Gross Catholic High School- August 15th, 2023
58 degrees, a rare chill in the air on this august morning. Still, clear skies, lots of stars, perfect for a beatdown.
PAX: Low Flow, Schrute, G String, Sweet Roll, Wolverine, Fun Dip, Half Court, Skidz, Knobs, KOA, Girl Dad, Farva
Q: Roadhouse
My alarm went off at 4:15. My flight to the Cathouse was at 4:45 and I wanted to be on time.. You never know what security will look like early in the morning. I had a quick layover in Midtown but felt good about arriving on time. Should be a good flight.
(In all seriousness, we often joke about how far way some sites are. Cathouse, Dongtown, The Maize, Beverly Hills, The Wolf Den, etc. At 4:45 in the morning it is easy to get anywhere in Omaha. So my challenge to you this fall is to get out of your comfort zone and take a trip South or North or East or West. It is always worth it.)
Now back to our regular scheduled backblast.
I pulled into the parking lot at 4:45 and there were plenty of cars there. Some has started a Smurph at 4:30. Others were just starting a pre-run as I arrived. Since this was my first visit to the Cathouse, my plan was to explore the site and get things set up for my Beatdown. I had not been to Gross High School since 1993 when my St. Pius 8th grade basketball team won the Gross Invitational. It was one of the many tournaments we won that year as we went 25-0 and dominated the PAL league. If you remember one thing from this backblast, remember 25-0…
I looked around the parking lot and struggled to find the path to the football field. I grabbed my weinkes and started walking around the school. I found a very dark path that looked like it led to the field. I thought I could make out some goal posts through the darkness. I started down the path and then a thought hit me and I stopped in my tracks…
There has been a mountain lion on the loose here in Omaha the last few weeks, specifically South Omaha. I stared off into the darkness and thought about that lion and the chances I had if we were to cross paths. Based on the pics I have seen of this beast, it was on some sort of growth hormone and looked as if it has been doing double Murphs all summer. I did not love my chances.
I turned around and headed back to the well-lit parking lot and my metal car protection device. I did not run and I want you to know that. But I did walk fairly quickly. This statement is true.
By 5:15, there were 13 of us. All Sarpy studs… and me! I welcomed the group and limped through the intro. Nailed the 3 Fs, dominated the 5 core principles but then really stumbled after that. No mission, no credo, nothing. I instructed the group to mosey to the football field and asked them to take the lead. Partly because I wasn’t sure where I was going and partly because of the mountain lion.
We circled up at the 50 yard line and got ready to kick things off with some Warm-a-rama.
WARM-A-RAMA:
Silent SSH- 9 out loud and 11 silent. We did this as well as I have ever seen a group do it. Well done Men!
Big Ones 10 each side
Tappy Taps 10 IC
Imperial Walkers 10 IC
Sun Gods 10 each way
There was already lots of mumblechatter and the men were feeling froggy. A perfect recipe for a sexy pre thang. Plus, whenever I come to a new site I like to get to it pregnant and leave my mark. Today’s SPT was going to be a little different. We started at one goal line and were going to run 100 yard to the other goal line and then do a “sexy” exercise.
SEXY Pre Thang Run:
Run 100 yards and then do 20 of the exercise. Rinse and repeat.
Pickle Pushers
Pickle pointers
Monkey Humpers
Oh Yeahs
There was a lot of laughter during the pre-thang and at least one request for eye contact. We also learned a lot about each other and celebrated some recent milestones and sexy firsts. I don’t know want to get into details about who did what to you, but let’s just say we had a good time.
It was now time for the Thang. We were going to do the Bermuda triangle.
THE THANG:
The Bermuda Triangle consisted of 3 stations. 4 exercises at each station, 20 reps each. One leg, one shoulder and one core. We counted off into 3 groups and got to work.
Legs:
20 Copperhead Squats
20 Bonnie Blairs
20 Bobby Hurleys
20 Sumo Squats
Core:
20 Heels to Heaven
20 LBCs
20 Starfish Crunches
20 E2K
Shoulders:
20 Carolina Dry Docks
20 Cherry Pickers
20 Overhead claps
20 Air Presses
We never stopped moving and worked every part of our body on this morning. We were aided by a special Cathouse Mix I made the night before. It consisted of twelve cat themed songs and it went a little something like this…
- Eye of the Tiger- Survivor
- Stray Cat Strut- Stray Cats
- Cat Scratch Fever – Ted Nugent
- What’s new Pussycat- Tom Jones
- Pour Some Sugar on Me- Def Leppard
- Wild World- Cath Stevens
- Hurts so Good- John Cougar Mellencamp
- Small Town- John Cougar Mellencamp
- Can you Feel The Love Tonight- Elton John
- Kitty Kat- Beyonce’
- Don’t Cha- Pussycat Dolls
- Cat’s in the Cradle- Harry Chapin
At 5:50, Omaha was called and we headed back to the shovel flags. Some of us ran up the staircase while others cat crawled up the hill. Either way, we all got there. We then circled up for some Mary.
MARY:
Sarpy Slammers- 13 IC
At with that, the beatdown was over! We had done what we had come to do.
Name-o-rama:
NOR was smooth. Have you ever noticed how all these Sarpy guys have call backs after their names. So impressive!
Announcements:
Shovel Flag pass on Thursday at the Maize
5k Run coming up for the Kaipust Family
T Claps to G-String
Prayers:
Sweet Roll’s friend’s mom passed away this week
Room Service and Pete and the their family
Prayer of thanks for clean diagnosis for Skidz sister in law.
For all the kids and teachers headed back to school this week.
COT:
I was recently watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest and was struck by a scene in the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, go watch it. It is a classic.
There is a scene when Jack Nicholson’s character, Randle, is trying to escape the mental hospital that they are in. To do so, he must move this giant sink that probably weighs over a thousand pounds. For several minutes, we tries to lift or move or do anything to this sink while a group of men watches. He grunts and struggles and does not move the sink a single inch.
Finally, he gives up and walks toward the gathered group of men. Some snicker at his feeble attempt, others just watch him as he starts to leave the room. Before he walks out the door, he turns around and looks at the group. He then says the line that hit me so hard. “At least I tried,” he says to the group and then again. “At least I tried.”
For the majority of my life, I haven’t tried. I floated to and from things and I leaned into things that came easily for me. I never got out of my comfort zone and I rarely put much effort into anything. And the results showed this.
Early in life getting cut from any team I tried out for, just getting by in things to later in life; two divorces, not too successful at work, a life shrouded in mediocrity. But about five years ago, that all changed. I started trying. I started putting effort into things. I got intentional and deliberate about thinking about what I wanted and how I can do the right things to get there. I became a father, I started succeeding more at work, I took a leap and got a new job, a jumped out of an airplane, I tried standup comedy. I was doing things that took effort and courage.
When you try, failure is an option and that is why the majority of people don’t try. Not trying is an easier life but it is not a life worth living.
My challenge to you this week is to reflect on the areas of your life that need more effort. Where do you need to start trying harder and getting more out of life? Maybe it’s as dad, a husband, an employee, or just a human being. Think about where you need to out in more effort and at the end of the day you will be able to say… “At least I tried…”
I love you guys
Roadhouse, CLB