“Ooooohhhhh You DIDNT Know….”

This ones for all the SonnenManics out in the World as he gears up to Defend the “People ChampionShip” against Anderson Silva Next weekend.

Posted By: Z

 

“Medic…”

“If you train like an Athlete chances are your Gonna look like one.”

Coach Martone told me that one time when we were talking about how some girls worry about bulking up from lifting. I have a similar saying from that about training.

“If you train like an Athlete you could get hurt like one.”

If there is one thing The Club is good at its selling out as hard as possible when the chips are down in competition. And when you put it all on the line and decided to get Reckless chances are something could get busted.

I have personal pulled, sprained, torn and broken my way through the last couple years. Few of my injuries have come in training. They usually happen to you at the point where you make that choice to be a little Dangerous(CLICK HERE). And no matter how much I preach safety there is a similar Kamikaze Mindset that runs through those that go out and Represent the Red, Black and Grey.

Most of them can’t help it. They’ve all grown with me as athletes as I’ve grown personally with them as a Coach. And honestly a Do or Die Attitude seems to run thick with us. There was only one member of my Competition Team this year that didnt start his career with us and he’s been with the Club awhile now and we consider him family.

So besides the Bond of Time and a All or Nothing way of going about things, we have something else that keeps us running.
I like to call him my “Field Medic,” but really he’s more then that, he’s my good friend.

I’m talking about Club veteran Skylar Pond. 

Sky has the sometimes unfortunate job of trying to put all the Clubs rabble-rousers back together. You see when someone in the I/C gets banged up I turn them over to Sky. Skys a chiropractor, but I think saying that kind of down plays what he really does. When I recommend people to see Sky I tell them he’s again much more then just a base title. He handles it all, be it Body maintenance which anyone training like an athlete is in need of or Injuries both Life Long and Recent. Sky will get you back in the firefight.

About a Year Ago Skylar decided to take a big step in his career and open his own Practice, Excellence Chiropractic.

Sky just informed me this Sunday that they have their new site up and running. You can click the following link to go see what I can vouch for as one of the top practices in the Seattle area.

Excellence Chiropractic Click Here

Most who follow this site or know me, know my storied history of breaking the shit out of myself. But what I’d like is to hear from you guys. If you’ve had Sky help you out before please feel free to list your experience to comments, you know the guy deserves a little praise every now and then.

Posted by: Z

“You forgot the Rule. Now, what is the Rule…”

I’ve been sitting here for a while, not quite sure where to even start with this.

You know those people in your life that you can never thank enough for the impact they’ve had in it? Well there’s been a few of those so far in my journey but there is one in-particular, that in more ways than one, has had an influence on shaping the person I am today and I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to say thank you.

So I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Freshman year of high school computer class; for the first time in my life I’m put in a situation, or maybe I put myself in a situation, where I didn’t think something seemed quite right and I wasn’t going to sit in quiet and just let it be. During part of the class we would have to work on our typing skills, drills like having the keyboard covered and you’d have to type certain paragraphs out of certain books so on and so forth. Well, there were certain students, who just happened to be really into computers that didn’t have to do these drills and since I thought of myself as a pretty good “typer” I didn’t think it was fair that for some reason they didn’t have to spend class time working on their typing and I did. So I approached my teacher and plead my case, he could have just given me “well life isn’t fair” or “I am the teacher and I make the rules” but no he sat me down and talked to me like I was an adult and explained how he thought it was best for me to continue to do what he was having me do, but that he respected that I came to him and talked to him about how I felt. It was the first time that I learned that I shouldn’t sit in quiet if I questioned something, to stand up for what I believed in and even if the outcome wasn’t what I had initially wanted I would learn from the situation regardless and now I know that he was truly having me do what he knew was best for me. So simply, Thank you.

Sophomore year of high school; I get invited to go on a week long Leadership Rock Climbing Trip down in RedRocks, Nevada. Of course I took the offer, little did I know at the time how much it would shape the person I am today. I was pretty quiet in school, was involved in as many groups and sports as I could be but was still pretty reserved and timid. The climbing trip was one of the best week’s of my life. I could go on and on about the trip itself, but you guys probably wouldn’t care to read about it. I have so many good memories about this time and so many little instances that helped me grow as a young individual, but there is one that really stands out. It rained the majority of the time we were down there so we didn’t get to climb as much as originally planned, but right before we were getting ready to leave we got a chance to actually climb the “big climb” of the trip. Everyone got to climb up the gully but Eric could only take a couple of us, including himself up the rest of the way and I was one of the students he picked to climb up the multi-pitch climb. This was my first actual multi-pitch climb and I was scared like no-other to continue up the slab, but he had faith in me and trusted me to make the climb. It meant more than I can explain that he chose me to go up with him, when we reached the top of our climb I had this feeling that I was invincible, this feeling that I could really do anything I put my mind to. It gave me a confidence that I was lacking in myself, and from that moment on I told myself I was going to give everything I did my everything and I owe it to you! That climb changed my life, changed my mentality, made me realize, however cliche it may seem that I was meant for something bigger than just going through the day to day motions. So, thank you…

