Learning to Q & the Art of Herding Stray Cats

Preamble:

YHC was given by the Firehouse Site Q a two week warning (in passing convo, no less) that my VQ (Voluntold Q) at Firehouse was set for 5/3 since I had successfully VQed (in the truest sense of the Lexicon) a couple weeks prior at Starting Line.  While caught off-guard, I accepted the assignment.

In true Janeway, designer-developer fashion, I wanted my first Firehouse Q to be thoughtful and memorable, so I put considerable effort into developing a 45 minute BD which I thought would end with the simple Backblast title “dc Talk HIITs“.  Using only songs from the grungy, 1995 release / 2013 remastered dc Talk album Jesus Freak, I allowed 5 minutes of pre-amble / explaination before the BD began for some orientation for the PAX, then arranged the songs into 40 perfect minutes of songs alternating between fast-paced and slower-paced (in true High-Intensity Interval Training format).  Futher, each section of each song was associated with a particular exercise (i.e., one exercise during the verse, the next exercise during the chorus, another exercise if there was a musical bridge, rinse & repeat, etc.)… and for the most part, all exercises were to be done WITH THE BEAT of the song (the beat was, in fact, the cadence – no need to call out numbers; the numbers were built into the measures/beat of the music).   The entirety of BD (apart from very brief, purposeful short runs) was also to be done in a circle, with all PAX facing each other.  In the center of the circle was The Monolith (TM), the largest Weinke in all the galaxy, with the songs broken down into their constituent parts (verse, chorus, etc.) and the associated exercise to be done as we listened to the song play, using a flip chart which showed the flow of the each song’s exercises on both sides of The Monolith (since we were in a circle and all needed to be able to see the giant Weinke.  YHC had also run through the full routine a few times so I could verbally call out the next exercise just moments before the musical change, for example, from verse to chorus in the song at hand.  (Much thanks to Lightweight for providing the giant speaker for the music and instruction on the marvels of Bluetooth technology (yes, Trekkie does not equal Techie).

YHC should have immediately known things were not going to go as planned when at 0530 all the PAX began to line up for a half-loop mosey to “The Spot” (TM) where the Firehouse Warm-o-Rama usually happens… even tho no instruction had been given that this is what we were going to do.  There seemed to be a group-think assumption “we’ve always done it this way”, but I gently called them back to circle The Monolith so we could begin the BD.

Once there, I welcomed everyone; issued the standard disclaimer; stated if you’re looking for a Star Trek BD you should have been at Startling Line a few weeks back; and encouraged everyone to try to find some MEANING in the BD we were about to undertake, but also try to have some FUN.  I then gave a quick overview of The Thang and clarified some coming exercises the PAX may not have been completely familiar with (found in The Thang).  And so the music began.

Warm-O-Rama:

Song 1: MIND’S EYE

White Noise & Words of Prayer: OYO STRETCHING
Verse:  FORWARD SUN GODS
Bridge: MOROCCAN NIGHT CLUBS
Chorus: WINDMILLS
Verse: BACKWARD SUN GODS
Bridge: MOROCCAN NIGHT CLUBS
Chorus: WINDMILLS
Interlude: IMPERIAL WALKERS
Billy Graham Sample: OVERHEAD NO-CLAPS
Chorus: WINDMILLS
Extended Post-Lude: RUN TO PIT, GET COUPON, RUN BACK TO CIRCLE

The Thang:

There was usually about 10-15 seconds of REST/MICHAEL PHELPS between each song.

Song 2: SO HELP ME GOD
All exercises for this song done with the Coupon:

Intro: DEAD LIFTS
Interlude: SKULL CRUSHERS
Verse: SQUATS
Bridge: CURLS
Chorus: CIRCLE MURDER BUNNIES (done clockwise)
Interlude: SKULL CRUSHERS
Verse: BALLERINA TOE SQUATS
Bridge: CURLS
Chorus: CIRCLE MURDER BUNNIES (done clockwise)
Bridge: SKULL CRUSHERS
Chorus: CURLS
Extended Finale: RUN TO STOP SIGN, RUN BACK TO CIRCLE, PUT COUPON DOWN
It should be mentioned that some pandimonium broke out during the Circle Murder Bunnies as not all PAX went at the same pace, and bashing the top of one’s head into the six of the person in front of you in the circle is quite the experience, depending upon the size of the six.

Song 3: COLORED PEOPLE

Intro: REST
Verse 1: BEAR HOLD… 10 second rest
Chorus: SIDE PLANK FONDA… 10 second rest
Verse 2: BACK PLANK… 10 second rest
Chorus: SIDE PLANK FONDA… 10 second rest
Bridge: ELBOW PLANK
Post-Lude: SPRINT TO STOP SIGN & BERNIE SANDERS BACK TO CIRCLE

Song 4: JESUS FREAK

MODIFIED MOTIVATOR (with thanks to @Tigger and in honor of @Baskins)
Verse & Chorus 1:
16 Hops, 16 Arm Rest Hops, 16 Mid Staddle Hops, 16 Side Straddle Hops
Verse & Chorus 2:
16 Hops, 16 Arm Rest Hops, 16 Mid Staddle Hops, 32 Side Straddle Hops
Interlude: Alternating Side Squats
Extended Chorus: RUN TO STOP & RETURN TO CIRCLE

