Author: Johnsonville

Eleven of the faithful and one FNG (White Beaver) posted at GridIron early on a Saturday morning. Both the undersigned and Tater claimed to have reserved the Q, but Tater yielded to the undersigned. That decision would prove to be tragic.

The undersigned took the Q and started the PAX out with a typical warmup COP (merkins, don quiotes, LBCs, etc.) The undersigned then declared that there would some Frank’s ball (kickball), confident that Polly’s injury at the prior round of Frank’s ball was just a fluke.

It was requested that Frank’s ball be played on the Astro Turf field at Striker Park. The PAX made its way over and a makeshift field was constructed using hats and gloves as bases.

The teams were allocated randomly. That turned out to be a mistake since Piglet, it turns out, is a professional quality kickball player and proved himself capable of covering the entire infield and outfield, along with covering all bases and along with hitting runners with the ball form 80 yards away. It was a route, and team Piglet won easily.

Tater was injured almost immediately, I believe during the first “at bat”. He was out for the remainder of the battle (and day). The following was overheard around the table at Starbucks.

In the realm of valor, a warrior stood tall,
With a heart of courage, ready for the brawl.
He allowed his comrade to lead the charge that day
Into the chaos of battle, they made their way.

With armor gleaming, and resolve so strong,
He watched as his friend marched forward, headlong.
“To lead the way,” he selflessly decreed,
His trust in his comrade, a warrior indeed.

But in the midst of the clash, a cruel twist,
His own leg, a weakness, in pain it did exist.
The great warrior stumbled, his strength gave way,
His life extinguished in the heat of the fray.

In this tale of valor, we mourn the loss,
A leader’s sacrifice, at such a cost.
His memory lives on, in the annals of time,
A noble warrior’s end, in a battle’s prime.

We called the game with roughly 25 minutes remaining in the workout and spent the remainder of the hour doing four corners on the astro turf field.

At the COT, Liam was named White Beaver in order to conform to a GridIron convention.

Frank’s Ball is hereby retired at GridIron on account of it’s tendency to cause unfettered mayhem.

Johnsonville

In Gridiron’s field, ‘neath sky so vast,
A kickball game was held so fast.
Eleven players, faces bold and bright,
Gathered there in the dawning light.

Chum Bucket’s laugh, a jolly sound,
Echoed wide, all around the ground.
Polly, swift, with a limber stride,
Pulled up lame, his hamstring tied.

EF Hutton spoke, and all would hush,
While Handshake’s boot brought a gentle crush.
Tater argued, loud and long,
His words, like thunder, fierce and strong.

Pigskin’s kick flew like a dart,
Whitesnake moved with a slithering art.
Fireman Ed, with a booming cheer,
Rallied all who gathered near.

Oyster, quiet, with a pensive gaze,
Lighthouse, bright, through the morning haze.
And Johnsonville, both player and ref,
Made calls so fair, left no one bereft.

Eight innings played in competitive zeal,
Each call and kick, a spinning wheel.
Though Johnsonville was just and true,
Discontent in rival hearts grew.

For in this game, ‘neath twilight’s dome,
The kickball field was more than home.
It was a place where spirits soared,
Where every run and shout was scored.

Yet, amidst the playful fray,
Nature’s hand would gently sway.
Teaching that beyond each score,
Lies life’s game, with so much more.

Through laughter, strife, and hamstrings torn,
In the field where joy was born,
The kickball game at Gridiron’s end,
Left memories, like true friends’ words, to tend.

Eleven of the faithful posted at Grid Iron on a chilly February morning, YHC having filled the minds and hearts of the faithful with promises of an FNG. The FNG was a no-show, but we had work to do. The Q started off by calling merkins but doing side straddle hops just to see who would brought the right level of obeisance to the workout. We then moved on to the actual merkins, followed by hillbillies, LBCs, and some other things.

The PAX was led to grassy knoll behind the schoolhouse, and YHC kicked off “ten minutes of whatever” with ten minutes of with burpees.

The PAX was led to the pull up bars for what was supposed to be ten minutes of jerkins/pull ups (alternating). YHC ended that workout early on account of the painful combination of damp hands from the burpees and sub-freezing metal bars. Probably should have led with that …

The PAX was led to the astro turf fields at Striker Park for ten minutes of field sprints.

The PAX was led to the front corner of the astro turf field for ten minutes of LBCs/reverse crunches (alternating).

The PAX was led to the back side of the astro turf field for a classic Jack Web cycle, but we took it to 12. There was moaning and the gnashing of teeth.

The PAX then bear crawled to mid-field and moseyed by to the SF for a few rounds of var. planks led by Mr. Bucket.

There was some lewd and lascivious commentary along the way, but I’ll leave that to the comments.

