Florida basketballcoach Todd Golden paid a visit to the White House on Tuesday, May 6, to support the country's reintroduction of the Presidential Fitness Test.
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum restoring the Presidential Fitness Test Award a day earlier. Trump reinstated the Presidential Fitness Test program with an executive order last July. The program had been in place since 1956, until former President Barack Obama replaced it in 2012 with a new fitness program focused on long-term student health rather than physical performance.
Golden, along with two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player, former NHL and Stany Cup Champion TJ Oshie and former MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard, attended the signing.
At the time of the discontinuation in 2012, the test comprised of running one mile, performing as many sit-ups as possible in 60 seconds, performing either push-ups or pull-ups until failure, a sitting flexibility test and a shuttle run.
“It’s an incredible honor to be here,” said Golden, who spoke at the event. “This is something that I’m passionate about. I think it’s imperative that we are doing this for our youth right now. Through experience, my wife and I have two young kids, 9 and 7. They are very active and very athletic, but I can see some of their teammates and classmates staring at screens all day.”
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Golden was also featured in the White House’s official video reintroducing the program.
“As I said, it’s really important that we do this now,” Golden said. “Not only will I think this will improve the overall physical health of our young people, but I think it will also help the mental health of our young people as well.”
This was Golden’s second trip to the White House as theGators’ head coach, with his first coming after UF’s national championship season.
ReachFlorida Gatorswriter Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at@AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook atAndrew Abadie Sports Reporteror on Instagram@andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun:Florida basketball coach Todd Golden endorses return of Presidential Fitness Test
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