HAMMERTIME

Birth Name: Steven Flores

Age: 48

F3 Start Date: 9/1/2023, but looking back at pictures I think it was actually 8/28/2023

Main AO Post: Motherland: Sasquatch - where it all started. Co-Site Q with 2-Stroke at Tiger’s Den. A regular at Shootout. 

How did you hear about F3 and how did you get your F3 Nickname?

Battling depression, caused me to isolate. While isolating, I began playing Halo online. I’m not a gamer, so I had no idea how to play games online with other people. (Geez, this makes me sound old.) While playing, I met a guy who lives in Katy, Texas. One night in August 2023, I decided to share a little of my story with him. That evening, he told me about F3 and what it meant to him. He looked online for the closest location to me, texted me the time and days Sasquatch met, and then sent me the directions. He told me his F3 name, Covenant, and encouraged me to go that week. After we chatted, he contacted F3 Austin to let someone know to expect me. 

After my FNG beatdown, I shared that I owned my own business as a handyman and also a mental health therapist. The Sasquatch PAX, in their collective genius, came up with “HammerTime”. “Hammer” for handyman and “Time” because both handymen and therapists charge for their time. WhiteHat (the Q), signed off on it.

Your “sad clown” story has been well documented and are willing to share that vulnerability about the tough time you were going through prior to coming out to F3….why do you feel it was important to open up and share the darker time in your life to the PAX?

I don’t think of it so much as “important,” but more like I felt safe to share. I spent nearly 10 years battling depression, in silence. Well, not in silence to the M. My poor M got the worst of me, because I did not want others to see or hear what I was dealing with. Early on (pre-F3 days), I did share my sad clown story, but oftentimes I was not met with patience or compassion. I became angrier and more depressed. After posting a few times at F3, I saw men struggling like me. They may not have been struggling with depression like me, but we were all struggling to complete a challenge - the beat down. I heard PAX encouraging one another to complete an exercise. I witnessed PAX take extra reps from other PAX who were struggling. I also witnessed PAX run back to run with the six, to “leave no man behind and leave no man where [he] found him.” Witnessing this part of F3, made me feel safe to share my sad clown story. And, maybe subconsciously, I share my sad clown story because I want others to feel safe sharing theirs.  

What’s the best part of F3 and where do you specifically see F3 Austin being an impact on you in and out of the gloom?

The best part of F3 are the HIM and what happens in the gloom -  the stories I hear from them, the conversations before and after the beatdown, the dad jokes throughout the beatdown, watching the progression of FNGs as they become stronger each time they show up and ultimately flex their leadership muscle by leading a Q. This HIM highlight is actually difficult for me to complete, because I would rather spend more time talking about other HIMs than me - those who inspire me, make me feel accepted, express their belief in me, check-in on me, encourage me, make me laugh, who...I could go on, really. These are not meaningless platitudes. After this HIM highlight is posted, don’t be surprised when some of you receive a Slack DM from me, as I highlight how you have impacted me, and others, in the gloom. 

Regarding F3 Austin’s impact on me outside the gloom, I’ll let my M share that: 

Where do I start?! The fact that I know this terminology is testament to how much F3 language is spoken in our home. The HIM you know as Hammertime is the man I know as Steve, my best friend and faithful husband of nearly 19 years and the amazing father to our 3 kids. Rewind to this time last year, and the atmosphere of our home was quite different. I tried to fill the empty, lonely spaces, suggested podcasts, books, songs, and therapy. No matter what I tried to do in my own strength, I couldn't create a cure for the darkness and isolation he'd found himself in after years of disappointments and closed doors. But God, in His mysterious way of working in all things for good, showed up with an invitation to F3 through a friend found on none other than Halo. Absolutely not what I would've or could've ever curated. The light within the man I knew began to flicker with every early morning beatdown he suddenly couldn't get enough of. The men he met and continues to meet have absolutely become the community that have lifted him up and seen the good in him he'd begun to question. Growth began in our world that had felt stuck for years. There is confidence in eyes that once expressed defeat. There is a resilience and hope where depression once took residence. I could go on, but he told me this was supposed to be a short blurb...and you probably don't want to hear about how his dad bod has changed ;) Life is hard and challenges his limits. His humanity still remains. The difference now is he knows he's not alone. I thank God for the men of F3 Austin. They are an answer to this wife's many prayers. 

What’s next for HammerTime…..where do you see that next 43 feet going in your F3 Journey?

It is in process. I am part of the Driving Force Committee, laying the groundwork for the Austin H.I.M. Foundation. I am involved with an amazing group of HIM doing work that will impact the lives of F3 Austin men both now and for future generations! It is equally exciting and humbling to be a part of this. I also want to make it possible for F3 Austin PAX to discover other local PAX-owned businesses - a way to support each other outside of the gloom. I also want to know and share PAX stories of how F3 Austin has made a difference in their lives too. I want to help F3 Austin explode. It is not because I am crazy about numbers. I believe what I have found needs to be given away to other men too, and I believe personal stories will be key to showing others how incredible this community is! I have never been one to specifically see what is next. I am open to discovering ways to make a difference in F3 Austin as a whole and on the individual level - whatever that means and wherever it leads.