So what does this all have to do with a post on Old Country? Fast forward a few years. I had graduated high school, had my freshman year of college under my belt, which was paid for in full on scholarships, which I owe that in part to the man who challenged me that freshman computer class and the same man who took me on that leadership trip my sophomore year. Summer going in to my sophomore year at the University of Washington, I walk into CrossFit. I had always been an athlete but after an injury that ended my throwing career I had “let myself go.” My first day that the gym, which I’m sure some of you can relate to, was a rude awakening. I wasn’t the athlete I once was, but now I was 20+ lbs heavier, I could barely do a pushup and all of that stuff. Well needless to say I realized I needed to continue and so I did. The more I did it the more I fell in love with it. A few month later I was talking to that old teacher of mine who had taken me on that climb, who you may hear me refer to as E, Eric, Old Guy, Sven, or maybe once in a while Mr. Christianson. When he told me about this girl that he knew in Spokane that was pretty badass and she competed in Lumberjack (or Lumberjill) Competitions. He, knowing my passion for athletics and competition, told me that I should look into that because he thought I’d be good at it. I won’t get into how me doing a lumberjack competition isn’t as random as it sounds, I’ll save that for another post, but after looking into it I thought to myself, “you know you should do that, you need something to train for, but you’ll never be good enough at crossfit to compete in that, so why not lumberjack stuff.” So anyways, I sent Zach a text simply saying, “I want to train to compete in a Lumberjack competition.” I believe his initial response was, “you’re shitting me.” But then he responded with, “well I can’t help you out with the specifics, but I can get you strong enough for it.” And that folks is when Zach started allowed me into what would become “Caliber Cycle.” Zach programmed differently for Johnny and myself because we needed a little bit different style of training than the general program. So I guess you could say Sven is one of the reasons we today have the program most of us love to train with. Anyways, I continued this training with the goal of competing in a Lumberjack competition, but in a few short months found myself competing on our  team at Regionals in 2010. From then on I switched from Lumberjack Competition to competing in CrossFit, but I owe it to Eric or “Sven,” for pushing me to train for something. That training is what made me fall in love with coaching people and the program. It changed my life and it redirected my path. I never thought I’d be doing what I am doing but I absolutely love  it and I can’t imagine where I would be if you would have never challenged me and pushed me on this path. So “Sven”, thank you.

I know this post isn’t much and for most of you. You may not understand the stories or think they are meaningful, but sometimes in life you can’t give much more than a simple thank you. And to me, a thank you to the “Old Guy” isn’t quite enough, nor is it all that he deserves. But it’s what I have to give. You are one of my biggest supporters and no matter what, I know you will always be there for me if I need someone there. You’ve played such a big part in this journey that I’m on and you may not even realize it, but it means the world to me. You are one of the Club’s biggest Strong is Beautiful advocates and I owe a big part of that whole idea to you pushing me so that I could truly learn the meaning of Strong Is Beautiful. So thank you. You have taught me so much and I am and will always be truly grateful.

Thank you for being such a big part of my life.

“You are a bright and beautiful lady; go out and get what you want rather than sitting back and waiting for it. Good things don’t come to those who wait, good things come to those who get off their dead ass and go get them.” -Sven

Posted by: Roo

“This is Your Life and it’s Ending One Minute at a Time…”

The AntiHero 2nd Edition

Let’s take a quick revisit to some of last Fridays article highlights.

First we have what we in the Filer Family like to refer to as True Heros:

“True Heroes are not supposed to cheat, lie, fight dishonorably, or kill. The “end justifes the means” mindset does not apply to them. They are not driven by personal gain, be it for money or for revenge.”

Examples were: Superman, Captain America and Luke Skywalker

But if you Read last weeks article, then you know our Clan isnt to particular to True Heros. No, we like to throw in with the AntiHero Crowd:

“The definition of an AntiHero is a protagonist who is whose character is contrary to that of the typical hero, yet typically retains many heroic qualities. Antiheroes straddle the line between right and wrong.”

