F3 New Orleans

Tag: Garfield

  • F3 Thursday, Take 1

    There we were, gathered in the 73 degree gloom, preparing for pedo-strata combat like a small band of wearily tremulous skirmishers, ready to embark on Part 1 of, what would be for some, a 2-part F3 kind of day. The insights were keen, though the conversations garrulous as, with the under-the-wire arrival of Chewy, we were off without so much as side straddle hop or imperial walker.

    Perseverance was the battle plan of the day along the scramble route. For some it was giving it their all to keep up and catch up, while for others it was the sporadically concerted effort to not far out-pace the rest of the illustrious PAX. And for yet at least one other it was keeping his bowels under his own power.

    For those of us who are acquainted with the mastery of skill over his craft that Chewy has, there is a respect, admiration, and appreciation. Having tweaked his back in the arduously entertaining ultimate frisbee beatdown of his own design last Saturday, Waterpik, was quick to accept the grace of physical therapy-on-the-go that YHC, among others, have been the the recipient of. Further proving his worth, Chewy was tapped by YHC to take us out with 10 minutes of ballistic stretches and yoga, but not before Garfield and Coconuts were initiated into the Dice of Doom fraternity with 10 putins and 15 side straddle hops.

    For part 2, a Maverick-induced 8:00pm beatdown followed by F2 will be a fun change of pace this evening.

    YHC prayed us out with a disjointed rambling of appreciation and acknowledgement for the influence that we all have in others’ lives and they in ours, and how we are all held in one set of almighty hands.

    Thank you, gentlemen, for another rousing scramble!

     

  • Drowning in Pools of Iron Sweat and Tears

    Some of us have the God-given ability to sweat rivulettes of salty, man-musky, liquid WORK. For others, to reach such epic proportions of perspiration it requires a beatdown from above…or at least a little further north – say, South Carolina and the Iron PAX Challenge. As a disclaimer, there was a Monday modification called by YHC shortly after beginning. Instead of 50 reps of varying exercises after the BBJOs, we previewers of this weeks challenge reduced the number to 25.

    WARM-O-RAMA

    15xs IC:

    Toe Touches

    Forward Arm Circles (golfballx5, basketballx5, beachballx5)

    Same in reverse

    Windmills

    THANG

    This weeks Iron PAX Challenge (with slight modification):

    15 down to 1 Burpee Block Jump Overs, each set followed by 25 reps of a rotating choice of hand release merkins, goblet squats, and leg raises with coupon in extended chest press position, followed by broad jumping out 10 yards and back 10 yards….AMRAP for 30 minutes! Pre-administered T Claps to Shooter (the sweetest sweatiest swamp beast this side of the Marsh) who will be leading Covingtons finest and subjecting himself to the full version at the Gipper wednesday.

    MARY (kinda)

    Coconuts took the reigns, sharing duties with The Wackiest Wacker (nod to our absent brother Steve) for his VQ! With little time and less energy remaining at the Marsh, the PAX eagerly anticipated some time on our sixes, only to be lead to the playground. Alas, Coconuts was to bring it proper for his first time in the lead.

    While the PAX planked, each man individually did 1 pull up. After all had accomplished this, each man returned to the monkey bars for 2, then 3, and, running out of time, 2 more before wearily returning to center court for COT

    Many thanks to Shooter for praying us out, with special intentions for our own Captain Sparkles.

    Congrats to the weekday-warrior Coconuts for poppin his F3 cherry! We look forward to following your lead often.

  • Can You Feel The LOVE?

    We were all FNGs once…BUT….IF….you’ve been an F3 Northshore FNG recently, making your first post at the most logical AO, the Mandeville Lakefront, you’ve experienced some extreme H8 from on-Q-high.  Of course, I would never mention any Qs by name…but a few nicknames come to mind: Turbo (extreme H8), Maverick (he called it “a sampling” of H8), and who could forget Bushwacker and his “animal planet” on what had to be the longest set of city blocks in all of Mandeville (I attribute my slow typing to the blisters on my fingers from bear crawling).  And, there may have been another obstacle course beatdown sprinkled somewhere in there, but YHC cant remember that one very well.  To make a long story short, there seems to have been some sort of Challenge or Race at each Saturday morning beatdown this summer.   So YHC figured with all this H8, it was time for some LOVE.  So here’s how it went:

    Warmarama

    SSH, Imperial Walkers, High Knees, Butt Kicks.  x 15 all IC.  Then off we go for some fun and games.  Mosey to the Great Lawn…

    Thang:

