Army ROTC prepares for PT changes

After decades of using a well-known physical fitness standard, the U.S. Army is changing to exercises which will more combat effective.

These changes may have an effect on Norwich Army ROTC within the next year, according to an Army ROTC staff member.

"The Army is changing, especially in the combat environment, so in order to do that different aspects of physical training (PT) have to be tested and applied to the soldiers so he or she knows where their strengths or weaknesses may lie in combat situations," said Army ROTC staff member Capt. Veves. "It's a top directive."

According to Grant Goodman, a 20-year-old sophomore political science major from Anchorage, Alaska, the new standard includes a minute of pushups, a mile and a half run, a minute of rowers (an alternated crunch), a standing long jump and a 60-yard shuttle run. This replaces the traditional 2-mile run, two minutes of pushups and two minutes of sit-ups.

According to a New York Times article, "Nearly a decade in the making, its official goal is to reduce injuries and better prepare soldiers for the rigors of combat in rough terrain like Afghanistan."

There is also a combat readiness test which is performed in army combat uniform carrying a weapon, said Goodman.

The test consists of a 400 meter run, a series of hurdles at different heights, a high crawl with a rifle slung over the shoulder and a casualty drag. A casualty drag is dragging a slide with weights on it, according to Goodman.

According to the New York Times, the army set out to see what activities are common in combat, and came up with exercises that match – jumping, crawling and short bursts of running.

"The idea behind this is to create a more well-rounded athlete to be ready for combat," said Goodman.

Ryan Van Noordt, a 20-year-old senior political science major from Forest, Va., is an Army ROTC cadet who went to LDAC (Leader Development and Assessment Course) this past summer. He said the new routine is "more practical."

"The sprinting will help (with) short bursts of energy, especially since the environment is villages, they sprint from building to building," said Van Noordt.

A growing problem of obesity in potential recruits was another reason behind the change, the New York Times reported. The Army had to come up with a new standard for less injury and to help recruits get in shape while preparing for combat.

The Army is still experimenting with this new system of testing. Several Norwich students were involved in testing this summer.

"They don't have any set qualifications or grading standard for it, so they had us take a practice one to see people for a certain age group, weight class and height because they will incorporate it all. It was just a test phase but they had us put our best effort forward," Goodman said.

The Army is taking data from bases all over the world, so when they compile that data they'll come up with a grading scheme, Goodman and other PT test participants were told by instructors at basic training.

Another student, Joe Wu, a 19- year -old sophomore criminal justice major from Boston, Mass., was involved with the testing.

"I don't know how they're going to put in the grading system, but they told us it would just be a pass or fail instead of a number grade," said Wu. Soldiers or cadets taking the test will either pass or fail.

The new PT standard may not be at Norwich until next year, and even then it would take a lot of training to implement it, according to Veves.

"The instructors have to be certified, we have to train the exercises, we have to give a diagnostics test, and then the records test," Veves said. "Right now the Army is probably in the 75 percent phase of the testing, or three out of four phases, with the final phase hopefully coming in the next year."

Army PT at Norwich is mainly run by cadets. "The PT is driven by the seniors, with oversight by myself. The training the cadets get here three days a week has matched anything I've seen in the United States Army," Veves said.

These events make the test seem more of an athletic challenge than a military combat related test. Army PT will be more challenging now, as opposed to last year, both Wu and Goodman said. This year Goodman feels he is "getting a good workout in the morning."

"It was very time consuming" Wu said of the new test. A PT test can also be a mental test, if an individual burns out mentally they may perform poorly in the later events.

Kim Comtois, a 19-year-old sophomore physiology major from Northwood N.H., who took the test at Army Basic Training in Fort Jackson, S.C., said it was challenging

"I didn't like it because the pushups were harder. It had to be done in a more difficult way," said Comtois.

Some Norwich cadets may be getting a combat-related exercise already by their participation in sports.

Charles McNutt, a 20-year-old sophomore political science major from Gilford, N.H., is a defensive back on the Norwich football team.  

He does not participate in Army ROTC PT during the fall but gets a great workout from practice. "They are incomparable. Football is much harder because of the physicality, intensity, constant moving and length of practice," said McNutt.

Critics question if there can be a military PT test without sit-ups and if the rower is really a good substitute. Veves thinks so.

"The guy that could do 100 sit ups may not be able to do 65 rowers and he's going to have to work a different group of muscles and become an all-around better athlete," Veves said.

When asked if he'd be more excited to attend PT under the new combat readiness standard McNutt answered "absolutely."

"I guess I'd be more confident of the people around me in a combat situation because the new standard would make them more of an athlete," McNutt said.

"As a freshman, I did not look forward to PT, it was too easy and boring," Goodman said. "But so far this year I really like what we're doing and that is a testament to this year's seniors, compared to last year's."

Goodman feels the new PT standard will continue to bring up the standard at Norwich. "Hopefully it motivates cadets to PT on their own," Goodman said.