Chapter 11 VQ

Preamble:

VQ for me and I’m still getting to know some of the Norseman guys, so I thought I’d share more about where the Chapter 11 name came from (which was given to me about 3 years ago at Rubicon). So we had a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy-themed BD complete with “Alpha Bucks.”

Warm-O-Rama:

Mosey over to the parking lot for a quick warm up with some SSH, Weed Pickers, and then a very disorganized set of Little Baby Arm Circles with versions forward, reverse, big arm circles, and reversed again. A little messy but the PAX figured it out.

The Thang:

We moseyed down onto the football field for the Thang, which is where the PAX were randomly handed an envelope full of “Alpha Bucks” in varying amounts. Some received 2 bills, some 3 bills, most 5 bills, maybe even one lucky fellow with 10 bills, and one or two poor souls who had none. The goal was to use their cash (and maybe share with others) to avoid being bankrupt by QIC. PAX had to pay up if Chapter 11 finished the workout lap before them:

1. 10 Yards (and back) of Fire Hydrant Crawls – then run a lap
2. 20 Burpees – run a lap
3. 30 Merkins – run a lap
4. 40 Squats – run a lap
5. 50 LBC’s – run a lap

If QIC finished the lap before a PAX, they were required to pay up. If required to pay with no remaining Alpha Bucks, they had to declare bankruptcy in their best Michael Scott impersonation. Only 1 or 2 PAX tried to trip QIC as he ran past… but in general the PAX pushed themselves and ran hard! QIC had to push to try and bankrupt anyone!

As we caught our breath from the final lap, QIC shared a bonus TNT with some money principles that were true for this morning, and also for life:

1. People start with different amounts of money. If you have more than someone, it isn’t always because you “earned” it.
2. QIC likes to run and used to race 5ks, so the BD was designed with hard running and designed to bankrupt PAX. Culture is the same way… we’re bombarded with marketing ads every day designed to make us discontent so that we spend money we don’t have to satisfy ourselves. Excessive debt is usually a heart issue of discontentment rather than the result of external forces.
3. Lots of PAX willing to ask for help this morning when they needed it. But sometimes in real life asking for help is much more difficult. If you need help, ask for it. If you have the ability to help, offer it.
4. It’s easy to be generous during the BD when you know your Alpha Bucks will be worthless at the end of the BD. Same is true for life… you can’t take your money with you when you die, so spend it on things that matter like people, rather than stuff.

Bonus lesson – always have an emergency fund. We took off for a 200-yard sprint for one more “payment” to try and bankrupt some final PAX.

After the financial BD, we slowly recovery moseyed back to the flag where we appropriately completed some 11’s with Merkins and Squats, up and down the parking lot. PAX that were bankrupted previously were sent to debtor’s prison and subjected to hard labor and had to complete the 11’s with Ha-Ha’s girlfriends in tow… but many PAX were willing to lend a hand and share the load.

Finished with a fairly devastating round of Mary courtesy of Ha-Ha.

COT:

• Planning an event in April/May for a hard push for some FNGs, more details to come from Stu.
• Praise for untouchable’s friend who is slowly recovery from a terrible bout with COVID.
• Prayers for all the refugees and affected in Ukraine
• On the financial topic… many are feeling the pain of increased prices (rent, food, gas, etc.) and these cost increases usually hurt most to those who have the least. Prayers for those and looking out for opportunities to help them.

Naked-Man Moleskin:

Heading into 2022, I actually have probably been in some of the worst shape of my life, my previous running fitness pretty much halted altogether by injuries. I finally decided that I needed some accountability with my fitness goals rather than just personal motivation, and F3 has provided that. Grateful for Pepper and Dr. Tron for pushing me to get out here and showing up this morning, the consistency of others like Stu & Ha-Ha to create this community. Leading a VQ is definitely nerve wracking, and there were times where I second guessed myself even during the BD, but ultimately this group was supportive and helpful, even pushing me to VQ far sooner than I intended. I’m grateful for the group and looking forward to continuing to post and grow.

It was also cool to see how often guys offered to “share the load’ with one another during the “hard labor” 11’s… if anything guys would get offers too often from others to take their load and reply, “No thanks, I just got it!” I think that sums up the culture of F3 well.