Date: 2026-07-07
AO: Dark Room
Q: Ankles ,
PAX: LouGee, Ankles, Portage, Crack, Flower Boy, Body Double, Lakers, perculator FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
Conditions: Muggy w/ a Chance of Corn Dog. (Camera Park access was limited due to setting up for Glendale Heights Fest, but the PAX was undaunted.)
WOR: SSH; Abe Vigodas, Arm Circles; Picking Daisies; various runner stretches.
The Thang: HooverBall x Boot Camp = Sweaty Leather Balls
ao_dark_room was introduced to the F3Wheaton version of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverball. The F3Wheaton version eschews scoring & amends most of the other rules to maximize player participation & encourage constant movement. The PAX formed 3 different teams (A, B, and C) of 2-3 PAX each, and rotated through three activity stations:
Station A: BC Exercises, done “spittoon style”. (See Below)
Station B: HooverBall Court Side 1.
Station C: HooeverBall Court Side 2.
The team doing Station A set the pace of rotation & displaced the team at Station B once finished with their exercises.
The exercises at Station A were done “spittoon style”, but each individual exercise had to be performed by the PAX as a whole. (i.e., Individual PAX could not “specialize” in one specific exercise on behalf of the entire team; everyone had to do some of everything.) Overall rep counts were assigned on a per capita basis & exercises changed after every full rotation:
Round 1:
20 Burpees per PAX
50 Merkins per PAX
50 BBSUs per PAX
Round 2:
25 Coupon Shoulder Presses per PAX
50 Coupon Goblet Squats per PAX
50 Flutter Kicks (4 is 1) per PAX
Round 3:
50 Coupon Curls per PAX
50 Lunges (2 is 1) per PAX
25 Plank Jacks per PAX
Round 4:
100 One-Arm Rows per PAX
50 Dips per PAX
25 Coupon Swings per PAX
Results & Iterations:
– Pacing. Initially, Station A was a grind & the rotations moved more slowly than desired. Fortunately, the Q had previously created the music playlist w/ an easy-to-guess theme, (“summer/sun/hot”) for this contingency. The Q told each team that if they correctly guessed the playlist theme after their first Station A rotation, they could eliminate one of the 3 listed exercise types for all subsequent Station A rotations.
– Intensity: Some of the 3 person HooverBall teams were too stationary when not handling the ball, so a new rule was added to require every PAX to do one burpee immediately after they handled the ball before they were eligible to handle it again.
Overall feedback was very positive, with a suggestion that the rotations be even faster & also have the PAX to do a fast mosey/sprint back to the HooverBall court to create a stronger sense of urgency/pacing.
COT:
Moleskine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_of_small_differences & the negative effects it can have in our lives & community. Try to notice when it’s happening & make a proactive steps to avoid/de-escalate it when you see it. (i.e. “Pick your battles.”)
Prayer Requests:
– Job searches.
– Marriage/relationship/divorce transitions & conflicts.
– Safety while traveling.
Ended with a version of The Serenity Prayer often used in 12-Step Programs:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference. Amen.”
Tags: Dark Room, LouGee, Ankles, Portage, Crack, Flower Boy, Body Double, Lakers, perculator
F3 Wheaton 