By: Maya Brodows ’20
Recently, rumors that the FitnessGram Pacer Test has been banned under claims of child cruelty have been circling the school. I found out that the Pacer Test was not forbidden, but Staples decided that getting rid of them would be the best choice for students.
With the start of a new school year brings the promise of new classes, new teachers and another round of the beloved Fitnessgram testing.
The FitnessGram institution was established over 20 years ago with the purpose of assessing students’ health across the country in three, distinct categories. The FitnessGram tests were designed and implemented at Staples so teachers could observe a student’s aerobic capacity, body composition, flexibility and muscular strength through a variety of physical exams. These tests include running a mile, attempting push ups and curl-ups and, of course, the torturous pacer test.
Any student in a public school could tell you the dread that incites in their stomach when the word “pacer” is mentioned. It is during this test, by far the most taxing exercise out of the group, where a student is pushed to his or her physical limits.
Pacers are supposed to measure a participant’s cardiovascular endurance. To do this, students are forced to sprint back and forth continuously, gradually increasing their speed, until taking another step is physically impossible.
However, these pacers aren’t as good as one may think.
For nearly ten years, I had to endure the Fitnessgram Pacer Test. It was tiresome, it was painful and above all, it was traumatizing. Although I may not enjoy running, I can recognize the value in it, which is why I understand the government’s need to force students to run a mile. But racing to the point of collapsing (aka pacers) will never be justified.
Around 20 lengths into the pacer test, I would feel my body shut down. Embarrassed to be the first one to drop out, I would push myself harder. Eventually, when air was no longer circulating through my body and my heart felt ready to give out, I would drop onto the ground- a sweaty, motionless, ball of misery.
Worst of all, for days following the violent test, I would be sore. A painful reminder of what I had to experience days before.
Thankfully, Staples has decided to end the torture and stop making kids complete the pacer test. Hopefully, with all the tears and pain the test brings, other schools will soon follow.
Grace • Sep 13, 2023 at 10:42 am
I hate pacers so much!!! I am currently in 8th grade, and we just started pacers. The first day we did 20 pacers, and the days coming we will have to do 30 and then 40. I could barely even do 20 (I was behind everyone), much less 40. It is also very pressuring and embarrassing when you’re last or be the first to drop out, and I am always last. And of course if you can’t do it you can points deducted and your grade will go down. Pacers need to be banned everywhere.
Joey • Apr 24, 2023 at 6:32 pm
I am only in 4th grade overall my scores were great in excel math science ELA and history but once my gym teacher says pacer I would breath in like Kirby after all I was average 38 to 41 I remember almost throwing up I actually did one today that is how I came across this I got 35
Pyxsolvent • Jan 20, 2023 at 7:48 pm
I hate pacers. My limit is 15 and if I try to get more I end up getting extremely nauseous. For some reason I can’t do pacers but I can do the mile run in 4 minutes and 30 seconds! That’s wrong with me….. ???? my bad score in pacers lowers my grade in pe. I try so hard and I can never do enough.
M • Jan 31, 2022 at 4:41 pm
I’m a 5’1 female, and I don’t think the pacer test is an accurate form of fitness.
All through middle-high school we’ve used the pacer test as part of our testing each quarter of the school year. We were graded on our performance and it was a significant part of our grade. I’ll admit that up until my junior year, I wasn’t very fit and my best effort kept me below the passing grade (25). In my last two years of high school I was very fit and had lost 80lbs and ran everyday.
Even when I was very fit and was an avid runner, the best I could do was 32 and that was it. I wouldn’t even be able to stand up because by lap 20, for someone that is very short, it’s a full non-stop sprint. There are a lot of factors when it comes to pacing and for each person it’s different, but it was so disappointing to be feel physically fit and still get a low grade on PE testing that really isn’t great representation of fitness for each individual. Resulting in getting a lower grade in the class on your report card.
I worked out 5/6 days a week and ate perfect as I could, especially because I wanted to get good grades in PE. It was disappointing. The worst part of it all is that my score got better, but that didn’t matter. It’s not about your improvement (which is what PE is about), it’s about a required physical standard that is expected.
