2nd F meetups are fellowship related where members of the F3RVA community get together for non-workout related meetups (e.g. coffee, events, etc.)
Last Thursday 4 brothers converged with Project Homes and their volunteers to build a Ramp for a Chesterfield Resident in need. Weather was great and we finished before 11:30am. We will have more dates later this spring including a weekend date! Please contact Corned Beef if you are interested and thank you to Mr Rogers, Tryhard and Hitchhiker for your time and effort on this ramp. Have a great week!
Cheers….CB
We had our first ramp build with the F3 RVA group and some reinforcements from NewEastern Construction (Ryan Primm, Eduardo Torres and Antonio Mendoza). With the cold temperatures the build started an hour later, but that did not matter as with the motivation and skill of this group we finished the two ramps and packed everything up for the photo shoot by 11:15 am! This ramp was special as it is for a young man (Samar Lemons) who was crippled in a High School football game. The project homes team scheduled this to make sure it was completed prior to the family moving in this weekend. His mom is pictured with us and she teared up when she saw the American Flag as her son wanted to join the Army after graduation from High School. Completed Ramp below:
15 men, a few M’s, and several 2.0s converged on Hardywood for a 2nd F opportunity to combine our donations for the clothing and shoe drive yesterday. It was a strong showing that came to discuss leadership, giving, and along the way throw back a few Gingerbread stouts in standard F3 fellowship fashion.
The Thang-
Show up with donations for the Karatas clothing and Shood shoe drive. Get in line, grab a beer, and enjoy the company of like minded men and their support teams (Ms and 2.0s). Mosey to a table that we couldn’t seem to get long enough for everyone. 100 mug raises to mouth, mosey to fire pit 100 more, mosey near the windows, 100 more. Time was called.
Gentlemen, I couldn’t be more happy to have seen such a strong group show up and be willing to give to others in need. We have an incredibly strong group of leaders in the community and it was great to break bread with you all and absorb your perspectives on life and leadership. Several of you I met for the first time, and others I had the chance to get to know even better. Iron sharpens Iron and I appreciate each of you for giving some of your time to each other and the cause. We will post a final tally once we have it all weighed and sorted, but initial estimates look to be over 400 lbs of clothes and over 60 pairs of shoes. T-claps and appreciation to you all!
-Vagabond
A cool six-pack showed up in a strange place for a strange brew of options. Temperatures were 70 and sunny outside, and between 38-55 degrees in the froth. According to the brewmaster, the following likely happened:
Circle up. Mosey inside for a double-check. The PAX discussed 17 year cicadas and whether they were the name of the beer or present in the beer or both. YHC did 2-3 SSHs (for real) to both begin the COP and conclude the workout. Don’t say YHC didn’t exercise.
Lockjaw, Dial-up, and YHC proceeded outside to initiate the longest COT of the year. Soon, the trifecta was joined by Corned Beef, Chum Bucket (who had the Q), and Nightcrawler. Six pack formed.
Numbers of beers, names of PAX, the Circle was formed at a single table of Trust.
Announcements:
Cider is good. Cicadas are meh.
NMS: Being the only evening AO, Punisher presents some options not available at other AOs. In particular, the PAX is able to enjoy an adult beverage at a time that does not result in being accused of “having a problem” or “being an enabler.” 1st F becomes 2nd F.
Good to catch up with Nightcrawler, who YHC had not seen in a minute, and the rest of the PAX.
Gents, it has become tradition at the annual inaugural F3 RVA retreat to have a friendly little Cornhole competition. Somehow YHC has twice snatched defeat from the jaws of victory along with everyone else not sporting a fuzzy caterpillar. Find a partner and start training, this year the Stacheholes go down. The rules are simple, throw the bag into the hole. Tournament is double elimination and there’s a mighty fine prize on the line. Highly recommended that you and your partner represent different nanoregions. Retreat is September 25th, tournament will start mid-afternoon. Sign up here:
I am trying to track down a guy whose F3 name is “Clown Cars” — possible last name is “Tedesco.” He participated in the GrowRuck a few years ago. Any leads would be appreciated — especially a hospital name and mobile number. Thanks! F3 Johnsonville (flbiggs@gmail.com)
Shang Chi, the new Marvel movie, debuts over Labor Day Weekend. YHC is trying to get a group together for some 2nd F to see it but wanted to get input first on location, day and time. YHC’s thought on location is CMX CinéBistro at Stony Point (9200 Stony Point Pkwy Suite 101, Richmond, VA 23235). This location is very central within the F3RVA footprint so it seems optimal but YHC is open to suggestions? The one problem with CMX CinéBistro is we’d have to wait until 1 week before the date to purchase tickets, whereas other movie theaters around Richmond already have specific showtimes for Shang Chi that you can already purchase tickets for now. Lastly, what day and time do PAX prefer? Fri 9/3 at 6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm? Or Sat 9/4 at 6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm? Leave a comment here or on Slack.
