Category: News

  • Pickleball Singles Championship

    Pickleball Singles Championship

    2 fleet-of-foot denizens of the Pickle Ball kingdom met on the courts of battle for the Inaugural F3RVA Singles Pickle Ball Championship. Conditions were sunny and 70. According to the lady of the night and her escort, the following back-and-forth action might have happened.

    COP:

    Lap around the courts. Various stretches and exercises. Pre-game workout was intense with Applesauce setting the F3RVA record with 1,110 merkins (before 5:45 a.m.). He also Invented 2 new AI models and cured one strain of the common cold (but, only one). Vaccines were banned from this tournament, as was flouride and several books that few have read anyway. But, in this world of manufactured fear mongering, the players remained steadfast in their focus on sports science – only HGH, creatine, and good ole Ben-Gay were allowed. Shoes were required – sorry, Bodos.

    Indeed, this was pickleball at its most raw.

    Main Event – The Championship (Singles).

    Some time later this summer there is a double’s tournament (which is on the Summer Tour). Today, the two survivors of the fortnight-long round robin singles tournament fought it out. Back-and-forth, back-and-forth, back (ok, out!)…

    Highlights:

    Applesauce twice pulled off the unintentional double-tap (permitted in PB),
    Several balls that were “out” were called “in,” as a courtesy (thank you, Oyster),
    The stupid rule requiring that every ball which is out be actually called “out” was suspended for being dumb, stupid, and a poopy-face rule, and,
    Lobs to the Moon and Back were used extensively (and, candidly, quite effectively).

    In a three set nail biter, UpChuck narrowly defeated F3 newcomer and veteran Pickle Ball player Applesauce in a  mega cage match for the ages. This is Pickle Ball scoring, so it’s odd. 11-5-2, 11-7-1, 11-4-2 (17-12). The math works, and if it doesn’t, check Truth Social and ask yourself whether anything on the Inter-webs is really a lie if you want it to be true. Say it enough, and it becomes true.

    Also, Applesauce signed his first NIL deal to promote paddles for New England Asset Management company (NEAM). Incredible. Don’t believe me? Check out his paddle next week.

    There were already too many numbers for today, so all of the rest we did silently and shared good will and brotherhood on the way out.

    Next year, Applesauce. But, for now, age won out over youth.

  • The Bridge is Back – Be a High Impact Man

    The Bridge is Back – Be a High Impact Man

    The Bridge is back. Time to make an impact.

    F3 RVA joins forces with F3 Charlottesville to help support The Bridge Ministry. This is a facility in Buckingham where men in crisis (meaning: men transitioning from the prison system or trying to stay out of prison)learn the skills needed to integrate back into society. HVAC, plumbing, vehicle repairs, electrical, carpentry, construction, and so forth. These crafts all offer methods of building men who can make a strong, positive impact in their communities.

    F3 RVA (and Amelia) has 6 sets of guys ready to lead (and we are always open to more). At any time, reach out to Heist, Hardywood, TYA, Whitesnake, Corned Beef, TYA, or UpChuck for details on how to join and when. And, we are always interested in expanding – if you are looking to build your leadership skills and make a tangible impact, let us know. We’d be happy to have another dedicated man join this team of leaders.

    Here are the upcoming dates:

    April 26 Corned Beef has the Q.

    May 10 Hermes has the Q.

    In the course of one short morning, you’ll hit all 3 F’s, and you’ll make some friends in the process.

    Transportation is OYO, with a heavy emphasis on Clown Cars. The Bridge starts at 7:30 a.m. sharp in Buckingham, so figure about an hour car ride. Beat down is 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. Coffeeteria is on-site until about 8:45/9:00. The ride back often includes a stop for breakfast with arrival back around 10:30 / 11 a.m. Boom!

    So, pick a date, reach out to the Q, make a commitment to attend, and make an impact (on someone else).

    Let’s do this!

