Chauffeur

New Toys!

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DATE: 10/26/21

QIC: Chappie

18 PAX won round #1 with a KO over the Fartsack to post for a highly touted “New Toys” workout in today’s Gloom. It was supposed to be raining but not a single PAX complained that the weather seemed to go right around us. We’ll start with a big welcome to FNG Mowdaboat (he got after it). Admittedly YHC was a little giddy to get out his new toys for the beatdown. It’s been an advertised mystery which drew some wrong guesses. What were the new toys? (Keep reading). That’s where we began, but wait YHC is getting ahead of himself…

WARM-O-RAMA: (with a twist)

The twist: All repetitions must be double-digit (i.e. One-zero! Two-zero…). If PAX mess up and count regular, the punishment would be prison…Prison Cell Merkins (10), that is. We only did 2 prison sets.

  • SSH – 18 IC
  • Seal Jacks – 10 IC
  • Swartzjacks – 10 IC
  • Windmill – 15 IC
  • Hairy Chiggers – 15 IC

THE THANG:

Intro of new toys: Two 8-person hand-carry litters. (Tried to insert pic here but site would not allow it.)

Team Carry: PAX counted off to pair up into teams of 1’s and 2’s: Team Carry from cone-to-cone (3 cones) across the field and back, switching PAX being carried at each cone, until everyone gets a ride. (Safety brief: Carry PAX feet first). Losing team: 50 Squats with Coupon of choice (from the stack of coupons). Winners: Team #1! Wait just a second! We had 18 PAX…how in the world did we end up with uneven teams?

Took a 3rdF/Faith breather here:

1 Corinthians 16:13 says, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, ACT LIKE MEN, be strong.” My emphasis today is on the phrase ACT LIKE MEN. Why does the Bible exhort us to act like men, and what does this mean?

Ray “Cash” writes, “Our society is full of hypocritical men. Men who talk a big game but don’t show up.” (No, I’m not necessarily referring to this to talk about Fartsackers, though it may apply. More critically the reference is to showing up for life.)

In Navy Seal training when I guy wants to quit he just walks up, sets his helmet on the ground and rings the bell; he’s done. Maybe that’s a tough moment to deal with, but you can quit seal training without a whole lot of fallout. However, you can’t just quit on your spouse or your family, you can’t quit on those you love, you can’t quit on yourself, and you cannot quit on life. There is no bell to ring because we weren’t designed to quit!

Instead, we’re exhorted in 1 Cor. 16:13 to be alert, to be courageous, to be manly, firm, to be mature, steady, resolved, and to have sound judgment, rather than being swept aside, corrupted, seduced, weak, and terrified like infants or confused like adolescents or teenagers.

Cash continues: “The man who keeps his word has become an endangered species. Now more than ever before our society needs men who can show up, step up, and follow through.”

ACT LIKE MEN: We need masculine men, men who are physically, mentally, AND spiritually strong. “We need battle ready men. We need men with character and core values. We need men who are definitive in their purpose! And men who say what they mean and mean what they say.”

ACT LIKE MEN: There’s a lot we could say, but imagine a world where men keep their word to themselves and to others. A world where men make eye contact. A world where men stand up to shake your hand. A world where men hold the door for others. A world where men are feared by politicians. A world where communities feel safe and protected knowing that capable men stand at the ready to keep their promise to take out anyone who endangers their family, friends, or way of life. These are all things HIM do!

ACT LIKE MEN: Step up! Get in the fight! Stay in the fight! Be men of strength, courage, integrity! Don’t even think about ringing the bell; it’s not an option!

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage.”

Psalm 31:24 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, ALL you who hope in the Lord.”

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, ACT LIKE MEN, be strong.”