Song 5: WHAT IF I STUMBLE?
Every time the word “Stumble” was heard in the song, a Burpee was done

Intro: SLOW WALK WITH 1 “STUMBLE” BURPEE
Verse: SLOW FORWARD LUNGES
Chorus: SLOW WALK WITH 4 “STUMBLE” BURPEES
Interlude: SLOW HIGH KNEE WALK
Verse: SLOW FORWARD LUNGES
Chorus: SLOW HIGH KNEE WALK WITH 5 “STUMBLE” BURPEES
Interlude: CIRCLE BEAR CRAWL
Transition: STAND & OVERHEAD NO-CLAPS
Chorus: SLOW WALK WITH 4 “STUMBLE” BURPEES
Post-Lude: GIVE SHOULDER / NECK MASSAGE TO PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU

Song 6: DAY BY DAY

Intro: Elbow Plank
Verse: J-Los
Bridge: Shoulder Taps
Chorus: American Hammers
Interlude: REST
RINSE & REPEAT
2^nd Interlude: Flutter Kicks
Chorus: American Hammers
Finale: REST

Song 7: MS. MORGAN

AIR CHAIR (bonus points if you drummed with your arms)

Song 8: IN THE LIGHT

Verse: MERKINS
Bridge: LBCs
Chorus: WW IIs
Verse: Boxcutters
Bridge: LBCs
Chorus: MERKINS
Interlude: CONTROLLED PLANK:  High – Mid – High – Mid
Bridge: LBCs
Chorus: BIG BOYS
Finale: STAR GAZERS!

Song 9: BETWEEN YOU & ME
All exercises for this song done with the Coupons

Verse & Bridge: GRAVE DIGGERS
Chorus: DEAD LIFT COUPON, PASS TO RIGHT (REPEAT TO END OF CHORUS)
Verse & Bridge: GRAVE DIGGERS
Chorus: DEAD LIFT COUPON, PASS TO LEFT (REPEAT TO END OF CHORUS)
Interlude: COUPON LIFTS OVER HEAD
“Peel This Pride Away”: LAY DOWN COUPON
Interlude: REST
Finale: SPRINT & DISPOSE OF COUPON INTO THE PIT & RETURN to CIRCLE

COT:

MOMENT OF CLARITY was given but YHC can’t remember the exact topic at this time.
COUNT-O-RAMA
NAME-O-RAMA
ANNOUNCMENTS: Convergeance this Saturday; upcoming F3 Alpha Dawson Sub-region visit to local foster home for exercise routine, cookout (burgers, etc.) & board games.  Baskins shared some great wisdom about the typical backgrounds of those living in foster homes as well as the expectations and sensitivities we should have as we seek to engage the youth in conversation and activities.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Continued prayer for those in our sub-region who have been under seasons of unusal stress or still in need of recovery from injury, etc.; praise for a Sad Clown Janeway is seeking to long-distance EH into F3 who is taking positive steps toward emotional healing and relational healing with his M & 2.0s; prayer for the upcoming foster home visit.
BALL OF MAN: The PAX seemed more interested in giving thanks more than anything, so YHC opened up the Ball of Man to anyone who wished to issue forth prayers of thanksgiving, then closed the time of prayer for the things mentioned above.
PHOTO: @Baskins went Sapphire instead of steel blue, a good look.
COFFEETERIA

Naked-Man Moleskin:

Sometimes SkyQ has a different end-game despite all your many hours of planning and execution.  During the Welcome I encouraged the PAX to find MEANING in the BD but also have some FUN.  My preconceived definition of MEANING was the depth of the lyrics being listened to in the songs and the symbolism YHC built into some of the songs via the exercises (e.g., going from a walk to a burpee when one heard the lyrics “stunble and fall”, doing Bear Crawls with the lyrics “when my walk becomes a crawl”, passing along but finally disposing of coupons as the lyrics ended “Between you and me, I’ve got something to say…” and then opening up the group to an acceleration point which I presumed would follow all we had just heard / experienced (it didn’t).

From YHC’s perspective, the PAX seemed much more interested in mumble-chatter and protracted discussions about conspiracy theories during the BD than the actual BD itself (tho most were giving reasonable effort; some seemed already fairly beaten down by BDs earlier in the week or loss of sleep).  YHC also didn’t anticipate that some PAX may not have the ear to discern the differences between a verse, chorus, bridge, interlude and other structural components of music.  To YHC, it seemed like from the very beginning to the end of the BD I was helplessly herding runaway Stray Cats (thus the “Featured Image”).

BUT what the PAX did seem to indicate is that they had good interaction and convo all along the way and an extra helping of FUN during the BD, which one PAX in particular stated was desprately needed after having endured a long season of recent weighty matters.

So while I thought I was designing a BD primarily for MEANING with a little fun, Sky-Q made it clear His intention was to emphasize not the meaning but the FUN and bring some much needed levity to our small group of HIM.  While it felt frustrating at the time, at the end of the day I said, “Not my will, but Your will be done” and I took it as a lesson that sometimes the Q needs to adapt his expectations and accept / meet the PAX where they are at and entrust the end results into Sky-Q’s hands.