Games in the Dark

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: AAA, El Capitan, Ex-Pat, morning stār, Pebbles, Sooie, Stubs, Wolfpack, Bumblebee (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP:
Head and shoulders OYO
BAC
BBAC
Imperial Walkers
Cherry Pickers
Don Quixote’s
WMH OYO
Slow squats
Slow Merkins
20 yard mosey

THE THANG:
2 team relay
2 cones 20 yards apart
Each team sends a runner down to perform exercise, runner sprints back. After everyone on the team ran, we progressed to the next exercise. First team to finish wins. Exercises were:
5 burpees
10 jump squats
15 WWII’s

GAMES!!!
Bear Crawl Tag to determine who would hold the torch first in Torch Tag.
Torch Tag
1 pax with a flashlight, all other Pax try to tag them. Pax had to do SSH while the flashlight was shining on them. Bumblebee held the torch longest.
Infection
Toilet Tag

Ring of Fire to 5

MOLESKINE:
Didn’t have much of a moleskine planned other than having family fun during fall break.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Big announcement coming 10/10! Come to the-knoll to find out.
Chili Cookoff 10/20. 12:30-2:30 Shelby Park. Bring your M’s and 2.0’s. See Wolfpack for additional details.

COT:
Prayed for East Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida as well as PAX traveling over fall break.

Enjoyed the Mtn Mocha generously provided by El Capitan !

Elevens & the Deadly Dice

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Ex-Pat, AAA, morning stār, El Capitan, Malibu, Sooie, Lady Liberty, Pebbles, Timber, Stubs, Bumblebee (2.0), Schmoltz (2.0), TopGun (2.0), TheJudge (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: 60 degrees & foggy. Starlit overhead.
TUNES: Joyful eclectic playlist

WARMUP:
– Downdog + cobra
– 10x mountain climbers
– Bird Dogs (3x) each side, 3 sets
– Back stretches (the best)

THE THANG:
PART 1: ELEVENS
– Squat Jumps at top of road
– Butt-kickers down hill to road
– Plank Jacks on road curb
– High Knees back up hill.

Repeat until 11’s complete

PART 2: Deadly Dice

Circle up around flood table. One PAX rolls 12-sided die with regular die into bucket.

Regular die represents exercises:
– 1 (Burpees)
– 2 (Downward Dog Toe Taps 2=1)
– 3 (Dips)
– 4 (American Hammers 2=1)
– 5 (Hand-release merkins)
– 6 (Iron Mikes 2=1)

12-sided die represents the amount of reps.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

PART 3: Return of the Plank, Plank, Goose!
– Circle up in grass. One person is “it”. Goes around duck-duck-goose style. When he chooses a goose, he immediately does 10 SSH while the tagged runs around circle & tries to return to spot before tagger does.

Cool down mosey to coupon tree & back to playground.

MOLESKINE:
Encouraged the PAX to look outside themselves & seek opportunities to better serve their families & communities. It’s so easy to be primarily concerned with what matters to me – but true manliness is sacrificial, seeking the good of others for the glory of God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Happy birthday, @Schmoltz!! Enjoy those birthday breakfast bagels in bed. :joy:
Fat Bear Week is next week, per Sooie! :bear:

COT: Lifted up prayer requests & held a moment of silence. Enjoyed a delicious moment of fellowship & :boar::coffee::tm: post-workout.

Grateful for y’all!

:el-capitan:

MOT CIRCUIT

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Timber, Ex-Pat, The Banker, AAA, El Capitan, morning stār, Sooie, Stubs, Pitmaster, Pebbles, Papa Bear, The Merchant, Bumblebee (2.0), Schmoltz (2.0), Eagle (2.0), TheJudge (2.0), TopGun (2.0)
FNGs: 1 TopGun (2.0)
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: mid-60s & blustery

WARMUP:
– Stretches (down dog, cobra, sprinter stretch, BACs & BacBACs x10
– Motivators 5x, run to backstop & back to playground

THE THANG:
PART 1: MOT CIRCUIT
– count off into two teams

Round #1:
– team 1 BEAR CRAWLS around perimeter of playground
– team 2 SKY THRUSTS until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #2:
– team 1 LIZARD CRAWLS around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 FREDDY MERCURY’S until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #3:
– team 1 GORILLA HOPS around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 “REVERSE” BURPEE (WW2 to jump) until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #4:
– team 1 CRAB WALK around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 IMPERIAL WALKERS until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Part 2: MYSTERY MARY

Two sets of cardboard cards
One set has times (:45-2 min)
One set has CORE workouts
Lie cards face down in two groups, memory game style.
Pax circle up- 2.0s choose a time card + workout card.

Wash, rinse, repeat

Ended with a 1:45 round of Ring of Fire.

MOLESKINE:
“Love is a long road.” Our culture tends to view love as a feeling, something you fall into, experience passionately, etc. But real love is indeed a long road – one that is often defined much more by commitment & faithfulness than feeling. I encouraged the PAX to consider this viewpoint & look around their circle of influence to see who God has placed in their lives to serve for the long haul.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Check Slack for October updates coming soon!