Back to work…

3-2-1 Sandbag Burpees: (Compliments of GORUCK)

PAX planked in line (for a loooong time!), then in-turn each moved to the sandbags and did the following Sandbag Burpees:

  • 20lb Sandbag – 3 Sandbag Burpees
  • 40lb Sandbag – 2 Sandbag Burpees (Thanks to F3 Gump for the borrow)
  • 80lb Sandbag – 1 Sandbag Burpee (Thanks to F3 OBiwon for the borrow)
  • Hmm…looks like we need a 60lb’er
  • As PAX finished 3-2-1 Sandbag Burpees they planked on the other side of the sandbags.

FINAL CHALLENGE:

Chest Bump Merkins – Sets of 10, 20, 30, 40…until last man is standing. The standard: Full extension up, chest to brick down.

Chest Bump Merkins: Done to improve form, PAX do Merkins over a brick lying flat, bumping their chest on the down. No bump = no rep (Merkin doesn’t count). Honor system but as PAX are eliminated or VW (Voluntary Withdraw) they become judges and/or shenanigaters (i.e. Fireplex)

The Gist:

  • Each PAX does round of 10 Chest Bump Merkins – All men still standing
  • Each PAX does round of 20 Chest Bump Merkins – All men still standing
  • Each PAX does round of 30 Chest Bump Merkins – Number PAX cut to 5 men standing (Chattahoochee, Doubtfire, Semi, Whirlybird & FNG)
  • Final PAX do round of 40 Chest Bump Merkins – The last man standing: Whirlybird w/32 Chest Bump Merkins (Though there was some controversy…)

With that, it was time to circle up; time flies when you’re having fun. Fartsackers…you got lapped! See you next time.

COT:

  • NUMBER-RAMA
  • NAME-O-RAMA – Named FNG, welcome Mowdaboat!
  • Announcements: Shirt link is up and will be posted again today. In fact, here it is:
F3 First State Semper Anticus Pre-Order October 2022

Prayers: Ruxpin’s M, Shawna (procedure tomorrow); Randy in hospital with COVID; Chappie’s niece-in-law’s father, Gene still inn hospital with COVID, after stint in ICU is making good progress; Zeke who’s boat is still upside down; and other requests forgotten by YHC but never unforgotten by the living God who can handle everything we entrust to Him.

Always honored to lead, especially since we have so many Q’s and opportunities are more sparse. Shout out to all those who won THAT FIRST BATTLE over the Fartsack and posted, even though rain was a significant threat. You showed anyway; that’s discipline! Thanks men!

Aye!

Chappie, out!

Same muscles, different way

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QIC:
Spaceman  – Warm-a-Rama
Semi – Thang

Warm-a-Rama
I/c
15 ssh
15 Windmill
20 Moroccan nightclub
15 plank jack
15 Cherry pickers

The Thang

Mosey to new HOB entrance

Pair off
Wheelbarrow to first light pole
Nur to second, switch
Wheelbarrow to next light pole
Plank for the six

Mosey to the playground

Complete 5 rounds of the following exercises:
12 each
Swerkins
Plyo merkins
Split squats
E2ks
Gas pumpers
Mike Tyson

3rd F
Love Dare
*Day 10 – LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL*

Do something out of the ordinary today for your spouse—something that proves (to you and to them) that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash her car. Clean the kitchen. Buy his favorite dessert. Fold the laundry. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being their partner in marriage.

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.5.8.ESV

Mosey back to CHOP

Number-Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

17 HIM showed today: Blockbuster, MacDaddy, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Chappie, Quarto, Ruxpin, Toy Soldier, Drago, Looney Toons, Chauffer, Doubtfire, Semi, Struedel, Spaceman, Whirlybird, Woodstock

Frisbee golf w/ a twist

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama
All i/c

15 Seal Jack
15 mountain man pooper
15 ssh
15 Cherry pickers
15 seal wave

The Thang

Apache Mosey (running with water in your mouth) to Walgreens redbox
Pair off, alternate shots
Frisbee golf with a twist
Roll die for exercise to do per stroke
1 – burpees
2 – wide merkins hands pointing out
3 – lbcs  x 10
4 – squats
5 – mike tyson
6 – diamond merkins

