Going through boxes of papers and photographs last week, I found something I hadn’t seen in years: my Presidential Physical Fitness Award from elementary school. It was a small blue badge with a bald eagle in the center, and to my ten-year-old self, it was a source of enormous pride. I had earned it. I had passed the test and in the uncomplicated way children have of measuring accomplishment, that little badge seemed to say that I was strong and fit.
Physical education was a regular part of my school day until my junior year of high school. Depending on the season, we learned the rules and skills of basketball, volleyball, tennis, and field hockey. There was an archery course in the basement of my junior high school, which seems almost unimaginable to me now. We learned square dancing, and we swam all winter long.
I loved “PE” in elementary school. Class began with the motivational song/activity called: “Go you chicken fat go.” It is a very catchy song that is easy to memorize and sing along with. The song instructs us to do jumping jacks, push ups, marching, pogo hops, twists, and arm circles to name a few.
A few favorite gym activities of mine were little blue scooter relay races through a series of obstacles, Dodge Ball, and double Dutch rope jumping.
Then there were the fitness tests.
I remember them as serious business. A large part of the test involved timed rope climbing and chin-ups. We were expected to complete a certain number of sit-ups and push-ups, too. There was something very concrete about the whole process. You either could climb the rope, or you couldn’t. You either managed the required number of sit-ups, or you didn’t. Strength and endurance could be counted, timed, and recorded.
By the time I reached college, the definition of fitness seemed to have changed. In my college gym classes, flexibility was key. Our ability to touch our toes was judged. I remember wondering how something as simple as reaching toward your toes had become a measure of physical fitness.
The Presidential Physical Fitness Award was part of a larger national effort to encourage American children to be more physically fit. The concern at the time was that American children were not as physically fit as they “should” be. Schools became one of the places where that concern was put into practice, turning fitness into something children could work toward and measure.
In July of 1956, President Eisenhower created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness. The council adapted and expanded on the testing items from a California testing program. The transition of John F. Kennedy’s presidency marked a new era for the fitness tests. Kennedy had written an article about youth fitness for Sports Illustrated magazine. In the article, the president articulated concerns about American children spending too much time watching tv and not enough time building strong bodies.
The physical fitness test went through many edits in the 70’s and 80’s. A long distance run was added and sit ups were modified. In 2003 the President’s council emphasized being physically active everyday. The Obama administration retired the physical fitness test with their emphasis on nutrition and health.
That little blue badge brought back a time when being strong, flexible, and physically fit was simply part of being a kid. It was proof of a whole different approach to childhood and physical education.
One Response
I remember that song!