Category: Richmond, VA

  • Like going home

    SOJ takeover week continued with a beatdown at WDog. Before Source of Truth moved to Midlo Middle, YHC called WDog his Wednesday home. Has been quite some time since posting to this AO, but today was just like going home.

    Here’s what went down…

    Mosey to amphitheater for a slaughter start. Box jump burpees to the top and meet in the circle.

    COP: SSHs, Helicopters, Ukrainian soldiers, Cherry pickers, DQs, Merkins, LBCs

    Love Hill: Mosey halfway down Love Hill (had planned to go all the way but forgot how long it was). Partner up. One partner runs to the top of the hill while the other performs bear crawl. Runner returns and switch off. Repeat with forward crab, polar bear crawl, and backward crab until reaching the top.

    Rusty Cage: Six pack with 6 pull-ups, 6 merkins, and 6 jerkins. Repeat to 1. Shiplap had a sudden stomach emergency and missed out on this fun.

    Mosey to the field for two rounds of a Beast: Crossed leg lifts (both legs) and two-count flutters

    BTTF for 2 minutes of Mary (American Hammers and Rosalitas.

    Numbers, names, announcements, YHC took us out.

    NMS: Awesome to be back at WDog this morning. YHC admits he doesn’t cross the river very often anymore but maybe it’s time to make a change. Being back at WDog this morning made YHC remember how much he enjoys this AO. So many places to go and so little time! Great to have House Party out at WDog for the first time.

    One questions remains from this morning: Where was Hitchhiker? Word on the street was that he was picking up Bad News from the Omni and heading over. Did he get lost? Did he and Bad News opt for coffeeteria instead?

    Announcements: The Bridge on June 25

    Prayers please for YHCs family. I lost my last grandparent on Monday. My grandfather was 2 months shy of 100 and we were really excited to celebrate that tremendous milestone with him in August. But, that wasn’t in the cards. After losing my grandma (and his wife of 75 years) last year, he hasn’t been the same. He went peacefully in his sleep and I believe he is happy to be reunited with his wife. Pop was a proud WWII vet and spoke often of his time in Europe during the war. I will miss his stories. YHC plans a tribute for him in August.

  • Ripped Shirts & Wet Discs

    A perfect 16 HIM’s posted to Heartbreak for an SOJ Takeover game of Ultimate Frisbee. With humidity at 1000%, our West End hosts ensured the sprinklers were ON for refreshing showers throughout the game. Here’s how the PAX exercised all three F’s in style:

    The THANG:

    WARMERAMA:

    • Mosey the field perimeter dropping cones (full length, but only 75% of the width), and then circle up
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom

    THE GAME:  With absolutely perfect numbers for Ultimate, the PAX divided into Team Atilla with 8 dark shirts and Team Mariner with 8 light shirts. Rules were reviewed, and the decision made to forego burpees or merkins on turnovers. 

    While each PAX put forward amazing effort for their teams, here follows the most remarkable highlights of the game:

    • Early scoring by Team Mariner demonstrated definitive skill and coordination between Snuff and Bodos, and early grumbling by Team Atilla suggested uneven team skill levels
    • Team Atilla stopped counting when the score reached 3-2, but MVP’s Mariner, Snuff, and Bodos kept the TD’s going
    • Shout out to TI – The Ringer who’s never played
    • Upchuck won a small ribbon for “Most Hands On”, and Bodos’ shirt is proof if you let the bear give you a hug, you might regret it
    • Upchuck also earned 5 Burpees, the only given out, for batting the frisbee out of bounds over the fence – respect to the man for no complaints crushing the burpees
    • Bodos had 1st Place in Most Glorious (and frequent) Dives (pretty sure he’s actually just 25 years old…)
    • Handshake went beast mode in celebrating turnovers
    • Offshore has sneaky good skills
    • Our lone LIFO was Kubota, but only missed the last TD and COT

    FINAL SCORE: Team Mariner 10 // Team Atilla 3

    COT:

    • Counterama # 16
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Comments)
    • BODOS took the PAX out in Prayer

  • Last Lap

    3 stretching enthusiasts woke up a tad earlier to get some Hot Broga in with the temperature 70 degrees with 100 percent humidity. With our Broga guru, Last Call on vacation, YHC stepped up to lead these men to find their inner self. Back, legs, shoulders, and wrists were the hot areas covered today to make sure our bodies were ready for the Ultimate Frisbee showdown. Good work today Oyster and House Party! Appreciate you guys letting me lead!

  • SOJ Takeover: Slogging Spider Miles

    Thirteen men posted for a humid run during the infamous SOJ takeover week. Details:

    Everyone: bat cave, across bridge, head east.

    4 miles – take trail entrance to Huguenot Flatwater Park, loop back under bridge and out the parking area on Riverside. Take the bridge and bat cave back to the point of beginning.

