Pickers, 10 Sun Gods, 10 Michael Phelps in Cadence. Trying to hurry… alot to do… also said the disclaimer (podcast reiterated this), etc…

The Thang:

Since Lions Den is newest AO, some of the TLD regulars wanted to exhibit the different areas of the AO. Also needed to give a convergence crowd some variety. Crowd size was our planning variable so Dizzy, Hartford, Pie Bar, and I worked out a 3 station plan ending in combined group finale. Divided into 3 teams (or tried until Drone attempted to go to 4) in a round-the-horn count off. Teams followed team leads to stations. Station 1 was grassy hill between FMS & bus driveway. It was 11's up/down the hill with monkey humpers & wheel of merkin/merkin at top/bottom. Some audibles for time burn including a downhill bear crawl (not advised), and extra trips up & down to support our FNG pulling in the 6 (Hard Hittin was workin the 6 hard). Used my coaching whistle at 12min intervals to indicate station rotation. Station 2 was partners using cinder block coupons on basketball courts doing skull crushers, curls, squats while partner ran to/from tiny playground for 20 box jumps (Gut Check's gonna be on DL… box jump took him out right off the bat), decline merkins, bbs. Whistle again and onto Station 3 in Liberty bus lanes for pain pole work. Down and backs with 20 Pain Pole Jacks at 1/2 way mark both directions. Partner w/o Pain Pole you're doing Burpees with partner at 1/2 way mark. At the beginning/end 20 Star Jumps, 20 Mexican Jumping Bean Squats, and an attempt to call some Merkins in the mix. Heard some rumbling of "he's making this up", but we had laminated cheat sheets as proof it was at least outlined. Finally time came for another final whistle for all teams hustle back up to upper FMS bus lanes for final Burpee Mile. We made 2-3 laps with 12 burpees on each lap completion before time was up.

COT:

HUGE group, forgot to begin w/ count off (saved by my elders), Name-o-rama is particularly encouraging in these big events (to me). FNG naming is a hoot. Mentioned 50 miles in 15 days ruck challenge, 2 new upcoming 3rd F events, one of the PAX has cancer needs prayer, and various PAX awards including Homeboy winning the major PAX trophy of HIM of the year. Also heads up on future quarterly competition banners for AO flags. Hang around for coffeteria (on location coffee, gallons of chocolate milk, homemade egg casseroles, sodas).

Naked Man Moleskin:

Still working on pithy things to write in a BB, but it was an honor to host the convergence for the 2019 kickoff. Really felt a void since Fleetwood couldn't be with us because he EH'd me and planted the Lions Den, plus he is a gigantic 3rd F leader. Hosting the group to goodness on site, after the BD was a great way to conclude the convergence and this crazy GA weather cooperated. I am sore tonight… crazy how being the Q takes my mind off the workout, and somehow I do more in those moments than when I am following… go figure. Hope the rest of the guys got a decent BD out of the stations. So many great guys in this group including my partners-in-crime Hartford, Dizzy & Pie Bar.

Crazy personal retrospective… I began a physical transformation on 1/1/2018 weighing 307 lbs. I couldn't even walk up the stairs of my own home without being out of breath. I had 3 school age kids… what the hell was wrong with me. Luckily a woman in my neighborhood was after me at every turn to try nutritional cleansing to get my weight loss started. I finally TRUSTED her lead and lost 89 lbs by July (7 months). Fleetwood mentioned the morning workouts at some point, but I thought he was nuts for getting up at 5:30a to workout outside. He finally EH'd me when a closer location was offered in Sept. My awakening to F3 began then.

Today, Jan 1, 2019 I have lost 96lbs, and lead a group of 58 men doing a 1 hr bootcamp style workout. If that is not a miracle I don't know what is. And I am getting to know a group of men I admire and enjoy spending time with. F3 is so much more than can be summed up in words of an elevator pitch. It's about trusting someone who's a little farther along than you, then finding your own love for the thang… atleast that's my perspective.

TRUST SOMEONE… 2019