What a Year It's Been

When dawn broke over Finlay Park in downtown Columbia on Saturday, 107 men were already hard at work celebrating the First Anniversay of F3’s arrival in Columbia with a chilly, station to station beat down. #ShovelFlags from all four F3Columbia bootcamp sites (#AOs — Areas of Operation) were proudly staked beside the flag of F3 Nation.

Conditions: Clear, 35 degrees

The Thang:

COP: Count off 1-4
SSH x20
High Knees X20
Butt Kicks x20
Merkins x15
LBC x15
Squats x15
SSH x20

Divide into four groups based on previous count off. 4 Q’s each take their group to their assigned first Station. Each station will last 9 minutes with 1 minute transition to the next station. Move your pax to the next station (moving clockwise) when the horn sounds, regardless of completion percentage of stage.

1. Sway
2. Mission
3. Heartbreaker
4. Logo

Station 1: Field Games
Sprint across field
Backwards run back
Karakoke across and back
Bear Crawl
Crab Walk
Bunny Hop (2 lines, 2x)
Frog Jumps across field
Planks if necessary to fill time

Station 2: The Amphitheater Push-O-Rama
From the bottom, scale the terraces of the amphitheater until you reach the top. At the top, complete the specified merkins x15, and walk/jog down the center steps. Repeat as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in 9 minutes:

1st trip: Decline Merkins
2nd trip: Regular Merkins
3rd trip: Incline Merkins

Repeat cycle AMRAP

Station 3: The Fountain Ring Run
Start at the steps just to the right of the Amphitheater. Run up the steps, around the fountain, and back down, ending at the playground. Stop at 4 pain stations along the way and complete the required exercise:

1) The chessboard terrace: Squats x20
2) The cypress tree terrace: Step Ups x20 each on the steps
3) The restaurant terrace: Dips x20 along the curved wall
4) The grassy knoll: bear crawl up, bear crawl down, repeat 3x or until horn sounds

Station 4: The Assault on Finlay Park
Start in the grass in front of the playground. Run to the concrete planter-block retaining wall. Climb the wall to the grass terrace. Do Burpees x5. Move to next retaining wall and repeat 6 walls until metal chair terrace. After the burpees there, dips x15 on the chairs. Run down the steps and plank in grass until horn sounds.

COP: Six Minutes of Mary (Tajh on Q):

Flutter Kicks x50
Rocky Situps
Bicycle forward and backward
In and Outs
Superman Cruches
Heels to the Sky
Obliques work L and R
Flutter Kicks x20

COT

Presentation of Columbia Blue bricks from the #Brickpile to Crotch Rocket, Little Baby Jesus, Mr. Chips, and Mutiny, four guys from Charlotte who all played a part in the launch of F3Columbia last October and November.

Ball of Man

Moleskin:

• Historic day for F3 Columbia. Great representation from all AOs.
• Finlay Park is an excellent AO and we will definitely be back. We barely scratched the surface of the potential pain opportunities.
• The amphitheater was harder than expected, the Fountain Ring was a little easier, and the Wall Assault was just fun.
• Tajh, Heartbreaker, and Sway were all there 10/19/12, and Logo an Mission first posted the next week.
• I can only imagine what went through the mind of the gentlemen sleeping in the swing as 100 guys came storming over the wall.
• Huge T-claps to Bethany Mitchell (M. Pebbles) for volunteering to take pictures (http://bethanykphotography.com/) and to Anne Reynolds (M. Chaser) and her Happy Cafe for the amazing caramel birthday cake (http://www.thehappycafeonforest.com/ordereze/default.aspx).
• Northeast Columbia Big Bang is next Saturday 11/2 at North Springs Park on Clemson Road. We need a handful of guys to go out there to help get them started. Chaser and Sway will have the tag-team first Q.