12The physical fitness trainer at the academy, a retired gunner’s mate named Ralph Breckenridge, enjoyed inspiring both fear and respect in the entire corps of naval cadets. He still insisted on being called “Chief,” and he believed in the concept that a sound body was equally as important as a sound mind. He had been retired for five years when the class of 1893 arrived on campus.
Most of the physical fitness training centered on calisthenics, which many of the cadets found boring. Chief Breckenridge had an amazing ability to do pushups and had a longstanding challenge to anyone who felt that they could do more pushups than he could. No one ever challenged him, even though several cadets probably could have bested him. They feared that if the Chief lost, he would make the physical fitnes
