2022 PT Test #1 at the Gashouse

With much fanfare and jubilation a pride of daring men decided to challenge themselves to the premier PT test at the Gashouse this week.

At 0657, Eighteen PAX were assembled with tense trepidation, likely feeling the urge to urinate on themselves due to the increase nervous system activity.  Sargento, the Nantan, and planner of this particular PT test arrived just in time to get everything in order with the “supplies” for the PT Test.  But wait, he was empty handed!  We had to scramble for pens and paper so we could construct an impromptu spreadsheet with which to document the accurate times of the PAX on this challenge.

Fortunately, Purple Haze had his 2.0’s Star Wars holographic Darth Vader notebook and Whoopee and Bubba Sparxx supplied the pens.  We were in business.  YHC moseyed to the center of the ring to start the workout with the warm up, but first, Sargento was going to cover “Preparedness” from the Q-Source.  Just kidding.  With no FNG’s, the warmup was mosey to the track at Grier Middle School.  During this mosey the decision was made that all future Nantan’s need an Executive Assistant/XO to take care of the little details that make all the leadership difference.

The workout was described to the PAX as follows:

Run a lap

100 Merkins, 100 Squats, 100 LBC’s, and 100 SSH’s.

Run a lap

75 Merkins, 75 Squats, 75 LBC’s, and 75 SSH’s

Run a lap

50 Merkins, 50 Squats, 50 LBC’s, and 50 SSH’s

Run a lap

25 Merkins, 25 Squats, 25 LBC’s, and 25 SSH’s

Run four laps to finish.

Fortunately we have the spreadsheet from Short Sale for the first three PT Tests from 7-19-20, 11-14-20, and 4-24-21.  The fast times seem to be in November when it is cool.  Let’s see who can push themselves on this particular day.

OOMPA LOOMPA, Whoopee, and YHC all timed the PAX and did a few exercises but mainly talked, listened to music, encouraged the PAX and told them to make a hole for the lady that was walking the track during our test.  She was good natured about it until she saw some shirts some off and then she seemed really excited about it.  No, not really.

Defib was first out of the gate after the lap and first round of exercices. This is to be expected since Father Time, when asked the question, “do you know Defib?”, answered, “Who the heck is that?”

Some of the PAX were struggling with the merkins.  100 out of the gate is a lot when you may not have been posting to boot camps or doing them OYO.  You can’t fake muscle endurance, you either have it or you don’t, so some PAX were almost immediately humbled, lying there like sad sacks of bat scat.

Proctoring ain’t easy.   There was a lack of “form police candor” on this day that one has come to expect form the likes of Sister Act.  To be honest, YHC didn’t pay much attention except happening to catch a glimpse of Uncle Ted’s pushup form that looked like Headbanger’s Ball holding a plank.  Not a lot of break in those elbows but the neck was getting wrung out like a rubber chicken in a mosh pit.

In any event, I think the timers/proctors all had a great time watching and shooting the breeze while the PAX were pushing the rock.  When it was all said and done, a few voluntary DQ’d themselves.  Defib was leading until the final two laps where it looked like he may Ralph on the track. Turns out he had a little congestion that was making it difficult to push air through.

Brutus had a kick at the end of the test that looked like a WOJO sprint.

Doodles and Scribbles were there (F3 Dads was last week) and it was good to see.  Freight was steady and disciplined on form from what I could tell.  Pockets was doing good form and of course Volt never cheats a rep.  Hermie did a great job pushing the rock until the end.  There were a few new guys hitting the test today like Maybelline and Captain Steubing.  Tiger was his usual rock pushing self and Broke ensured that the exercises would be done in order since he designed the original PT Test.

When it was all said and done, Tesla is our champion today with a time of 34:07.  Congratulations to Uncle Ted!

We moseyed back to the Schiele for COT with a quick word about being an “eminently qualified” human.  “How can you best strive to become an Eminently Qualified Human? How will you hold yourself to the highest possible standard in life? How do you become a better father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, public servant, role model, and leader? The answer:  Unmitigated Daily Discipline in all things.”

After the workout, some PAX beautified the city streets on our F3 Adopt a Highway stretch on Garrison near Lineberger Park.  .  If you are curious, the F3 Gastonia sign is on the east bound side of Garrison just by the parking area at Garrison and Fern Forest Drive.  The sign itself is underwhelming so you may have to slow way down to see it.  That was a lot of fun so next time we need more PAX to help.  Many hands make light work.

Lots of prayer requests from the PAX on this morning…

Purple Haze M and SIL

Tesla M

Brokes M

Defib’s buddy who has terminal cancer

Les Nessman

PRAISE!  Sargento’s latest biopsy is clear and their church plant has a home for six months at DSBG!

Keep challenging yourself.  A PT test is a good exercise to see how you perform on a given day.  For runners, they will struggle with the stamina it takes to do reps of upper body.  For weightlifter types, the running may be the Achilles heal.  It takes a balance and consistent effort at a variety of exercises to get truly fit to lower your time in test such as this.  The Nantan has proclaimed that we will do two more PT Tests this year and Whoopee proclaimed that once he is fully healed from the effects of Luigi he will do the PT test at the Coconut Horse every Sunday.

Thanks to our timekeepers Oompa and Whoopee for doing a great job documenting the times. The Weasel Shaker has updated the spreadsheet.

Roscoe