COT: Lifted up G-string & his family at the passing of his great-grandmother, friends of the The Banker dealing with a cancer diagnose, and The Merchant’s purchase of his first home.

A prayer was lifted & coffee + chocolate milk enjoyed.

So grateful for y’all!
:el-capitan:

Tea Time

AO: the-knoll
Q: Tea Party
PAX: AAA, El Capitan, morning stār, Sooie, Sparrow, Ex-pat, Bumblebee 2.0
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: dark and 60s?

WARMUP: Costa Rica style yoga/stretching ending with the Bretzel body twist

THE THANG: 2 rounds of 9 tea-themed circuits in 1 minute intervals
– premium oolong pull-ups
– Cardamom tea kettlebell swings
– rose hibiscus raise your knees (step-ups)
– Tima tea toe-touches
– Paris yea swing pulls
– ginseng oolong jog/sprint around back-stop
– Mint peach tea bench merkins
– Lichee black tea lunges/lt. dans
– Pure assam plank

Cool down: 1 perfect burpee

MOLESKINE: Embrace the little sparks God gave you in your life that bring you joy, like tea drinking does for me. Those things make a difference for each of us, don’t let them go out and grow dull.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 9/14 F3 10 year anniversary Sevier Park

COT: prayers for hvacs, pregnancies, and moving. Strong Ceylon black tea drink and onion flavored tea biscuits devoured

Sometimes the workout you end up doing isn’t the workout you planned but that’s okay because your intentions for the planned workout weren’t where they should’ve been.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: AAA, G-string, Lady Liberty, morning stār, Sooie, Sparrow, Timber, Dr Stogie, Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: :stars: 😎

WARMUP:
Good Mornings OYO
Imperial Walkers
BAC
BBAC
T-Ups
WMH (review mission/core principles/credo)
Loose caboose mosey

THE THANG:
Tabata! 21 rounds.
12 seconds work
48 seconds active recovery/planks
Cycle through Merkins, Jump Squats, Plank toe touches. (20:23 total time)

Ultimate Frisbee ~10 minutes. Epic plays were made by all the PAX.

Recovery breathwork

MOLESKINE:
This week the-knoll celebrates 1 year of being in the books. To commemorate it we did Tabata with 12 seconds on and a total workout time of 20:23 to commemorate the year we launched. I had planned a different beatdown, one that would’ve been harder and more self serving but ultimately felt it wasn’t the right time and my intentions weren’t in the right place. Instead we did a challenging workout that allowed some time for conversation as well. Reminded me that no matter what we do, let’s check our intentions and be mindful of why we do what we do.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
9/11 convergence at the Capitol Steps.
9/11 convergence at The Brig (F3 Franklin) grassland park if the Capitol Steps is too far a drive.
9/14 F3 Nashville 10 year anniversary Sevier Park.

COT:
Prayers lifted. Sooie Brewie enjoyed.

Hot Potato!

AO: the-knoll
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: FLO, G-string, morning stār, Papa Bear, Pitmaster, Sooie, The Banker, The Merchant, Timber, Wolfpack, AAA, Cable News, Ex-Pat, Mr. Stoogie, Stubs, Link (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), Schmoltz (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Can we just hit pause on this weather?

WARMUP: Link led us in a warmup… run to stop sign, motivators from 5, Willie mays Hayes, burpee buy ins

THE THANG:

Workout 1: Tabata 40 seconds work/20seconds rest/3 rounds

– Push ups
– Step ups
– Reverse snow angels

Game 1
Link classic… toilet tag!

Workout 2: Tabata 40 seconds work/20seconds rest/3 rounds

– Dips
– Lt. dans
– Incline pushups

Game 2
Hot potato with a 10lbs kettlebell
If it stops on you, 10 seconds of burpees while everyone else gets 10 seconds of rest

Mary
Stretches, American hammers and leg raises

MOLESKINE:
PAX went around and said what defines a leader. Patience, good listener, confident, strong, vulnerable and many other incredible words were used. So much can make up a leader, but you don’t have to be everything all at once. Sometimes you need to just be one thing at a time the best that you can.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Big September coming… keep an eye on slack!

Link VQ on Thursday at Knoll.

9Square Arena tournament happening next week (8/30) at Pain Train

COT: moment of silent reflection for all prayers both said and unsaid.