    45 Minute game of Ultimate Frisbee with some school yard smack talkin’ mixed in.  It was awesome!  YHC felt like a kid out there.  Raise your hand if you’ve said, “Losers walk” in the last 30 years.    The game went great–we had some diving catches, some nice throws, some blocked passes and deflections.  Even Chris Berman and Tom Jackson would have been impressed if they had seen the full speed, Sportscenter-esque collision between Assets and TankedUp.    Relieved that no one was “Jacked Up” after the collision, YHC called “next point wins.”  With a quick score by the Shirts (the Skins fell asleep because the rest of the game was such a blowout), it was time to mosey back to the Flag for some Mary:

    Flutter Kicks, Hello Dollys, Putins, Rower Sit-ups, and Leg Raises.

    Countarama, Namorama, and YHC prayed us out.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead, men.  I appreciate it.

  • Northshore H8!

    There’s been a fair amount of mumble chatter emanating from the Southshore lately about the so called H8! beat down.  Never to be outdone by our Southshore brothers, the Northshore PAX decided to turn up the volume to 11 this morning with a modified version of the H8!   After the standard disclaimer and a warmup of SSHs, Seal Jacks, Toe Touches, Imperial Walkers, Front to Back Lunges, Lateral Lunges, and Windmills, all IC and with rep counts from 10-20, YHC led fourteen men westward on the Mandeville Lakefront to the launch pad for 40 minutes of suffering.

    The PAX started the clock and their first lap with one Merkin.  This one Merkin was the centerpiece of YHC’s diabolical plan to make the Northshore H8! .01% better than the Southshore version.  YHC’s poor reading comprehension and math skills actually made it a lot harder, however.  YHC misinterpreted Hawg’s Friday afternoon briefing, realized his mistake 1 lap into the H8!, but by that time the horses were out of the barn and it was too late to recall them for revised instructions.  Anyone who has Q’d a beat down know how that works.

    At any rate, after that first Merkin (which was terrific across the board by the way), the PAX bear crawled 35 yards, ran out and back for .4 miles round trip, bear crawled 35 yards back to our starting point and then performed 8 burpees and 8 Merkins within each burpee to complete one lap.  This last part is where YHC mangled Hawg’s instructions.  We should have performed descending Merkins instead of 8 Merkins for each burpee, i.e. 36 instead of 64.  Too late.  The die was cast, as mentioned above, and there was nothing to do but get on with it.

    So we did, completing as many laps as possible in 40 minutes, dropping the number of burpees and Merkins by one on each lap.  Whether it was the extra Merkins or our lack of fitness relative to our Southshore brothers, we’ll never know, but no one completed 8 laps in the prescribed 40 minutes.  The PAX cheerfully embraced the suck, however, which is something.  Even when the wind picked up, it started to rain hard, and the Sky Q started throwing lightening bolts nearby.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning, guys, and welcome to FNGs Survivor and The Hammer.  See you in the Gloom.

     

     

     

     

  • Mandeville Zoo

    It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done.

    -Nelson Mandella

    It was this sentiment that was permeating the air like vapors of a scent distinctly from times gone by, whilst I was pondering the unlimited possibilities for Saturday at the Lakefront. It had YHC reminiscing about slightly less than a year ago when a freshly minted Bushwacker spent almost the entirety of the weekend beatdowns feeling pure misery and little faith in his ability to see the thing through to completion. It was only the strength that he absorbed from his F3 brothers, as if by osmosis, that allowed him to finish, realizing that impossible really was possible! The pain and misery faded and was quickly replaced by feelings of exuberance and satisfaction.

    In an attempt to reignite and recapture that feeling, as well as spread it amongst the PAX, it was high time we returned to Animal Planet. In homage to our esteemed brother Butt Splice, who by sheer coincidence happened to grace us with his presence, our tickets were purchased, our bags were packed, and we prepared to go on a safari of sorts.

    WARM-O-RAMA

    21s – SSH in cadence with reps 1-5 out loud and 6-21 in silence. After a failed 1st attempt, we hit 10 burpees. After a 2nd failed attempt, 50 LBCs

    High knees/Air presses –  simultaneously, IC x20

    Annie – in plank, alternate “scrubbing the floor” with right or left hand

    Abe Vigodas – x10 IC

    THANG

    QIC passed the baton to Barely Legal

    After a brief westward mosey PAX circled up for…

    x20 IC:

    Putins, LBCs, Freddy Mercurys, mountain climbers & very slow flutter kicks ( hence for to be known as Sputter Kicks)

    Back to Bushwacker with a mosey to the nearest corner (perhaps LafayetteSt)

    Welcome to ANIMAL PLANET!

