Mitchell PT Exemption

[C/CMSgt Allen]

I am wondering if I would be able to get an exemption from my Mitchell PT. I am physical fitness category II due to an injured knee and obesity. I have gotten an exemption from PT before, but don't know if I could get it for the Mitchell. Thank you.

[dwb]

This is an issue to discuss with your squadron commander and/or deputy commander for cadets. See CAPR 52-16 for guidance. The internet cannot determine your appropriate fitness category.

[jeders]

The short answer is yes, it is possible, but requires a doctors exam and note.

[vorteks]

You won't be able to attempt Mitchell with a Category II fitness waiver:

Category II - Temporarily Restricted. A cadet in this category is determined by the squadron commander to be temporarily restricted from parts or all of the CPFT due to a condition or injury of a temporary nature. Temporary conditions include broken bones, post-operative recovery, obesity, and illness. Cadets normally will not exceed six months in this category without reevaluation. Cadets temporarily restricted from a portion of the CPFT are still required to complete and pass the events they are not restricted from. Cadets in this category will not attempt the CPFT required for the Wright Brothers, Mitchell, Earhart, or Eaker Awards, or be administered the Spaatz examination until they return to Category I or are determined by a physician to meet the Category III or IV conditions listed below.
the fact.

For a Cat III or IV waiver you'll need a doctor to certify that your medical condition or injury is "chronic or permanent in nature."

[TheSkyHornet]

C/CMSgt Allen,

No disrespect meant here, but why should obesity be a waiver-able reason to be exempt from the CPFT for cadet officership?

I understand the knee injury, and if that's something prolonged, and attributed to being overweight, that makes sense. But obesity in itself is not excusable for not taking the CPFT. I see that as something that would need to be worked on to be able to pass the run and other events.

I know of other cadets who would be considered obese and have been unable to promote beyond C/TSgt because they can't pass the CPFT; the removal of the shuttle run made this difficult for those who could not run the mile. Gotta get out there and work toward it. I know of one cadet who was actually granted a waiver through the chain of command for a one-time promotion to be allowed to promote based on the effort of trying to improve physical performance due to obesity. It was supposedly used as a motivational effort to say "We're not trying to hold you back, so we'll give you a leg up." Actually, that just made it more difficult because now this person has to pass tougher standards due to the CPFT getting more difficult as you promote.

While one's weight is not indicative of one's ability to lead, and the Cadet Program is a leadership program after all, it does indicate one's ability to lead "in the field."

Now, if running is the issue, you might be able to get a waiver from running due to the knee injury, especially if it's chronic. That would require a Cat III waiver as pointed out above. I could also see curl-ups being waiver-able depending on the nature of the injury and the inability to bend one's knee to preform physical activity. But as for push-ups, I don't see why that's an issue, unless there is a legitimate medical restriction on that. Without a doctor's note, I would not accept a cadet saying "I can't do push-ups because of my knee."

I had a cadet who had a broken thumb and couldn't do push-ups, and had a doctor's note. But that note said nothing of any other physical restrictions, meanwhile that cadet verbally told me he needed to sit out from the other events because they would contribute to "my thumb hurting." I informed him that I can't waive the other CPFT events without a note, and if he sits out, that's his voluntarily decision to do so as I cannot force him to do PT. So he took the fail, helped score the other cadets while they did their PT. Once his thumb healed, he got back into PT and passed the first time back. It is what it is. Go get a doctor's note.

[vorteks]

The "doctor's note" must be a completed Cadet Physical Fitness Test Waiver Request form (Attachment 1, CAPP 52-18) signed by your doctor.

To get what you're asking for Mitchell, your doctor must determine that you're "indefinitely restricted" from each of the four CPFT testing events (Sit and Reach, curl-ups, push-ups, Mile Run), else you'll have to attempt the CPFT events for which your doctor does't declare you restricted. So if Mile Run e.g. is your only issue, you'll still have to pass 2 of the other 3 fitness events to pass CPFT and get your Mitchell.

This holds for milestone achievements, so you would've had to do the above to get your Wright Brothers too if things were done correctly.

