Is Physical Culture Really a Sport?
Dear Editor: I am writing in reference to last weeks article entitled “Sems Shine in Physical Culture Exhibition”. The article was nicely written but why would you place it in the sports section? Physical culture drills are not a sport! How much athletic ability does it take to wave a fan behind your head? Football, hockey, basketball-those are sports! A major part of sport is competition. Are these women competing to see who can stand still the longest? Wave their fan the fastest? No. These women are performing classical scenes; the key word being performing. These women are actresses not athletes.
Signed,
A Real Sports Fan
Physical Culture Considered a Sport at the Acadia Seminary
Acadia Seminary offered classes in “physical culture” and elocution following the popular Delsarte method. Preparation for the exhibition demanded physical conditioning and flexibility as well as the ability to hold an often uncomfortable post for a long time. Although not an active sport in the sense of football or hockey, physical culture demanded strength and skill; it was also physical activity considered suitable for young women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