Childish Play

AO: the-knoll
Q: Timber
PAX: The Banker, Malibu, morning stār, El Capitan, Pebbles, G-string, Timber, Smoltz (2.0), Mucchi (2.0), Iowa (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), Butter
FNGs: 1 Butter
COUNT: 12
CONDITIONS: 73 degrees, light rain for the first 20 minutes

WARMUP: SSH, Squats, Overhead arm clap, variety of stretches for legs (covered F3 mission, principles, credo here)

THE THANG:
Station 1: Item Toss
-divided into 2 teams, each PAX selected an item to throw to a target 25 yards away (items: football, tennis ball, frisbee, dodgeball)
-total # of steps from the target that items landed = total # of reps of exercises
-exercises: pullups, burpees, merkins (Round 1); squat jumps, Apollo Ohnos, spicollis (Round 2)
Station 2: Obstacle Course Run
-1 PAX from each team ran the playground obstacle course while other PAX completed a dealer’s choice of shoulder/core exercise (2 rounds)
Station 3: Matching
-8 pairs of workout cards (16 cardboard cards total) placed face down; PAX took turns flipping the cards. If NO match, PAX completed both workouts; if match, PAX discarded the cards without having to complete the workout. Cards: Carolina Dry Docks, Burpees, Merkins, 4ct flutter kicks, WWIIs, LT Dans, Jump Squats, Pullups

MOLESKINE: for the item toss, # of reps ranged in the 20-28 reps range for teams. The rain added in some challenges (like making the obstacle course a tad slick) – good work by PAX to err on the side of going slower to stay safe. El Capitan proved his tremendous servant leadership by showing up at the end with Mtn Mojo for the group. We expressed gratitude for a successful court date for Sparrow in their adoption process.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: check slack channel!

COT: emphasis on the power of AFFIRMATION. When genuine, affirmation has the ability to install confidence and a feeling of security in our kids, and it has the ability to break down barriers with others we might have conflict with in our lives.

Great work this morning!
-Timber

Tabata to Johnny Cash

AO: the-knoll
Q: Timber
PAX: Pebbles, The Merchant, morning stār, The Banker, Sparrow, El Capitan, AAA, FLO, Timber, Eric Phillips Snapshot (Suncoast), Tea Party, Smoltz (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: mid 70s, no dew on the grass

WARMUP: 3 sets of 50 yard jogs, SSH, merkins, squats, mountain climbers, lunge streches (covered F3 mission, principles, credo here)

THE THANG: played to the tunes of Johnny Cash hits
Station 1 (Tabata): 30 seconds on/15 sec recover, 6 exercises, 5 rounds; Exercises: merkins, squats, dips, burpees, split squats, LBCs
Station 2 (Pull-up challenge): 6 minutes (I said 5, but we ended doing 6 minutes), set of 10 pullups followed by ~100 yard run, 9 pullups/run, 8….Challenge was to see if you could finish before time was up.
Station 3 (Marys): American hammers, Big Boy SUs, flutter kicks, pickle something (Eric Phillips Snapshot (Suncoast) you’ll have to remind me of the name – we’ll do them again for sure!)

MOLESKINE: it was great to have our guest from Florida stop by (Eric Phillips Snapshot (Suncoast)), El Capitan came through again with some ever delicious Mtn Mojo, The Banker and Pebbles were closest to finishing the pullup challenge (I think they got to 2 pullups); Smoltz says he finished, but I’m not sure I can believe him.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: check F3 channel for details!

COT: Don’t be afraid to seek challenges. Putting ourselves in front of something we fear (even if small) can help us develop courage we’ll need in bigger moments. Also, a reminder to continue practicing gratitude – a pillar of happiness!

Thanks for coming together with me in the gloom boys!
-Timber

Pyramid of Pain

AO: the-knoll
Q: The Merchant
PAX: morning stār, Pebbles, AAA, Sooie, Malibu, Timber, Fish Biscuit (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), Iowa (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
See you all at Sooie’s birthday bash tonight and at my Pain Train Q and Hunger Games tomorrow!

War!

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: AAA, Ex-Pat, FLO, morning stār, Pebbles, Sooie, Sparrow, Bumblebee (2.0), Barfly, WordPress
FNGs: 2 Barfly, WordPress
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: Cool, Humid, mist on the knoll. Perfect way to kick off the longest day of the year!

WARMUP:
top to bottom
Yes/No/Maybe’s in cadence
BAC
BBAC
Overhead claps
Don Quixote’s
Low slow squats
Slow merkins
Scorpion stretches

20 yard sprints between cones at 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100% speed.
Team competition to pick up the most cones on the 120 yard sprint back.

THE THANG:
War! Broke out the ol’ Deck O’ Cards, maintained the 2 teams from the cone competition. Proceeded to play war. Winning team did 1 of 3 exercises based on the color of the face up suits. Losing team did combination of exercises based on the suit.
J = 11
Q = 12
K = 13
A = 14
Winning team exercises:
:large_red_square: = air presses x total
:black_large_square: = Spicolli’s (calf raises) x total
:large_red_square: :black_square: = Imperial walkers x total
Losing team exercises:
:heart: = burpees
:diamonds:= WW2’s
:clubs: = dips
:spades: = squats

MOLESKINE: Had fun playing the game yet it reminded us of tensions, struggle, uncertainty, and injustice around the world. Shared Psalm 46 as a reminder of something more secure and more foundational than what we can see in the world around us.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
:alert: VQ’s Next Week! :alert:
Sparrow Tuesday 6/25
FLO Thursday 6/27
Come out and show support!
Convergence at greenmachine 7/4

COT:
Prayers offered and lifted.