3rd F
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159172437169765&id=506929764

We played 7 holes and did burpees, squats, Mike Tyson, and wide merkins

Number-Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

14 HIM showed today: Semi, Chappie, Quarto, Toy Soldier, Blockbuster, Whirlybird, Drago, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, MacDaddy, Struedel, Sherlock, Looney Toons, Chauffer

Semi’s 2.0 BDAY

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama
19 seal jacks i/c
21 plank jacks i/c
19 Imperial walkers i/c
21 seal waves i/c

The Thang

Mosey to food lion parking lot for a game of ultimate frisbee

2 merkins every turn over

3rd F
Talked about how the HIM have helped me in leading the soccer team I coach. How we HIM can point things out to each other and carry each other thru.

Mosey back to CHOP

Losing team did 20 bomb jacks
Wining team did 10 bomb jacks

Number-Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

20 HIM showed today: Quarto, Toy Soldier, Wildwing, Chairman, Streudel, Woodstock, Flatbottom, Roundhouse, Blockbuster, Spaceman, Chappie, Semi, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Doubtfire, Drago, Whirlybird,  Hideous, Mac Daddy, Chauffer

The Texas 3-Step

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18 PAX found themselves exactly where they were meant to be FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS on Saturday, and found a beatdown as well.

QIC: Cowbell

Date: 9/18/21

Warm-O-Rama

  • SSH – 21 IC
  • Cherry Picker: 21 IC
  • Bat Wings: sets of 21 IC
  • Angle Grinder: 14 IC

The Thang

Mosey to the school, closest sidewalk to the AO for The Texas 3-Step!

Step 1
Jailbreak to sidewalk 1 for a 4×4 (4 Mountain Climbers, 4 Merkins, 4 Squat Jumps); Jailbreak to farthest sidewalk; recovery mosey back to beginning; plank for 6

Step 2
Jailbreak to sidewalk 1 for 7 sets of 4×4’s; Jailbreak to sidewalk 2 for a set of Bolt 42’s; Jailbreak to farthest sidewalk; recovery mosey back to beginning; plank for 6

Step 3
Jailbreak to sidewalk 1 for 7 sets of 4×4’s; Jailbreak to sidewalk 2 for a set of Bolt 42’s; Jailbreak to sidewalk 3 for a set of 21 American Hammers IC count; Jailbreak to farthest sidewalk; recovery mosey back to beginning; plank for 6

3rd F
Esther is an Old Testament story of a young lady who becomes Queen. Early in her time as Queen, her adoptive father, Mordecai, uncovers a heinous plot by a man named Haman who wanted to wipe out all Jews…only no one knew Esther was Jewish. Mordecai sends a message to Esther, asking her to step in and speak to the King. But she responds with fear, stating that if she were to approach the King he might kill her. Mordecai responds back with this message –

“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Mordecai’s message gave Esther the courage to approach the King, bring the evil plot in to the light, and Haman was executed for his actions.

Gentlemen, don’t ever think for a second that you are in your position by mistake – your job, your family, your situations; as a man, as a husband, a father, a brother, a son, a HIM, a friend – you are strategically placed by God for a purpose. If you choose not to step up, God will raise another. But don’t ever let another take your job! You were put in your place for SUCH A TIME AS THIS. Stand firm, take courage, step up and do your job. Accomplish your purpose. You’re here for such a time as this.

Back to The Thang

3 full rounds of The Texas 3-Step, OYO
Mosey back to AO

COT

  • Number-Rama
  • Name-O-Rama
  • FNG Naming – welcome to the newest HIM: False Start
  • Announcements: Movie night at Chauffer’s on Wednesday 9/22. Deets to follow on GroupMe.
  • Prayers: Chattahoochee running a 5K tomorrow in full gear – prayers for safety. Chauffer’s buddy stranded when rig broke down – prayers he uses the time down to rest & recoup, and gets his rig up and running soon to finish his route.

