Sergeant Tony's Blog

In 1971 Fred Smith, a former Marine, founded a little company that now employs about 99.9% of Shelby County. He founded the company in Little Rock, but moved it to Memphis in 1973 when airport officials in Little Rock would not agree to provide facilities for the fledgling company’s airplanes.

(Hey Little Rock! … WHAT WERE YOU CLOWNS THINKING?!)

Smith called his little company “Federal Express.” You might have heard of it. That was a pretty grandiose title for a little company with a handful of airplanes and a small cadre of pilots.

After a few years people started using the shorthand, “Fed Ex” to refer to the company.

In 1994, bowing to the will of the people, the company’s name was officially changed to Fed Ex. It’s even become a verb. (”I need to ‘fedex’ this box to Charleston.”)

There are a lot of people known today by one word names, like Oprah, Madonna, and Cher, or names they weren’t born with. “Sting” is not on his birth certificate, but Gordon Matthew Sumner is. Alecia Moore is Pink. Robert Allen Zimmerman became Bob Dylan. And Paul David Hewson is better known as Bono.

Names are important. Aren’t they?

I’ve quoted Dale Carnegie to you before, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Our identity is tied to our names, for good or bad. We cringe when someone mispronounces our name or we become crestfallen when someone important forgets our name. But we swell with pride when someone important remembers our name!

“USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP” was simply called “USMC Fitness” when I started the program in 1999. But soon the name went through a transformation as people simply referred to us as “Boot Camp.” Back then there weren’t any other boot camps, it was just us. But soon the health clubs attempted to get in on our action with their own “boot camps.” And then boot camps of all sorts sprung up; there’s Computer Boot Camp, Bikini Boot Camp, Bridal Boot Camp, Baby Boot Camp, PSAT Boot Camp, Co-Dependency Boot Camp. You name it there’s probably a “boot camp” for it. And with so many boot camps out there, our identity was being diluted in the crowd of boot camps. So it became necessary to combine our original name with the one people were using. That’s how the name “USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP” came to be.

And now we may be on the verge of a name modification in our near future.

As “The Empire,” another name I like to use to refer to our little exercise cult, expands beyond our state line, it looks like it may be necessary to drop the “USMC” part of our name. The US Government, it seems, might not be willing to allow the national trademarking or registration of any implication to a department of the government. And since USMC clearly implies United States Marine Corps, we may need to change our name.

Now before you get alarmed or worried, the United States Marine Corps loves us! I enjoy a good, warm, and legal relationship with The Corps. Our use of Marine Corps images and names is well within the Corps’ guidelines. Our website has a disclaimer that is word for word the disclaimer that the Marine Corps suggested to me. Through the years I have worked with local Marine Corps recruiters on a number of activities and events. Right after 9/11 they even asked me to help prepare young men and women for the rigors of recruit training before they shipped off to boot camp.

But the Marine Corps and The US Government aren’t the same thing. And when it comes to private company name registration and trademarks, the Government is a little more hard nosed.

OK, here is why I’m telling you about this. I think you guys are a very creative bunch and I want to tap into your creativity and imagination. Here’s my challenge to you. In the event that national expansion requires a name change, what would YOU call USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP? What would you call us? What name would you give us?

Put on your thinking caps and start brainstorming. Get out your legal pads and start letting those names flow!

When you send me your suggestions (the deadline for entries is Friday, June 6th) I’ll compile a list. Then we’ll have a contest.

I’ll send everyone the list of suggested names in an upcoming newsletter and ask for readers to vote for their favorite name change. The person whose entry is chosen will win a FREE YEAR of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP … or whatever we may call it!

A FREE YEAR!!!
A FREE YEAR!!!
A FREE YEAR!!!

… so let’s get busy!

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MIDTOWN BOOT CAMP

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP — Midtown ROCKS! Evergreen Presbyterian Church, across the street from Rhodes College, Monday through Friday, 0530! Commanders Theresa Andreuccetti and Holly Guthrie are leading the charge in Midtown! Join ‘em! If you’re a regular at Christ Methodist, but you live in midtown, feel free to drop in!

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SUMMER CLASSES

Next week the number of classes at Christ Methodist go from 3 to 4!

We’ll add the 0645 class on Monday, June 2! This class will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for June, July, and August.

The 0830 class is ON for June … on a probationary basis. Attendance will determine the future of the class for the summer. If you love that class, SHOW UP Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

There are NO changes to the 0530 class or the evening class!

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HOW TO RUN FAST

“Tony, how do I run faster in a race?”

“Run faster in training.”

The End.

OK, it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much. If you’d like more information regarding speed work in your runs, let me know.

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LET’S GO TO THE RACES!

In the next few weeks there’ll be several local FUN races for you to do: Harbortown 5K on June 6, Gibson Guitar 5K on June 13, Ultimate 10K on the 28th, and July 3 is the Firecracker 5K. Go to the Memphis Runner’s Track Club website for registration info: http://www.memphisrunners.com/

If you’ve never run a 5K (3.1 miles) NOW is the time! You don’t have to run the whole race, you can run/walk too. Just line up in the back of the pack before the race starts.

And while I’m at it, here is SERGEANT TONY’S RUNNING ETIQUETTE TIPS that will help create goodwill with your fellow runners.

1. Line up according to your pace for the whole race. Faster runners to the front, walkers to the rear. How fast is fast? If you run a 6 minute mile or faster, go to the front. If not, line up further back. (If you bring your kids to run in the race, make sure they line up in the rear. It’s safer there.)

2. If you’re passing someone in congested traffic, say “on your left” or “on your right” as you start to pass them. And then say “thank you” or something encouraging as you go by. Do not shove or elbow your way past them. Do not say “Git outta the way WIDE LOAD!” as you attempt to pass. Do not shove your age group rivals into sticker bushes as you pass. Be considerate.

3. Say thank you to race volunteers, road guards, and supporters.

4. If you must spit or clear out your nasal passage(s), using the “cover a nostril and blow” technique, get over to the edge of traffic, check your rearview mirror, and then let ‘er rip! You do NOT want to hock-a-lugi on a fellow runner. If you HEAR a fellow runner preparing to hock (a verb), take cover or pass them before the fur starts flying.

5. At water stations, do not STOP to drink at the station. If you ARE going to stop to drink, run THROUGH the station, check your rearview mirror, pull over out of the way and drink. Be careful when you discard your cup. You don’t want to throw your cup at or near a fellow runner when you’re done. Splashing half a cup of sugary Gatorade on your fellow runner’s leg will NOT promote goodwill with said fellow runner. Trust me on this one.

6. If you’re listening to an iPod while you run, turn the volume down and be extra vigilant. Not everyone is motivated by your Air Supply, Motorhead, or Clay Aiken. Also, since you’ve got music in your ears, you need to volume down to be able to hear things around you just in case someone makes that “pre-hocking” sound. You need to be able to dodge if you must.

7. At the finish, keep on moving but don’t pass anyone in the finish chute. Stop only if a race official or volunteer directs you to stop. Slow down to take a medal, or a finish card, or to sign an autograph. Don’t stop when you cross the finish line and turn around to taunt the guy you just passed. Be a good sport.

These tips will help to promote goodwill with your fellow runners … one of whom is me!

“When you stop moving, it’s over.”
~ Don Wildman, 75 year old athlete and adventurer

To your continued good health and fitness,

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow
USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
5358 Denwood
Memphis, TN 38120
901-644-0145

www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

www.shaklee.net/tonyludlow/main