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 ...
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.
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!”
What’s the difference between high school kids of the 1960’s vs high school kids today? .....Fathers?
....and condoms sticking out of their noses...
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
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.
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.
Anything with dodgeball was evil.
In 50 years, the young men went from “Love me tender . . . “ to “I’m a little unstead-eeee-eeee . . .”
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!
In 1962, there were very few fast food restaurants.
Stay-At-Home Mothers.
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
All aboard the Pain Train!
I was expecting Can’tstandya.
“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/
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.
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,
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