I am writing this forum under sports training because what happened
a few months ago was not only heroic, but a sport as well. It was a Tuesday
afternoon at California Strength, here in beautiful California after a very
hard training session. That heroic day Coach Glenn Pendlay coached well and
hard, Donny Shankle hit big weight, Caleb Ward moved fast, and I yelled out
some bad ass phrases before I lifted my bar full of red Kilo plates.
After practice was over we all were very hungry and we needed to eat. We
all had a big meet that we were getting ready for so eating was very
important. There was silence as we all looked at each other for what we
were going to eat for lunch. Finally Coach Pendlay made a suggestion that
would change our lives for the best, or the worse I haven’t figured it out
yet. “Hooters has all you can eat wings today” Coach
Pendlay said with a little smile on his face, like a kid getting ready to enter
a candy shop. Without any hesitation we all said “ok” and
started off to the land of boobs, wings, and more wings, and even more boobs,
but mostly wings! We all road in coach Pendlay’s big Texas truck,
with the Captain Pendlay driving, the team leader Donny in the front seat and
the two soldiers Caleb and I in the back. I remember the whole Texas
truck ride over. It was dead silent as if we were heading into war and the
truck was our tank. This was not lunch, this was a mission. Donny
and coach Pendlay take their food very seriously, like it’s a job, like it’s a
sport, like its game time baby, but I on the other hand view and approach food
like its just food, and I eat just because I have to, but these guys are on a
whole different level. I tried to spark up a few conversations in the car but
was quickly shut down by coach and Donny, “Jon no time for talking, just preparation”
Donny said in his deep southern voice, as if he was saying his most famous
line, “Kids these days” hahaha I love it. I
soon realized this was not just a fun team lunch, instead this was a battle and
I was caught right in the middle! I found myself scared and nervous like
maybe I should have just gone and got lunch myself! I took a deep breath
and thought to myself, “come on Jon, its only hooters”! And
boy was I wrong. When we walked into Hooters two very cute big-boobed
girls greeted us at the front door ready to seat us, but Coach Pendlay and
Donny pushed them to the side knocking them both down while keeping their focus
completely at the task at hand. Coach Pendlay started looking around in
circles, with his arms out to the side like he was being surrounded by a group
of ninjas. In a panicky manner Coach finally found the table he was
destined to find. Coach and Donny sat down like knights at the Round Table,
while Caleb and I just sat down like normal people wanting to eat lunch.
Caleb and I had a great little conversation while Donny and coach stared at each
other from across the table. There four heads where already sweating,
there napkins tucked in there shirt, there hot sauce just inches from their
hands as if they were cowboys ready to draw at any moment. The innocent
happy little waitress came skipping over as if it was her first day.
Let me skip forward by telling you that after we left the war zone of Hooters,
that little innocent happy skipping waitress on her first day, was no longer innocent,
happy, skipping and that first day was probably her last. The hot wings
started coming out in trays one after another. Waitresses where running
around the restaurant like the building was just hit by those North Korean
commies. Donny and coach never took a breath. Their hot sauce never left their hands, while
each wings soul rode the grooved tracks to their final destination into the
abyss. Both of these crazed men never took there eyes of each other.
Both of these men where in another world and each of these magnificent creatures
refused to be beaten by the other. Wings kept piling up as if they were
building a fort of bones to live in. Kids were crying and women where
running for safety as Caleb and I could only sit back and watch this
masacar. Donny was approaching 80 wings when Coach finally had to throw
in the towel at 75 wings, not because he was full and couldn’t eat anymore, but
he was late for a meeting he could not miss. While coach stood up to
leave Donny’s eyes followed. There were no words spoken, coach just left
with frustration as Donny kept eating. A few minutes past and Donny was
at 93 wings, and at this point the whole restaurant was watching in amazement
as Donny kept fighting those chickens one after another. His goal was to
eat a hundred and he could already taste victory. At 96 wings the most amazing
thing I have ever seen happened, he stopped eating and spoke. The whole place
went quiet and Donny said, “I am full” as he looked over at me like he
needed help or even a hug. He quit at 96 wings, but I refused to see my
team mate lose, a soldier was down and I needed to pick him back up, that’s
what team mates are for. So I leaned across the wing grave yard and
looked at him right in the eyes and said, “don’t you quit on me Donny, don’t
you even think about stopping when you are this close, you pick up those last
few wings and you eat them with everything you have boy”!! This
California Strength soldier finished those last 4 wings, stood up with pride
and we walked out of that restaurant like he owned the place. That day
changed my life, and I will never forget it. We never did see Coach
Pendlay again, some say that after his defeat on that sunny Tuesday afternoon
at Hooters, he packed up his stuff, bought a pair of board shorts and joined a
Crossfit gym near a retirement community in Miami Beach. The
end
a few months ago was not only heroic, but a sport as well. It was a Tuesday
afternoon at California Strength, here in beautiful California after a very
hard training session. That heroic day Coach Glenn Pendlay coached well and
hard, Donny Shankle hit big weight, Caleb Ward moved fast, and I yelled out
some bad ass phrases before I lifted my bar full of red Kilo plates.