[MSG Mac]

 b. Category I – Unrestricted.  Cadets assigned to Category I are in good health and may participate in the physical fitness program without restriction.

  c. Category II – Temporarily Restricted.  Cadets assigned to Category II are temporarily restricted from all or part of the CPFT due to a temporary condition or injury.  Temporary conditions include broken bones, post-operative recovery, obesity, and illness.  Normally, cadets will not exceed 6 months in this category.  To qualify for promotions while assigned to Category II, cadets must pass the CPFT events from which they are not restricted, with waived events being scored as a "pass" (see 5-7).  However, cadets may not earn milestone awards while assigned to this category; they must wait until they return to Category I, or meet the Category III or IV criteria described below.

d. Category III – Partially Restricted.  Cadets assigned to Category III are indefinitely or permanently restricted from a portion of the CPFT due to a medical condition or injury that is chronic or permanent in nature, as certified by a physician.  Cadets are still required to complete and pass the CPFT events from which they are not restricted.   


e. Category IV – Indefinitely Restricted.  Cadets assigned to Category IV are indefinitely or permanently restricted from participation in the entire physical fitness program due to a medical condition or injury, as certified by a physician.  Cadets in this category are exempt from all CPFT requirements indefinitely.

NO Milestone Awards while in Category II

[Jaison009]

C/CMSgt Allen,
I want to echo Sky Hornet's comments here. I came up under a different program in a different time WIWAC and obesity was not discussed as it is now. I struggled with my weight throughout my entire time as a Cadet in 4 different wings (13-19.5). I was always a big guy and ultimately being a big guy and running kept me from Spaatz. I had to work twice as hard as others during physical exercising and would literally go until I puked for both CAP and JROTC. You will too. I knew I was big but because I set an example, I didn't let it hold me back. You cannot let it either. I made sure that even though I was big, I still got out there and did everything with my cadets. I might be sucking wind and puking every time we did group PT (running in formation, PT sessions with all kinds of innovate exercises, running in bdus everywhere we went, etc.); but, I showed my cadets and senior leadership both at home and in encampment settings there was nothing I was asking them to do I could not or would not do. I also showed myself that I could push past my physical limitations and found something inside of myself to will myself through. I earned two diamonds and would have loved 3 but 2 diamonds are more than many including myself would have ever given me if I listened or let it hold me back. 

I would personally strongly suggest that you do not take a waiver unless absolutely necessary for your knee. I would strongly discourage pursuing a Cat III. 

Hang tight.

C/CMSgt Allen,

No disrespect meant here, but why should obesity be a waiver-able reason to be exempt from the CPFT for cadet officership?

I understand the knee injury, and if that's something prolonged, and attributed to being overweight, that makes sense. But obesity in itself is not excusable for not taking the CPFT. I see that as something that would need to be worked on to be able to pass the run and other events.

I know of other cadets who would be considered obese and have been unable to promote beyond C/TSgt because they can't pass the CPFT; the removal of the shuttle run made this difficult for those who could not run the mile. Gotta get out there and work toward it. I know of one cadet who was actually granted a waiver through the chain of command for a one-time promotion to be allowed to promote based on the effort of trying to improve physical performance due to obesity. It was supposedly used as a motivational effort to say "We're not trying to hold you back, so we'll give you a leg up." Actually, that just made it more difficult because now this person has to pass tougher standards due to the CPFT getting more difficult as you promote.

While one's weight is not indicative of one's ability to lead, and the Cadet Program is a leadership program after all, it does indicate one's ability to lead "in the field."

Now, if running is the issue, you might be able to get a waiver from running due to the knee injury, especially if it's chronic. That would require a Cat III waiver as pointed out above. I could also see curl-ups being waiver-able depending on the nature of the injury and the inability to bend one's knee to preform physical activity. But as for push-ups, I don't see why that's an issue, unless there is a legitimate medical restriction on that. Without a doctor's note, I would not accept a cadet saying "I can't do push-ups because of my knee."

I had a cadet who had a broken thumb and couldn't do push-ups, and had a doctor's note. But that note said nothing of any other physical restrictions, meanwhile that cadet verbally told me he needed to sit out from the other events because they would contribute to "my thumb hurting." I informed him that I can't waive the other CPFT events without a note, and if he sits out, that's his voluntarily decision to do so as I cannot force him to do PT. So he took the fail, helped score the other cadets while they did their PT. Once his thumb healed, he got back into PT and passed the first time back. It is what it is. Go get a doctor's note.

[TheSkyHornet]

The "doctor's note" must be a completed Cadet Physical Fitness Test Waiver Request form (Attachment 1, CAPP 52-18) signed by your doctor.

