Hi Tired, I’m Dad

AO: f3dads
Q: Sooie , Black Lung, Derby
PAX: Shania, Grape, Sooie, Black Lung, Derby, Juicy J (JBowman), Two Face, Diego (2.0), SixSeven (2.0), Spidey (2.0), Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (2.0), Raisin (2.0), Craisin (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Tiger Slash (2.0), Hotdog (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: Slightly overcast and 56 degrees. :pinched_fingers:

WARMUP: Black Lung kicked us off, acknowledging that none leading were proffessionals. A quick ~100 yard mosey got our heart rates up and Diego took over warming us up with some lunges, ab warmups and leg warmups. Black Lung finished up the warmup with some classic BAC, BBAC, and low, slow merkins.

THE THANG:
With our limbs now limbered, Derby took the helm, leading us in some fantastic EMOM’s. exercises were as follows
– 10 burpees, 5 sets
– 20-30 WW2’s, 5 sets
– 20-30 Squats, 5 sets
– Simon Says 5 minutes. Simon called out exercises. If PAX exercised when Simon didn’t say, PAX would perform 1 burpee for the first infraction, 2 for the second, 3 for the third to buy back in.

Now having worked up a good sweat, YHC led in some games:
– bear tag battle royale (3 rounds)
– Infection (3 rounds)
– Dad bear crawl assault. (2.0’s harassed dads as they attempted to bear crawl up the hill toward the goal.)

MOLESKINE:
Nothing better about being a dad than doing stuff with your kids! We took a moment to reflect on that and enjoy our time together

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tussle coming up. Briefly considered the idea of a 2.0 Tussle.

COT:
Prayers were lifted. SixSeven offered a spontaneous prayer of gratitude for the unexpected blessing of chocolate milk! Enjoyed some fellowship over donut holes courtesy of Grape, bagels from Black Lung, coffee from Derby, and bananas & chocolate milk from YHC.

T-claps to Grape for getting this on the calendar, Derby and Black Lung for CoQing, and Diego for a great warmup!

ISO Crazy

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Sooie, Half Lyfe, morning stār, Pebbles, El Capitan, Derby, Tebow, The Banker, Timber, Papa Bear, Bumblebee (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Smoltz (2.0), Mushi (2.0), Gabby Cat (2.0), Foxy (2.0), Shakira
FNGs: 1 Shakira
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: 74 degrees sounds pleasant right? Wrong! Gills were required to breathe the 2:1 water/ air mixture.

WARMUP:
Head to toe mobility
BAC
BBAC
Low slow squats
Slow merkins
SSH (23 :goat:)

THE THANG:
Timber brings 0530 with him as he comes running onto the playground. I abdicate responsibility for any injuries one might endure over the coming 45 minutes by stating the non-professional capacity in which I will be leading, thusly shielding myself from a potential torrent of litigation.
We warm up.
Spoiler alert: it’s quite hot already. Nonetheless, we awaken our muscles from head to toe with Yes/No/Maybes, Baby Arm Circles, Back BACS, Low slow squats, low slow merkins, and SSH.

Now onto the thang: “ISO Crazy”
We partner up and establish four stations of isometric exercises. Between the stations the PAX perform:
– 10 planche merkins,
– 10 groiners,
– 10 jump squats.
The isometric exercises:
1. dead hangs,
2. fingertip plank,
3. tree/pole/wall sit,
4. hollow hold
are held until failure of one of the partners. The pairs are numbered off 1-4 and begin their respective isometric according to their number. 25 minutes of growling, grunting, grueling agony ensue. My plan, on paper, seemed to be but a gentle tempering of the mortal frame. The reality though was a gauntlet of pain.
The clock strikes 0600 and we’ve had enough. Time for games! Capture the flag! The 2.0’s demand that they take on the adults and we capitulate to this request. However, the first round the adults can only move by hopping on one foot. The 2.0’s score. Second round the adults must move by hopping on both feet. Half Lyfe leaps a flying tackle toward a 2.0 but misses his target and the 2.0’s score yet again. Chafed and chastened, the adults cast off all encumbrances and unleash their full footed fury. A wall of men prevent the 2.0’s from reaching the flag. Midfield, I reach the flag. Wheeling around with it firmly in my clutches, I let loose all reserves of energy and sprint toward our goal line! The adults score and 0614 strikes indicating the end of regulation gameplay. 2.0’s are victorious 2 to 1.

