On this day in 1814, Nine souls lost their lives in the Great London Beer Flood. The accounts of this tragic incident vary, but somewhere from 5 to 9 people drowned, were crushed or otherwise suffered the ultimate sacrifice due to a vat containing more than 1.4M liters of beer collapsing. It was determined that the only better way to die (than drowning in beer) would be to drown in beer while eating a reuben and consummating your marriage and watching the MLB playoffs all at the same time. The superfecta of death!
In honor of these nine souls that were lost, we decided to make our own sacrifices. Doing a set of sevens didn’t feel like a big enough sacrifice…and let’s face it, these weren’t soldiers who died on the battlefield fighting the Nazis, so a set of elevens seemed too large of a homage. Therefore, we (Ripken) decided we would do nines, which is only appropriate since nine Pax showed and nine souls were lost in the flood.
Ripken and Bing showed up a shorter-than-normal pre-run. Bing was delayed due to intestinal difficulties. After a mozy, we entered the COP. All efforts were done IC to a count of nine…SSH, Merkins, Moroccan Night Clubs, Imperial Walkers, Push Jacks, Hillbilly Walkers.
The first nine (sequence of exercises with 8 at one end, 1 at the other followed by 7/2, 6/3, etc.) was to do Broad Jump Burpees then side shuffle through pylons for 50 feet and then Nur another 50 feet. At the end the exercise was Side Leg Kickouts. Sniper was heard complaining about some bike ride that was too fast for his thighs the day before.
The second nine was on the curb. Reverse Crunches, bear crawl to the end of the line and do Dips. Pincher was caught cheating and Dipping while Crunching to avoid Bear Crawls.
The third nine started and a kerfuffle broke out. The stated exercise was to do Irkins on one side of the tennis net and Dirkins on the other. After 5 guys attempted Irkins on the net, Wimbledon maintenance was needed so we audibled to LBCs and Merkins.
We ended IC with nine Around the World Jumps and nice LBCs in cadence. All in good fun…for those nine souls that died in the Great Flood.
Mr. Clean announced his one year anniversary, and thanked all for helping him be a better man and father. Not sure if he’s a better husband. We have sent a letter to Sheila for her feedback. The COT reminded us to be like a glow stick. To share God’s light, we must first be broken and realize our need for a redeemer.