Examples were: Wolverine,Rorshank and Han Fuckin Solo 

If that defitintion or those example didnt make it click well for you then here is a more base Ogre description:

“Pirates, scallywags, smugglers and soldiers of fortune don’t fall into the True Hero category, No folks those are AntiHeros…”

Example: “TIA”

Smoking: Like a Chimney
Drinking: Africa is Hot as fuck, Water? I think not
Smart Ass/Demeaning Sense of Humor: “Ts ts ts ts. I’m from Rhodesia.” We say Zimbabwe now, don’t we? “Do we?” 
Cynicism to someone trying to “Save the World”: Check

Danny Archer – TIA was his tag line, but with his list of attributes he should have dropped FTW a bit more often.

Cult AntiHero/Example: “Fuck damnation, man! Fuck redemption! We are God’s unwanted children? So be it!” 

Disturbing History facts about stuff No one Really wants to talk about but him: “Human sacrifices were once made on the hills above this river. Bodies burnt, water speeded through the wood ashes to create lye.” 
Ironically Out of Date clothes that are cool because said AntiHero does all of their shopping at pawnshops: Check
Self Mutilation that “ok” Because it’s part of some “lesson” that only makes sense to the misunderstood AntiHero: “Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing. Like the first monkey shot into space.”
“Our Fathers were Models for God”, Family Issues: This is pretty much a given to be a AntiHeros

Tyler Durden – When he tells you to except your gonna die, you take it and justifie it as “Premature enlightenment.” And we love him anyways.

“The Monster” AntiHero/Example: “I check the list. Rubber tubing, gas, saw, gloves, cuffs, razor wire, hatchet, Gladys, and my mitts.”

Fighten the Cops: They always seem to on the take though 
Heavily Medicated: “Take anothe pill Marv, Settles Down.”
Talkin bout the Ol Days: And those Day always seem pretty Rough
Face or Body thats Heavly Scarred: CHECK

Marv – “Most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He’d be right at home on some ancient battlefield swinging an axe into somebody’s face. Or in a Roman arena, taking his sword to other gladiators like him.” Think that about sums it up…

The Avenging/AntiHero: “Suddenly I heard a Tapping, as of someone gently Rapping, Rapping at my chamber door.” 

Constantly in the Shadows: Lets just hit the Check button
Saving the Troubled Youth: Check
FlashBacks caused by contact with an Object or Person: Check
The wearing of Women’s Jewelry in Mourning: Check
Leather Trench Coat: Check
Violently Taking the Fight back to those that wronged them: CHECK

Eric Draven: The Crow spawned a series of White Face Painted vigilantes, every AntiHero inspiration that came from Eric Draven was defiantly part of the Not Fuckin Around Crew. “Guess it’s not a good day to be a bad guy, huh, Skank?”

I could keep this up all night but I wont. If you didnt notice for the most part items from each character do apply to the other. They’re all inherently flawed, but isn’t that what draws us to them? The raw realism of what most of them are feeling. Yeah sure maybe you dont fall into the absolute traumatic life experience catergory. But odds are something has happened to you that shaped you. Odds are it may not even seem important to other people but to you its somethign that defines you. Yes AntiHeros don’t alway fight the good fight, but as Nickay said they do always do good in the end. And usually it’s unsung. The “Unsung Hero” is a common thread in modern society. The above listed AntiHeros moved in shadow and operated outside the usual realm of what people consider normal. But when their story is told it grips you and motivates you.

AntiHeros helped shape my life growing up. Comics, movies and Novels there was always someone flawed that inside you wished you were just a little more like cause in the end even though they were haunted they were free, they didnt follow rules and they didnt take shit from anyone. And that in its own way is heroic.

We’re gonna wrap this up next week with Two more AntiHeros that will finish out this list in style folks.

Posted by: Z

PipeHitters Registration is now Open

Folks, the wait is now over. Registration for the 3rd Annual Pipehitters Classic is now Open.

http://www.thegaragegames.com/events/3rd-annual-pipehitters-classic/

Space is limited though. If you are ready to thrown down best sign up before all the slots are taken. Or as Rosie would say…

Posted by Nickay

“Lions, and Tigers, and Bears. Oh my!”

There are few more entertaining conversations to witness than a Filer family holiday dinner table wind down. The topics span various issues and they come fast and furious. You have to keep your head on a swivel and be versed in different manners of movies and random facts. As Father’s Day was winding down and the purple drank (aka the suger in a bottel malt beverages Mary brought) was almost gone I mentioned to Z I had heard about a video about a shark eating a giant squid. Z could not believe it so we looked it up and were felt mildly robbed. But that lead to something better, feats of strength in the animal kingdom.