MOLESKINE:
I reflected on Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 and the importance of sharing our burdens. Coffee and fellowship is thoroughly enjoyed

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Knoll closed this Thursday (6/26) to participate in the convergence at greenmachine.
Special beatdown on July 1st at the knoll. You wont want to miss it!
4th of July convergence at handsomizer…on July 4th
Check slack for all other announcements.

COT:
Prayers offered. Coffee and chocolate milk enjoyed. Thanks El Capitan !

Butterfly Tag & Tabata War

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Half Lyfe, AAA, Papa Bear, Pitmaster, Derby, morning stār, Stubs, Sparrow, El Capitan, Tebow, Étouffée, Sooie, @Sandlot (2.0), @IceBox (2.0), @FishBiscuit (2.0), @Tonks (2.0), @Eagle (2.0), @Bookworm (2.0), @CreekRunner (2.0), @Bumblebee (2.0), @GabbyCat (2.0), @Foxy (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Very foggy! Low 60s

WARMUP:

Climber stretches with some added back + quad work. So nice.

Took a mosey to the old Anderson house & back.

THE THANG:

Part 1 – Butterfly Tag

Mosey to lit cones in field.

Two pax are IT, trying to tag everyone else.

All PAX must perform “flying motion” while evading taggers (BACS, raise-the-roofs, Moroccan Night Clubs, etc.).

If tagged, you become a cocoon & perform 10x Lotus squats (arms clasped straight above head) before returning to game.

Game ends when 3 minute timer buzzes. Repeat with new taggers.

Part 2 – TABATA WAR

Mosey to flood table.

Count off into two teams.

4 identical Tabata stations for both teams, opposite sides of flood table.

Stations are:

Step-Ups
Bird Dogs
Elevated Merkins
LBC’s

30 seconds on, 15 seconds to rotate.

Deck of cards, shuffled & split on the flood table.

After a full round of exercises are complete, two pax will meet at the table to play a game of War. Best 3 out of 5.

Loser must flick the spinner of doom & their team will perform whatever the pointer lands on:

5 burpees
Sprint to backstop, mosey back
10 Lt. Dans
15 Carolina Dry Docks

Winners stay loose with Soviet Shakes

Played 5 rounds… Team #1 was victorious (3-2)!

MOLESKINE:

My girls & I experienced the joy of the Lord serving at a special VBS last week. Encouraged the PAX to look for opportunities to serve in your community & church alongside your kids. It is so worth it!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Check Slack & stay tuned for 4th of July Convergence! :flag:

COT:

Countorama, Nameorama, coffeteria enjoyed.

It was a pleasure to lead y’all this morning!

:el-capitan:

Micro Murph

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Derby, Half Lyfe, AAA, Sooie, Sparrow, morning stār, Gold Digger, Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), All Star (2.0), Ninja (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
CONDITIONS: Cool. Humid. Spring.

WARMUP:
Get loose!
Head nods/shakes/circles in cadence
Shoulder rolls in cadence
BAC
BBAC
Low slow squats
plank knee tapping
Low plank -> high plank -> finger tip plank

THE THANG:
Micro Murph EMOM style.
EMOM 1 pull-up, 2 merkins, 3 Jump Squats, 20 yard sprint (30x). Focus on power and form!

Cooldown mosey
Mary

MOLESKINE:
Focus on the basics.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Check slack

COT:
Prayers offered. Sooie Brewie down the hatch.

