As exciting as the beatdown was, the mumblechatter the eve of the freakness for the Preakness may have eclipsed it.

Several memorable jokes included I prefer jockeying from behind, calling dibs on the Ballz Deepness Preakness trophy design, size matters unless you’re a jockey, among others.

We loosened up with 10 reps each of:
– self love
– grass grabbers
– hillbillies
– high knees
– butt kicks

Trucoat and Bushwacker came in hot to make 18. We mosied to the shaft and completed
Side straddle hops, 15 count

The rules explained: each Pax partnered up. The “track” consisted of moving a piece across a chess board and back. Starting off the board, no double square, there were 15 spaces total. 100 combined reps w/your partner = 1 square completed. A bookie was present, and the favorite bet was on the Q not being able to count to 8 during a 8 count body builder. A second favorite bet would’ve been a turkey trot announcement. Both bets would’ve hit paydirt. The thoroughbreds – sculpted through years of training, though some past their prime, filed into their starting gates and awaited the signal. Signalling go, they tore through the warmup at a blazing pace:

Completed a 50/100/150 while his partner bear crawled to cone:
8 count BB (50)
Sister Mary Katherines, 1 is 1 (100)
Freddy Mercuries, 1 is 1 (150)

Competitors then moved to “the track”, which comprised of a 7 station circuit. Teams completed their station’s exercise for the circuit time of 3 minutes, then rest 1 minute, before moving to the next station. Exercises were:
– ladder drill, 2 feet per rung (1 rep/completed ladder)
– cone sprint, 1 rep each cone touch
– cone shuttle run, 1 rep each cone touch
– cone traingle shuttle, 1 rep each rotation
– side lunges, 1 rep each lunge
– plank, no reps
– flutter kicks, 1 is 1

Team orange giraffe cleared all 15 squares with a clear victory.

– mosied back to the flag
– 5 burpees to complete the beatdown
Bushwacker noted the turkey trot coming up in 6 months, start training everyone.
Count off, 18 member roll call, and prayer to take us out.

Weather was perfect, and the grounds crew who cut the grass just in time for the derby may have been the MVP.

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