Kennedy's physical fitness stuff was about making stronger and more fit warriors. Kennedy, a former military man knew basic training and officer candidate school is a weeding out process, not a process to change mushy individuals into lean mean warriors. There was a draft during Kennedy's area. Kennedy emphasized special forces. If Kennedy's fitness tests did not result in all young men being forced into military service, then the program would be remembered more fondly.
this happens all the time. The whole concept of PE being in schools was developed right around the time of WW1, because not enough men were fit enough for the army, so PE was developed as an introduction to military training. You still see it today--large classes organized by last name in military formation, wearing a uniform, doing military style calisthenics.
while I agree that a national fitness test is a great idea (think: SAT that tests the following: strength, agility, coordination, stamina, speed, power and reaction timing), PE should be developed more for students in these 3 areas: weight loss + nutrition; athletic performance; intramural sports.
i'd also like to see home economics and home finances added to high school curriculum, but since it isn't STEM, it will be laughed out the room.
The real fitness program was the AAHPER president's challenge which tested everybody and amassed huge amounts of data.
You don't need to be fit to be in the US military. It's probably the fattest army in the world.
I failed the sit and reach and the timed mile.
I thought the JFK fitness regimen was to sleep with as many women as possible. Whatever you do, don't follow the Ted Kennedy drinking regimen, as you might black out and drown your secretary at Martha's Vineyard.
The new normal is to be fat, spray tanned orange, and sporting a comb-over.
Try to keep up with the times.
Bad Wigins wrote:
The real fitness program was the AAHPER president's challenge which tested everybody and amassed huge amounts of data.
You don't need to be fit to be in the US military. It's probably the fattest army in the world.
One does need to be fit to be in special forces. Kennedy expanded special forces in U.S. military.
Duh! That's exactly why they're called "special."
Kennedy was hell-bent on world domination, despite his posthumous reputation. Invented the so-called "missile gap" to stoke the cold war for political gain, just like others in his party today.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Duh! That's exactly why they're called "special."
Kennedy was hell-bent on world domination, despite his posthumous reputation. Invented the so-called "missile gap" to stoke the cold war for political gain, just like others in his party today.
Are you having a bad brain night or do you not understand what JFK was doing?
JFK knew basic training and officer candidate school are weeding out processes. One may lose about 2 1/2% body fat in basic training, but one is not going from out of shape to great shape in basic. JFK had a goal of expanding special forces. To get the mostly men ready, his Presidential Fitness stuff from a young age.
Army Rangers (Delta Force), Green Berets, S.E.A.Ls, Air Force Search & Rescue.
Groups elite but not considered special forces:
82nd Airborne, 101st Screaming Eagles, U.S.M.C. Recon (Force Recon), U.S.M.C. coxswains, U.S.M.C. S.T.A., Navy divers.
J.F.K. in his opinion needed a lot of fit young men.
They still have a program. It's called a 50 mile race. Start training!!!
fit to special forces wrote:
To get the mostly men ready, his Presidential Fitness stuff from a young age.
That's just silly. The 1950's and 1960's were an era of mass participation in athletic sports. There was no shortage of fit young men to recruit, even for expanded special forces. There was however a BIG problem getting them all to sign up to be mass murderers, and maybe killed themselves, in Kennedy's programme of world domination.
Kennedy himself barely got into the navy because of his back problems. Not athletic at all. Could be one reason for his warmonger complex.