Getting

America

Moving
“We do not want in

the United States a

nation of spectators.

We want a nation of

participants in the

vigorous life.”

—President John F. Kennedy

hese words capture the

driving force behind the

creation of the President’s

Council on Physical Fitness

and Sports (PCPFS) and the

spirit which still moves it

forward today. Physical

activity and fitness are

important parts of a healthy,

happy, and successful

individual and society.

Leading the nation toward

these goals has been the

Council’s mission from the

start and continues to be as

the PCPFS motivates

Americans to become — and

stay — active.

T
The President’s Council

The creation of the PCPFS brought concern for Americans’ health and

fitness to the highest level of government. Through its Executive Order, the

PCPFS is charged with promoting the benefits of sports, fitness, and physical

activity and motivating all Americans to become and stay active and fit.

From its beginning, the President’s Council has had a special focus on

the nation’s youth, encouraging them to lay the foundation for an active,

healthy adult life. While scientific knowledge about the health benefits of

physical activity has increased over the years, the PCPFS has long recognized

the personal benefits of sports participation and an active lifestyle —

character development, discipline, improved confidence, self-esteem, and

well-being.

The President’s Council serves as a catalyst, generating ideas and

administering programs, frequently in partnership with other organizations,

that reach people in schools, homes, workplaces, and communities. The

PCPFS is committed to breaking any perceived barriers — be they disabilities, race, gender, age, or lack of knowledge or opportunity — that impede

any individual’s access to and enjoyment of fitness and sports activities.

Programs & initiatives

The President’s Council strives to reach people of all ages and backgrounds. Its varied programs and initiatives help to educate and motivate

the public and recognize those who participate in a fit and active lifestyle.

These efforts include:

The President’s Challenge

Physical Fitness Awards Program

More than 55 million awards have been earned by students via the

President’s Challenge since this school-based program was established in

1966. Students receive awards reflecting their abilities in a series of

activities designed to motivate youngsters to build

strength, endurance, flexibility, and other

fitness components. The program

encourages modified activities

for physically-challenged

students and recognizes

all participants for

their achievements.

Presidential

Sports Award

The Presidential

Sports Award (PSA)

was created in

1972 to encourage

long-term

commitment to

regular sports or

fitness activity

participation.

Working with

national sports organizations, the PSA gives presidential recognition to

individuals, ages six and up, who fulfill the qualifying standards in one of

more than 65 different sports categories.

Healthy People 2000

The PCPFS tracks the progress made toward achieving 13 physical

activity and fitness objectives contained in the Department of Health and

Human Services’s Healthy People 2000 initiative. The goal of this

nationwide program is to improve the health status of all Americans by

the year 2000.

Surgeon General’s Report on

Physical Activity and Health

The President’s Council was a key player in the development and

release of the first Surgeon General’s report linking physical

activity to health benefits and educating Americans that regular,

moderate physical activity brings substantial health benefits.

Public Service Campaigns

The President’s Council uses many vehicles, including The

Advertising Council and the National Association of Broadcasters,

to spread its physical fitness and health message. Using donated

media space, it has conducted radio, print, and television

advertising campaigns aimed at people of all ages.

Partnerships

The President’s Council has always been innovative in matching

its resources to its mission. Lacking grant-making and regulatory

powers, the PCPFS has worked to create a broad network of partners

with whom it can team up to run everything from activity and

recognition programs to exhibits and public information efforts.

Creative partnerships with a wide variety of private and public

organizations allow the President’s Council to reach a much broader

audience. Some partners include: 4-H Clubs; the YMCA; the U.S.

military; the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; USA Today;

Time Warner and HBO Sports; the U.S. Olympic Committee; the

Paralympic Organizing Committee; the Indian Health Service; the

Advil Forum on Health Education; the American College of Sports

Medicine; the U.S. Postal Service; the American Association of Retired

Persons; and the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub

Association.

Council Members

Members of the PCPFS are appointed by the president for

voluntary service. Originally composed of members of the president’s

cabinet, the President’s Council now seats 20 distinguished citizens

from all walks of life, ranging from celebrated athletes to academics to

active citizens who want to serve their country.

Council members bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to

their service. They set PCPFS priorities and direction, but their

primary duty is to serve as inspiration for a more active lifestyle

through personal and professional example.

Council members take an active and participatory interest in

promoting sports and fitness throughout the country. They speak at

and participate in sporting events, organize community fitness

activities, visit schools, and, in general, serve as ambassadors of the

PCPFS and the president to spotlight the benefits of physical activity,

fitness, and sports.

Well-known chairs have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, George

Allen, James A. Lovell, Jr., and Stan Musial. The first woman to lead the

PCPFS was Florence Griffith Joyner, who was appointed co-chair in

1993 and served with former U.S. Representative and professional

basketball player Tom McMillen. Well-known members have included

Roger Staubach, Calvin Hill, Zina Garrison-Jackson, and Pam Shriver.

The PCPFS is led by an executive director, appointed by the

president and Secretary of Health and Human Services, who oversees

a staff of federal employees in handling day-to-day operations,

management, and communications.
1956

President Eisenhower decides to

attack a lack of physical fitness

among nation’s youth at highest

federal level after study shows

American children are less fit

than their

European

counterparts.

Creates

President’s

Council on

Youth Fitness.

1960

President Kennedy, a promoter

of fitness through his 50-mile

hikes, expands Council’s reach

to all ages and clarifies its

mission, changing the name to

President’s Council on Physical

Fitness.

1972

Presidential Sports Award

Program created.

1968

President Johnson recognizes

the importance of sports

participation and changes

Council’s name to President’s

Council on Physical Fitness and

Sports.

1966

President Johnson establishes

Presidential Physical Fitness

Award.

1990

The first Great American

Workout, a fitness and sports

expo, is held at the U.S. Capitol

to officially open National

Physical Fitness and Sports

Month. In 1991, the event moved

to the White House.

1983

Congress declares May

National Physical Fitness and

Sports Month.

1986

President’s Challenge Youth

Physical Fitness Awards

Program established.

1997

1993

1996

Release of Surgeon General’s

Report on Physical Activity and

Health; Opening of PCPFS

national traveling exhibition with

the National Archives, “Flexing

the Nation’s Muscle: Presidents,

Physical Fitness, and Sports in

the American Century.”

Youth Fitness Campaign, the

PCPFS’s three-year public

service advertising initiative,

begins.

The PCPFS holds a strategic

planning forum with the nation’s

top health and fitness leaders to

develop recommendations to

help Americans make physical

activity and fitness a lifetime

habit.
Learn about the

President’s Challenge

at

400 E. 7th Street

Bloomington, IN 47405

1-800-258-8146

http://www.indiana.edu/~preschal

E-mail: preschal@indiana.edu

To earn a

Presidential

Sports Award

write to

PSA/AAU

P.O. Box 10,000

Lake Buena Vista, FL

32830-1000

President’s Council on

Physical Fitness and Sports

200 Independence Ave., SW

Room 738H

Washington, DC 20201

202-272-3421