GO M.A.D. ( Go Make A Difference)

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Date: 09/02/2021

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Four Count Freddie’s – 30 IC

Mosey @.5 miles to the Goshen Church Hill

The Thang

PAX split up into teams of two to complete the Whirlybird 21 evolution from Saturday, August 28, 2021.  One Pax Nurs up the hill and moseys down while the other works on the descending Burpee and Big Boy evolutions.  Since we left off on Saturday completing the round of 15 Burpees and 6 Big Boys, we will pick up from there in a cumulative team effort beginning with 14 Burpees & 7 Big Boys while your Brother Nurs up the hill & moseys down.  Switch out each time your Brother returns from the hill.  Teams completed the Whirlybird 21 in descending order down to 1 Burpee and 20 Big Boy Sit Ups.  Any over-achievers were instructed to return to the round of 15 burpees and 6 Big Boys and work their way back up to the 20 Burpees and 1 Big Boy Sit Up.

Mosey @.5 miles back to CHOP

F3 Message – Go M.A.D. (Go Make A Difference)

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

WHY IT’S GOOD TO GO M.A.D. – #8693

May 6, 2020

When it was 7:00 a.m. in the Hutchcraft house, the word “chaos” took on new meaning – a typical school day morning. It was very exciting to get two teenage sons up, get them around, and get them dressed and out to school. Of course, both of them were a little crazy like their Mother, and that contributed to the chaos as well. Finally we were able to get them off to school.

But in-between all kinds of things happen. I mean, pairs of pants mysteriously disappeared and reappeared on the other brother. What? Socks and underwear took on enormous value as we tried to find one pair. Phones rang, papers needed signing, books needed covering. And after it was all over and the boys were headed out, on a typical morning you might hear me step outside the front door and call my final instructions to them for that day.

“Go M.A.D.!” Can’t you imagine our next door neighbor sticking his head out and saying, “Say what? Go M.A.D.? Have you? You want your two teenage boys to go mad? What’s the matter with you?” Well, that’s exactly what I wanted them to do every day. Actually, it’s what I hope you’ll do.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Why It’s Good to Go M.A.D.”

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 5, and verses 13 and 14, and Jesus is using two figures of speech here to describe His followers. As you listen to these, maybe you’ll ask the question I’ve asked, “What do they have in common?” Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.” And then in verse 14 He says, “You are the light of the world.”

Now in these verses, and you probably don’t realize this, Jesus is telling us to “go M.A.D.” You say, “Come on Ron, that’s not even in the original Greek. Where are you getting that?” Well, if you understand what M.A.D. stands for, it’s an acrostic. When I told my boys to “Go M.A.D.,” I was saying, “Guys, go make a difference.” That’s what a day in the life of a Jesus-follower is all about, and that’s what Jesus is saying here, “Go make a difference.” What does salt and light have in common? Not much. But they have one thing in common.

Take, for example, popcorn without salt. Blaaa! Or meat…usually meat requires some salt. It doesn’t take a lot. A little salt will change the environment you put it in. It will change the taste of the popcorn; it will change the taste of the meat. What about light? Well, once again, you take a little light into a big, dark room, and it will change the environment. And in both cases it doesn’t take much.

Now, Jesus is saying, “You’re my salt; you’re my light.” If you’re a Jesus-follower, you should be changing the people around you; changing the atmosphere around you. You should go M.A.D. You should make a difference. Now, most believers have a smaller purpose in life. Not necessarily to make a difference, maybe to make money, or make friends, or make an impression, or just make it through and survive as a Christian.

Jesus said, “You’re not here for any of those. You’re here to make a difference.” Well, are you? Do you change the flat flavor of the world around you, do you bring a smile, do you bring a positive spirit, do you bring some real love into your circle? Do you bring light to a dark office, a locker room, a classroom, a home?

