Independence Day Convergence + 1st F Q Handoff

AO: handsomizer
Q: Hair Band , SalPal
PAX: Young and Restless, Black Lung, Spinal Tap, Natural Ice, Puzzlah, Focker, Strutter, DintyMoore, Cowboy, Esposa, Vector, CubCadet, hambone, Betty Ford, Firefox, Chunks, Cuban Missile, Pepsi, Papa Bear
FNGs: None
COUNT: 21
CONDITIONS: Smelled like freedom.

WARMUP: Mosey around stadium, 50 SSH, 25 8-count body builders, 1 vanilla stair run, 1 stair run w/ bunny hops up stairs.

THE THANG:
In late 1776, morale in the Continental Army was at a low after losses at the Battle of White Plains in October and at Forts Washington and Lee in November. Chased by the British, General George Washington retreated across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. His force, in threadbare uniforms and many without shoes, was reduced to a few thousand and enlistments were set to expire. After asking his enlisted men to stay for one last effort, Washington devised a daring plan to stun the British, capture supplies, and reinvigorate American morale. The objective is to ferry his army across the Delaware River on Christmas and strike the Hessian garrison at Trenton.

MOT to battle: mosey to bridge

At river crossing: in two lines on the 6, everyone does american hammers. Last person in line bear crawls across bridge and starts american hammers on other side. 2nd to last person goes, then third, etc until all across.

Battle (SalPal takes over), 2 sets:
~15-20ish yards down and back of burpee broad jumps, complete 5 atomic merkins when back. Repeat 5x

Bearcrawl down, crawlbear back. 10 sit throughs with hip taps, 5 e side. Repeat 3x.

Return home: partner up, fireman’s carry/piggyback casualties (partner) back to top of stairs ex (switching along the way for even load distribution).

Sprint from top of stairs to startex, burpees to buy out.

In total there were 905 British casualties and 5 american casualties. The Americans dominated the fight and prevailed again in Princeton a week later. In these battles, General Washington demonstrated his ingenuity and resilience as a leader, won the loyalty of his soldiers, and revived the Continental Army. We celebrate these victories as a reminder of the sacrifices and wins that ensured our freedoms today.

MOLESKINE: Mumble chatter trailed off quickly in the heat of battle. T-claps to Black Lung and his partner doing carries the whole way through.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1st F went from Hairy to Salty. Additional Leadership Changes Announced. Natural Icewill have more forthcoming in the days ahead.

(Sally is writing this): Hair Band brought great energy and impact to our region, and will keep up his Grow Schools in the months ahead. I know I have big shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to partnering with Natural Ice and the SLT to bring the heat and the hate to an AO near you. Keep an eye on 1st F for the work ahead.

COT: Grateful for our freedoms and this country. Closed with Pledge of Allegience and prayer.

It’s Too Humid for a Theme

AO: titan
Q: Firefox
PAX: Vector, Papa Bear, CubCadet, DintyMoore, Crawlspace, Salami, Choo Choo, GameStop, Cropduster, Sherlock, Spinal Tap, bluemule, Tim the Toolman, Pep, Right Said, Natural Ice, Downspout, Hacker
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS: Like the worst swimming pool ever

WARMUP:
– 10 FLBAC
– 10 RLBAC
– 40 Air Presses
– 15 Moroccan Night Clubs

THE THANG: Mosey to the circle
Part 1: PAX completed the following sequence and ran a lap, held a plank until all in. Performed 3 times.
– 50 LBCs
– 40 Flutterkicks
– 30 American Hammers
– 20 Boxcutters
– 10 V-ups

After 3 rounds, 30 V-ups. Mosey to playground.

Part 2: PAX split into groups of 3. 1 PAX ran around the dance center as the timer. 1 PAX did WW1s. 1 PAX did pull-ups with a leg raise. Everyone ran 3 times. WW1s until last group finished.

Mosey to Startex.

