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Many schools emphasized cleanliness for all students before entering the swimming pool. Several authors have described their experience as freshmen entering the pool for their required PE swimming class. A soap shower, a walk through foot trays containing disinfectant solution, then a march through this "under carriage spray" assured that they would pass hygiene inspection prior to participating in the nude swimming class activity.
This high school yearbook posted photos of the daily PE classes. Poor images but should bring back memories of being either a student or PE teacher. Note there are 7 vertical rows indicating the 7 class periods. There were probably 2 PE teachers, one having the boys on the left and the other on the right. The school where I taught had between 12 to 16 boys in each class and only 4 classes per day, but the photo reminds me of my student teaching year where 30+ was the norm. It was impossible to accomplish what was expected of a teacher (particularly a student teacher) in the 55 minute class period. 5 minutes after the final bell we had to take attendance and check uniforms, including jock checks (and included cup checks at schools which required them). Then have the class do 5 to 10 minutes of calisthenics, followed by the daily activity of basketball, touch football tumbling, wrestling, pyramids etc. Warm weather meant track activity such as running springs, hurdles and ...
With many schools starting now, the trip to the stores for school supplies is in full swing. Just a couple of decades ago, that also meant buying physical education uniforms. Some grade schools required showers and PE uniforms (including jockstraps) for boys starting in 4th grade ( 9 years old). Here are some school supply lists from a bygone era: Any memories fellers?
Judging by hairstyle this looks like some recruits enjoying some exercise. PT Instructor seems to be doing a good job in getting the legs held at 6" above the floor. I can almost hear the orders: "Raise em..Spread em..Together..Spread em again. Ah. the weight of combat boots Anyone have ideas regarding the water on the floor? Too much to be sweat. Besides the recruits have doffed their BDU shirts and their trousers are unbloused. They simply look too comfortable for having endured a sweat-down party. Note: The second photo is poor in quality but should bring memories of doing the leg lifts in school PE classes.
Having posted numerous images relating to proper attire for PE class, perhaps it is time to start posting more images of PE class activities. This image appears to be middle school or junior high school students getting a little exercise by running in place. The athletic field certinly doesn't appear to be well manicured. They don't appear to be working that hard as none of them are raising their legs to knee level which is often considered proper calisthenic form.
A novel issue, but one which created a lot of discussion among the Physical Education teaching corps was whether cups should be a required part of the school PE uniform. Starting about the 1950's, about the time lawyers were starting to pursue liability cases for PE class related injuries. many school districts initiated some risk reduction measures such as removing climbing ropes, eliminated pyramid gymnastics and requiring jock cups and even mouth pieces for boys PE programs. In the era when I taught, most PE instructors used common sense and required or suggested that cups be worn when contact sports were scheduled, but I was aware teachers or schools where cups were required in ALL PE classes, regardless of activity. It seemed that the ex-military PE instructors were more inclined to follow department uniform requirements, but the new PE teachers, still in their probationary year were the most strict. While the cup requirement was mostly intended for high sch...
In the 50's and 60's, back to school meant acquiring PE clothes, if they were not provided by the school. Certainly small town clothing, hardware and sporting goods stores sold PE necessities, but so did the national retailers. Local newspapers offered large display advertisements for gym shorts and often illustrations of jock straps. SEARS (JC Higgins jocks were usually made by BIKE); JC PENNEY has stores in most every small town and were probably the largest supplier of PE clothes; WAL-MART frequently advertised sales on DUKE jockstraps during back to school sales. Even variety store W.T. Grant advertised socks, jocks shirts and shorts along with their pencils and Crayons.
Some more memories “back to school” advertisements for requisite PE class equipment, jockstraps included. The ad indicating supporters for boys with as small as 20″ waists reminds us that some schools mandated PE uniforms with jocks for grade school boys as young as 3rd and 4th grade. And for those of you wanting to buy one of those 15 cent BIKE jocks, sorry I suspect they are sold out!
Navy aviation cadets enjoying a little exercise. If they all adjourned to the same locker room shower, it must have been quite a site! During their training, they regularly posed in jockstraps (or less) for posture and physique photos to show progress from their physical training. Presumably, these comparative photos were included in their “201″ file or whatever it was called. These photos should not be confused with the “posture photos” which were taken of all freshmen (male and female) upon entry to numerous universities in the early 50′s. The students posed wearing nothing but smiles