Let Christ make a difference in you, then you can go make a difference in others. And the ultimate difference you can make in anyone’s life is to change their eternal address from hell to heaven. And that can only happen if you will let them know what you know about Jesus; if you’ll tell them how Jesus changed your life by what He did on the cross, and by being a living Savior who walked into your life. That’s making a difference that will last a hundred billion years.

There’s a lot more reasons for getting up in the morning, believe me, when you say, “Lord, help me make a difference for You today.” So, as you head out each morning, imagine Jesus at the front door calling out to you, “Go M.A.D. for Me today! Go make a difference!”

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Declined 45’s

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

20 i/c
Plank jacks
Seal jacks
Cherry picker
Seal wave
Windmill

The Thang

Mosey to tequila real

Decline Bolt 45 – feet 6 inches apart

Ranger merkin 15
Wide merkin 15
Merkin 15

Decline Bolt 45 – feet wide, toes pointing out

Diamond merkins 15
Wide merkins, hands out 15
Merkin 15

Mosey back to CHOP

3rd F
Referenced the lame man being lowered down through the roof in front of Jesus by his friends so he could be healed. F3 is the friends lowering their friend down in front of Jesus. Remember to open up in the COT and on group me about struggles you are going through.

Soldier Toy
20 big boys
20 e2ks
60 lbcs

Number-A-Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

17 HIM showed today: Semi, Ying Ying, Gump, Chattahoochee, Chappie, Quarto, Toy Soldier, Fireplex, Cabana, Whirlybird, Flatbottom, Looney Toons, Chauffer, Drago, MacDaddy, Drop Kick, FNG(Clipt)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1svZH9ntfx67KG3Q9

Can You Just Leave It The Hill Alone

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Date: 07/22/2021

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 25 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Four Count Freddie’s – 25 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats full up to half way down, 15 squats half way down to full down, & 15 squats full motion.  All completed IC as a 4 count.

Windmills – 20 IC

Mosey @.5 miles to Oh Hill No

The Thang 

The Modified Slugger & Toy Soldier Routine.  Crawl Bear up the Hill and Bear Crawl down and complete 20 Diamond Merkins, 20 wide armed merkins and 20 Hand Release Merkins.  Crawl Bear up the hill and Bear Crawl down and complete a Toy Soldier Set 100 LBC’s, 50 E2K’s each side and 25 Big Boys.  Rinse & Repeat as time allows.

F3 Message

Mosey @ .5 miles back to the AO. 

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.   

F3 Message 07/22/21

FINISHING YOUR RACE – #3712

It was the end of the day at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics – only a few thousand spectators were in the stadium as the last of the marathon runners were carried off in exhaustion to the first-aid stations. More than an hour earlier and Ethiopian runner had been the first to cross the finish line in this grueling 26-mile event. As the remaining spectators prepared to leave, they were stopped by the sound of sirens going off and policemen blowing whistles. There, entering the stadium came a lone figure wearing the colors of Tanzania – his name was John Akhwari. He was the last man to finish the marathon.

His leg was bloodied and bandaged, and he grimaced with each step. He had severely injured his knee in a fall, but painfully, he hobbled around the 400-meter track. The spectators who were still there just got to their feet and applauded as if he were the winner. After he crossed the finish line in excruciating pain, he was asked why he hadn’t quit when he had no chance of winning a medal. His answer: “My country did not send me 7,000 miles away to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it.”

Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Finishing Your Race.”

When God wanted to give us a mental picture of our life and our service for Him, He used an Olympic image – running a race. And you’ve been running the race He set out for you – but you’ve been hurt – you’re running with pain – you’ve been disappointed – you’re bloodied and bandaged. And you may be tempted to drop out of the race. But you haven’t reached the finish line yet.

