The Air Force ROTC was established at BYU in 1951. Soon after, girls organized a Sponsor Corps titled “Angel Flight.” Pictured are three BYU girls who were a part of the Angel Flight rifle team in 1962.
In my studies of classical PE the last couple of decades, I’ve uncovered a rich history far beyond the gymnasium and muscular fitness. Classical PE often included many outdoor activities that at times involved “weapons” or objects viewed as “dangerous” today. For example, how to properly use an axe and hatchet was formerly a part of some “elementary” physical education programs. Additionally, I started to notice how many American high schools and colleges had rifle teams and marksmanship classes-even for women. These are all facts I can easily back up with written texts, journal articles, and historical film and photographs.
Questions? How did America go from teaching firearms in high schools and colleges with very few shooting incidents by students at schools to a robust banning of weapons of any type even if fake and plastic while we see the rapid increase of school mass shootings by disgruntled teenagers? What happened?
University of Iowa Women’s Riflery
Thinking rationally, gun critics cite that military assault weapons allow for more killing per minute due to the design of these rapid fire weapons. True-they do fire fast and can do more damage, but why would we not have seen numerous school shootings with just less body counts in the 1920s-1960s when firearms were placed on campus as part of the curriculum?
History can offer up a couple of answers, but there are far more questions we MUST ASK in order to save what is left of our society. What does history say?
1940s-UC Berkeley Women’s Riflery
First, we have a serious absence of “classical” physical education in America. It’s important to have “classical” PE because it was far more balanced and appropriate for the general population. Classical PE was NOT sport based like so many PE programs today. Most children will never play organized sports; therefore, a sport-based PE program is woefully inadequate. How does this factor into school shootings? Classical PE had a “Noble Purpose” which can be defined as “preservation of nation.” Translation? “All for One and One for All.” We used to teach real teamwork in American physical education which had a lot to do with MENTAL STABILITY. The concept or term “Mental Stability” was actually written explicitly in many of my classical PE texts and journal articles. The mental health gained from classical PE was a very big deal-some wrote about how it was the most important part of PE curriculum.
1922-Girls Rifle Team
When you dismantle or even ban classical PE from schools, expect LESS mental stability and MORE mental health problems. When a culture does not work together as one-expect LESS ability for children to mentally control their actions and MORE violent crimes whether it be with guns or other means.
So what really happened in American schools that took us from teaching firearms to banning them while school shootings have reached a crisis level at the time of this post in February 2018?
I’m not sure about all the answers or solutions, but we had better figure it out before someone else or another group figures it out for us.
When a society cannot handle their freedom to think and act properly-these freedoms can be taken away…such are the lessons of history…if anyone is listening.
To learn more about the deep historical values of “Classical PE,” please see the documentary film, “The Motivation Factor.” I was the PE historian and archivist for the film. If you want the real stuff-watch the film.
–Ron Jones, MS, Historical Kinesiologist, Physical Educator