“Gentle Ben”

You cannot have a feat of strength animal discussion without a bear right. Well damn if wasn’t easy to find a video of  a bear attack but hard as hell a video of a bear attacking something other than a human. Let’s face it when you outweigh something by like 800 lbs that really display your awesomeness levels (they are also a tad graphic for my taste). So I kept looking for a bear going after something bigger than it. Warning, there will be a bit of blood in this video.

Walruses are big sons of bitches. They are 2 ton and covered in up to 5 inches of blubber. They are basically tanks. The polar bear to quote Bill the Butcher buried the walrus in it’s own blood. Seriously. And afterwards the bear just nonchalently drags 2 tons around. Gentle Ben my ass.

“He who greets with Fire”

Back when we were young, my family watched a National Geographic special on the lions and hyenas entitled “Eternal Enemies.” The special delved into the constant battles the lions must endure from the hyenas attempting to steal their food. This was the first time I was exposed to the cowardiness of the hyena, later on their lack of honor and feud with the lions was brought to the big screen.

I know what you are thinking, that is a just recreation, the battles could not be that intense. WRONG. The last scene of the “Eternal Enemies” special dealt with what happens when you pissed off a male lion who name is literally means “He who Greets with Fire” which is still maybe the most bad ass name I have ever heard.

This clip is why I always compared myself at times to be a male lion, sure they are bushy mane and can be pretty lazy around Pride Rock but when someone tries to pull their bitch card they reign down vengence quickly in an ogry of violence. This used to be the winner in the Filer family home…until now.

T’Challa

Unlike our previous entrant who was given a name by the local tribe, our next participant has no name because he is a solitary hunter. Because of this I have named him after the Black Panther because well he is a black panther. Technically is he a black jaguar and while jaguars are the third largest species feline and are amazing hunters what you know cannot prepare you for this video.

Where to even start. First, that is a fucking anaconda the jaguar is picking a fight with, the largest species of snake in the world. Second, that is a big fucking anaconda. Third, the jaguar appears to be one who is behind this fight because the anaconda is just trying to get out of there and back into the water where it spends most of it’s life. And it does get to the water which leads to point four, this jaguar jumps into the water after the snake. I mean is this jaguar stupid because he doesn’t releaize that he just jumped into the water after a water snake or does he not just give fuck. Fifth, he pulled an anaconda out of the water, my brain has stopped trying to rationalize what I am seeing. The anaconda attempts to put the squeeze on the jaguar and even gets a lock on it but to no avail. And why did the jaguar do all of this, for his lady jaguary friend watching, for a woman. I wonder what would happen if you ever really got him pissed off.

Time to see you how you would handle yourself in a Filer family free for all, throw down a video of your own to compare with these videos. Please try to make as non-gory as possible.

Posted by Nickay

“Because he’s the HERO Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”

The title of this post comes from the ending of The Dark Knight (sidenote go get your The Dark Knight Rises tickets right now, your welcome). Commissioner Gordon explains to his son that Batman is taking the blame for a crime he didn’t commit because while Gotham deserves him because of his unwavering resolve to protect the city he is not a True Hero for the city to look up to. And Gordon is right, Batman is not a True Hero, he is something else, he is an AntiHero.

Superman. Captain America. Luke Skywalker. These are True Heroes. And you know what? They never really resonated with me. Why? I never felt like I could connect with them. While they are epitome of the heroic ideal (bravery, truth, justice, and the American way) they are well…too pefect. And while I would like to embody those traits, even as a child I knew my faults and that I wasn’t the Boy Scout. I found myself drawn to more complicated characters, the Hero who isn’t a “Hero”.

The definition of an AntiHero is a protagonist who is whose character is contrary to that of the typical hero, yet typically retains many heroic qualities. Antiheroes straddle the line between right and wrong. True Heroes are not supposed to cheat, lie, fight dishonorably, or kill. The “end justifes the means” mindset does not apply to them. They are not driven by personal gain, be it for money or for revenge. But AntiHeroes can do these things. They live in the murky shadows between good guys and bad guys. Lets take a look famous AntiHeroes.

Example A: “I’m the best at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.”

While the True Hero and AntiHero both try to stop evil and bring it to justice, the AntiHero is willing to get his hands dirty. Wolverine is a “Hero” but don’t kid yourself, he ain’t the Classic Hero. True Heroes don’t go to bars to drink away the pain of killing 35 scumbags. And while there is always an underarching “Hero” goal, the path he takes to get there is a little…messier than others. Hence why he will never be a True Hero no matter how many times he saves the world or trys to save the women he loves (to soon?).

Others like him: The Punisher, Rorshank

Example B: “Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.”