The great Apostle Paul must have felt that way many times. But we have this report from the finish line – it’s in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Timothy 4:5-8. He starts out addressing his next generation leader, Timothy – who’s been hammered, discouraged, and considering quitting. “Keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering…” Just imagine an Olympic runner, collapsing as he crosses the finish line, having given all he had to give in the race. “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished the race. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord…will award to me.”

The problem with too many of us is that we run hard for a while – but we quit before the end of the race – when Jesus has called us to be that lone runner who knows he or she was put here to finish the race, no matter how painful it is. Maybe you’re one of those exhausted runners on Team Jesus who says, “Look, I served my time, I worked very hard for the cause – I’ll just step aside and let others do the running now.” Listen – in the service of Jesus Christ, there is no such thing as early retirement! God may change your assignment, but He’ll never leave you without one until the day you see Him!

Maybe you’ve been tempted to quit an assignment God has given you – and He’s coming to you right now saying, “Finish the race.” Run with everything you’ve got, not halfheartedly. Remember, He gave everything He had in His race to rescue you – and even though He was beaten and bloody, Jesus didn’t quit until He had crossed the finish line. Run the whole race – He’ll be waiting to embrace you as you cross that finish line for Him.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Chosen Suffering

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QIC – Toy Soldier

Warmup

  • SSH – 25 IC
  • Derricks – 20 IC
  • Moroccan Night Club – 40 IC
  • Windmill – 20 IC
  • Seal Jack – 20 IC
  • Mountain Man Pooper – 20 IC

The Thang

Mosey to middle school

  • 20 Burpees bear crawl to next sidewalk
  • 40 Iron Mike inch worm to next sidewalk
  • 60 Merkins nur to next sidewalk
  • 80 American Hammers crab walk to last sidewalk
  • 100 LBCs
  • wosey to school 3rd F part 1
  • pole to pole side shuffle, switch side shuffle, mosey, jail break, mosey, jail break, mosey to Possum Point Player parking lot.
  • Arm circles 15 small forward/backward, 15 large arm circles forward/backward.
  • Merkin Routine 10 diamond, 10 regular, 10 wide fingertips forward, 10 Ranger, 10 wide fingertips out, 10Carolina Dry Docks.
  • Mosey to hotel 50 dips.
  • Mosey to eye center 3rd F part 2.
  • Mosey to Circle

COT

  • Number Rama: 18 PAX
  • Name-O-Rama
  • Announcements
  • Prayers

3rd F:

Chosen Suffering

Our desire to get uncomfortable is at an all-time low. Chosen suffering is a mindset. Never willing to settle for the easy way, an Elite person constantly moves toward pain to push themselves beyond their current abilities.

Growth means stretching away from our comfort zone. Nothing stays the same you either progress or regress. Growth requires pain, which is why it’s difficult to stay on top.

People matter; choosing the right ones to be with matters. Pain unifies us and love sustains us.

Elite people understand that short bursts of choosing the right way doesn’t make enough of a difference. Building habits take time. Deep rooted good habits must be formed. It’s the long term, sustained commitment that turns normal into special. Show up and give over and over. Discomfort shows its face during intense training, intense studying, rehabbing an injury, building one’s business, raising a family, managing people and so on.

The elite surround themselves with others who help them master their craft. If you’re not willing to pay a high price but are looking for a quick solution instead, you’re headed down a road to nowhere. The elite are curious, they are thinkers and problem solvers with a growth mind set. Deep suffering is far more fun to talk about than to live. Greatness is developed. Humans will get nowhere unless they compile information, make a plan, and act on it. Good to great isn’t an overnight thing. The only way to transform is to earn it.

Commitment means your life reflects your beliefs and I was committed. Spent mornings, afternoons, and most evenings in the wrestling room. The rate at which a person works is a window into the soul of what he values as priceless. There is a clear connection between effort and workload that occur when few are watching. There’s a massive chasm between believing something and committing to it.

