Presidential Fitness Test revival is causing some freaky flashbacks for readers

Readers Say

“I remember how hurtful this program was when we were in school. Traumatic and bullying. Hopeless.”

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Apparently, those sounds you heard when President Donald Trump announced he’d be reviving the Presidential Fitness Test were the anguished cries of people reliving their childhood traumas.

“Oh, hell no,” wrote Mike from Salem, New Hampshire, in response to our poll question about the move. “I remember how hurtful this program was when we were in school. Traumatic and bullying. Hopeless.”

Actually, most of the readers who responded voted they were in favor of the test returning — but of those who took the time to comment, the ones against it were REALLY against it. (Especially on Facebook.)

“The Presidential Fitness Test was a dreaded event for those of us who were active, but not necessarily athletic or competitive children. It was about being the best or the fastest and heaped praise on students for their skill at a very narrow set of arguably useless physical skills,” wrote Michele F. from Framingham.

That was probably one of the reasons the Obama administration nixed the test — in which children had to run and perform situps, pullups or pushups and a sit-and-reach test — in favor of the Youth Fitness Program, which the government said “moved away from recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on student’s health.”

It’s not yet clear if those overall health measures will still accompany the revived test, but our readers had their doubts. “Is this a plan to randomly collect data on students and schools, or will there actually be a plan to get students more healthy?” Bethany W. asked via Facebook. “What happens to schools that have a high percentage of students that can’t pass the test right away? Do they get additional resources, better meals and lunches, and new PE equipment and teachers?”

Some readers were skeptical that would happen. “As someone who works in medicine, the test is not a great test of someone’s actual fitness level,” one respondent wrote. “There are better markers of fitness and health. If they really cared about children’s health, they would be promoting free school meals and gun safety.”

Meanwhile, dozens of respondents expressed the opinion that the president himself would have difficulty passing the Presidental Fitness Test. “Let’s see Trump do a sit-up. One sit-up!,” wrote Michael R. via Facebook. Jacob J. of Marblehead claimed, “He couldn’t pass such a test if he were spotted half the answers.” And William C. wrote that, given Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s involvement in administering the new test, it might include a measure of “How fast can you sever the head from a dead bear cub?”

Still, there were those commenters who saw the move as a step in the right direction. “Who would ever think it would be bad to promote physical fitness and activity?” asked Mike from the North End. And Dan N. on Facebook noted, “We did this in elementary school and junior high. It was fun making fun of the kids who couldn’t complete it. That gave them incentive to get in shape.”

“Or years of therapy,” Steve M. replied.

You can read some of the reader responses below.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

Yes, good to bring it back

“Physical fitness at all ages is incredibly important, and needs to be emphasized, especially in the smartphone era. Giving kids a good baseline and understanding of fitness at a young age will benefit them for the rest of their lives. I hope that the importance of good nutrition and how it complements exercise is emphasized as well.” — Mike, Brighton

“Taking a test is not a punishment — it should create a goal to want to pass the fitness test and potentially excel with your peers. I’m all for it unless Trump renames it the Trump Presidential Fitness Test and uses garish gold lettering on a certificate. Why shouldn’t we provide our children with guidance at an early age? If people don’t take care of themselves, they will become a burden of society.” — Mike, Seacoast NH

“Too many kids eat junk and sit at the computer all day. We need to bring this back.” — Anonymous

“I can’t stand Trump, but especially in this day and age, promoting physical well being in our children is imperative, as they are the first generation in a long time to have a lower life expectancy despite having the technology available for many major medical advances in the upcoming decades. They need more exercise, and poor physical health can affect mental health too.” — John, Wilbraham

“America is obese. Anything that could possibly help with this issue should be welcomed.” — Bob S., Boston

“As a retired P.E. teacher, the test gives a lot of good information. Let’s face it, kids today do NOT get as much physical activity as previous generations.” — Russ H. via Facebook

“I honestly think that it is great that he is trying to promote physical activity and exercise within young people. However, the fine and performing arts are just as important and he will never put forth anything near the same amount of effort to support that cause.” — Alex J. via Facebook

No, it’s a bad idea

“It can hurt self esteem for late bloomers.” — Peter B., Mattapoisett

“It is laughable to me that this administration is gleefully cutting school lunch programs and child nutrition programs while touting an outdated fitness test. It is naive and disingenuous to think that the current administration is committed to children’s health and fitness.” — Michele F., Framingham

“No. 1) the golden ballroom at our White House; No. 2) the presidential fitness test; No. 3) the Epstein files. We want No. 3.” — Mary M. via Facebook

“Not really interested in the test part, but I do think that all children grades K-12 should be doing exercise every day, with goals that they can achieve at their own pace. Not everyone is able to exercise in the same way or speed. It is not a test, it is a learning experience for the body.” — Connie M. via Facebook

“In all seriousness, it wouldn’t be bad but for the fact that this is likely just another grand pronouncement with no implementation plan to back it up. Kids are not just instantly fit; the schools have to have the resources to add it to the overall curriculum. I seriously doubt there is any federal plan to back it up.” — Mich S. via Facebook

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.