Important Question, Do you remember when Superman refused to try to save Lois Lane because it was dangerous but changed his mind to do so when he found out she was rich? No? I mean that type of person would be selfish, greedy, that not’s a True Hero right. Enter one Captain Han Solo. Han in A New Hope first and foremost is looking out for himself. He could care less about the Rebellion, unless it concerned money he didn’t care. Han was shoot first (wink wink) ask questions later. I know this changes by the end of the saga but in A New Hope he truly was a pirate. Pirates, scallywags, smugglers and soldiers of fortune don’t fall into the True Hero category, No folks those are AntiHeros.

Others like him: Clint Eastwood in the Man with no Name trilogy, Captain Jack Sparrow

So why do we gravitate to these characters? I believe it is the connection we draw with their flaws.  People are flawed and AntiHeros exemplify their flaws. That’s the diffrence, True Heros are what your told to be growing up and AntiHeros are what you want to be. Because of this the AntiHero becomes more realistic and accessible, super power for some aside you honetly could see the path to becoming a AntiHero. They are driven by anger, they are influenced by greed. They drink and they don’t always fight the good fight. And despite all their flaws, they STILL do good. That is what makes them so believable and thus more relatable.

Or maybe it’s because they are simply just bad ass, I don’t know.

Next Week Z will go into even Deeper AntiHero Waters with his break down of Cult AntiHeros Tyler Durden, Marv, The Crow and V of V from Vendetta.

Posted by Nickay

“That, that Play where I wonder down the Field and Act like I’m Lost…”

Articles are a bit shorter this week as I continue what I like to call the “I/C Social Experiment,” So no big write up today.

What I do have is a video I told Johnny I wasnt gonna post on the Training Log for fear of walking into the home Gym and seeing one of my Yea-Hoo athletes trying to pull this off.

I’d like to know what he thought when someone asked if he could do this, I will say it’s pretty sick.

Hoping to have some time to get a bit more up for everyone Friday.

Posted by: Z

“This week, each one of you has a Homework Assignment….”

Figured we’d switch it up a little today on Old Country. I came across this article during the weekend and figured I’d put it up for everyone.

If you dont know who Triple H is I feel sorry for you. For those that do, CLICK HERE for a interesting look into his training.

Feel Free to post your thoughts to comment.

Posted by: Z

“Tigers love pepper, they hate cinnamon”

Once again the age old OCS post motto “The Universe Provides” has come through. Today while sitting in my office my phone let me know that I was cced on a Facebook post by OCIC member Joey. When I had some free time I went online to see what was up and all I saw was this picture.

Instantly I was hooked like a 15 year watching the Victoria Secret Runway show. Why is there a potrait of a gorilla in a Redskins jersey? So I decided to click on the story behind the picture and find out it concerns Trent Williams, offensive tackle for the Redskins (which makes the football jersey connection). Apparrently Trent considers himself a silverback and standing at 6’5″ 300+ lbs of road grating mass I am not one to disagree with him. In fact he has taken the nickname to the next level by making sure everyone knows he is a Silverback, having the above potrait created for himself (hey it’s better than the centaur self potraits A-Rod has of himself) and this beauty.

That is perhaps the most ridicilous piece of athlete bling I have ever seen. It ain’t the most expensive but Jesus, Maria, Josef it is flipping huge! I would like to extend Trent an Old Country invite on this alone. But Trent can’t be the only one, there are other athletes who are OCS and don’t know it, yet…

Marshawn Lynch

Ok, this is a gimme seeing as we have already done a post on Beast mode but the man is OCS through and through (plus playing for Seattle don’t hurt much). I mean look at the grill.

Jeremy Shockey

Shockey is a different cookie. After losing a game in junior college, Shockey literally ate dirt so he would never forget how bad losing tasted. Always the loose cannon, Jeremy joins this list not because of his tattoo collection (though impressive) but because of his ride. You see Jeremy had a favorite show he liked to watch as a kid and when he older he decided he would get himself that exact car to drive around NYC in. What car you say?

That’s right, he bought an exact replica of the General Lee.The General Lee is easily the third best T.V. car of all time (behind K.I.T.T. and the Batmobile). The combination of pop culture and not giving a fuck of driving a car with the Confederate Flag in New York is powerful combination.

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson likes to roughhouse with his pet tigers. And that’s all I got to say about that.

These guys have shown that it you really want to up your OCS stock than you simply need to roll around town in the General Lee with a grill literally spelling out your badassness with a 200k diamond chain of a Silverback swallowing the state of Texas all at the same time you have a tiger running shotgun. Not too hard at all.

Posted by Nickay