After practice was over we all were very hungry and we needed to eat. We
all had a big meet that we were getting ready for so eating was very
important. There was silence as we all looked at each other for what we
were going to eat for lunch. Finally Coach Pendlay made a suggestion that
would change our lives for the best, or the worse I haven’t figured it out
yet. “Hooters has all you can eat wings today” Coach
Pendlay said with a little smile on his face, like a kid getting ready to enter
a candy shop. Without any hesitation we all said “ok” and
started off to the land of boobs, wings, and more wings, and even more boobs,
but mostly wings! We all road in coach Pendlay’s big Texas truck,
with the Captain Pendlay driving, the team leader Donny in the front seat and
the two soldiers Caleb and I in the back. I remember the whole Texas
truck ride over. It was dead silent as if we were heading into war and the
truck was our tank. This was not lunch, this was a mission. Donny
and coach Pendlay take their food very seriously, like it’s a job, like it’s a
sport, like its game time baby, but I on the other hand view and approach food
like its just food, and I eat just because I have to, but these guys are on a
whole different level. I tried to spark up a few conversations in the car but
was quickly shut down by coach and Donny, “Jon no time for talking, just preparation”
Donny said in his deep southern voice, as if he was saying his most famous
line, “Kids these days” hahaha I love it. I
soon realized this was not just a fun team lunch, instead this was a battle and
I was caught right in the middle! I found myself scared and nervous like
maybe I should have just gone and got lunch myself! I took a deep breath
and thought to myself, “come on Jon, its only hooters”! And
boy was I wrong. When we walked into Hooters two very cute big-boobed
girls greeted us at the front door ready to seat us, but Coach Pendlay and
Donny pushed them to the side knocking them both down while keeping their focus
completely at the task at hand. Coach Pendlay started looking around in
circles, with his arms out to the side like he was being surrounded by a group
of ninjas. In a panicky manner Coach finally found the table he was
destined to find. Coach and Donny sat down like knights at the Round Table,
while Caleb and I just sat down like normal people wanting to eat lunch.
Caleb and I had a great little conversation while Donny and coach stared at each
other from across the table. There four heads where already sweating,
there napkins tucked in there shirt, there hot sauce just inches from their
hands as if they were cowboys ready to draw at any moment. The innocent
happy little waitress came skipping over as if it was her first day.
Let me skip forward by telling you that after we left the war zone of Hooters,
that little innocent happy skipping waitress on her first day, was no longer innocent,
happy, skipping and that first day was probably her last. The hot wings
started coming out in trays one after another. Waitresses where running
around the restaurant like the building was just hit by those North Korean
commies. Donny and coach never took a breath. Their hot sauce never left their hands, while
each wings soul rode the grooved tracks to their final destination into the
abyss. Both of these crazed men never took there eyes of each other.
Both of these men where in another world and each of these magnificent creatures
refused to be beaten by the other. Wings kept piling up as if they were
building a fort of bones to live in. Kids were crying and women where
running for safety as Caleb and I could only sit back and watch this
masacar. Donny was approaching 80 wings when Coach finally had to throw
in the towel at 75 wings, not because he was full and couldn’t eat anymore, but
he was late for a meeting he could not miss. While coach stood up to
leave Donny’s eyes followed. There were no words spoken, coach just left
with frustration as Donny kept eating. A few minutes past and Donny was
at 93 wings, and at this point the whole restaurant was watching in amazement
as Donny kept fighting those chickens one after another. His goal was to
eat a hundred and he could already taste victory. At 96 wings the most amazing
thing I have ever seen happened, he stopped eating and spoke. The whole place
went quiet and Donny said, “I am full” as he looked over at me like he
needed help or even a hug. He quit at 96 wings, but I refused to see my
team mate lose, a soldier was down and I needed to pick him back up, that’s
what team mates are for. So I leaned across the wing grave yard and
looked at him right in the eyes and said, “don’t you quit on me Donny, don’t
you even think about stopping when you are this close, you pick up those last
few wings and you eat them with everything you have boy”!! This
California Strength soldier finished those last 4 wings, stood up with pride
and we walked out of that restaurant like he owned the place. That day
changed my life, and I will never forget it. We never did see Coach
Pendlay again, some say that after his defeat on that sunny Tuesday afternoon
at Hooters, he packed up his stuff, bought a pair of board shorts and joined a
Crossfit gym near a retirement community in Miami Beach. The
end