    For the 1st block we bear crawled and finished with 10 burpees

    2nd block we crab walked followed by 20 merkins

    (returning to lakefront)

    3rd block was duck walk and 5 burpees

    Last block was bunny hop with 10 merkins

    More from Barely Legal

    The PAX headed back towards the shovel flag, but pulled up to the sea wall slightly short of said destination.

    Aiken Legs was on BL’s agenda:

    R1 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges

    R2 5 derkins, 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 5 derkins

    MARY

    To be perfectly honest, YHC was so worn out and oxygen deprived at this point that I can only summon vague recollections of Peter Parkers before the golden dawning of glorious 7:30!

    COT, FNGx2, Ocho closed out our sacramental sacrifice of blood and sweat with a prayer of appreciation for all that we are blessed with.

    Many thanks to Barely Legal for bringing the pain, and to all the PAX for following our lead and embracing the suck!

     

  • 8ball Qball

    YHC’s first Saturday Q:

    BACKSTORY: YHC stayed out late the night before and still hadn’t formed the plan…but it was done by about 02:00 when YHC finished his festivities. As a precaution not to fartsack the Q YHC drove to the location and, after attaching a note to the window that said “WAKE THE Q”, turned down the seat and went to sleep until the morning. But the note wasn’t necessary as YHC just shot up awake at 06:00. Fortunately YHC awoke early because, like every morning, there was a sycamore down under if you catch my driftwood…err drift. After running behind a dumpster behind a building to fix the situation, YHC returned to start the thang.

    YHC skipped the foreplay and awaited the rest of the PAX that would show.

     

    Warmup:

    Monkey Humpers, imperial walkers, windmills, monkey humpers

    The Thang:

    1.) partnered up, one person does sit-ups while the other is lunging with twist approx. 30yds and return back with side shimmy to switch with partner until 200 sit-ups reached.

    2.) partnered up, one planks while other sprints same distance back and forth. 10 rounds.

    3.) partnered up, “Bad Dog” one bear crawls while other is in front of them back peddling 30 yds. Then switch roles back to start line. 5 rounds.

    4.) duck duck goose abs circle – PAX in a circle doing flutter kicks until everyone takes a turn sprinting around the circle. Second round was same thing but with Freddy Mercuries.

    COOL DOWN

    ran back to flag, monkey humpers

    COT, BOM – jul 4th event announced by Turbo

    new FNG = ZOOLANDER

     

  • Discipline Equals Freedom

    “Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen.  You won’t be.  Don’t count on motivation.  Count on discipline.” – Jocko Willink, Discipline Equals Freedom:  Field Manual

    “The test is not a complex one:  when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep?  If you have the discipline to get out of bet, you win-you pass the test.  If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail.  Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions.  But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life.”  Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership:  How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win.

    “Our freedom to operate and maneuver had increased substantially through disciplined procedures.  Discipline equals freedom.”  Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership:  How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win.

    YHC sprinkled words of wisdom from his favorite U.S. Navy SEAL throughout this morning’s beatdown.  He was preaching to the choir, of course, because all seven PAX standing around the shovel flag on the Mandeville Lakefront at 0630 already had passed their first test of the day.  Their alarms sounded and they posted, ready to get some.

    Barely Legal assisted YHC with this morning’s Warmup, a Q school of sorts.  YHC led the PAX in Seal Jacks, lunges, Merkins, Copperhead Squats, windmills, and OH Hand Claps.  Barely Legal followed suit and, being a quick study, had mastered several counting styles in no time at all.  When all was said and done, the PAX had a solid 20 reps IC for each exercise and was ready to mosey down the Lakefront for a

    Ring of Fire

    Forming a ring around YHC’s backpack, the PAX bear crawled around the ring to the left, then the right, forward to the backpack and back, performing Merkins, Parker Peters, and plank variations along the way.  Then we recovered for a standing Ring of Fire, shuffling with thighs parallel to the ground around the ring to the left, then the right, duck walk forward to the backpack and back, with Copperhead Squats and some Al Gore mixed in.  Brief recovery then a mosey further down the Lakefront for

    3×30

    YHC placed two cones about 100 yards apart, sweeping the lane of travel for land mines as an early morning gift to the PAX.  The next bit went like this:

    10 regular Merkins, stride it out to the far cone, backpedal to the near cone; 10 right hand forward Merkins, stride/backpedal again, then 10 left hand forward Merkins, final stride/backpedal

    10 Good Mornings, prime time to the far cone and back; rinse and repeat two times

    10 hand release Merkins, lateral bounce extend to the far cone and back; 10 hand release T Merkins, lateral bounce extend again; 5 regular hand release Merkins and 5 hand release T Merkins; later bounce extend for the final trip

    Another pause to catch our breath and then time for the main event.

