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President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition for American schoolchildren.
The origins of the Presidential Fitness Test date back to the 1950s under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration. Eisenhower established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in 1956 as Americans feared their physical strength was subpar compared to that of Europeans.
President John F. Kennedy built upon that idea in 1960 when he published a column in Sports Illustrated before he took office. The title of the piece was called “The Soft American.” In the piece, Kennedy lamented that there were an “an increasingly large number of young Americans who are neglecting their bodies—whose physical fitness is not what it should be—who are getting soft. And such softness on the part of individual citizens can help to strip and destroy the vitality of a nation.”
“For the physical vigor of our citizens is one of America’s most precious resources. If we waste and neglect this resource, if we allow it to dwindle and grow soft then we will destroy much of our ability to meet the great and vital challenges which confront our people. We will be unable to realize our full potential as a nation,” he added.
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration formalized the Physical Fitness Award Program. Children were put to the test and had to perform situps, pullups or pushups and a sit-and-reach test. The program acknowledge those who were in the 85th percentile or better.
A 1-mile run and shuttle run were also added over the years as presidents after Johnson would tinker with the testing.
Over the years, the Presidential Fitness Test faced criticism for a one-size fits all approach and failing to account for individual strength and physical makeup.
The Presidential Fitness Test lasted through the 2012-13 school year when President Barack Obama retired it in favor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. The Presidential Fitness Test was replaced by the FitnessGram, which took a holistic approach to student wellness.
The program moved away from “recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on student’s health,” according to a profile on the Health.gov website.
“The Presidential Youth Fitness Program places emphasis on the value of living a physically active and healthy lifestyle — in school and beyond. The program minimizes comparisons between children and instead supports students as they pursue personal fitness goals for lifelong health. By adopting the program, schools gain access to a robust selection of resources to promote lifelong physical activity — web-based access to test protocol, standards for testing, calculators for aerobic capacity and body composition, promotion of PALA+, online training, school recognition programs, and more.”
On Thursday, Trump ordered the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition to execute on ways to alleviate the obesity crisis among children in the U.S. LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau was tapped to lead the council.
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The executive order said the council should recommend the following:
- (i) strategies for reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test, with any appropriate improvements, as the main assessment tool for a Presidential Fitness Award;
- (ii) strategies for the development and promotion of Presidential challenges and school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education;
- (iii) actions to expand opportunities at the global, national, State, and local levels for participation in sports and engagement in physical fitness;
- (iv) bold and innovative fitness goals for American youth with the aim of fostering a new generation of healthy, active citizens;
- (v) campaigns and events that elevate American sports, military readiness, and health traditions;
- (vi) opportunities at the global, national, State, and local levels that expand participation in sports and emphasize the importance of an active lifestyle and good nutrition, which should include partnerships with professional athletes, sports organizations, player’s associations, influential figures, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to inspire all Americans, among other initiatives; and
- (vii) strategies to address the growing national security threat posed by the increasing rates of childhood obesity, chronic diseases, and sedentary lifestyles, which threaten the future readiness of the United States workforce and military.
The executive order will direct the council to create “school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education and develop criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award.”
“It’s a wonderful tradition and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said.
DeChambeau is the chair of the council. Trump mentioned San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will also be on the council.
“We have an opportunity at being the 70th anniversary of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, to literally change the fabric of kids’ lives,” DeChambeau said. “Our first initiative is to bring back and reignite the president’s fitness test and also reestablish some key guidelines on building communities.”
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