When the fire inside comes out
On Yak Trick and how one man's heat warms an entire AO
Keep logging those burpees. We’re almost done now. We are at 976,082 and in St. Louis at least, we are redoubling our efforts to reach our 1 million goal not least because MY GOSH I AM SICK OF BURPEES.
Sorry, was that out loud?
Also keep your eyes peeled for new developments with this newsletter. I’ve got something cooking that I think you’re going to love.
Godzilla plus Huck Finn plus passion equals Yak Trick
Imagine Godzilla. Give him a heart of gold, Huck Finn’s smile, a charming way with words and passion he can’t contain. Only instead of shooting fire out of his pie hole, he spews puke, three times his first beatdown and many more after that. Oh, and add gurgly/bubbly sounds when he does it, and when he stands back up afterward, he’s grinning. That’s my boy Yak Trick.
Yak Trick is — or was, I should say — a great big mountain of a man. Then he worked out with us for a few months. Now he’s a fit and trim mountain of a man. Switching fire metaphors here, his love for his F3 brothers is volcanic, and he’s showering hot lava all over the rest of us at Last Stop.
I want what he’s got. I want you to have what he’s got. There’s also this: Pro tip: If you are twice the age and half the size of a PAX who was an offensive lineman in college football, DO NOT try to keep up when he Qs coupon-based beatdowns.
Yak Trick joined us at the tail end of MABA. But he’s picked up the momentum and run with it. He posted the following to our Slack channel and our whole region has taken part:
Challenge:
Since we are freed to lead...
I would like to put something out there in the spirit of our Mental Battle Challenge this month._
*YOU. ARE. GREAT.
YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE*_.
TAKE. MY. HAND. What each of us puts in our minds is equally as powerful as how we exercise our bodies and what we eat. Personal positivity goes a long way and if you grasp this concept you will grow a contagious positivity that will spread like wild fire. For many men this is a challenging thing. We all know, all too well, it's often easier to let our struggles consume us. Through this movement to empower our mindset, we have the obligation to extend a hand to all who have not yet found the strength to do so on their own. Together, we can fill in that rut we dig ourselves into. So I challenge each of you HIMSpost a video of yourself:
• Say "I. Am. Great."
• Say "You. Are. Great."
• State Our Objective - talk about a fellow HIM who has inspired you to grow.
• Demonstrate your resolve with five blockees
• Challenge someone else to do the same.
I will match the blockees you do. This is not about being "selfishly great" or for the purpose of inflating our sense of self (chest thumping, pride, ego have no place in this). This is about personal motivation - inspire and elevate yourself through personal positivity in an effort to share that energy with others. We all have strengths and skills that make us great in our own right; however, through thoughtfulness, perseverance, kindness and patience we can truly be great. Share these traits. Elevateyour mindset, elevate your fellow PAX. Put yourself in the best position to leave no man where you found them.If you accept my challenge, i will post a blackops workout (all may attend) and do 5 blockees for each post. Inspire yourself - inspire others. Aye?
Mark your calendars: June 24
1. I have used an IRONPax workout called Loredo as my go to OYO beatdown. I've done it on the road in Texas, Hawaii, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas. I use it to test and build my resilience.
2. It has become a measuring stick at my AO.
3. For a long time I thought it was spelled Laredo. I was ignorant of its origins.
4. This week @CFIT pointed out it is actually a CrossFit Hero WOD named after U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edwardo Loredo, who died in Afghanistan.
5. I read Loredo’s story, and his wife's story since then. http://www.jenniferballou.com/about-jennifer/
6. Her story is incredible. She was in charge of RESILIENCE TRAINING FOR THE ENTIRE DAMN ARMY. I sold a profile of her.
7. In setting up the interview for the profile, she told me she had hoped, in true CSAUP fashion, to travel this year to as many gyms as possible to do Loredo as many times as possible with as many people as possible. Alas, covid makes that impossible.
8. She asked if I could put a call to action in the story to encourage people to do the workout on June 24, the anniversary of his death.
9. I said of course, and that I know a nation full of maniacs who would be HONORED to run Loredo on that day for her.
10. So you guys are going to help me rally F3 Nation to run Loredo on June 24.