Backblasts

After some pre-blast un-HCing among the PAX and thinking some tom foollery was going on behind his back (which indeed it was), SAGA waited in the shadows to make sure he would win as the ultimate fool. Seeing the PAX all gathered, he appeared as a light in the gloom and entered the AO as the Mastodon Jester dressed for April 1^st. He cued up the beatdown soundtrack of Jesus Christ Superstar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3m2kQ-tOEk) and with a nod to it also being Maundy Thursday in Holy Week he invited the PAX to lay down their lives for their brothers (Maundy comes from the Latin word “command” & refers to Jesus’ commandment to the disciples to “Love one another as I have loved you”).

WOR: Motivators / Goofballs / Tappy Taps / Mt Climbers

THANG ONE: Cooties Cooties, I got my COVID shot

Two team relay: 1 PAX does 2 pull-ups while rest of PAX does squats and cycled through the team for 3 rounds to see which team won

50 shoulder taps to make sure the PAX are vaccinated (1-is-1)

50 merkins to make sure the vaccine worked

Mosey to…

THANG TWO: Carousel of Foolishness

Timed Challenge @ ball diamond—1^st round: tried to beat other team / 2^nd round: tried to beat their own team record + other team. Winning team time through the following was 3min 26sec…

1^st = 25 merkins / 2^nd = 25 burpees / 3^rd = 25 squats / Home = 25 star jumps

Team in dugout switched between dips & planks (or whatever miscommunication SAGA had determined was appropriate in the moment).

When you want to get off but the carousel won’t stop: 25 merkins to remind you of your foolishness. Then, mosey to…

THANG THREE: “Remember, Philip, you’re going to die!” (legend has it that this is what King Philip’s jester told him every day he entered the court)

Teams started at lamppost at the base of Hoffa and ran over the bridge stopping at each lamppost until they reached the 8^th lamppost: 5 burpees at first lamppost & then 10 squats at next lamppost – repeated same reps at following lampposts in same order. PAX were instructed to pick up the six on their team if they had completed everything (helped with reps to get them to the finish line)—first team to 8^th lamppost won, except that we all die and so 25 more merkins + 50 LBCs + 25 burpees + race Tortuga back to the flags.

CoR/NoR/Cot:

13 PAX in attendance: Archive, Beaker, Captain Crunch, Cookies, Crack, Da Vinci, Hotbox, Jolly, SAGA (Q), Shiplap, Sparrow, T-Bone (respect), Tortuga (respect)

Moleskin: remember #sword-swallowers

“For by grace you have been saved through faith” – Eph 2:8

This famous quote from Jim Elliot’s October 28, 1949 journal entry, written the autumn after he graduated from Wheaton: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

See his journal housed at Wheaton College @ https://www.facebook.com/WheatonCollegeGraduateAdmissions/posts/he-is-no-fool-who-gives-what-he-cannot-keep-to-gain-that-which-he-cannot-losethi/1901188219934907/

Whimsy will save the world—make sure in the seriousness you are also quick to play. The world needs laughter alongside the sorrow. Be good air for others to breathe...

Partly because he wasn’t feeling very clever, and partly because he enjoyed it so much the first time around, Crash decided that we would revisit a beatdown from last November on this bright morning. As the creator of the workout (and the Q’s father), YHC was excited to see what my 2.0 would do.
8 HIMs showed up, at least one of whom had just come from the “morning” beatdown at AO Tar Pit.

Warm-O-Rama:
Goofballs IC – 10
Tappy Taps IC – 10
Bat Wings IC – forward arm circles, backward arm circles, seal claps, OH claps 10ea.
Michael Phelps OYO while the Q described the “thang”

The ABC’s
1. Alligator Merkins across the base of Hoffa
2. Broad Jump Burpees back to starting position
3. Colt 45 – coupon curls, lower half, upper half, full – 15 reps of each, 45 total
4. Derkins – 25
5. El Capitan – Deep lunges up Hoffa, touching hands to ground
6. Foxholes at top of Hoffa – WWI sit up, roll to plank position, merkin, flapjack, repeato 25x

mosey back down to the base of Hoffa

7. Grave Diggers – coupon between legs, lift up to shoulder (like shoveling dirt), back to btw legs, flapjack, repeato 20x
8. Hand-release merkins – 25
9. Inch-worm bear crawl across the base of Hoffa
10. Jackhammers – jump squats
11. Knerkins – Chuck Norris merkins – 25
12. LBCs – 50

return to coupons at start position

13. Murder Bunnies – 25yds
14. No Surrenders – 25
15. Outlaws – leg circles – 25 each direction
16. Plank Jack’s – 50
17. Quiet – silent low plank 30 sec.
18. Ranger Merkins – 25
19. Star Jumps – 25
20. Thrusters – 25
21. Upright Rows – 25
22. V-Up Roll Ups – 25
23. Windshield Wipers – 25
24. X-Cross Sit Ups – 25
25. Yul Brynners – each rep consists of 1 of each of the following: Carolina Dry Dock, Wide Merkin, Merkin, Ranger Merkin, Diamond Merkin, Crucible Merkin, Knerkins – 5 total reps

Sadly, we ran out of time before reaching Z, so no zombie crawl up Hoffa like the first time.