  • Sober October 2024

    Sober October 2024

    All RVA PAX are invited to join together for a month of self-denial. It doesn’t matter what you choose to give up, taking a stand against your usual desires/indulgences will bring you to new levels of self-awareness and self-discipline, and it will grow our camaraderie in accountability and encouragement with one another. Giving up alcohol is a solid step if you regularly have a drink to take the edge off your stress, but you could also choose to abandon other unhealthy habits like sweets, snacks, soda, social media, or any screen time activity you regularly indulge in. As always with F3, you versus you… but don’t let the JESTER win! (F3 Lexicon: The Jester is the temptation of the flesh which hinders acceleration). There is a Slack channel (#sober_october) you can join for mutual encouragement, and a link below where you can declare what you’ll be giving up, and keep track of your progress. Yours AYE! ~DTH

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit

     

  • Make an Impact at The Bridge

    Make an Impact at The Bridge

    This post is about two things:

    Men who make an impact.

    Men who take the lead, not for themselves, but on behalf of others.

    If either of those topics interests you, read on.

    The Bridge is a ministry-driven school in Buckingham, Virginia, about an hour or so west of Richmond. There, men who are transitioning from being incarcerated to being free (again) spend about a year learning a variety of trades (e.g., welding, HVAC, carpentry, mechanical skills, and so forth) so that, when they are released, they have sufficient skills and structure to be (we hope) independent, well-functioning members of our society. Succeeding with one guy is a win. In short, this is a step on a second chance at life. The men are all selected by the judicial system based on their behavior while in prison. They are challenged – many have drug, alcohol, or other addictions. If these men do not adhere to the standards, they are sent back to prison to complete their sentence. In short, it’s not a guarantee, and it’s not a cake walk. In any case, if you believe in St. Jude (the patron Saint of Lost Causes) or the story of St. Dismas, perhaps that’s enough inspiration for you to give a few hours of your time and energy to support these men on the occasional Saturday morning. Or, if you are looking to meet other F3 men and enjoy the Second F of the drive out and back, hop in the Clown Car and make an impact. I believe you will learn from this experience, and I believe you will help others grow as well.

    Our F3 brothers in Charlottesville manage this effort. F3RVA takes on a fraction of the commitment. Back in the day, we used to claim 12 Q’s a year (one per month). That was a challenge for one person to organize. So, we have changed it up. We now have 7 volunteer leaders, that’s 7 of your F3RVA brothers (ahem, F3RVA and F3Amelia), who have committed to leading (or organizing other men to lead) 2 times per year each. That’s 14 Saturdays. Quite an impact.

    In addition, if you would like to join this group of Leaders and share the challenge of Leadership, there are 52 weeks in a year. Plenty of good places still available. The more, the merrier. We can always do more.

    Here’s our list of Leaders. Everyone of them has my respect.

    State Farm: Goyne Park / Chester
    Heist: Alamo / Western Chesterfield
    Whitesnake: Gridiron / Strange’s Nursery
    Hardywood: Amelia / Jetersville / Appomattox
    Corned Beef: DaVille
    The Yankee Aggressor: City Proper
    UpChuck: Westhoe / Tuckahoe / Who You Calling a Hoe?

    As I noted previously, there are holes to fill on the map. It would be awesome to have a Leader pick up the challenge on behalf of the Stratford Hills / Midlo area. You have an entire region behind you.

    This weekend, we launch. Saturday, August 31, State Farm has the Q, and Broadway is riding shotgun. Two studs taking on this opportunity (even while they are building The Iron Bridge!). YHC sees your impact, and it’s impressive. Thank you. Nice work.

    On September 14, we have another Leader ready to grab the mantle and make an impact. Heist will be leading the crew. Thank you, as well. And, thank you to the guys planning to join him.

    To everyone else, your nano / local Leader (the guys listed above) will be organizing a small team two times per year. Jump in the car and go. For those who work out on Saturdays, this takes about an hour longer than your normal Saturday morning commitment, with a usual return by 10:30 or so. You are guaranteed to make an impact, learn about yourself, and have the worst cup of coffee (styrofoam cup, super weak coffee, all free of charge!) in support of a great cause.