    5 miles – continue downriver to Shirley, stop and return to trail entrance, take trail and then back to point of beginning.

    6 miles – continue downriver past Rock Falls Rd around bend to mansion overlooking lake. Return to trail entrance, take trail and return to point of beginning.

    Good run this morning, very sticky. Forgot to ask how the 6 mile route fared, if anyone wishes to comment below. Thanks to Rosie and Gumbo for showing some true SOJ support. Yes Hitch, one can be both SOJ and City of Richmond, but YHC understands most northsiders don’t spend their time worrying about trivial matters south of the James.

    Prayers and healing to Splinters ‘step-aunt’, as corrected, families of the women who passed Memorial Day in the James, Saab and Mr. Rat.

    -Singer

  • YHC needs a tour guide

    7 regulars, 1 FNG and a wanderer from SOJ went in search of a hill to run near Atlee HS but found gentle rollers rather than one big one

    YHC will not pretend like he knew where we where headed nor remembers where we went but some made it close to 5 miles, some cut off the edges and did 3 or 4 miles. There was supposed to be a fairly big hill involved but Hash and Marco Pollo lead YHC through the woods to get some extra miles in and we ended up by passing the hill. There where many rolling hills through the Giles Community which is a route that YHC hasn’t been down yet so I was glad to see a different side of the Atlee area.

    BTTF Numbers / Names Corned Beef took us out

    NMS:

    Welcome aboard Dew Point congratulations on your first post being one of the muggiest days of the year this far.

    Thanks to Hash and Marco Pollo for being YHC’s tour guides this morning. YHC had a direction in mind but Google maps didn’t show the little paths to get from one neighborhood street to another to complete the loop. It’s always good to have a local with you.

    YHC will try to get out a little more and away from his normal stops. You sometimes forget the brothers you have met and there are a bunch out there in the Gloom that you haven’t met yet.

    “If your presence doesn’t make a difference to those around you, your absence won’t make a difference.”

    Go out there and make a difference

  • Chumba One-on-One

    Perhaps thinking it was Grandparents Day at the school, two senior citizens meandered around the campus of Linwood Holton ES for a while in the 97* heat. According to the search party from Westminster Canterbury, here’s how it went – more or less:

    Mosey to a shady spot with a cooler full of ice and bottled water.

    Warmarama: Imperial Walkers x 10, Don Quixotes x 10, Ukranian Soldiers x 10, Freddie Mercuries x 20, Hello Dollies x 10, Flutter Kicks x 10, Crunchy Frogs x 10

    Mosey to the shady side of the school with the cooler; hydrate then:

    11s: 1x Lt. Dan > bear crawl to blue shipping container > 10x 2 ct. shoulder taps > lunge back

    hydrate

    7 of Diamonds: mosey from the cooler to three trees and back, stopping at each for the called rep count and exercises:

    • 7 x Carolina Dry Docks x 4
    • 14 x American Hammers x 4
    • 21 x SSHs x 4
    • 28 x LBCs x 4
    • 21 x Heels to Heaven x 4
    • 14 x Hand Release Merkins x 4
    • 7 x Squat Jumps x 4

    Hydrate, numbers, names and YHC took us out.

    NMMS: It was great to have some 1-on-1 time with Chum Bucket. If Dot’s Back Inn were open on Mondays, this would’ve been a whole different thing —-

  • First Slack F3RVA discussion; next one Monday 6/20 at 7p

    Seven met virtually for the initial leadership discussion topics including. All are invited.

    • Intentionality; what does it mean to expand leadership opportunities; site Qs; different leadership styles and opportunities
    • 3rd F inclusion of other faiths
    • What will it take to fill the Q sheet? A model / template to help VQs get started. Commz strategy for VQ? Q school.
    • Float more copies of Freed to Lead amongst the PAX. Re-read if you have not for a while. 1 week reading challenge.

    NMS – There is a balance YHC is seeking… both ready to come out of the gate with direction, but want to provide the opportunity for the PAX to provide opinions and thoughts on where F3RVA should go. Feel free to text or post topics on Slack. Come to the the next discussion 7p on Monday. Think about what you want for F3 and lets discuss.

    Actions

    • Q – publish an agenda to drive thoughts about topics
    • PAX – Encourage folks to use Slack
    • PAX – Respond to Slack leadership channel with topics for next meeting
    • PAX – Read Freed to Lead as the basis for our common vocabulary
    • PAX – provide ideas for what you want to see F3RVA become

    Get Some!

  • Humidity has entered the chat

    5 heard some rumbling, felt a little rain but as always OTB was 70 and sunny. 3 runners and 2 walkers took off for another edition of Off the Books. Gumbo’s watch clocked 6 miles. Well done boys!

    2nd F at Starbucks. Great way to start the day!

