Fitness is more than physical in ROTC

If you were given time to name the varsity sports here at CSC would you be able to name them all? Sports like football, basketball, and track would quickly come to mind. But how many would list ROTC?

Every year, students in the ROTC Program compete in athletic events that are just as demanding as any other sport played on campus. These include events such as the Ranger Challenge where both fitness and military skills are tested. The Bataan Death March, a marathon length road march held in New Mexico, challenges cadets to the extreme as they carry 35 pound rucksacks up and down mountain sides.

Not only does military fitness differ in the types of events, it also differs on its approach to fitness. Unlike other sports where athletes train for themselves for their specific sport, soldiers must take a much broader approach to fitness. The physical demands of the military are varied and constantly changing.  This forces soldiers to take a balanced approach to physical fitness. Soldiers must not only develop muscular strength but maintain flexibility, healthy body composition, and aerobic fitness.

The concept of fitness in the U.S. Army goes far beyond just physical training. While physical fitness is a key component, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness also includes family, social, spiritual, and emotional fitness.

Family fitness is being a member of a supportive and loving family that has access to the resources to live safe, productive, and secure lives.

Social fitness requires the establishment of valued relationships and friendships that foster the exchange of experiences, views, ideas and opinions in a personally fulfilling manner.

Spiritual fitness is the possession of a set of values, beliefs, principles, or views that sustain a person beyond the support received by institutions, family, and other societal sources. While the U.S. Army does not endorse any specific doctrine, it recognizes the importance that this aspect plays in developing strong individuals.

Finally, emotional fitness is the ability to take actions and make choices through the demonstration of good character, stamina, and self-control with a positive and optimistic outlook.

When all five elements of fitness are developed in an individual, he or she gains the confidence to be a leader, the courage to live and stand up for their beliefs, and the compassion to help and care for others. It is this type of fitness that allows American Soldiers to face climates from -40° to 140° F, in any environment from the Arctic to the desert, and maintain health while operating in environments of high stress. It is this level of fitness that we refer to as “Army Strong.”

So is it time for you to redefine your concept of fitness? The same fitness development techniques used to enhance soldier fitness could greatly enhance students’ capabilities here at CSC. How balanced is your fitness? Are you using these five fitness principles to make good decisions about your education and self-development here at CSC? If you answered no to any of these questions or if your fitness is not as developed as you would like, you may consider adding a semester of ROTC to your education.

You are also welcome work out with the ROTC Cadets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6 to 7 a.m. at the NPAC, free of charge and with no military obligation. All are invited, regardless of current fitness level. Come learn the techniques used to train the strongest and most effective army the world has ever known.

And the next time that someone asks if you are fit, you can reply that you are “Army Strong!”