    Flying Sprints

    Starting at the near cone, the PAX ran at 50% for the first 75 yards and then executed an all out sprint the remaining 25 yards to the far cone.  Instructions were to give it everything for those final 25 yards, run ugly if necessary to close the distance as fast as possible.  Recovery walk back to the start.  Rinse and repeat twice for 3 high quality sprints.

    Of note, Moby surprised us all, and himself as well, with Bo Jacksonesque sprints.  If anyone personifies our “discipline equals freedom” mantra for the day, it’s Moby.  When was the last time you saw a 67 year old run like a Heisman trophy winner?

    Back to the shovel flag for

    Mary

    70 second front plank, Jane Fonda left then right 20x IC each, single leg lifts 10x IC each leg, and finally a set of scorpions 10x IC.

    Countorama, nameorama and then off to the Beach House for our coffeeteria with a few wins under our collective belts to start our weekends.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning, guys, and for always pushing me to be better.

  • Got a spare???

    The beautiful weather brought the largest group of pacs that we have seen a while at the Mothership. We had 15 total including three FNG’s. I am glad that I brought some coupons with me, so that I would not dissapoint.

    Warm-Up

    SS Hops-25 IC, Seal Jacks- 25 IC, IMW’s-25 IC, High Knees- 25 IC, Butt Kicks-25 IC, Forward Arm Rolls- 10IC, Reverse Arms Rolls -10 IC, Overhead Claps – 15 IC

    Mosey….

    Bearmuda TIRE angle

    All pacs divide into three groups. Each group starts at one of three different stations. These stations are the sea wall, THE Tire, and a soft patch of green grass that is covered in the morning dew and one land mine. The exercises that were performed at each station went as follows:

    Station 1(seawall) – 10 Irkins, Station 2(patch of grass) – 10 Merkins, Station 3(tire) – 10 Derkins- (pacs’ feet were on the tire)

    Rinse and repeat this until all groups have done each station 3 times.

    When moving from one station to the next, all pacs must do a bear crawl to get there, hence bearmude TIRE angle.

    Just for the heck of it, we got back into a large circle and did 10 Merkins IC.

    Bearmuda TIRE angle 2.0

    This is a little twist on the previous circuit of exercises. The groups and stations were kept the same, but the exercises and how you got there changed.

    Station 1- 5 Step Ups each leg, Station 2-10 Copper Head Squats, Station 3- 10 tire(box) jumps

    All pacs had to bunny hop to get to each station.

    Recipe for Humble Pie = 1/2 of beatdown + 250lb tire flip

    I was suprised that I was able to finish the rest of the beat down due to me being so full from the HUGE piece of humble pie I had to eat before the next part of the beatdown started. While attempting to show the rest of the pacs the technique in flipping a tire, I quickly learned that the beatdown I was throwing at my fellow pacs had sucked a good bit of engergy out of me. So much, that I could not flip the tire solo. I had to call an audible……..

    Pacs break into groups of two. Each group flips the tire together 5 times. After each flip, the pacs flipping the tire do 1 burpee. While waiting for groups to complete tire flips, the other pacs are doing various plancs including regular, right arm, left arm, as well as some merkings and air presses.

    TIRE Throw

    Now we did not try to throw this monstrosity, but we did TRY to throw a football through it.

    Each pac took a try at making a 15 yard throw  through the tire.

    If the pac attempting the throw, made it through, NO BURPEES. If you hit the tire, 2 BURPEES. If you missed the tire completely, 3 BURPEES.

    Since no one made it through the tire, we all had to do 10 BURPEES.

    Indian Run back to Flag. Wait a second. There was no flag. Steve, where ya’t!!!!

    With 5 minutes left, we wrapped things up with some Mary.

    LBC’s – 20 IC, Puttins – 20 IC, Crunchie Frugs – 20 IC,  Freddie Mercuries- 20 IC, Flutter Kicks -15 IC, Straigh Leg Lifts – 10IC

    T-Claps to Shooter for helping me transport the TIRE to and from the AO.

    The newest members to F3, Dr. NO, Pot Hole, and oh yes, Poop Eye, did a great job on their first beatdown.