There definitely needs to be some changes.
Sammie • Mar 31, 2020 at 11:57 am
I remember I never was the most fit and I would force myself to go to my absolute limit and then a bit further on these. (Because when I did them, we were in elementary and my absolute limit was around 15-17 rounds, maybe. Not to mention a teacher was telling me to do this and I REALLY didn’t want to let a teacher down in anyway possible).
I usually ended up tasting a bit of blood- not much, mind you, but still- and feeling an immense pain in my side. By the time that happened, I was halfway to my goal. So, I pushed myself more.
And more.
And more.
At some point, I would realize if I didn’t stop, I’d probably collapse. Of course, that would’ve been way too embarrassing. So I’d stop then. And get to be right around average for my class. Probably a bit below.
Honestly, if I’d liked the gym teacher more, I probably would’ve run until I started coughing up blood or collapsed in the middle of a lap. And still end up as just above average, at best.
I don’t quite like running anymore. Used to love it.
Livia • Feb 29, 2020 at 10:57 pm
I could say the same about having anxiety about running infront of my crush because he is in my gym class and he is gonna watch me die and i hate it… i hate that we have to test ourselves like this it sucks and i really wish we didnt have to do it????
Pacer Test sucks • May 1, 2019 at 4:22 pm
I agree that the pacer test is not a good way to test your physical ability. It gives these false standards that if you can’t complete so many laps than all of a sudden you are “fat”, “unhealthy”…etc. It just puts in the negative mindset of “I’m not good enough”. Instead, I think the grade should be focused on whether or not you improve on your last score and try your best. A person with a medical condition-such as Asthma, Osgood Schlatters and so on would be close to incapable of completing this in the required amount of laps. There is a difference between being athletic and keeping yourself healthy. For instance, I am a fast runner but I have medical conditions that limits me as well as a very little duration. It doesn’t mean I am physically unhealthy, it just means there are some things I am not good at because I am human. It’s also the same reason why I can’t do a regular pushup. I can do plank, sphinx and other pushup variations. the reason for that is that most of my strength is in my torso and legs rather than my elbows. We all have abilities we are talented in and then others we are not. It shouldn’t be redeemed by society to be “unfit” if you can’t do well at certain activities.
s
Gurl • Apr 25, 2019 at 4:59 pm
I meant I’m not the best at running lol
Gurl • Apr 25, 2019 at 4:57 pm
I have super severe anxiety about the Pacer. Ever since fifth grade I’ve been forced to do it. Everyone else is fine with it but I, on the other hand, am not. I am the best at running. I put so much pressure on myself to get to 40, even though by the time I get to it I am physically and mentally exhausted. For weeks in advance I try to practice, but the thought of the pacer triggers severe anxiety, and I can’t do as well. I honestly don’t know why it makes me so deeply worried. Maybe because people basically rate you on how much you get in fitness testing. It’s especially horrible because most kids have the opportunity to practice in track, and other sports. But I haven’t done a single team sport ever, unless you count dance. And if I join now, everyone will be mad because I’m automatically allowed a spot after not doing any of it the practice… EVER, while they have been doing it for a long time. And I’m not popular so they wouldn’t accept me. Literally all the people on sport teams are popular, so, no offense but I would have no friends on the team. It’s just so traumatic. I know most of you think it’s so easy but, y’all aren’t as hard on yourself, and peers aren’t as hard as you. And my friggin crush is in my gym class, he’s gonna be watching me fail miserably and die. I might be being over dramatic but different people have different anxieties, and out of all my activities I do, this one combines literally all of them. Social anxiety, anxiety about grades, anxiety about goals I don’t meet, etc. Ughhhh. In addition to this torment, I also have to do prized speaking. In front of my whole class, which is all the popular ppl. Send help.
