Circle of Life

Twenty Eight Dads and 2.0s posted for a Shark Bait VQ (wind assisted). The last Puppy Pile before school starts, so here’s what we did before the bell rings.

COP: WWIIs x 10. LBCs x 10. Scorpion Kicks x 10. Weighted Dad Merkins x 10 (2.0s on their dads back while dads did Merkins). Arm Circles; Big – forwards and backwards x 10. SSHs x 10. Smurf Jacks x 10. Invisible Jump Ropes x 10.

SPARC: On the stage. Dads perform 20 Donkey Kick Merkins while kids perform LBCs. Switch for kids to do 10 Donkey Kick Merkins. Next round. Dad’s perform 20 2-count Chicken Peckers while kids do Jump Squats. Switch for kids to do 10 2-count Chicken Peckers. Third round. Dads People’s Chair for :45 while kids perform Goofy Soldiers. Switch for kids to wall sit for :30.

Aisle Small Talk: 2.0s find a different dad to partner with. First round. Kids run up to the step that corresponds with their age. Dads perform Merkins. Switch for dads to run to top of stairs while kids do Merkins. Second round. Dads do LBCs while kids run to the top of the stairs. Switch and repeat. Third round. Kids run to the top while dads perform WWIIs. Dads Box Jump up and back.

Meet In the Lobby: 2.0s and dads reunite. Kids under 8 go half way up the steps. Remaining dads and 2.0s stay at the bottom. All dads and 2.0s complete 1 Incline Merkin at each step (from their starting points) on the way out. Hug-A-Tree for the Six.

Enchantment Under the Sea: Dads against kids on the Carillon Field for some good old fashion Sharks and Minnows. Sharks/Dads Crab Walk. Minnows ran. Five rounds. Round 4 the dads switched to Bear Crawl.

Lost and Found: Hide and Go Seek. Round 1: Dads complete 15 Merkins while 2.0s go hide. Round 2: Kids complete 10 Merkins while dads go hide. Round 3: Dads complete 20 Merkins. Once you found your partner(s), perform various exercises at your tree while waiting for the six to be found.

Stage Dive: Mosey to the bowl. Dad’s and kids line up and one at a time roll down the hill.

BTTF. DK has a survivor pool if you’re interested. F3RVA Retreat is 9/21-9/22. Sign up for a corn hole team by 9/9.

Critical Acclaims: Today was a blast, as always. But it was particularly so for YHC. About a month ago Shark Bait said he wanted to Q a Puppy Pile. With most nine year olds, I wasn’t sure how serious he meant it. I think he did a great job today, and I could not be more proud of his leadership.

F3 serves many purposes, with leadership being at or near the top. Puppy Pile is awesome because it gives us a chance to show our kids how we lead by example, and it also offers them a chance to develop their leadership skills. The kids never fail to amaze me. When we switched partners, we made sure to look each other in the eyes, shake hands, and introduce ourselves. They all did great. It’s the little things.

Today we closed without words, but with inner thoughts. We often look straight ahead in life, or down at the ground, our phones, whatever. Today, by laying down and looking up in silence, I hope we all realized and appreciated greater perspective, literally and metaphorically. Making the time to take it all in is as important to your mental health as F3 workouts are to your physical health.

Have a great day, and walk proud. You’re raising good kids.