    Oh, and a few guys have asked me about going to a place surrounded by a fence. If you have not been to a prison, detention facility, jail, halfway house, glamour slammer, or similar, this is not GITMO or Folsom. No shackles, no iron bars, no razor wire, no gangs, no prison guards, and no jump suits. This is a farm with a rail fence. The guys often workout in jeans (we bring them workout clothes and F3 shirts). There are one or two guys with radios. These guys look forward to seeing you. They love this, and they put out the effort to make it a success.

    YHC thanks you in advance for your time, energy, and impact.

    Let’s do this!

  • F3RVA 10-Year Anniversary

    F3RVA 10-Year Anniversary

    Gentlemen of F3RVA – you have been hearing announcements, you’ve seen the T-shirt orders, and heard bits and pieces about the 10-year F3RVA anniversary. F3 was started in Richmond 10 years ago with what F3 Nation referred to as a ‘Leap’. They found a few local contacts to get something started and built it out with Charlotte PAX coming up for a Q-school and preliminary workouts before passing it off to the locals on 9/20/2014. Thanks to Big Data (ahem, Splinter), you can read all that happened that day here: https://backblasts.f3rva.org/2014/09/20/old-dominion-welcome-to-f3-nation/ I am sure you will recognize a couple names in the PAX list. After that inaugural beatdown, the PAX from RVA took off and have helped bring F3 to all of us in Richmond, plus assistance in launching Hampton Roads and Charlottesville.

    Events for the weekend are below:

    • Friday 9/20 – Weekend Kickoff Happy Hour – 5pm at Casa de Snuff in Bon Air – 2032 Buford Road – 5:00-7:00pm – Park at BACA or St. Michaels
    • Saturday 9/21 – Workouts at Dogpile
      • 5am tentative Early/Premature Beatdown/Run/Smokefest – Big Rig will be leading this – don’t miss a chance to get the day started right
      • 6am – Pre-Run and Ruck options
      • 7am – Main Event – 10-year Anniversary Beatdown – Special Guest OG Qs
      • 8am – Stick around for post workout refreshments
      • 8am – Team Brightside Fundraising and F3RVA awards
    • Saturday 9/21 – Family Cookout – Huguenot Park at 1:30pm – all PAX and families invited

    This is a special event, we have all been fortunate to have the F3 community in our lives so let’s use that weekend to celebrate and energize us to keep giving it away. We want to get as many guys out as we can so start headlocking now – reach out to any guys that may not be on Slack or don’t post very often, they won’t want to miss this.
    More info to come on details. Reach out to me or Gomer if you have any questions.

    Most importantly – Put 9/21 at 7am on your calendar and someone else’s! Let’s GO!

  • Preblast – New Moseley Elementary AO kickoff (westward expansion)

    Preblast – New Moseley Elementary AO kickoff (westward expansion)

    Calling all Moseley (and beyond) men! Are you a “chubby hubby” looking to burn off some extra pounds? Spouses, you can be honest with him, he probably needs to hear it. Or maybe you think you are a beast and do CrossFit or “go to the gym”… ok let’s see what you got! Well – F3 RVA is coming to location near you on Wednesday starting Wednesday August 28, 2024 at 5:30 a.m. at Moseley Elementary school.

    Not sure what F3 is? F3 is an international nonprofit whose mission is to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. It is facilitated through boot camp style workouts. Just think running mixed in with body weight exercises. From the workouts stem many channels of community leadership and networking that you can get involved with at your own discretion. All workouts are peer led, held outdoors, and is free of charge. All you spend is your time, with a bunch of other guys just trying to be better.

    Just meet us in the parking lot of Mosley Elementary at 5:30am and key point is that we always start on time, and finish on time. 5:30am – 6:15 am. I know it’s early, but win the morning, win the day. Hope to see some of you there! For more info on the organization, click the link below.

    https://backblasts.f3rva.org

    P.S. Our friends in Amelia have a great FAQ section. See: https://www.f3amelia.org/

  • Labor Day Convergence 2024

    Labor Day Convergence 2024

    As the Summer Tour ends and Pickleball tournament injuries subside, please come to the RVA Labor Day Convergence at a new Monday Short Pump AO (named to be revealed later). 7AM launch, Monday September 2nd, at Nuckols Farm Elementary off North Gayton Road. Only 20 minutes from Westchester Commons and 20 minutes from U of R, it is located behind Greengate and Strange’s Florist.