Livia • Apr 24, 2019 at 12:01 pm
This is very accurate. Every Wednesday we would do a pacer test to “improve” our running. Honestly it’s living hell. We also ran a mile in the beginning of the year and towards the end, our teachers said that we have to run until we beat our time. So if we don’t beat it the first time, we do it again the same day or the next day. I was 4 seconds off and I had to re-run it. We also do the push up and the crunches test. They make us do the max crunches and do 20 push ups along with the pacer test. I don’t know what to do. I’m only in middle school. Please help.
Tim • Mar 29, 2019 at 2:52 pm
The pacer test should be banned because kids just make it a competition. The point is to get fit but kids only compete to get higher scores. Whats the point of it if it is not used for the right reason?
Landon • Mar 12, 2019 at 9:12 pm
I think this is a nice, informative article and I really relate to your story. For me (being more of a not well built person) I hated the FitnessGram Pacer Test. At my school kids would be judged by their score in gym class. If you got a low score, you would never get picked for anything and people would talk about you. I’m writing this for an essay I am going to give to my gym teacher. I know she will probably be mad but, this seems important to me.
Jeff • Mar 6, 2019 at 2:45 pm
Pacer sucks rjekeebjvkebv kadjverkj vac
(Triggered)
Reagan • Jan 29, 2019 at 5:43 pm
I am a student in high school who suffers with multiple lung conditions and already has to suffer through the torment of gym. People saying you dont get hurt dont know what it’s like to already not be able to breath and then run until you cant breath. I have collapsed lobes among other complications in my lungs and even breathing normally sends sharp pains throughout my chest. It’s not worth it. I work hard in school and keep my grades high. I have a good GPA and I would like to keep it as such. The pacer test has multiple requirements and standards that have to be met and if you dont reach the goal that “people my age NEED to be able to reach” my grade SUFFERS. It’s unfair and biased twords kids who are good at sports and cardio heavy activities. The unfair grading system is irrational and frankly very frustrating. I understand the reasoning behind the pacer test and I understand what they want us to gain from it but the reality of it is that it’s a grade murderer and shouldn’t be graded the way it is, I’m fine with suffering through the test but I’m not okay with my grade doing so.
Ramon Garza • Jan 17, 2019 at 5:20 pm
PACERS ARE EPIK
donald trump • Jan 15, 2019 at 2:56 pm
pacers suck
Gopota • Dec 4, 2018 at 2:28 am
Man, it’s far from cruel. You don’t even get graded on it, and they do it twice-thrice a year. You’re complaining about being embarrassed about being the first to drop out. So, instead of actually putting in the work and becoming a better runner, it’s the government’s job to remove the thing that’s embarrassing you altogether? I was a really terrible runner when I was a little kid, but at one point, I decided that I was going to actually work towards getting better. I was 13 when I last took it, and I got 78, which is far from the best. It’s good, but it’s still not, and I never will be, the best. But if you can’t get 20, that’s your fault. Don’t complain to other people about it. Sorry that I ranted, but this is one of the things that really annoys the hell out of me. In the words of gamers all around… Get good.
Nathaniel • Dec 3, 2018 at 2:01 pm
Wow y’all are weak. If you think that is cruel you obviously never ran a cross-country meet or probably never did sports in general. Complaining about it and saying its cruel are two entirely different things and it doesn’t actually harm the students, you get sore boo-hoo that just means your muscles are building up.
Janesa • Nov 29, 2018 at 11:03 am
Pacer test sucks! You run and run until your out of breath and you realize that you were doing a practice Pacer!
Gigi • Oct 28, 2018 at 6:23 pm
Maybe this is a little bit overdramatic. I’ve taken the pacer test and stopped when I could no longer keep up with the beep. It’s no big deal. Students are to keep going until they miss two beeps. My throat hurt afterwards for breathing so hard, and my calves were fatigued, but that’s temporary.
Rebecca Hawkins • Oct 2, 2018 at 3:38 pm
So happy to see you desiring to inflict cruel and unusual torment on the younger generation. Never have kids, /please/.
Bruce Pelletier • Aug 6, 2018 at 6:20 am
This is such a joke. Kids these are weak. This great country is going to hell because its just cruel to run this test once or twice a year. Bullshit