Nothing says summer like baseball, so let’s take over The Diamond on Military Appreciation Night and watch our Flying Squirrels take on the Bowie Baysox, followed by In-Your-Face Fireworks. Gates open at 5:00 pm, with game time at 6:05 pm. This is a family activity, so M’s and 2.0’s are strongly encouraged to come!
I think we should leverage our numbers to get a good group rate. There are lots of options that we could consider, but it would be easiest to just get a block of tickets. However, here are, in my opinion, the best group options that are available:
1. The Hogan Group Party Decks: featuring one of the best views at the diamond, each party deck comes with exclusive seating for you and your close friends, including 12 padded seats with cup holders. And 12 seats are along bar top rails, perfect for entertaining in a relaxed space.
Price: 24 tickets for $395. There is a full catering menu available at an additional cost.
Segra Picnic Zone: the Segra Picnic Zone is the perfect place for hosting anything from small social gatherings to large corporate events. This exclusive area down the third base is perfect for work groups or families and features a delicious 2 hour all you can eat buffet.
Price: $30 per person. Minimum of eight tickets must be purchased.
I really like the Segra Picnic Zone, because this would give us all a great opportunity to fellowship before the game during the meal.
I have also received questions about getting a luxury suite. The luxury suite costs $795, with a catering menu available at an additional cost.
I attached the hospitality guide to this pre-blast (hopefully, I did it right), so all can also take a peek at the same content that I received. Please comment with the appropriate route that you would like me to take. I would like to have a head count and a choice by the 12th.
See you at the crossroads,
Bone Thugs
“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:32
We had our first RVA group meeting after COVID-19 Shutdown. Below are the notes from the meeting. We will have Parking lot discussion points that we can cover in a future meeting. The purpose of this town hall was to get the feedback from everyone in attendance and anyone in the RVA region may read the below notes. This is what transpired below:
Discussion on AO’s:
Corned Beef: – 33 AO’s, maybe the Summer Tour will help us determine which may no longer be viable?
Labrat:- If you start an AO, it’s up to you to determine whether it’s still viable- Litmus test should be if you’d feel embarrassed if an out of town or FNG guy showed up
Gypsy:- We can also look at Big Data to follow numbers and determine viability
Flatline:- There are enough AO’s and PAX that we could just have guys take ownership and run with it
Round Table Discussion:
Shakedown:- Love F3RVA and feel it’s doing well the way it is in spite of Pandemic weirdness- Patience and unity are central, and convo worthwhile if it helps- Let’s try to expand the ways we represent F3RVA on Twitter/etc to connect with more folks
Wilson:- It’s all about You-vs-You, and if you want to make change, do it- Growth is happening where the need is, which is where the PAX live- What’s the end game for F3RVA? Where are we going? What are our goals?
Nancy Lopez:- If numbers are low, it’s up to the regulars to boost numbers- Would love to see more of the community service – like cemetery clean-up that Doublemint was Q’ing
Marmaduke:- Let’s pull together and get stronger together- Wants to get the PODCAST up and running (reach out if you want to help!)
Garbage Plate:- See more guys stepping up to Q and pushing the PAX with harder challenges/fitness
Gomer Pyle:- Love it, and while we don’t need to grow, it would be a sign of health- How can we connect with, support or partner with some of the other RVA workout groups?- We have a LOT of christian guys, and it can seem exclusive- There are no AO’s East of Richmond – what can we do to be a part of those communities?
Bluemoon:- The spice of F3RVA is the variety of PAX and AO’s available- Does everyone that joins F3RVA get some insight into the availability of the other AO’s?- It’s important that if an AO is on the map, it needs to be regularly Q’d and well attended
Mudface:- It’s not that we need to grow, but that there’s more people out there that need F3RVA!
Bodos:- We tend to inhabit homogenous networks, so F3RVA tends to grow with guys of similar culture/community- How can we invite and connect with other communities, and how can we change our culture to be inclusive?
Don Draper:- We all get something different out of F3RVA – sometimes to Q, sometimes to attend- The F2 accountability and encouragement is what gets me out of bed- How can we share the KoolAid with guys who haven’t yet joined?- How can we share the passion we have to help enhance our quality of headlocking new guys – If new guys are inviting new guys, have they been indoctrinated sufficiently to share the core principles?
Fireman Ed:- His M is asking about if the FIA can happen for our Region – good testimony of how awesome F3RVA is- We’ve moved toward more Hot Potatoes as we’ve had more AO’s – is that a good thing?- How can we retain the FNG’s? Is there something better we can do to shepherd these guys to stick with it?
Spit:- We need to look at someone being responsible for each individual AO- If nobody signs up to Q, or the Q no-shows, then that guy takes responsibility- If an FNG shows up, that person has the responsibility to welcome/educate/integrate the FNG
Chaplain:- I would have quit F3 if I hadn’t had guys follow up with me – so I think that’s important
Gypsy:- Our mission is National with well established “best practices”- The lack of structure weakens the model- How can we ensure F3 can plant/serve/grow the RVA community?
Phonics:- The mistake in an expansion is not having someone living IN that community- The leadership needs to be local- Have always enjoyed the unique challenges posed like Old Glory – can those be scheduled?
Faceplant:- Q fatigue is real, so we need better coordinated efforts to share the opportunity/responsibility to Q
Fresh Prince:- F3 is what we make of it – what we put in, is what we get out
Boberry:- More structure would be helpful to bring F3 out to new communities- When I first posted, had not Rosie reached out and followed-up with me, I may not have returned
HoneyDo:- Let’s be INTENTIONAL – what is our strategy?- I’m a living testimony that F3RVA works. There are men like me out there who also need saving.- Where can we have the most impact if we’re expanding? How do we structure that to happen?- How can we leverage the men and systems we already have in place?
Snuff:- Growing the group sounds ambitious- There’s a personal growth that happens in F3 where we have mutual accountability and encouragement- We all need to think how we individually can be stretched for the sake of others
Hitchhiker:- What makes a good leader? Having Followers – so if nobody is following, change the leader- F3RVA is attractive in the flexibility to choose when and how any PAX steps up to do more
Doozy:- We have an 80:20 problem …our PAX just isn’t showing up- We can start our growth by helping current PAX to be invited to participate/invest/Q- We can do a LOT better by having assigned individuals at AO’s to appropriately handle an FNG
Wojo:- Love that F3 welcomes you whatever stage of life you’re in- We need to extend our reach into other communities, but it’s gonna take a coordinated effort
Circle K:- Recruiting/Expanding is an accountability on yourself- CSAUP’s may be the secret sauce to both strengthen PAX relationships and recruit FNG’s
Mousetrap:- Heart for the FNG’s – but there’s a problem with recruitment/retention- How can we ensure FNG’s feel welcomed from the first day they post, so they don’t feel like they have to fight their way to the inner circle of an exclusive group?
Bone Thugs:- The personal accountability provided by F3 is the reason I turned my life around- We can save lives if we get this right
Flatline:- If you have not read it, you NEED to read “Freed to Lead”- If you want changes at your AO, take charge and make it happen- If you want to strengthen relationships, most times it takes getting into others’ sandbox
Tryhard:- Let’s consider a POC (“Point of Contact”) for the different AO’s, someone who will help properly welcome any FNG’s and can step up to Q if needed, or encourage others to Q where appropriate.- There could also be a POC for each Nano-region, to help facilitate CSAUP’s and other inter-Nano F1/F2/F3 events
Bleeder:- F3 is the light in this world – how can we do better and expand the light?- We’ve got to be intentional if we’re going to break into other communities
EFHutton – He lost Power to his house, however sent a text in summary likes how we operate in our nano regions and really enjoys the Saturday workout where everyone comes together from the other Nano regions. This group is organic in its development and I can work out as much as I want to workout, I can Q if I feel compelled to Q, if it’s a hot potato, no big deal, there is enough self motivated guys that you will get a good work out.
Corned Beef – Enjoy the brotherhood of F3, want to learn more of what we do as a group and stay involved. Appreciated everyone being able to have input in this town hall. Please reply to this backblast of any additional comments and let me know if there are any corrections and I will fix it ASAP. Thank you Tryhard for taking the notes of this meeting. Have a great evening everyone. Cheers….CB!
PARKING LOT ITEMS:- 1.)AO’s having someone take responsibility-
2.) Get repeat Challenges scheduled: Murph, Ghost Flag, Old Glory, etc.
3.) Podcast – can we revive this?
Corned Beef took us out in Prayer.
Brothers – there is a consensus to have Thursday’s Town Hall exclusively on ZOOM using the same link as we use for 3rd F (below). We will start at 8PM. ALL PAX are invited to an open discussion about our Region, and how we can pull together post-Pandemic to support and refresh what makes F3RVA unique and effective.