Patchology: Presidential Champion

Back in July I talked about how important the President’s Challenge and the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) were to me changing my thinking and my lifestyle, to getting me off my ass, off of fast food, and onto a much better life.

After earning the PALA four times, I decided to take on a much tougher challenge, the Presidential Champions Award. I managed to make it to the Bronze Award finally in 2016 year, and was starting work on Silver when the program was terminated in August 2017 by a President for whom “fitness” was, apparently, a four-letter word. 

So I am doubly proud of this award, which is the highest recognition that I have received for any physical activity since I was in High School. It took me the better part of a year to complete the requirements, and by the time I had completed it, fitness had become a part of my life, rather than something that intimidated me.