Dash

BACKBLAST 08/14/2022 – The Mick’s Comal Welcome Party Beatdown at The Hub

Weather – 61 deg F, breezy and cloudy

Pre-Ruck Pax – The Mick, Tank, Pac Rat, Atticus, Mufasa

Pax – (19) The Mick (Q), Lights Out, Atticus, Optimus, Bob Villa, Dr. Freud, Payton, Mufasa, Class Act(marked as tardy), (FNG) Dillionmiser, Dash, Campbells, Onions, Bozo, Excellent, Crash, OCB, Pac Rat, (FNG) Flipper 

Spur was spotted ending an hour run at Dunkin, so I am counting him

Warm-up – In cadence (IC)

The Mick giving instructions and then we went right to work

We went over by the Brick’s planted a flag and circles up around the flag.  All work was done with a Ruck unless we were flat on our six.  Many exercises required a Sandbag or Coupon. 

2 Rounds

Buddy Carry 18 Steps forward and 18 steps back after each set

Civilian Count but to The Mick’s cadence not OYO

Set 1

18 Ruck Burpees

18 Ruck Squats

Set 2 

18 Sandbag Thrusters

18 Sandbag over the Shoulder

Set 3 

18 Sandbag Avalanche (On your six sandbag behind your head straight arms pull bag over your head to your waist and bag – that’s one — it’s a lat exercise)

18 Ruck Butterfly Sit-ups

Set 4

18 Ruck Get-ups (google it)

18 Ruck Hand-Release Merkins

Mary

12 – Low Flutter IC

12 – High Flutter IC

12 Freddy Mercury IC

12 Hand Release Merkins OYO

Plank

Moleskin (and then some)

Why were you here today (at F3, at the Hub)?? I doubt it was to honor Comal (Jake Galvan), but maybe that was some of your motivation.  Was it to become just a little better version of yourself, to push yourself through a monthly ruck workout?  Was it because it was Saturday morning, and this is just what you do now?  Let me tell you a little about why I was there today to lead Comal’s Welcome Party in NWI.

I did not know Comal, at least I do not remember if I ever met him.  I did get to meet his wife and kids.  They were at F3 Kingwood about a month ago when I was there visiting Cruiser, my brother-in-law.  Comal’s wife and two boys were there as two AO’s, of the many Houston AO’s, converged to do the Comal Welcome Party.  The Beatdown was led by the two men who created it, Vibram and Trojan.  The two boys 10 and 8 were trying to participate in the Beatdown while his wife watched 35 men go through a torturous set of exercises.  And now I ask you, “What’s your dash?”  a common phrase about the dash that will be on your headstone (Mark L. Hunter, 1959 – ????).  That dash, they say, represents your life.  How you lived it.  What kind of person you were?  

Today, my question is what’s you F3 dash?  Does it matter?  Are you a beast like Comal was said to be?A person who loved teamwork exercise with rucks and sandbags? I really do not care what your F3 dash is but, I hope every time you show-up at a beatdown you realize you are writing that dash.  Think about Comal’s F3 dash.  If you were to die young, would someone write a Beatdown to represent your character?  What would that character be?  What would the Beatdown be like?  What would it say about you, or your dash?  The 35 men in east Houston, promised Comal’s wife they would always be there for her and the boys.  Maybe they truly will, maybe they won’t.  Who’s to say how those men will honor that commitment.  Let me, kindly, share a second story though, also in F3 Houston.  Let me try toexplain what F3 can mean in people’s lives.

In October 2017, my 30-year-old Nephew Eric (aka big Wheel), Cruiser’s son, died at an F3 convergence event in Houston.  He died of a blood clot near his heart when a flap of artery to his brain broke inside the artery.  When an artery or vein is damaged (a cut) the blood naturally clots to stop the leak.  In Eric’s case the damage was on the inside, but still the blood naturally clots (by design).  But in this case, instead being a positive, helping the stop of blood flow, the blood did its job, clotted, but that led to his death.  

Eric was on a hill finishing his last set of exercises for the morning beatdown.   A ladder.  At the top of the hill, he was doing …. Yep you guessed it, 10 merkins.  He went down on a Merkin and didn’t come up.  A few other Pax up there with him called out, he did not respond.  One Pax was a doctor and another an EMT.  They immediately went to work.  The Houston Heart and Lung Center was literally 500 yds away.  It took 20 minutes to get Eric there and he coded 3 times.  F3 brothers stayed with Cruiser.  Over the next 3 days, family arrived include my M (Cruiser’s sister) and I.  When we arrived, at least 6 F3 Pax were not at home with their families, they were up in the hospital sitting with Cruiser.  Others came and went.  

As I recall there were about 8 Pax there on the third day when my Brother-in-law made the toughest, saddest decision a parent can make.  The decision to stop life support on a child.  Pax waited outside the room while Cruiser, and his family, watch the breath go out of Big Wheel.  Eric left 2 boys, a loving wife, a devasted, heartbroken father, distraught family and F3 brothers behind.

Now I don’t tell you this to call attention to myself, or to Cruiser, or to Big Wheel. I did not lead Comal’sWelcome Party this week to tie-in Eric’s story.  No, I am telling you all this to remind you that life can be short.  You may not get 62 years like I have been blessed with.  You might get 30 like Eric or 36 like Comal.  Regardless, take every day and every chance to improve yourself mentally, physically, and socially as if it were your last chance.  

In your physical struggles and possibly other struggles too, your F3 Brothers are there to support you.  Maybe not as bold as in these two stories, but you will find support from them.  The support F3 Houstongave our family in the Hospital was same as family, in some cases maybe better.  The support of the over 25 people from F3 that attended the funeral was indescribable.  Yes they knew Eric.  Big Wheel was not just a Pax’s son, he was F3.  The Pastor (“Whiskey”) who did the Eulogy was from F3.  When you need it, F3 can provide it?  It is special.  I hope you see that and feel that and find it when you need it.

My other reasons, besides reminding you life can be short, and that our God can take you in an instant are: (1) to remind you to grow in your faith daily, (2) always train your hardest.  Beatdowns are you against you.  It’s not about being the fastest, the strongest, or having the most grit.  It is you against you.  F3 starts personal … your fitness. And ends personal. It becomes corporate in our fellowship, but on the field it is you seeing how you can get faster, stronger and have more grit.  

F3 does require respect and leadership.  When you call out the count, you honor the queue. Everyone counts and should shout out the number.  When you queue you are the fuel that cause the Pax to grow.  Honor them with your effort.  You don’t have to lead the queue that wins awards at the Christmas party.  You just have to be prepared and when it is your turn to lead, and then lead.

I am sorry preaching and for being long, but this is my version of form week.  The form I am hoping to help you improve is the form in your heart as you grow in desire to challenge you against you, to lead in F3 and to be a lead outside the AO.

Thanks for 19 great efforts on Comal’s Welcome Party and 2 other who got there work other ways.  May God bless you all and your families.

The Mick