    Oyster

  • Lady of the Night goes North

    A weekend text to Phonics gave the DaVille PAX a warning and a chance to curb their weekend plans in favor of rest to prepare for the Rosie Q that awaited them on a humid 70 and sunny morning at Atlee HS. Corned Beef was the first to show and let me know that the trend at DaVille is arrivals in the last few minutes. He nailed it as 4 faces familiar to YHC plus one new regular showed up to see what the beginning of the SOJ takeover was all about. A perfect prime number to eliminate possibilities of partner work or trios.

    The Q had the PAX running into each other as he twisted and turned from one location to the next to find a good spot to take on the each round of exercises. No real plan for the day except no Scorpion Kicks and enjoy some time with the fine gentlemen of Mechanicsville.

    COP on the basketball courts. SSH, DQ, IW, AST, Merkins, LBC with some discussion of the varying counting style of Daville, also it’s been a while but this court was repaved since the last time and was much easier on the hands. We found a nearby field that wasn’t too wet and ran through some 11s with merkins on one side and WWII on the other. Nearby, the middle school tennis courts were calling out to be used. Why not bring Honeymoon’s Lady of the Night (Prostitute) – 1 burpee at the start, and 10 CDD, 20 MH, 30 AH, 40 MC always rolling back to the start and repeating exercises as you pass each corner. If you have read this far and can figure out all of the exercise abbreviations I’ll buy you a beer at the next HDHH. Zig zag across the AO while the pax try to figure out what is next and circle up for some random exercises in cadence, including some ISW which did not go well and YHC recalled it was also a fail by the Q, DK, at my first post 7 years and 11 days ago. Finish up with some Mary at the flag to close out the 45 minutes.

    The SOJ takeover officially started yesterday so post and support your guest Q this week, you won’t regret it. It was a pleasure to make it back out to DaVille after a long gap in posts. Thanks for letting me lead this morning. Many things in the works, no specific announcements today, watch slack or BBs for details.

  • Hoedowns Are A Southern Tradition

    15 Tuckahoe Aristocrats, 1 FNG, and 2 SOJ Jorts Wearing Hill Billies kicked off the work week portion of SOJ Takeover. Here’s how this Hoedown went :

    Definition of F3 and 5 Core Principles for the FNG.

    Warmarama : 20 SSH IC, 10 Don Q’s IC, 10 Cherry Pickers IC, 10 Ukrainian Soldiers IC, 10 Imperial Walkers IC, 10 Merkins IC


    Mosey to YHC’s truck

    YHC grabs Cindy from back of the truck. Perform an Indigenous Run to Trinity Church with Cindy. PAX in front runs with Cindy until the PAX in back relieves him of his duty. Repeato until we reach the Church. Lay Cindy down ever so gently on the pavement.


    Walls of Jericho:

    Just as Joshua was instructed to do in the Bible – performed around a building so we used the church building, pick 7 different exercises and complete 7 reps of each then run a lap around the building. Complete for 7 laps. Exercises we did before each lap were : 
    Burpees, Squat Jumps, Freddie Mercuries DOUBLE COUNT, HRM’s, Ball Dippers DOUBLE COUNT, Standard Sit Ups with hands behind your ears, Lt Dan’s DOUBLE COUNT (We completed 5 and a half sets before we needed to head BTTF for time)


    Indigenous Run BTTF with Cindy. (Halfway through the Run we switched to Indigenous Walk with front PAX Rifle Carrying Cindy while last PAX sprints to the front to switch)


    Mary : Not So Lazy Boys (15 seconds Middle, Right, Middle, Left, Middle)

    DONE

    Numbers

    Names

    COT : Ongoing prayers to all PAX on IR and recovering – Lab Rat, Mr. Holland, Don Draper, Ollivander, Soul Train (forgive me if I’m missing anyone). Continue to check in with those PAX.

    *SUNDAY JUNE 26 WE NEED A PAX TO Q FOR BREAKING BREAD*. This is a great opportunity to serve while including your M’s and 2.0’s. Drop off a meal for 10 – 15 people at 5:30 PM to Southside Health Center at 180 E Belt Blvd, Richmond, VA 23224. Contact Upchuck for more details and talk to PAX at all the AO’s for tips.

    T Claps to Offshore for bringing out FNG Zack now named Gold Digger. He’s in the Army and was serving (or still is?) at Fort Knox where all the Gold at.

    YHC took us out in prayer

    NMMS : Upchuck called YHC out for “cutting corners” on the church loop run. Apparently there was a bigger loop YHC was unaware of but I figured it out by the 3rd loop run haha. Gypsy moaned about the sequence of exercises requiring getting up and down too much so we varied up the sequence instead to do the same muscle group exercises together. Not sure that was any easier? Enjoyed this morning thoroughly fellas!