Among Us! IRL

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Pitmaster, Tebow, morning stār, Derby, El Capitan, Half Lyfe, Ex-Pat, Sooie, Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Eagle (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), Rubicks (2.0), Gabby Cat (2.0), Foxy (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
CONDITIONS:
On the rain-lashed knoll, beneath a sky of iron-wrought clouds, the sodden grasses cling to our boots like the tendrils of some voidborn beast. The air, thick with mist, melds garb to flesh in the cool, sunless, morning light.

WARMUP:
As the chrono strikes 0530, our band of 12—soon to be 15—gathers. I, the Q, begin by clearly stating the non-professional capacity in which I will be leading thus deflecting all potential lawsuits of disgruntled PAX.

We rouse the frame for the tasks ahead:
• Side Straddle Hops: 12, counted in cadence
• Baby Arm Circles: 12 forward, 12 reverse, in cadence, loosening shoulders.

Lo! Silhouettes pierce the mist— Tebow, Pitmaster, and Eagle, our tardy kin, swell our ranks to 15. We trek among the three beacons outlining the tasks to undertake a live, knoll rendition of Among Us.

THE THANG:
Three stations, ~80 yards apart in a triangular constellation, bear tasks to test our mettle. Each demands 260 collective reps, with a limit of 10 per PAX per visit:
• STATION 1: Pull-Ups/Swing Rows
• STATION 2: Dips
• STATION 3: Step-Ups, (2=1)
Papers drawn from the Q’s helm decree fates: 13 bear “C” for Crewmate, scattered to Beacons 1, 2, or 3; 2 bear “I” for Imposters cloaked in guile. The quest is clear: Crewmates must complete all station reps to triumph. Imposters must snuff out the crew with a silent tap to foot or shoulder, their treachery veiled by false labor.
The fallen enter a spectral limbo, holding a plank where they have fallen ‘til a passing crewmate spies them, then cycling a torturous mantra—10 Merkins, 20 WW2 Sit-Ups, 30 Squats—until the quest’s end. Emergency councils, summoned by SSH when any PAX begins hopping and all join, convene at the site of the fallen to banish a suspected Imposter.

The Clash:
I, first to fall, am tapped by an Imposter’s stealthy touch en route to Station 1. Planking in the wet grass, I await discovery. Tebow, true witness, finds me, but the crew, blinded by doubt, casts him out in a council. We two share the spectral cycle—10, 20, 30, a grinding hymn. Another falls, a second council banishes a crewmate in error. Four now haunt Station 1’s limbo. Yet a third strike reveals an Imposter—TONKS, unmasked by suspicious deeds! With one imposter left and nine crewmates standing, the stations’ tallies dwindle—10 reps remain at each. As 0600 chimes, the crew completes the final reps, claiming victory o’er the Imposters deceit.

The Pursuit’s End:
With tasks fulfilled, we turn to primal chases—games of Infection and Toilet Tag, fleet-footed sprints across the knoll until 0615 seals our labor.

MOLESKINE:
Outdo one another in showing honor.
-Romans 12:10

We take time to honor one another. Prayer requests offered.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Check slack

COT:
Enjoyed the more laid back pace of Summer sipping Mtn. Mojo and Choco milk whilst the 2.0’s frolicked amongst the playground.

mini-Murph and more

AO: the-knoll
Q: Timber
PAX: The Banker, Pebbles, El Capitan, G-string, AAA, Étouffée, Sooie, Stubs, Malibu, Derby, Sparrow, Papa Bear, Siri, Pitmaster, Half Lyfe, Smoltz (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Tonks (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS: Perfect, 60 degrees

WARMUP: mosey, SSH, slow merkins, slow squats, good mornings, leg stretches (covered F3 mission, 5 core principles, credo here)

THE THANG:
1.Mini-Murph: 15 squats, 10 merkins, 5 pullups X 10 sets (run ~300m after 5th and 10th sets)
2. Stations x 2 (40 sec on 20 off while rotating): fast feet, carolina dry docks, standups/sitdowns without using hands
3. Agility work: ~30 yard uphill distance on road, single leg hops, backwards run, side shuffle, bear crawl, frog jumps, sprint

MOLESKINE: played some tunes, good encouragement on the murph station, coffee by El Capitan, good effort by Smoltz leading the way

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pebbles out on Thursday and needs a coffee guy

COT: I shared the Parable of the Oranges: be intentional in our roles as fathers, husbands, workers. Smoltz shared a personal reflection about why he likes coming to F3 (fuels his competitive drive, feels a sense of accomplishment doing something in the morning, likes to work out).

