A Powerful Ballad

The BackBlast:

We opened with a nod to what we’ve found in this circle- 15 Side Straddle Hops, 15 Sharon’s, and 15 Merkins — marking nearly 15 years of F3 leading men out of their gloom.

From there, we headed to the “Keep Pounding” wall outside the Panthers’ stadium for people’s chair holds and arm work, because nothing says team spirit like quads on fire under a giant motivational slogan.

Then we steered the crew to the parking deck for two full climbs that got lungs burning and quads firing.

At the top, the first set of Magic took hold.

No Pain No Gain, Holyfield, and Cena from The Mission took charge on their own merit to lead the PAX, taking command, putting us through three rounds of exercises that reminded everyone that leadership has nothing to do with titles and everything to do with heart.

One final stair climb closed us out led by Holyfield — slow and locked-in, hands on the back of each others’ shirts, making sure no one fell, because if one man stumbles, another is already bracing to catch him.

COT:
Prayers were lifted for Diego’s recovery, his family’s strength, and the driver of the car in the accident who got out and administered CPR
Then, we closed in Song.
The second magical moment happened- “Old Blue Eyes” sent us home with an uplifting, velvet-voiced solo of Gavin DeGraw’s “I’m Still Not Over You.” The voice? Smooth. The vibe? Somewhere between revival service and American Idol finale. On my way out of uptown I saw him walking down the street with the speaker wrapped around his shoulder, singing out for anyone to listen.

Moleskine:
Lead MIP and you’ll leave with a powerful ballad that might get stuck your head, and it may just be your own.