15 WW1s and almost a 60sec Hollow Body Hold.

MOLESKINE:
– Maybe my shortest backblast ever. With my big toe on the mend, I focused on core, keeping jumping and toe-bending activities to a minimum. No burpees or bear crawls to get on CubCadet’s good side. Feedback is always welcome.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Convergence at greenmachine tomorrow for ultimate frisbee and Nantan handoff
– July 4 convergence at handsomizer

COT:
– Everyone shared a word/thought of gratitude. Special mention to Tim the Toolman who is thankful that we are able to support each other and still have reasonable and respectful discourse on topics on which we may disagree. :muscle:

Hits of the 80’s

AO: handsomizer
Q: Spinal Tap
PAX: Natural Ice, Freakonomics, Old Maid, Salami, Abacadab?
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS: Fabulous

WARMUP: the usual SSH, LBAC, etc

THE THANG:
Mosey to turf and slow cadence dips, irkins, dirkins, step ups.

Mosey to bottom of stairs for stairway to heaven with incline merkins with various workouts at each platform.

Timed runs with each second over for each runner equal 1 burpee. First round the fastest time was 19 seconds and any time over that the second round was more burpees.

Stairway to heaven with double jumps and each pax calling an ab workout at each platform. Natural Ice pretty much knew all the artists for the songs hence avoiding burpee penalty.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: July 4th convergence at Handsomizer. 1st F and Nantaan handoffs coming up next week!

COT: Clarity of job situation and financials. Peace around the world.

Monday Morning Blues

AO: westeros
Q: Old Maid
PAX: CubCadet, Natural Ice, Pep, Red Skull, Tim the Toolman, Vector, Michelin Man, caprate, Old Maid, None
FNGs: 1 None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: Warm and humid

WARMUP:
30 SSH IC
30 Arm Circles IC
10 Meekins
Hamstring / Glute stretches
Willie Mayes / Good Mornings OYO

THE THANG:
Mosey to the circle by the gym.
Split into 2 teams. With one member from each team running the circle, the rest of the PAX performed squats. When the runners were finished, then next team members in line took a turn running, while the rest of the PAX continued to do squats. Continued until all members ran.

Repeated process four more times doing Freddy Mercuries, Carolina Dry Docks, Reverse Lunges, and Merkins.

Also did:
– 30 WWIs
– High knees / burpees
– Mosey back to start
– 5 minutes of merry

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
July 4th convergence at Handsomizer

COT:
No call outs. Prayers for leadership and the country

Nice Throw, Now Do Some Burpees

AO: handsomizer
Q: Firefox , Freakonomics
PAX: Purple Tiger, Salami, Natural Ice, Old Maid, SalPal, Vector, CubCadet, Papa Bear, Hedwig
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: A little soupy

WARMUP:
15x SSH
10x FLBAC
10x RLBAC
10x Good Mornings
10x WMHs

THE THANG:
Part 1, led by Freakonomics :
OYO, PAX did the following
– 20 Merkins, plank hold till all in
– 40 Squats, chair hold till all in
– 20 Carolina dry docks, dry dock hold till all in
– 40 Lunges, squat hold till all in

Mosey down to the field
Part 2, led by YHC: Ultimate Frisbee!
Team Bomber-ish: Purple Tiger Hedwig Papa Bear Firefox
Team Handsome-ish: SalPal Freakonomics Natural Ice Salami Old Maid

Scoring teams walked and did 5 burpees. Scored upon teams stayed and did 15 merkins. Team Handsome-ish rotated out a player who exercised on the sidelines. Team Bomber-ish did a fair number of burpees to start but Team Handome-ish mounted a comeback late that was not enough to make up the margin that no one was keeping track of.

CubCadet and Vector walked and heckled. You can’t have ultimate without hecklers. This is the way.

MOLESKINE:
– Enjoyed witnessing Hedwig discover of the joy of ultimate. “I get why lacrosse players quit the team for this!”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Game night next Friday, YHC hosting
– Convergence at greenmachine, check Slack
– July 4th convergence, check Slack

COT:
– Job searches and friends/family health
– All PAX shared a word/phrase of gratitude

Final Round of the Goblet of Ice Trifecta – Same 11s format, new battlefield—92 steps of pain

AO: handsomizer
Q: Natural Ice
PAX: Old Maid, Donkey Hammer, Tinkertoy, Cuban Missile, Topanga, Freakonomics, EZ-Go, Betty Ford, Cowboy, Natural Ice, Pound Puppy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
Handsomizer – June 6, 2025