    Whitesnake (and others) will perform and there will be snacks.

    Spread the word and hope to see you there!

  • BREAKING BREAD – NEEDS YOU

    BREAKING BREAD – NEEDS YOU

    Saturday – June 29th… Who can help provide a few meals to the Daily Planet for Breaking Bread?

    What is Breaking Bread:
    F3 Richmond has been supporting the Daily Planet for over 6 years (Think of this somewhere between our 2nd F and 3rd F). The Daily Planet is a local non-profit providing medical respite for individuals who are homeless, offering a safe place to recover from medical needs. They rely on community support to provide meals during this recovery. This is where F3 Richmond steps in — we proudly take the last weekend (Sat/Sun) of each month to provide meals to those in their medical respite.

    How you can help:
    1. Sign up: Choose a night on the Q sheet.
    2. Get Details: A few days before your date, the siteQ will provide all the details, including the number of meals needed for that night. (Usually around 8, but it can be up to 15).

    Meal Prep:
    Meals can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Some PAX have picked up chicken and sides from Publix, while others have involved their M and 2.0’s to prepare home-cooked meals like baked spaghetti with garlic bread and dessert. The most important thing is providing a hot meal to someone who might not otherwise have one (read that again). You can choose to stay and “break bread” with the Respite guests or simply drop the meal off with one of the staff at Breaking Bread.

    Let’s get June 29th covered. And while you’re at it, let’s complete 2024 with the following open spots: Sept 28, Sept 29. Oct 27. Nov 23, Nov 24. Dec 28, Dec 29.

    In 2024:
    We have 161 PAX who have posted 5+ days in 2024
    Breaking Bread: 24 Spots open each year. (161 PAX for 24 BB??)

    Let’s Gooo!
    Oyster

  • Memorial Day Convergence 2024

    Memorial Day Convergence 2024

    Hey PAX of F3RVA and beyond, come on out Belle Isle at 0700 for our 9th annual Memorial Day convergence.

    This workout will feature Qs from across the region and wrap up with 2nd F at the belle isle parking lot.

    Some pax will start a pre run / ruck at 6. A great way to drop a few more before bikini season.

    Looking forward to seeing you all!

    Get some!

     

  • Nourishing Hearts, Building Bonds in 2023

    Nourishing Hearts, Building Bonds in 2023

    F3 Men and 2.0 serving meals for Breaking Bread

    As we bid farewell to 2023, let’s takes immense pride in reflecting on the remarkable journey we’ve had in providing meals for Breaking Break. This year has been a testament to the strength of our brotherhood, with 24 weekends dedicated to serving 194 meals to individuals in need.

    Our commitment to service was exemplified by the 26 F3 men who selflessly devoted their time to ensure that Breaking Break received not just meals, but a warm and compassionate touch. What’s truly inspiring is that several F3 men went above and beyond, serving on more than one weekend throughout the year.Special recognition goes to Gumbo, Fireman Ed, Rosie, EF Hutton, and Heist, who consistently demonstrated unwavering dedication by volunteering on multiple occasions. Their leadership and tireless efforts have been a driving force behind the success, turning weekends into opportunities for connection, kindness, and shared moments.

    Among the countless meals prepared, one that stood out as a favorite among Breaking Break is the heartwarming lasagna. For desserts, the chocolate chip cookie emerged as the clear favorite, delighting the senses and adding a sweet touch. These moments of joy and indulgence underscored our belief that a well-prepared meal goes beyond sustenance; it’s a gesture of love and solidarity.

    As we look ahead to 2024, let us carry the spirit of generosity, camaraderie, and community service that defined our efforts in 2023. F3 remains committed to making a positive impact in the lives of those we serve, fostering connections that go beyond the dinner table. Together, we will continue to embody the core values of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. Thank you to the PAX for your dedication, compassion, and the shared belief that through service, we can make a difference in the lives of others. Here’s to a new year filled with even more opportunities to serve and uplift those in need.

    Let’s do more!
    Oyster