As the effort to revive the Presidential Physical Fitness Test works its way through the Ohio Legislature, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel has announced plans for a new student physical fitness challenge this fall.
The program for students in fourth through eighth grades will start this school year, Tressel said in a video posted to X on July 9. Tressel, head football coach for Ohio State from 2001 to 2010, appeared with former OSU and NFL player Ted Ginn Jr. and Dr. Lauren Miller, a former Ohio State women’s basketball player.
While details about the program were scarce in the video, Ginn said it will help students set healthier goals to be the “best versions” of themselves and Miller added that there will be a focus on healthy eating. “So they can fuel up with the right foods, just like athletes do,” she said. Tressel promised more information, including how schools can enroll in the program, would be coming soon.
Tressel knows a thing or two about fitness and athletics. He led Ohio State to its first football championship in 34 years in 2002. Following his resignation as football coach in 2011, he spent several years in university administration, including president of Youngstown State. He was named lieutenant governor of Ohio in February and is mulling a run for governor in 2026.
Presidential Physical Fitness Test may return to Ohio schools
Two Ohio lawmakers — Reps. Brian Lorenz, R-Powell, and Elgin Rogers, D-Toledo — are sponsoring House Bill 322 to require 1st- through 12th-grade students to take an annual fitness exam modeled after the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, which was discontinued in 2012.
The test was started in the late 1950s by President Dwight Eisenhower and evolved into five parts: curl-ups, a shuttle run, pull-ups or sit-ups, a sit-and-reach and a one-mile run. Students were placed into percentiles based on their age and sex. In 2012, former President Barack Obama replaced the test with a fitness program that emphasizes individual progress and goal-setting over competition with peers.
But some want it to return, including Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He is campaigning on bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test in middle schools.
What is the childhood obesity rate in Ohio?
The rate of obesity in Ohio is 18.3% for children ages 6 to 17, according to the State of Childhood Obesity report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, slightly higher than the national average of 17%. The study uses data from the National Survey of Children’s Health in 2022 and 2023.
Ohio ranks No. 17 in the nation for obese children, better than Wisconsin (No. 16) at 18.4% but worse than South Carolina (No. 18) at 18.1%.
Topping the list is Mississippi, which has a childhood obesity rate of 25%, according to the report.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, former Ohio State football coach, plans to ‘create a healthier Ohio’
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
