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This 1960s High School Gym Class Would Ruin You
Mental Floss ^ | April 13, 2015 | Jake Rossen

Posted on 04/04/2018 2:09:04 PM PDT by polymuser

“The program, in sum, not only builds physical fitness, but good Americans.” That’s how Look magazine summarized the physical education program of La Sierra High School in January 1962 [PDF]. If you’re wondering how a gym class got a major spread in a national publication—as well as an endorsement from President John F. Kennedy—take a look at this.

(Excerpt) Read more at mentalfloss.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Health/Medicine; History; Society
KEYWORDS: 2015; fitness; health; highschool; lasierra; millenials; schools
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To: polymuser

We had a Marine DI come to our school and test us. Remember doing 50 sit-ups in 60 sec. Rope climb straddling the rope, no feet.
Don’t remember how many pull-ups , but one kid did them with a large concrete block between his feet.
We didn’t have the peg boards though.
We all passed.
Ah, the good ol’ days.


21 posted on 04/04/2018 2:27:54 PM PDT by Vinnie
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To: PIF
Wow. Then you know how it can be. Different America today, eh?
22 posted on 04/04/2018 2:28:17 PM PDT by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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To: polymuser

We had all of that, but none of it compared to having a former Marine DI as our PE teacher for my elementary school. Every class started of with pushups. Situps, and squat thrusts all while counting each movement at the top of our lungs. That was my life from 3rd grade to 6th grade.

All teams were selected with “TOES ON THE LINE, EYES RIGHT, SNAP YOUR HEAD TO THE FRONT AND CALL OUT YOUR NUMBER!”


23 posted on 04/04/2018 2:29:12 PM PDT by shotgun
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To: libertylover

What’s the difference between high school kids of the 1960’s vs high school kids today? .....Fathers?


24 posted on 04/04/2018 2:33:27 PM PDT by Safetgiver (Islam makes barbarism look genteel.)
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To: libertylover

....and condoms sticking out of their noses...


25 posted on 04/04/2018 2:36:03 PM PDT by Doogle (( USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand....never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
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To: dainbramaged

Crab soccer in my senior year CO-ED PE class was the best! We had little roller boards to sit on at least but you still had to crab walk


26 posted on 04/04/2018 2:36:25 PM PDT by shotgun
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To: PIF

Our regime in high school was run six minutes (through the halls - too much snow outside), wrestle six minutes, run six minutes, wrestle six minutes ... repeat till end of practice. It made football practice seem like an afternoon in a spa.


27 posted on 04/04/2018 2:37:03 PM PDT by katana
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To: polymuser

Not necessarily what it appears to be. I went through high school in the 60s and there were plenty of fatbodies in gym and plenty of skinny guys (I was one) as well.

A our HS they had the normal calisthenics and rotated through different activities such as rope climbs, weights, gymnastics, wrestling, track, swimming, etc. My strong point was swimming and lifesaving.

The gym teachers assumed that if one person could do a kip on the high bar then all students should be able to do that. Obviously this wasn’t so but that is how we were graded. I was satisfied with my Cs in gym and put my efforts elsewhere.

When I dropped out of college to enlist in the Marines, I ran into one of my old gym teachers who sneered and said that I would never make it; I was too weak.

I made it, aced the final PT and went on to complete my enlistment. When I went through, we started out with 60 recruits, some fit, some fat, some skinny. Not everyone made it but the 35 of us who did had the perseverance to stick with the physical demands and succeed.

When I went back after infantry training I made a point of finding that asshole and proving to him that he didn’t know what he was talking about.

I’m retired from the military and see the kids around town as well as the airmen on base. There seems to be the same basic mix of body styles and abilities as there was when I was in HS 50 years on.


28 posted on 04/04/2018 2:37:25 PM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: polymuser

Anything with dodgeball was evil.


29 posted on 04/04/2018 2:38:09 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Responsibility2nd

In 50 years, the young men went from “Love me tender . . . “ to “I’m a little unstead-eeee-eeee . . .”


30 posted on 04/04/2018 2:39:16 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The US Constitution ....... Invented by geniuses and God .... Administered by morons ......)
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To: libertylover

In the Tucson area before the 70’s the high school yearbooks had mostly white kids, a few Chinese, very, very few Mexicans. Now it has changed. I think the advent of air conditioning lured them over. The settlers of Tucson were tough!


31 posted on 04/04/2018 2:42:13 PM PDT by ThankYouFreeRepublic (An)
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To: polymuser; Gamecock; SaveFerris; FredZarguna; PROCON; KC_Lion; Army Air Corps
Don't mess with an old-schooler.


32 posted on 04/04/2018 2:42:15 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Mears

In 1962, there were very few fast food restaurants.


33 posted on 04/04/2018 2:43:25 PM PDT by HotHunt
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To: HotHunt

Stay-At-Home Mothers.


34 posted on 04/04/2018 2:46:51 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

From the 50’s to Now: What It Was Like to Be a Teenager in Different Decades

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/50s-now-what-it-was-be-teenager-decades


35 posted on 04/04/2018 2:48:40 PM PDT by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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To: Larry Lucido

All aboard the Pain Train!

I was expecting Can’tstandya.


36 posted on 04/04/2018 2:48:50 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: RJS1950

“From 1963 to 1970, 4.2 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 4.6 percent of 12 to 19 year olds were obese. In 1988, 11.3 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 10.5 percent of 12 to 19 year olds were obese. In 2001, just over 16 percent of 6 to 11 year olds were obese. The last survey, from 2007 to 2008, 19.6 and 18.1 percent of 6 to 11 and 12 to 19 year old kids were obese. Between 1971, the first year results were available for 2 to 5 year olds, and 2008, young kids went from an obesity rate of 5 percent to 10.4 percent.”

https://www.livestrong.com/article/364363-the-history-of-obesity-in-children/


37 posted on 04/04/2018 2:53:12 PM PDT by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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To: Renegade

I also graduated in 65. I scored a perfect score on every section except the 40 yard dash.

I have no idea what happened as sprints were my best area. Maybe just poor timing as I easily won my heat.


38 posted on 04/04/2018 2:55:34 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: katana

Yeah, but college football was beyond brutal unless you had a scholarship - you without the scholarship were everyone’s worst enemy, and some went on to play pro, one guy in the 49ers as I recall.

Wrestling practice, after the run and calisthenics in college was over 2 hours non-stop. Snow was just an obstacle to run through - like running in sand,


39 posted on 04/04/2018 2:58:05 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Larry Lucido

40 posted on 04/04/2018 3:01:13 PM PDT by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell)
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