BLUF: I have decided to turn over the reigns and retire as the Nation’s Nant'an. The Board of Directors has selected Dark Helmet to succeed me as the new Nant'an of F3 Nation. A ceremony will be held on Saturday February 24th in F3 Carpex (Cary, NC) following a 7 AM convergence where the transfer of responsibilities will become official.
It’s been a wild ride for me being a part of The Nation’s leadership team. In case you are not aware, this little workout group of ours is well on its way to changing the world. My first F3 workout was on June 6th, 2012, where my neighbor and fellow softball dad, Mighty Wind, invited me to the Ranger AO in Charlotte. A man named SwampFox dubbed me Slaughter. F3 was just starting to figure out how to jump state and county lines. We were also starting to
figure out that this was not just a workout group, but a leadership group that could parlay the power of accountability and competition in the First F and use it to help men, their families, and communities accelerate. In late 2012 Charlotte started a mentoring program, what would later become the Whetstone concept. In 2013, I helped to start a workout at a men’s residential addiction treatment facility. Mission I’m Possible is still going strong today and duplicated all across the country. This
opened my eyes to just how perfect F3 was setup to improve our communities. This was the moment I realized where we were headed. I also realized I needed to jump in neck-deep.
In late 2017, Dredd asked me to join him as the Nation’s Weasel Shaker. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s sort of an Operations Manager - someone who helps make some strategic plans, find some men to help, and then hold them accountable. My charge was to organize the structure of F3 into something that could support wild growth, inspire men without being overbearing, protect the intellectual property we had created, and make our organization generational. I worked
with men like AP, CR, Dredd, and Dark Helmet to do just that. We created a set of bylaws to govern and protect the organization, invented and recruited a Board of Directors, made and populated an Executive Group who would be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Nation, and brought the existing F3 Foundation under the Nation’s umbrella. We then hired an Executive Director, built an SLT, and divided the F3 world into sectors, each with its own leadership team. We
celebrated our 10-year anniversary as an organization, held more than 40 GrowRuck events, saw our ranks finally jump the pond and go International, and witnessed many thousands of community engagement initiatives. Podcasts, websites, books, and newsletters have been created to keep our men instructed and informed. I oversaw the transition of complete transparency of our organization including publishing an Annual Report for all to see and weathered the COVID storm where our organization actually
thrived. I have seen F3 Nation grow from less than 500 weekly workouts in only a few states in 2017 to almost 4,400 weekly workouts in most states and all over the world. During this time, I went from the Nation’s Weasel Shaker to the Chief Operating Officer, to the CEO and Nant'an. I worked with an executive group including TML, SnapFade, Dark Helmet, Gobbler, and GMO. I was able to travel to almost 100 regions and spent time with thousands of men. I was able to hear their
stories, witness their impact, and receive their thanks on behalf of this wonderful organization I represented. I have been on TV, in newspapers and magazines, been a part of countless convergences, CSAUPs, anniversary celebrations, and celebrations of life. I have laughed, cried, bled, sweat, puked, and rallied with F3 men all over this country and two others. To say that this has all been the honor of my life would be a terrible understatement. Now that I am writing this and thinking about it
all, it seems quite surreal - like it was someone else’s awesome life.
During every step of this since late 2017, one man has been faithfully by my side. Dark Helmet has been there for absolutely all of this. Not only did he help craft and build this structure I describe, but he is also personally responsible for staffing most of it. There isn’t a man I trust more to fill these shoes than him. If you cut him, he bleeds F3. He has my absolute full support to take F3 to the next level. He also has the full support of the Board
of Directors, the Executive Group, and the F3 Foundation. Who better to run this machine than the man who helped build it. My job as the Nant'an Emeritus, as it has been for Dredd, is to support the current Nant'an. I look at it sort of like a passenger seat in a rocket ship headed to space. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next because it’s going to be freaking awesome.
I want to thank all of the men who have helped to mentor me, inspire me, humble me, and support me along the way. There have been many. Thank you especially to Dredd who has done all these things as well as believe in me and be my friend, AP who pushed me to help build this thing to be generational, the Executive Group for getting things done, the Board of Directors for their oversight and guidance, and especially thank you to Dark Helmet. Not only
is he my greatest consigliere and friend in F3, but he is also willing to do what I know is a very difficult and time-consuming job.
Thank you, F3 Nation, for molding me and giving me purpose. I told you it’s been a wild ride. The best part is that it isn’t over yet. I look forward to seeing you all in the Gloom.
Slaughter
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