Becoming elite is a choice, people aren’t born elite. Winning is never something we can completely control. Those who suffer the greatest do so because of their deep love of what they’re doing. Deep suffering moves us from good to great. Sense of value in our lives must be built from the inside out. Anything worth having requires suffering. Living on impulse without discipline gets us nowhere. Your goal should be to wake up better than you were today. Every great performance relies on solid training. Gratitude comes from the underlying belief that one’s life is no accident. The elite figure out what needs to get done, and they do it. Many people establish their wants, but they don’t consistently practice the habits to bring their desires to complete fruition. An elite individual understands that sustained success is the result of repeated good decisions over time. The elite don’t speak or think of excuses, they problem solve.

Falling short is painful, but pain is a gift. We waste our pain when we don’t learn from our losses and discomfort. Every person fails, but what’s more important is how we each manage the hurt. The elite assess, plan, and repeat until they’re refined. A strong plan and solid execution will increase our odds for the desired outcome.

Failure is a gift. Change happens with action. Harden oneself, but never get down on oneself. Excellence is the ability to do work every single time no matter who’s watching. Most people are unwilling to give at the required level to get what they want.

Struggle is at the center of all growth. We need people who care about us and challenge us to move from where we are to where we want to be.

The Elite work ethic is having the ability to repeatedly take yourself into chosen suffering. Eliteness comes from the absolute love for their desired outcome. Competency relies on training. You have to know that you’ve paid the price. Day in and day out you work on areas that need improvement.

Elite athletes are problem solvers. Humans say what we want, but we aren’t willing to back up with action. Instead, we offer excuses instead of taking responsibility. Successful people own their decisions and stand by the results. Hone in on the things you can control like your thoughts. Winning isn’t something we can control. However good you think you are there is always someone better. Choose each day to work alongside others who push you to greater levels of suffering. Wrestling teaches transformational lessons in humility because it’s raw and real, there’s no hiding. It’s the simple things done well and repeatedly that separate good from great. Winning is less controllable than your effort. Control what you can. Our effort should deplete us and bring us intense discomfort. We are capable of so much more that we think we are. It’s human nature to fall back into complacency to find the easy way out. As a wrestler you have to define your priceless, that objective or goal you’ll do anything to achieve. Actions speak louder than words. Too often we say we want success, but when struggling becomes more than what we imagined we give up.

Becoming elite is about letting go of the things that hold us back and pressing on. In every stage of life, complacency longs to sneak in. We must fight this natural desire to be easy on ourselves. We should be hard on ourselves, but never down on ourselves. We are built for glorious things and made to stretch ourselves. We will always need to choose suffering because it’s healing. We have a soul that long to be challenged and lifted.

ABS olutely

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DATE: 3/10/21

QIC: Chappie

With Turkey Season coming in and training events causing some PAX to absent themselves from today’s beatdown, YHC wasn’t sure anyone was going to show. Not to worry, 10 PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE and posted for an ABSolute Saturday morning. I.e. we focused on the abs…a little bit. It went a lil’ something like this:

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 18 IC
  • Swartzjacks – 18 IC
  • Imperial Squat Walker – 18 IC (Squat didn’t work in public as well as it worked at home. Next time)
  • Cherry Picker – 17 IC
  • Windmill – 10 IC
  • Wheel of Merkin – 10 OYO Merkins each PAX, around the ring
  • Sealjacks – 40 IC (In honor of Hideous)

THE THANG:

Mosey around the circle, between the courthouse and the admin building, and around to the double steps on the S. Bedford St. side of admin building:

Abs Station #1: Admin Building steps

  • Gas Pumpers – All PAX do Gas Pumpers continuously until each PAX has run steps
  • Merkins – 2 mins., AMRAP
  • Mosey to armory…

Abs Station #2: National Guard Armory steps

  • LBC’s – 5 sets of 100, run to top step & back (500 total)
  • Big Boys – 2 mins., AMRAP …because Biddie requested them 😉
  • Mosey to School (side lot)…

Brief breather for the 3rdF:

Back on March 20th Spencer Lee won his 3rd individual National Championship as an NCAA wrestler for Iowa. Then in his after-match interview he dropped some crazy news on the college wrestling world. He’d been wrestling with a torn ACL! This was not the first time. He finished his high school career with the same injury sat out a portion of his first season at Iowa, before taking off his red-shirt and winning his first National title.