To get what you're asking for Mitchell, your doctor must determine that you're "indefinitely restricted" from each of the four CPFT testing events (Sit and Reach, curl-ups, push-ups, Mile Run), else you'll have to attempt the CPFT events for which your doctor does't declare you restricted. So if Mile Run e.g. is your only issue, you'll still have to pass 2 of the other 3 fitness events to pass CPFT and get your Mitchell.

This holds for milestone achievements, so you would've had to do the above to get your Wright Brothers too if things were done correctly.

The waiver form from CAPP 52-18 doesn't actually need to be completed. A doctor's note matching all of the criteria in the waiver form will suffice. Some doctors don't fill them out. Just staple a copy of the doctor's note to the form and mark the applicable areas yourself with an annotation that the doctor's note is attached.

Now, I actually had a cadet who was a C/A1C when I joined our unit. The Commander at the time, who was also the acting CDC as we did not have one, had her marked in eServices with a waiver; I never saw a copy of it when I became CDC and it wasn't in her file. I was just told "she has a waiver." I did a lot of reading on the CPFT, PT program itself, and the waiver process. After talking with the then-Commander, I advised that this cadet was on a Cat III waiver as I understood it, but wanted her to go to the doctor and get checked out due to a "chronic shoulder injury." As it turns out, I didn't get a form filled out in return but instead a "mommy's note" with an attachment of the doctor's summary of the visit. Based on mom and I having a chat, and passing it up to the Commander, we ended up with a verdict of a Cat II waiver because the doctor said he did not want to categorize her as long-term and that treatment over the summer would suffice to clear the injury. Lately, Cadet Chief Not-to-be-Named has had several instances of "hurting herself" during what I would call "light duty." Some people have said she's milked it. I won't judge; I'm not a doctor. But it was clarified that she would not promote to C/2d Lt unless I have a doctor's waiver as a Cat III or higher. And I explained, in extreme detail, what I need to have (really, going out of my way to say "Get the friggin' waiver; you can't do PT"). So far, no waiver. "I'm going to the doctor in November." Fair enough. She has a CPFT next week. If she chooses to participate and can't pass, it's a fail. If she decides, on her own, not to participate, it's a fail. If I get a Cat III waiver by then, it's an exemption. I've had several, individuals say they don't think her injury is that extensive and don't trust the validity of a doctor's note; I said I won't argue with the doctor. A waiver is a waiver. I'm not a fan of trying to get out of PT, but if someone is willing to sign it off, I won't question it. Better to have CYA'd than to try to skirt the regs and possibly injure someone.

C/CMSgt Allen,
I want to echo Sky Hornet's comments here. I came up under a different program in a different time WIWAC and obesity was not discussed as it is now. I struggled with my weight throughout my entire time as a Cadet in 4 different wings (13-19.5). I was always a big guy and ultimately being a big guy and running kept me from Spaatz. I had to work twice as hard as others during physical exercising and would literally go until I puked for both CAP and JROTC. You will too. I knew I was big but because I set an example, I didn't let it hold me back. You cannot let it either. I made sure that even though I was big, I still got out there and did everything with my cadets. I might be sucking wind and puking every time we did group PT; but, I showed my cadets and senior leadership both at home and in encampment settings there was nothing I was asking them to do I could not or would not do. I also showed myself that I could push past my physical limitations and found something inside of myself to will myself through. I earned two diamonds and would have loved 3 but 2 diamonds are more than many including myself would have ever given me if I listened or let it hold me back. 

I would personally strongly suggest that you do not take a waiver unless absolutely necessary for your knee. I would strongly discourage pursuing a Cat III. 

Hang tight.

He who hath never puked during PT hath never ran PT.

I sucked at PT. Still do. But it is what it is. I've watched cadets claim that they trained tiresomely to pass their CPFT failure after failure, and finally think they have it, fail this time around. It sucks. And you can see their anger and upset when it happens. Guess what? Train harder. Nobody is running it for you.

Way too many people worked up to the high NCO grades with the shuttle run and then complained endlessly that they needed it to promote. Running isn't impossible. If you can't do it this time, do it next time. If not next time, the time after that. Keep pushing.

[Mitchell 1969]

C/CMSgt Allen,

No disrespect meant here, but why should obesity be a waiver-able reason to be exempt from the CPFT for cadet officership?

