What does this mean?
In the US, there was a thing called the “Presidential Fitness Test” that kids had to do in P.E. (not sure if it’s still a thing).
You had to be able to do so many crunches, pushups, etc, in a certain amount of time.
I graduated high school in 1999 and I definitely had to do this in elementary school.
The presidential fitness test is something us kids had to do every year. It was basically doing a bunch of different exercises, and if you did good enough you got a certificate.
Things like sit ups, push ups, chin ups, vertical jump, running a mile, etc. Based on your height and weight there was an expected level you were supposed to achieve.
I believe it. I guess I was hanging out with the metal heads, stoners, and hacky sack kids during gym. That’s why I got a D. And not the gym teacher’s D… That was reserved for the underage girls that used to play with his leg hair. Right there in the bleachers of a New Hampshire school.
(Actual true story… Girls used to play with his leg hair… This was middle school or 9th grade. Larry A. …I’m looking at you.)
Knowing my town, I’m surprised that guy stayed athletic director and not a paraplegic. He must have paid someone off. 70k to be a shit-town gym director? Riiiiight…
Where I grew up school was for chumps.
The village makes the villains.
This very far predates George w Bush.
This predates George HW Bush
Yeah it was Eisenhower. He was concerned our youth would be less fit than Europeans
All those who vote to make this test required for all presidential candidates say aye…
Gotta make sure the youth can be good little soldiers if needed
This is 100% fact. Eisenhower made PE a universal part of education to increase overall fitness in the case of war and conscription.
I think it was worse than that. It was to test for and increase capability for military life, but the exercises themselves are not a good way to keep a general healthy body so it actually caused physical health to decline in the US.
I had to do it to impress Bill Clinton. Side note, he gave me the worst handshake I’ve ever had in my life, just competely limp, dead fish style. So I don’t give a shit if he was impressed with how many crunches I could do.
