# Presidential Medal of Fitness **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826 "2022-04-14T15:18:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/21 "2022-04-15T02:47:53Z")
This was kind of a thing in Canada? I think it was done by my time. My older brother, in average shape, got a very fancy “Bronze Medal Fitness” patch in grade school. Have no idea if that is good, or what the requirements were. Wasn’t a thing for me. Maybe it was related to ParticipAction - very dated commercials supposed to encourage physical activity. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/22 "2022-04-15T04:08:21Z")
My school didn’t do it, but I knew about it because I would go to Girl Scout camp and see the patch on other girls’ patch jackets. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/23 "2022-04-15T08:26:55Z")
My grade school had a formal competitive event around this (mid 70s). Most students thought it was weird and dumb; a bunch of kids got “participant” certificates but nobody earned whatever the thing was for excellence or high performance. However: years later, when I was working in HR doing recruiting stuff (early 90s), I was very amused to see that one of our applicants had put this on his resume as an achievement, dated from his own childhood. We interviewed him. He was a doofus. We didn’t hire him. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/24 "2022-04-15T14:51:35Z")
I always felt left out by never seeing any sign of it. Thought I could have done well. Some kids could use the boost. But maybe others would be left with no medal. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/25 "2022-04-15T15:32:50Z")
It was all meant to make a pool of good little soldiers. > **[A brief history of the bizarre and sadistic Presidential Fitness Test](https://www.vox.com/2015/4/24/8489501/presidential-fitness-test)** > > This is how rock climbers, Eisenhower, and Swiss kids forced you to do pullups. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/26 "2022-04-15T17:04:17Z")
It was definitely a JFK thing. I remember it from early 60s elementary school; I’m surprised to hear it was still around in the 80s. As a kid who wasn’t particularly athletic, but hardly a couch potato, the goals were completely unreachable. Rather than encouraging me to get more fit, I think it made me feel like I was in much worse shape than I really was. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/27 "2022-04-15T20:56:55Z")
I think I was in fourth grade when everyone had to participate. We weren’t given any training or preparation; just take the test. I didn’t pass. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826/28 "2022-04-16T00:30:08Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > It was definitely a JFK thing. I remember it from early 60s elementary school; I’m surprised to hear it was still around in the 80s. That’s what I remember, too, except that it was in junior and senior high school (I graduated in '69). I went to a Catholic elementary school, and I don’t remember doing it there. But I have absolutely zero memory of any patches or awards of any kind. If they gave any out, it must have been in secret. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826.md?page=1)