When questioned further after his March 20 win about why he would continue with such an injury, he said “Excuses are for F’n wussies!“

Fact is, there are times in sports and there are times in life when we might actually have a legitimate excuse to step away from competition, off the battlefield, or from something else. Spencer Lee had a legit excuse to withdraw from competition. Everybody would’ve understood if he had. And many would’ve said he should step aside. But he didn’t. Why? Well, yes, he wanted to win his 3rd NCAA individual title, but he also had an even greater goal in mind, a goal beyond himself: He wanted stay in the battle for his team to win the National Championship title. And they did!

A disclaimer: I’m not suggesting you and I continue with an injury that we may further aggravate or only cause worse injury if we keep going (like my foot). You know your own body, so be your own advocate. Just don’t make excuses. Not in competition. Not in family. Not in work. Not in battle. And to add the double negative… “Not nowhere!”

Of course, this mindset goes way beyond our workouts (a “mindset microcosm” of real life and facing hard things). So what I am suggesting is that you NOT take the easy road; that you not take the “out” even when everyone else expects it or okays it or even offers it. What I am suggesting is that you be stronger than your excuses. What I am suggesting, as Navy Seal, Marcus Luttrell put it, is that you, “Find an excuse to win.”

When we find an excuse to win, it will almost always be in direct proportion to the prize pursued (whatever that may be). But with that, we’ve got to stop thinking of ourselves alone. We’ve got to stop making excuses, and stop doing so for the betterment of our family, of those in our workplaces (on our teams), and for those in the communities in which we serve. Excuses serve YOU well (not really), but they almost never serve well those around you who may be part of some of the bigger picture stuff. We make excuses in daily life because we can. We make excuses because we’re able to get away with it with no accountability…we make excuses because we lose sight of our goals or THE [bigger picture] goal(s).

A few statements to be adopted by those who want to develop the mindset of being a HIM:

  • EXCUSES ARE FOR WUSSIES!
  • BE STRONGER THAN YOUR EXCUSES!
  • FIND AN EXCUSE TO WIN!
  • Whatever you commit to, make sure you carry that commitment to completion, to the end goal. Don’t make excuses and DFQ! Be it a workout, or a war; be it a wakeup or walk, a wrestling match on a mat or with a foe unseen–be a no-excuse warrior for your family, your friends, your team, your co-workers, yourself! Whatever it is, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.” (Jesus in Matthew 5:37) Excuses are for wussies!

Abs Station #3: Parking lot, the looooong lot…

  • Freddie Mercury – 5 sets of 50, run length of lot and back between sets (250 total)
  • LAST TRANSITION: Bearcrawl/Crawlbear back to start from far end of lot (canceled due to time)

Mosey back to AO to call it a day.

COT:

  • Number-Rama – 10 PAX
  • Name-O-Rama – a Happy Birthday to Woodstock, hit the big “4-2”
  • Announcements – Today is the day: Commit to the F3 Paintball outing (Sat. April 24 @ 3 pm). Commit today by getting your deposit of $25 to Jay Baxter (Quattro). Did YHC mention to do it today? Today it is then!
  • Prayers – Prayers lifted for PAX and families traveling home following Spring Break. Prayers for the Brown family and Cape students grieving the tragic loss of Maggie Brown and for other girls involved in the gator accident this past week.

ABSolutely honored to Q at the Aegis, it’s been awhile.

Chappie, out!

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