Prayer intentions were shared and prayed for.

Thanks for letting Smoltz and I lead you this morning!
-Timber

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 !

Sandlot to celebrate Bumble bees 9th birthday

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: AAA, Timber, The Banker, Malibu, Sooie, El Capitan, morning stār, Buble bee (2.0; Q), Iowa (2.0), Samwise (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish buscuit (2.0), Smoltz (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: starting to get dark and cool

WARMUP: motivators from 9 down

THE THANG:
Split into teams and play baseball.
– strike out = 3 pushups
– bench warmers alternate between step ups and erkins
– modify up as desired

MOLESKINE:
– Appreciare the PAX encouragement of Bumble bee in his first Q and his 9th birthday.
– Really cool to see how much he’s picked up from participating and watching us do this every week for a year.
– The “task master” part of me wanted to put more pressure on him to make the BD a certain way … thankfully I was able to be aware of that and ease back and let him make it his own and adjust as needed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– round 2 of birthday Q on Thursday
– 1 year anniversary of the brig in Franklin tomorrow
– See slack for the rest

COT:
– Bumble bee shared that he’s noticed that because he sees myself and his mom taking care of our bodies in how we move/exercise and how we eat it inspires him to do the same. Message to the dads: your actions have a deep impact on how your kids grow and how they see what could be done.
– Ended in personal reflection on a gratitude and a need followed by a prayer.

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!

90s Summertime

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: morning stār, Pebbles, Sooie, The Banker, AAA, El Capitan, Ex-Pat, FLO, Sparrow, Timber, Malibu, @fishbiscuit (2.0), @tonks (2.0), @bumblebee (2.0), @icebox (2.0), @nitro (2.0), @cookie (2.0), @spike (2.0), @fern (2.0)
FNGs: 4 @nitro (2.0), @cookie (2.0), @spike (2.0), @fern (2.0)
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS: Humid, upper 70s

TUNES: 90s jamzz

WARMUP:

My Climb Warm-up Routine
– downward dog / cobra
– power merkins (3x per side)
– deep calf stretch
– PE back stretch
– lower back stretches

– Mosey around back stop to center of field

THE THANG:

Part 1: Duck, Duck, Goose on the Plank!

– Duck PAX are all planking in a circle. Tagger chooses a “goose!” who will sprint around the circle to return to their spot. Instead of chasing, tagger does 10x Side Straddle Hops. Whoever is last to plank is “it”. (We had several close races!)

Part 2: Water Balloon Challenge

– 16x reusable water balloons contain laminated slips of paper with various workouts & are hidden around the playground.

– All PAX will hold a squat while one looks for a water balloon. He or she may pelt the PAX with the water balloon upon returning. All PAX will perform the exercise written within. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Cool down: Mosey’d a caboose-is-loose around the-knoll, then convened at playground for three minutes of Freddy Mercuries.

MOLESKINE:

– Count Off
– Name-O-Rama
– Welcomed aboard 4 FNG’s visiting Uncle Sooie’s family from Central Florida. All had excellent F3 name choices.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Black Lung & Hair Band to Co-Q a 4th of July convergence beatdown at greenmachine :flag:

COT:

“You are as important as you make another person feel.”
-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

I am so grateful for the men who make the-knoll such a positive, encouraging place to get stronger. I encourage y’all to be aware of the “least of these”, to see each person as a unique individual made in God’s image who is worthy of respect. Rather than seek glory for ourselves, seek the good of others in quiet service, empathy, and kindness.

Closed in prayer.

It was an honor to lead y’all this morning! :el-capitan: