YHC was tempted to let this picture suffice for the backblast of the re-launch of The Arena yesterday, as there is no way words can adequately describe what was experienced. The power of F3 and its guiding principle #Iam3rd was on full display. Putting our trust in Him led to this new day and time for The Arena. YHC must admit that God taught me a valuable lesson in patience yesterday, as I had become discouraged by the client numbers at The Arena since our launch in February. I was reminded in a grand way that He is in control, and His timetable does not always match up with ours.
YHC, Country Wide, Zima and Captain K met at Pullen to make the jaunt through Dorothea Dix to THP where we would meet up with Chong Li and Ce Lo and hopefully a few clients. We were encouraged on the way over that this new time would be the right move, and YHC was even so brave as to plan a workout for 8-10 pax, hoping 2-4 clients would find the courage to step into The Arena. Arriving in the parking lot, we found Chong Li and Ce Lo waiting with what appeared to be 5-6 THP folks, including Torch, Billy Bass and a few FNGs. AWESOME – the numbers were already impressive. Little did we know what was in store for us as we walked from the parking lot to the courtyard, and waiting for us was what appeared to be the entire population of THP. For a moment it felt like the F3 Pax were the ones stepping into The Arena, and we were speechless. As Captain K said, there may have been some dust particles in our eyes as we saw the men waiting for us.
Once the shock wore off, it was time to get down to work. Audible would have to be called as a workout planned for 8-10 does not transfer well to a crowd of 34.
Warmups (grassy area in courtyard)
SSH x 25, Windmills x 15, Mountain Climbers x 10, Sir Fazio Arm Circles x 6, reverse x 6
It became apparent during warmups that the mumble chatter skills among the THP FNG’s would rival or perhaps surpass those of Costco and MacGruber…
Thang
T-claps to Country Wide for assisting with the audible required for the new workout numbers.
Jog over to field along Lake Wheeler Road. Split into 3 groups. Group 1 starts at bottom of hill for AMRAP merkins, Group 3 starts at top of hill for AMRAP Prisoner Squats, Group 2 run from Group 1 up hill to Group 2, Group 2 then runs down to relieve Group 1, etc. Each group hits 3 stations, then we all gather at the top of the hill.
Circle up for LBCs x 20, Carolina Nipplers x 15, Imperial Walkers x 15.
Jog down to volleyball court, then bear crawl to Goode St. Frogger across the street, grab a rock and circle up. Rock curls x 15, rock squats x 15, rock tri press x 15, derkins with feet on rock x 10. Knowing Name-o-rama might take some time, we finish up a little early and conclude with Mary of WWII situps x 15.
COT
Before embarking on what could be the longest FNG naming session in F3 Raleigh history, YHC briefly discussed the meaning of the 3 F’s. Name-o-rama was a memorable experience to say the least – much laughter, mumble chatter and brainstorming by all. Admittedly there may have been some F3 naming rule violations here, as some Pax put forth the nickname they already had within THP, and some were just too good to pass up. T-claps to Country Wide for coming up with the best name of the day IMHO – 70 – an ode to the pax’s strong ECU fanhood.
YHC concluded by reading a devotion from Os Hillman entitled The Refiner’s Fire, and Country Wide took us out powerfully in a ball of man.
I ask that all the F3 Raleigh Pax keep The Arena and Metamorphosis in your prayers, so that we can continue to grow these missions within our community and reach more of these men struggling with addiction and/or homelessness, who will benefit from the power of F3. The next Arena will be held on October 24th at 2:30pm at THP.