Four of the faithful braved the ice, snow, cold, and wind for a 7AM workout on the west end Saturday. Johnsonville was the volunteer Q, and this is what went down (more or less):

COT for fairly brief warmup (50 ssh, hillbillies, suzanne sommers).

Mosey to atrium in back of school, mostly to try to get some shelter from the harsh wind. YHC set up his phone for the following six (6) sets of Ciabatta:

• Burpees (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)
• Lunges (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)
• Imperial Walkers (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)
• Merkins (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)
• Plank Jacks (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)
• Sit-Ups (LBCs because we were on pavement) (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)

Interlude of stretching

1 more Ciabatta set for good measure– Donkey Kicks (8 cycles 20 sec. on 10 sec.)

Mosey to south side of school for Four Play — wall sit -> close grip pushup -> hold 6 in. leg raise -> Pigskin parkour.

Mosey back to VSF.

COF with YHC taking us out.

Eleven of the faithful posted in the far west end on a cold Saturday morning. Johnsonville (YHC) was Q for the day.

Without any side straddle hops, and without any kind of normal COP warmup, the Q sent the pax (and himself) on a particular 1 mi route around the school, up Pouncy Tract Road, around pickleball courts and to the pullup bars.

Upon arrival, each member of the pax did a round of 10 pullups and 20 merkins (OYO count and in no particular order). After all completed pullups and merkins, YHC led the pax in 15 F3-count (30 normal count) squats. Rinse and repeat the entire sequence 9 more times for 100 pullups, 200 merkins, and 300 squats in the aggregate.

Mosey a short distance over to the grassy knoll by the old shoolhouse. 5 minutes of burpees. Mosey a short distance to the original pickleball courts. 4 rounds of suicides.

Run the 1 mile route in reverse direction back to the virtual shovel flag.

COT with YHC taking us out. Johnsonville

Ten + One of the faithful posted at GridIron on a sunny spring morning, probably the prettiest day of 2020. Johnsonville had volunteered as the day’s Q, and this is what went down, more or less:

Circle up on far side of parking lot near where the policeman usually parks (but not today). Var. warmups, including SSH, don quiote, imperial walker, hillbillies, copperhead squats, merkins, LBCs, etc. 50 forward arm circles.

Staggered-start mosey to school and around counterclockwise. Return to wall of bathrooms. 10 rounds of chicken peckers counting down from 10 to 1.

Staggered-start mosey to tennis courts in the rear of the property. Because the gate door was locked, we circled up on blacktop in the back. 10 rounds of merkins counting down from 10 to 1.

Staggered-start mosey back to offisite tunnel down path through woods. Mosey back to courtyard in rear of school. Relocate to grassy circle in the middle of the bus loop.

Jack web, pausing before #1 to do about 50 backward arm circles and 10 burpees. Return to VSF.

Announcement: New Friday run on west end started by Gomer. Mills Godwin. Name TBD.

COT with YHC taking us out. Glad to see some faces that have not been to Gridiron in a while. Looking forward to getting a few on the injured reserve list back.

Socially distance coffee in Einsteins parking lot.

Good work, men! Jville

Seven of the faithful (but not so many “regulars”) posted on Feb 15 at GridIron. Johnsonville had volunteered as Q, and this is what went down, more or less.

COP warmup in rapid succession, including 40x SSH, arm circles, hillbillies, don quiotes, Alabama prom dates, supermans, susanne sommers, etc.

Grab 2 coupons each. Set down coupons in parking lot, pair up, and line up against the wall with partner.

Round 1 — First partner inverts on wall and does chicken peckers whilst other partner runs to coupons and does coupon burpees. Repeat 4x each.

Intermission — Native American run around parking lot, pausing at landsaping oval on far side. Plank on curb around said oval. Plank walk a complete revolution.

Round 2 — First partner does rotating wall planks whilst other parter runs to coupons and does 20 coupon curls.

Intermission — Same as above, but plank walk in the other direction.

Carry coupons onto near GridIron. Circle up for modified Jack Webb. 1 merkin on coupons, then do 2 of the following — (i) on knees, thrust coupons out directly forward at chest level; and (ii) on knees, thrust coupons up overhead. Do 2 and 4, then 3 and 6, then 4 and 8, etc. to 10 and 20.

20 burpees.

Carry coupons to the other endzone. Circle up for modified Jack Webb. 10 sit and press with single coupon, then 40 single-count American hammers with single coupon. Do 9 and 36, then 8 and 32, then 7 and 28, etc. to 1 and 4.

Native American run the length of the field, then back to the VSF. Plank until time ran out.

COT with Funny Car taking us out.

Welcome out to GridIron Deuce and Funy Car. Welcome back Greg. Thanks for the opportunity to lead. Jville