What is the Cooper Test?

I'll be honest, when I was in high school, I didn't know the test to be "The Cooper Test." We were just told  that we had to run two miles in under 12 minutes. The best I ever did was like 12:13. Turns out, this was a play on an actual fitness exam known as the Cooper Test. Derived by Kenneth Cooper for the military in the late 60s, the test entailed running as far as you could in a 12 minute period. There's apparently lots of different tables to score performance, but for my high school soccer team, the desired distance to "pass" the test was 2 miles. I'm hoping to bring some version of this test back with my U13 boys travel soccer team this season. I know it doesn't translate directly into success on the soccer field where there's lots of short sprints, but I still think it's a good way to improve overall fitness and endurance. I just need the heat index to drop below 110 so I can get them back out on the field!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nashville Predators Draft Goalie Listed Under 6'0"

Do you know how many NHL goalies are under 6'0" right now? According to the rosters on espn.com, there is exactly one, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators. Here's the breakdown by height of those listed on esp.com rosters right now:  6'7"     3 6'6"     3 6'5"     10 6'4"     20 6'3"     18 6'2"     22 6'1"     13 6'0"     6 5'11"   1 Well, the Preds did it again today by drafting Jack Ivankovic (5'11") with the 58th pick in the draft. Ivankovic is the only player among the top 20 North American goalies under 6' according to a story on nhl.com. Committed to play at the University of Michigan starting in 26/27, Ivankovic (18) currently plays for the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. Some of his highlights can be seen here .  Here's his scouting report from insidetherink.com: Jack Ivankovic is a 5-foot-11, 178-pound NHL Draft prospect from Mississauga, Onta...
Read more

AA Baseball Observations - Maine Red Snappers (aka Portland Sea Dogs) vs New Hampshire Fisher Cats 7/5/2025

Image
So during our recent trip to Maine we took in a Portland Sea Dogs game. The Sea Dogs wore their alternate jerseys, complete with alternate team name, and for the night were the Maine Red Snappers. I love minor league games, especially with four little kids. You get affordable seats, entertainment between innings, and then we had hot dogs and French fries and popcorn and ice cream and baseball cards and Sweet Caroline... The only thing we didn't get was a ball which was devastating for 6 year old P who hasn't figured out that getting a ball isn't normal.  The game featured a number of top prospects in both the Red Sox and Blue Jays organizations. Here's how they fared: Boston #9 - David Sandlin - RHP - Sandlin pitched four innings in relief and was tagged with the loss after surrendering a trio of solo home runs (one in the 8th and two in the 9th). He did touch 97 on the radar gun though and finished the game with five strike outs.  Boston #12 - Mikey Romero - SS/2B - Ro...
Read more

NHL Draft Observations

Yesterday marked the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and of the 32 players taken, 7 are listed as Americans. So where'd they come from? Here's a quick look: #7 James Hagens (Boston Bruins) - Born in Hauppauge, New York, Hagens played with the U.S. National Development Team in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before attending Boston College this past year.  #23 Logan Hensler (Ottawa Senators) - Born in Woodbury, Minnesota, Hensler also played with the U.S. National Development Team in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before attending the University of Wisconsin this past year.  #24 Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh Penguins) - Born in Edmonton, Alberta (his father Shawn was on the Oilers at the time), Horcoff grew up in Michigan after his father retired. Horcoff played with the U.S. National Development Team in 2023-24 and 2024-25 before attending the University of Michigan.  #26 Ryker Lee (Nashville Predators) - Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ryker was the USHL Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 after sco...
Read more