COT: Crack, Rainbow Bright, Tortuga (respect), Double Beef ‘n’ Cheddar (hate), Cap’n Crunch, Too Big To Fail, Cheese, Crash (hate, Q)

11 PAX (Archive QIC, Crack, Shiplap, Beaker, Jail Break, TBTF, Tortuga, Captain Crunch, Cookies, Jolly, Da Vinci) for some miles under ruck or behind Tortuga.

6ish miles for the Run Clubbers. Ruck club:

W/Sandbag. 3x up Hoffa. Ruck to island. Sandbag holder + 2 runners go clockwise, one PAX farmers carrys two rucks counter clockwise. First to catch the Sandbag holder wins.

Finish up lap of AO- shuffle one lamppost/walk one lamppost back to the Flag.

COR NOR
Moleskine: Thoreau observed, “the cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” F3 is the best thing I’ve ever purchased- no money exchanged and every ounce on time that I’ve put into it has been richly repaid with accountability, fellowship, and personal growth.

COT- Prayers for Tortuga’s M (sleep), Captain Crunch’s friend Katie recovering from a stroke during birth, and Beaker’s M traveling with kids in tow.

15 Pax showed up on a beautiful Saturday morning at AO Tar Pit for a Connect 4 inspired beat down!

WOR: Motivators, Arm Circles, Michael Phelps, Tappy Taps, Quad Stretches.

The Thang

Once the Pax were warmed up and ready to go we headed over to the Tar Pit track. We did a schoolyard pick to spilt into two teams. Captains Shiplap (Red Team) and Big Mac (Black Team) carefully picked the Pax they would go to battle with. Not surprisingly, Tortuga was a top pick while Jolly was nice enough to let everyone else be selected before he committed to a team.

Now that the teams were picked it was time for the competition to begin! There were 8 stations spread out around the track. Each player would take a Connect 4 token with them as they made their way around the track completing all 8 exercises along the way.

Station 1 – 25 Merkins

Station 2 – 25 Lunges

Station 3 – 25 Big Boy Situps

Station 4 – 10 Burpees

Station 5 – 25 Merkins

Station 6 – 40 Squats

Station 7 – 25 American Hammers

Station 8 – 10 Burpees

Each time a Pax completed a lap they were able to play their Connect 4 token.

In addition, opposing team Pax could challenge each other in a race. One Pax would sprint a lap around the track while the other would complete 25 burpees. The first to complete the challenge would take the loser’s token and be able to play two tokens their next time around. Tortuga and Big Mac were the only ones to attempt the challenge. Not surprisingly, Big Mac easily won despite Tortuga putting up one of his fastest lap times.

Official records are unclear, but I believe Big Mac’s black team was the clear Connect 4 winner!

NOR: Archive, Beaker, Big Mac, DaVinci, Gummy Bear, Hotbox, Jolly, Katnis, Noodles, Panhandle, Saga, Shamu, Shiplap, Tortuga, Whittler

COT: Prayers for safe travels for Noodles, sleep for Tortuga’s M, reduction in Covid cases on campus.

QIC: Beaker

11 PAX gathered for run club/ruck club.

WAR

Motivators (x7 ic)

Quad stretching OYO

Tappy taps (x15)

Abe Vigodas (x10)

The Thang:

The run clubbers ran on the prairie path. The ruck clubbers rucked on the prairie path.

NOR

Run club: Archive, Banks, Shiplap, Tortuga, DaVinci, Whittler, Big Mac, Jolly

Ruck club: Babe, Jailbreak, Beaker

COT: We gave thanks for beautiful weather and bodies that work, we prayed for Captain Crunch’s friend’s wife and baby, Jazz Hands’ friend’s husband, and Sparrow’s trip to Armenia.

It was a great morning to be awake, cool, dry, and we had a great showing ITG for my run club VQ. Per usual, YHC didn’t want to “just run” and wanted to be kind to the PAX knees, ankles, and feet so we headed to the tennis courts at Mastodon.

WOR: There wasn’t any – stretch OYO

Run at a brisk pace to AO Mastodon just over a mile. The quicker PAX turned around and picked up the 6. Took all PAX about 11 minutes to get there.

The Thang:
Suicide 1: 4 total tennis courts = 4 down and backs. We did EMOM using 2:30 per interval gave the PAX some heavy breathing but allowed for full recover

Suicide 2: Down and backs across all 4 tennis courts EMOM for 5 Reps

Suicide 3: 2 down and back: 2 reps

Mosey back to ground zero as a unit

COR/NOR: Gummi Bear, Shamu, Tortuga (Respect), Hotbox, Cookies, Panhandle, Noodles, Katniss, Sparrow, Jolly