PHYSICAL FITNESS COMPETITION RULES
1. In order to compete in Athletics, athletes must be attired in appropriate, matching, fitness attire. Participation in a Personnel Inspection is required. The athletics competition will consist of four (4) team events. Each team will consist of 8 male and 4 female members. All team members must participate in each event. If a member does not participate in an event they will earn “0” points for that event. Males and females will perform the same required exercises, except for pull-ups/chin-ups; females will compete in the flexed arm hang. Shoes are required for all events. Spiked or cleated shoes are prohibited. Soft rubber sole shoes will be required for the run. The method of determining points is outlined at the start of each event description and depicted in the attached excel spreadsheet.
2. Weather permitting, all events will be held on the St Amant High School NJROTC athletic complex. In the event of foul weather, push-up and curl-up events will be held in the Gold dome. Pull-ups will be conducted in the area adjacent to the weight room. The 800 meter run will be held outdoors unless there is visible lightning or severe rain. The primary course for the 800 meters is a single oval run across unevern terrain, similar to a cross country run. If the field is too wet or considered dangerous the run will be held on the 400 meter track. This will require the running of two laps of the track.
3. Team members must report at or before their scheduled time of competition or they may be disqualified. The team captain will ensure that the name and sex of each member is correctly entered on the scorer's sheet.
4. The four events will be held in the order: (1) push-ups, (2) curl-ups, (3) pull-ups/flexed arm hang and (4) 800 meter run. Events will be held without any scheduled break other than the time required to transition from one event to the next. An instructional video depicting the proper execution of the athletic events is available upon request.
5. Team scores will be determined by; totaling the individual cadet scores for each event and then adding all scores for each event together for a team score. This team score will then be divided by a ratio of 7.68, so that the maximum team score for the athletics component of the Drill Meet is 1,000 points. Individual winners (top 3) will be declared for each event (push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, flexed arm hang and 800 meter run). Tiebreaker for this competition will be the lowest cumulative team time for the 800 meter run.
6. Push-ups .are conducted per the Cadet Field Manual with the exception that a Safety Squat Device will be attached to the left humerous (posterior side). The Safety Squat Device will beep when a cadet reached the 90 degree down position. A valid push-up is counted when the cadet returns to the up position.
a. Each person must have his/her shirt tucked into their pants in such a way that the shirt does not pull away from the body while in the up position. Push-ups will be performed starting from the normal up position with the arms straight; fingers forward and slightly outboard of the shoulders, with the torso and head in a straight line. The command “UP” will be given to move to the up position. On the command “BEGIN” from the senior judge, cadets will commence doing push-ups for a period of two minutes. A push-up is counted if the cadet moves from the full up position (arms fully extended) to the down position ( upper arm – humerous, and the forearm form a 90 degree angle, and the safety squat device beeps) and returns to the full up position. The body and head must remain straight throughout the maneuver. A push-up will be counted only on return to the up position after properly executing the exercise. A cadet will not be stopped during the two minutes, however, incorrect push-ups will not be counted. Proper technique can be viewed on the STA Push Up Video.
b. The time limit for this event is two minutes. Resting is permitted, but only in the UP position, with the body and head aligned in a straight line. Failure to maintain a straight body-line will result in repetitions not being counted.
c. Points are awarded in accordance with the STA PT Points Chart. Maximum points for any one athlete is 160 points.
d. Both males and females will be required to perform the same maneuver. No adjustment will be applied to female teams.
7. Curl-ups are conducted per the Cadet Field Manual. In order to determine a team’s curl-up score, each team member's score will be added together to compute a team score. Points for this event are awarded according to the STA PT Points Chart.
a. Sit-ups will start from the prone position with shoulders and buttocks on the ground, knees bent, thighs at a 45 degree angle to the torso, and the feet together (within 6 inches of each other) and flat on the ground. Arms will be crossed on the chest with the hands on (grasping) the opposite shoulder or upper chest. One person will hold the feet to the ground and a judge will count the repetitions.
b. One sit-up is counted each time the elbows touch anywhere on the femur, between the knee and the pelvic-femural joint. The cadet then lowers himself/herself to the ground and at a minimum the inferior border of the scapula must make contact with the ground. Failure to achieve the down position will result in the subsequent curl-up not being counted. Proper execution includes the hands maintaining contact with the shoulders/chest and the buttocks not being raised off of the ground at any time during the exercise. If either of these failures occur it will result in that curl-up not counting. The hands must be in physical contact with the shoulders/chest throughout (not just grasping the shirt) for the count to be valid. Proper technique can be viewed on the STA Curl Up Video.
c. Time limit is two minutes and resting is permitted in either UP or Down position
d. Maximum points for any one athlete is 160 points.
8. 800 meter run. The times of all finishers on each team will be converted to seconds and rounded to the nearest second (.5 and greater rounded up). Points for this event are awarded according to the STA PT Points Chart. The point scale is adjusted for gender. The net advantage of this adjustment is that females have an additional 30 seconds to acquire the same number of points as a male. Maximum points for any one athlete is 160 points. The run will consist of either one lap of the NJROTC athletic field. or two laps of the track. Only lighting and severe weather will prevent the 800 meter run from occurring. Team members/school mates will run as a group with the times of all finishers officially recorded for score. In the event one person on a team fails to finish, he/she will be given a time of 8 minutes (male) and 8:30 (female). Individual points and team points earned will be “0”.
9. Pull-ups/Flexed arm hang. This event will be held in the area immediately adjacent to the weight room. Points for this event are awarded according to the STA PT Points Chart.
a. Pull-ups/chin-ups (male only) will commence with the cadet hanging (full arm extension) from the bar with the hands at approximately shoulder width, either palms in (pull-up) or palms out (chin-up). On the command “BEGIN” the athlete will pull himself up to a position with the chin above or even with the bar. Failure to achieve this position will result in the repetition not counting. Repetitions will be counted when the athlete reaches the up position. Athletes must return to the full arm extension position to begin the next repetition. Failure to return to the down position will result in the repetition not being counted. Kicking, swinging, or kipping is not allowed and will result in the repetition not counting. Maximum score for any one athlete is 160. Proper technique can be viewed on the STA Pull Up Video.
b. Flexed arm hang (female only). This event will be held in the area immediately adjacent to the weight room. Points for this event are awarded according to the STA PT Points Chart. The exercise will commence with the cadet hanging from the bar with the hands at approximately shoulder width, either palms in (pull-up) or palms out (chin-up) with the chin above the bar. The cadet can be helped to the “UP” position by an instructor or one of the judges. Once the cadet is stable in the “UP” position the clock will be started. The clock will be stopped when the cadet’s chin has dropped below the bar or two minutes has expired. Proper technique can be viewed on the STA Flexed Arm Hang Video. Maximum score for any one athlete is 160 points.