F3 Greenwood

Today is the first anniversary of the “Deck of Death’s” arrival in Greenwood, and it is YHC’s first anniversary of posting with F3. During my first COT and Name-a-rama, I had barely uttered that I was the Risk Manager for Greenwood County, when Papa Smurf (Tombo Hite) shouts out “Polly.” The name comes from Jenifer Aniston’s character in the movie “Along Came Polly,” she dates Ben Stiller, who is a Risk Manager/Adjuster for an Insurance company. That morning we had 26 pax which included me and 2 other FNG’s, Half-Stich (Steve Riley) and BoyToy (Brett Easterling.) This is the workout Flossy led one year ago today (with some minor modifications.)

Before we get started, as you know, the Epicenter is world famous for “Tank Top Thursday” and our Shipyard visitors all wore tanks or went Chippendale (Pothole and Uncle Buck) with the exception of Babyblu and Pusher. YHC was a little disappointed, since I read on Twitter the night before that they were both HC and both had tanks to wear. Pusher was rambling on about invasions and rumbles and posting clips of Hulk Hogan and WWE. I thought, “Just Pusher being Pusher!” THEN Pusher steps up and calls out Babyblu for NOT wearing a tank! (Say what?) Well cue the music and bring up the lights because off came both of their “outer shirts” to reveal their “Shipyard NWO” Tank Tops underneath! Turns out, today was ALSO the 20th Anniversary of the birth of “NWO” in wrestling! Freaky, right?

Conditions: Muggy and Gloomy.

Disclaimer: Given

CoP:

  • SSH X 15 IC
  • Mountain Climbers x 20 OYO (10 each leg)
  • LBAC X 20 (10 forward/10 back)
  • Grass Cutters X 10 IC
  • Copperhead Squats X 10 IC

Mosey to coupon-cage, grab a coupon then mosey to the soccer field. Circle up around the “Deck of Death!”

The THANG:

Deck of Death….Block Party Style!

  • Diamonds: Derkins with feet elevated on blocks
  • Spades: Squats with blocks
  • Clubs: Curls with blocks
  • Hearts: Man-makers
  • Jokers: 10 count “rest”

Much to the DISMAY of the Pax, (Flossy: “what about the Aces?”), I confessed to removing the Aces from the Deck (what was I thinking?) So after we went through the deck the first time, the decision was made to double the exercise count for each card not including the Man-Makers (Meatloaf’s idea – shocker, right?)

Return coupons.

Mosey to shovel flag.

Count-a-rama: 16

It should be noted that Cold Feet arrived LATE, and left EARLY. Somebody needs to dock his pay!

Name-a-rama.

Announcements: Were not given. Read the newsletter

Prayer Requests:  Babyblu’s wife is having a procedure today, Stuart Malone at GCS, Pothole’s friend’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer, there is a 13 year old boy from Bambi’s church who is struggling with suicidal thoughts. BlueBall, Lego, and Mulligan.

22 Merkins to raise awareness of our Veterans who commit suicide each day, one for Lego, and one for Mulligan who have been deployed (24.)

BoM:  Closing Prayer

Naked-Man Moleskin:

Often times when people pray to God, they will ask Him for a sign to show them “what to do.” Personally I believe that God DOES give us signs and answers; we just don’t always choose to OPEN our eyes and see!

On May 23, 2015 I went backpacking with some friends. I had just been to the doctor so I know my exact weight – 267 lbs. That is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I had gotten my weight down to 235 lbs. 2 years prior for a backpacking trip to New Mexico with the same guys. I had gained 32 pounds in two years!

I wasn’t worried about it though, I had overcome obstacles before. I’ve withstood knee surgery, Atrial Fibrillation, and a Pacemaker at 38. I wasn’t going to let a “little” extra weight stop me.

Sign #1: We began at Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a Handicapped accessible trail. It is paved, has ramps, benches, etc.  There were a lot of elderly folks, wheel chairs and walkers. My pacemaker does not respond to climbing stairs or hiking up hills (it is motion activated) so in order to get my heart rate up I need to tap my chest over the device (stop laughing.) Soooooo, as I was walking up this FIRST leg of our hike, I was getting PASSED by people on crutches, using walkers, and canes! The only people NOT passing me where the Hell’s Angels Bikers who stopped at every bench for a smoke (and possibly a beer, I’m not positive.) So, I am hiking, panting, red-faced, tapping my chest, and people are getting alarmed, asking me if I needed help, (I am sure it looked like I was having a heart attack.) It was humiliating.

Sign #2: We were up on the Appalachian Trail and it is approximately 8 miles between shelters, so we decided that 8 miles a day was going to be our max. We broke off of the AT and went back into the GSMNP in order to hike out of the sun. After following bear tracks and bear crap for approximately 7 miles we stopped to check our map. We had underestimated our little “detour” and determined that we still had 5 miles to go! I was done, spent, exhausted. I could not go any further! I wanted to camp on the trail (which is not allowed.) I was even willing to take my chances with the “Irritable Bowel Syndrome Bear” that we had been following all day. So I had to suffer my second humiliation of the day, my friends took gear out of my pack to lighten my load for me. There I sat. I had hit rock bottom. I was ashamed of what I had allowed myself to become. I thought to myself, this is God’s wake-up call to me. He was showing me that I needed to take action. I prayed and I vowed to change.

Sign #3:  We’ve been members of North Side Baptist Church for ten years and members of the McCall’s (Meatloaf’s) Discipleship Group (Sunday School Class) for eight. Bryan has become one of my closest friends and like a brother to me. When I shared my experience the next Sunday night at church, he told me about F3 (I am sure he mentioned F3 to me before 5/23/15, and I dismissed it.) Two other members of our group, Robert (Judge Hairy,) and Randy, (Tweeter,) were in it as well. An answer to prayer – right? I resisted for 6 more weeks (I had vacation after all.) As many of you know, Meatloaf is VERY persistent, especially about people he cares about. Bryan never gave up on me, and finally on July 14, 2015 I posted for my first F3 workout.

F3 has truly been an answer to prayer on so many levels. I have lost 37 pounds and counting. The biggest gift is not my weight loss and better health; it is my brothers in the Gloom. F3 came along not just when I was at my heaviest, but also after very big changes in my family. My boys were both in college now and that was a huge adjustment for my wife and me. The four of us were all so active together in Boy Scouts, Baseball, Church, School, and now they were gone. Their absences created such a huge void in my life. I had SO much free time, but I didn’t WANT to do anything (that explains the 32 lbs.) The Gloom and you, my F3 brothers, pulled me out of a very deep funk. The workouts, the friendships, and the devotions, picked up my Mind, Spirit, and Soul.

God is good and I thank Him for His patience and for hitting me over the head 3 TIMES before I opened my eyes to F3! I am not the same Husband, Father, Christian, Brother, and Friend I was a year ago – I am better!

-Polly