By Bryan E. Hoddle, Head Coach, US ParalympicsTrack and Field Program

A previous issue of Washington Coach featured my article entitled, “Why Johnny and Jane Can’t Skip,” examining why kids at the high school level have NO bio-motor abilities due to the lack of Physical Education/Fitness emphasis in thiscountry. E-mail response in support of the article was overwhelming. Little did I know that 10 months later, I would be asked to chair a national task force to lobby law makers to do something about Physical Education nationwide.

The quality of our phy ed teachers and administrators isn’t at issue: many are the best in the field of education. Our focus was on the overall health of U.S. kids and the current state of our country’s Physical Education programs. As we began to gather data, I was astounded and dismayed by what was emerging.

My first objective was to ask teachers and coaches in Washington what was going on at their school in regard to Physical Education. As part of that information gathering, Doug Fulton of South Whidbey H.S. polled coaches and teachers in a five question survey on the Washington High School Track and Field web site (www.watfxc.com). Nearly 100 surveys were returned in just one month, and the responses were fairly consistent.

Here is what our task force learned from that survey:

• The average number of years of Physical Education needed to graduate in the state of Washington is 1.7 years. (Don’t kids go to high school for 3 to 4 years? Don’t our schools bring in experts on brain research who tell us the importance of physical fitness in adolescent brain
development? Are schools ignoring these experts? Are our law makers ignoring these experts?)

• 58% of those responding say it’s easy to get Physical Education waived at their high school. (PE is being waived for sports, drill teams, and cheerleading. So does that mean we waive math if a student is in math club after school, or science if students are in science club? Yes, a college-bound student needs high level course work, but should such a boost come at the expense of their health?)

• 68% of those responding say they DO NOT give the President’s Physical Fitness Test at their high school. (So how is fitness progress being measured?)

• 25% responded by saying their programs offer games only, with 75% saying theirs have both fitness and game sports in the PE programs. (PE should not always revolve around a ball!)

• 52% of those responding were DISSATISFIED with their school’s Physical Education program. (We all know what 52% means if that were a score on a college paper — FAILURE!)

Just after Doug loaded in the survey, I was e-mailed an article that hammered a huge message home regarding the health and fitness of our nation’s kids. The piece by Wes Allison appeared in the July 18, 2001, edition of the St. Petersburg Times. Mr. Allison’s message is pretty apparent, judging from some of the key points in his article:

• Up to 1 in 5 American children are considered obese or overweight. (Half of all adults also qualify.)
• Children spend up to five hours a day watching TV; that doesn’t include time spent on the computer.
• Obesity now rivals smoking as the nation’s top health scourge.
• Obesity is expected to lead to 300,000 deaths and cost more than $100 billion this year (US Centers for Disease and Prevention).
• The number of severely obese children has doubled in the past 20 years.
• At least 70 percent of overweight children will be overweight adults, studies show, putting them at greater risk for a variety of diseases.

The story quoted U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher as saying, “Unfortunately, I think for a lot of people, the epidemic slipped up on us.” “If we don’t mount a very aggressive campaign now, against overweight and obesity in children, we’re going to pay a tremendous price.”

It goes without saying that Physical Education programs are equally important for children and adults with special needs. Depending on the disability, a tailored exercise regimen and total body fitness conditioning can be a requirement for survival, not simply enhancing quality of life. Regular exercise improves aerobic conditioning and muscle tone for people in wheelchairs. Fitness routines strengthen limbs, joints, and muscle systems that are at-risk because of overuse due to amputation or a variety of orthopedic or neurological conditions. People who have disabling conditions have an even greater need to protect their health through PE and fitness programs. And most can take advantage of any exercises/routines by means of adaptive equipment or instruction.

It also follows naturally that if we’re to broaden the scope of adaptive recreation and disability sports, we need to be introducing kids into Physical Education and fitness programs earlier and on a wider scale. The odds are that most of today’s elite disabled athletes — particularly amputees — got involved in their sports by learning and competing with able-bodied teammates. Just imagine how many more youths would be on a track toward Paralympic contests if all-inclusive and more demanding Physical Education programs had been available at all U.S. schools!

According to multiple sources, Physical Education has become an educational afterthought. Daily participation among high school students has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 29 percent in 1999, the CDC says.

I became involved in this issue for two reasons: my love of sports and my concern for the health of today’s youngsters. As to the first, track and field, which I’ve coached for over 20 years, relies heavily on quality Physical Education Programs to deliver potential athletes. PE is the backbone of track and field. Any diminishing or cancellation of Physical Education has a negative impact on track and field at the high school and middle school level. How many coaches reading this article were discovered as youths by a coach in a physical education class? After talking with coaches from other sports, I’ve found that their message is the same: something has gone terribly wrong with phy ed programs at all age levels and it’s having a negative impact on their sport.

Second and more importantly, the health of our kids is at stake and at this moment, no one seems to be too concerned. We think we have a health care crisis in this country right now? Wait 20 or 30 years when these kids become adults. Then we’ll see a real health care crisis — one that’ll make this current state of events seem mild.

Today’s kids are unfit. They have poor bio-motor abilities. Too many kids are sliding out of increasingly weakened Physical Education requirements with a plethora of excuses. Barely over 25% of a student population is in a PE class on any given day. Kids come to the athletic field more unfit than ever. These problems begin in our communities, in our schools, and in our classrooms. That’s where we need to begin to solve the problem. It won’t be solved by someone sitting in a desk in Washington, DC. It’ll be solved by people like you and me — parents, coaches, teachers, athletes, and health experts — pulling together and shouting with a united voice, “Something has gone wrong with our physical education system, and we need to fix it. Now!”

About the Author......
The former sprint and hurdle coach at River Ridge High School in Lacey, Washington, Bryan Hoddle served as president of the Washington State Track and Field Coaches’ Association, and as a USA Track and Field (USATF) Level I instructor, and a Level II track and field coach specializing in sprints, hurdles, and relays. He has been a clinician at various track and field clinics, and frequently appears as a motivational speaker for school, organization, and business audiences. Among the Paralympic track and field athletes he has coached are sprinter Marlon Shirley and high jumper Jeff Skiba. Bryan is the author of “Circle of Champions,” and has produced a video on sprints, hurdles, and relays entitled “Speed to Win.”

PHOTOS – Photos courtesy of Challenge Aspen.