Conditions: Stairway to sweat

Warm-O-Rama:
Quick stretch and Side Straddle Hops

The Thang – Triforce of Courage: Third times a Charm

Same 11s format, new battlefield—92 steps of pain.
– Bottom of the stairs: Burpees
– Top of the stairs: WWI Sit-Ups
Each round required a new movement up or down the staircase:
1. Bear crawl
2. Bunny hop
3. Crawl bear down
4. Lunges
5. Crab walk down
6. Imperial walker walk
7. Sprint (plain run)
8. High knees
9. Side shuffle (touch both feet to each step)
10. Lieutenant Dan (lunge + squat combo)
This was a grind. Courage was earned one step at a time.

Moleskin:
This wrapped the Goblet of Ice Trifecta:
– :white_check_mark: Power – Titan
– :white_check_mark: Wisdom – Green Machine
– :white_check_mark: Courage – Handsomizer
Whether you hit all three or just one, thanks for showing up and leaving it all out there.

Announcements:
– Bomber vs Handsomizer Ultimate next Friday
– 4th of July convergence at Handsomizer (TBD)
– CSAUP in planning – teams of 5
SYITG,
Natural Ice

Round 2 of the Goblet of Ice Trifecta

AO: greenmachine
Q: Natural Ice
PAX: Esposa, Cowboy, Shania, Matador, Black Lung, Betty Ford, Deep State, moneyshot, Natural Ice, LB
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
Backblast: Green Machine – June 5, 2025

Conditions: Humid, but rocking

Warm-O-Rama:
Quick warm-up with side straddle hops and dynamic stretches

The Thang – Triforce of Wisdom:
We brought back the 11s format from Titan, dropping the block and swapping the hill for a much longer full-length football field grind.

– Bottom of the Field: Burpees
– Far End of the Field: WWI Sit-Ups

Each round required a different movement to travel the length:
1. Bear crawl
2. Bernie (run backward)
3. Crawl bear
4. Walking lunges
5. Crab walk
6. Imperial walker walk
7. Sprint (plain run)
8. High knees
9. Side shuffle (switch sides halfway)
10. Lieutenant Dan (lunge + squat combo)

The PAX pushed hard, and everyone completed
No quit in this crew.

Moleskin:
This marked Round 2: Wisdom in the Goblet of Ice Trifecta. One more to go:
– :white_check_mark: Power – Titan
– :white_check_mark: Wisdom – Green Machine
– :fire: Courage – Handsomizer (June 6)

COT:
Prayers lifted for the Stronghold men and for those going through the struggle.
Announcements:
– Cruel Hall will be joining Handsomizer this Friday for the final Q of the series
– 4th of July convergence at Handsomizer details to be shared soon
– CSAUP in the works – teams of 5, details coming

SYITG,
Natural Ice

Running Blockie Apocolypse

AO: thestronghold
Q: Natural Ice
PAX: Young and Restless, Red Skull, Dan and Dave, Skeet, Purple Tiger, Decaf, Hipster, Chunks, Barney, Natural Ice, Ice Box, Road Trip, Mullet, Pick Me, Singlet, Stir Fry, Boby Hill, Wendys,
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
Conditions: Humid and PERFECT

Warm-Up:
We kicked things off with the classics: side straddle hops, light stretching, and a touch of Broga. Loosened up the shoulders with arm circles, overhead claps, seal claps, and Moroccan nightclubs. Knocked out a few Merkins to wake up the chest.

The Thang:
Everyone grabbed a cinder block coupon and got the run-down: this workout would be nonstop movement. Any downtime or wait-for-the-six moments defaulted to our “resting” move—lift block to shoulder, press overhead, switch sides, lower to ground, repeat.

We launched into a Blockee Apocalypse:
– Travel with your block
– Drop for a round of Blockees (Burpee + Merkin on block + overhead press with block)
– Start at 10 reps, decrease by 1 at each stop
– Between rounds, PAX rotated through WWIs, or our “rest” move

Made our way across the AO with grit and sweat. At the final stop, back at the starting deck, we flipped the script and hit one last set of 10 Blockees to finish strong.