I understand the knee injury, and if that's something prolonged, and attributed to being overweight, that makes sense. But obesity in itself is not excusable for not taking the CPFT. I see that as something that would need to be worked on to be able to pass the run and other events.

I know of other cadets who would be considered obese and have been unable to promote beyond C/TSgt because they can't pass the CPFT; the removal of the shuttle run made this difficult for those who could not run the mile. Gotta get out there and work toward it. I know of one cadet who was actually granted a waiver through the chain of command for a one-time promotion to be allowed to promote based on the effort of trying to improve physical performance due to obesity. It was supposedly used as a motivational effort to say "We're not trying to hold you back, so we'll give you a leg up." Actually, that just made it more difficult because now this person has to pass tougher standards due to the CPFT getting more difficult as you promote.

While one's weight is not indicative of one's ability to lead, and the Cadet Program is a leadership program after all, it does indicate one's ability to lead "in the field."

Now, if running is the issue, you might be able to get a waiver from running due to the knee injury, especially if it's chronic. That would require a Cat III waiver as pointed out above. I could also see curl-ups being waiver-able depending on the nature of the injury and the inability to bend one's knee to preform physical activity. But as for push-ups, I don't see why that's an issue, unless there is a legitimate medical restriction on that. Without a doctor's note, I would not accept a cadet saying "I can't do push-ups because of my knee."

I had a cadet who had a broken thumb and couldn't do push-ups, and had a doctor's note. But that note said nothing of any other physical restrictions, meanwhile that cadet verbally told me he needed to sit out from the other events because they would contribute to "my thumb hurting." I informed him that I can't waive the other CPFT events without a note, and if he sits out, that's his voluntarily decision to do so as I cannot force him to do PT. So he took the fail, helped score the other cadets while they did their PT. Once his thumb healed, he got back into PT and passed the first time back. It is what it is. Go get a doctor's note.

I have to take issue with some of that.

You do not know the cadet in question. You do not know why obesity is a factor. And tying obesity to leadership "in the field" (what "field," exactly?) is not quantified.

Believe it or not, like it or not, there are legitimate medical causes for obesity that can't be overcome by exercising true grit, going easy on the taters and using stairs instead of the escalator.

Instead of "gotta get out there and work toward it," how about just advising the cadet to work things out with parents, unit commander and physician, who are aware of all of the circumstances? If the cadet is Cat II and needs medical advice on weight loss, so be it. Or maybe the cadet is Cat III or IV, but we can't classify that long distance, nor should we try, am I right?

[Mitchell 1969]

C/CMSgt Allen,
I want to echo Sky Hornet's comments here. I came up under a different program in a different time WIWAC and obesity was not discussed as it is now. I struggled with my weight throughout my entire time as a Cadet in 4 different wings (13-19.5). I was always a big guy and ultimately being a big guy and running kept me from Spaatz. I had to work twice as hard as others during physical exercising and would literally go until I puked for both CAP and JROTC. You will too. I knew I was big but because I set an example, I didn't let it hold me back. You cannot let it either. I made sure that even though I was big, I still got out there and did everything with my cadets. I might be sucking wind and puking every time we did group PT (running in formation, PT sessions with all kinds of innovate exercises, running in bdus everywhere we went, etc.); but, I showed my cadets and senior leadership both at home and in encampment settings there was nothing I was asking them to do I could not or would not do. I also showed myself that I could push past my physical limitations and found something inside of myself to will myself through. I earned two diamonds and would have loved 3 but 2 diamonds are more than many including myself would have ever given me if I listened or let it hold me back. 

I would personally strongly suggest that you do not take a waiver unless absolutely necessary for your knee. I would strongly discourage pursuing a Cat III. 

Hang tight

Whoa! Are you SERIOUS? Do you know this cadet? Do you know the details of the medical conditions? Are you in this cadet's chain of command? I don't get it. Why would you possibly try to advise this cadet in matters that should be resolved by parents, physician, unit commander and the cadet without knowing all of the risks, causes and ramifications of potentially exceeding physical capabilities? Shouldn't the cadet be doing what is best for the cadet, after consulting with people who have a stake in the outcome and the necessary qualifications? What if the cadet avoided Category III because of that advice and got hurt because of it?

[vorteks]

+1

They are way out of line "advising" this cadet in any other way than to factually answer the question posed.

[SarDragon]

I think we're done here. Q has been asked and answered.