Mary:
– Flutter kicks (too many)
– 20 WWI sit-ups in cadence

COT:
Wrapped with gratitude and a prayer for the men of 413 to stay strong and finish well.

Moleskin:
– Blocks were heavy
– Spirits were high
– No one quit in this group
– You can catch your breath with out stoping

SYITG
Natural Ice

Blueliner’s triumphant return

AO: handsomizer
Q: Salami
PAX: Blueliner, Freakonomics, bluemule, Black Lung, Spinal Tap, Natural Ice, Red Skull, Old Maid
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP:
Welcome to F3
Fitness
Fellowship
Faith
Mission statement
5 core principles
Disclaimer

Warmup:
25 SSH IC
12 forward arm circles IC
12 reverse arm circles IC
12 hillbilly walkers IC
12 Imperial walkers IC
12 Michael Phelps IC

THE THANG:
First Nations run around stadium
Pass hockey stick back and then last PAX runs to the front

Mosey to Astroturf
Break up into two teams and line up on turf – each PAX and his counterpart on the other team is a “line”
Lines will take the “ice” in turn and perform a different exercise with the hockey stick while everyone else does an exercise, until all PAX have taken the ice – this is one period

1st period
Lines: rotating stick lunges to edge of turf and back
Bench: WWIs

2nd period
Lines: stick hop x12 w right hand, x12 w left
Bench: Freddy Mercurys

3rd period
Lines: overhead stick squats x18
Bench: planks

Overtime
Lines: plank stick lifts x8/side
Bench: donkey kicks

Hockey trivia
Same teams as line drill
Answer questions – teams start in plank, I read question, whoever tags me first gets to guess first, if he gets it wrong other teams gets a chance. team w correct answer picks exercise and does 10 reps, losing team does 15. If they both get it wrong both do 15

Questions:
1. What year was the NHL founded? 1917
2. In the phrase “national hockey league,” the word “national” refers to which nation? Canada
3. What are the NHL’s “original six” teams? Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings
4. In hockey, if you act injured when you are actually not, you may receive a 2-min penalty for what? Embellishment
5. What is the national sport of Canada? Lacrosse
6. What is the only team in NHL history to have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes twice? Nashville Predators

Mosey back to flag

MOLESKINE: pulled in an unnamed FNG right about when we started trivia, and he left right before COT. He lives in the apartment complex next to the AO so we hope to see him again.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:
Count o rama
Name o rama
Prayer
Pray for Blue Mule’s friend Isaac who has a brain tumor
Natural Ice, Salami looking for jobs
Blueliner is thankful to be back and also asks prayer for Cuban Missile while he is abroad

Welcome FNGs

AO: titan
Q: Chunks
PAX: preacherman, Salami, SalPal, Sherlock, Natural Ice, Young and Restless, Papa Bear, Freakonomics, Doublemint (F3 RVA), Hipster, CubCadet, Spinal Tap, Black Lung, DintyMoore, Crawlspace, Pep, Cowbell (DR), Fanny Pack (DR), OJ, Kincade, Carrot Top
FNGs: 3 OJ, Kincade, Carrot Top
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP:

42 SSH = my age!

THE THANG:

The PAX voted and Yacht Rock was the playlist choice.

Pass the speaker run towards Love Circle.

Took a hard right on 29th and headed back to the hill next to the Parthenon.

Count off 1s and 2s. Partner up. Each partner group picked an exercise for the rest of the PAX while they were the timer and ran up and down the hill. Once everyone had a turn as the timer, mosey to the lawn in front of the Parthenon.

Round 1 25% to the other side and 1 burpee and back
Round 2 25% to the other side and 2 burpees and back
Round 3 50% to the other side and 3 burpees and back
Round 4 50% to the other side and 4 burpees and back
Round 5 90% to the other side and 5 burpees and back

Mosey back to startex with a sprint to the finish.

4 Mins of mary left with some up and downs with burpees

Always an honor to lead.

3 FNGs were welcomed to the crew: Carrot Top, OJ, and Kincade

MOLESKINE: 95% of men over 35 will never sprint again. We will not be a part of that statistic.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Check Slack

COT: Prayed out!