History Main / GymClassHell

Gym, or P.E., is a standard part of school, and Gym Class Hell is a standard part of school stories. Awkward adolescents forced in front of a large group of their peers to attempt physical feats against their inclination, all while wearing hideous clothes that seem specifically designed to tell their classmates everything they don't want anyone to know about their bodies. We've all been there, and it wasn't pretty.

* Bella of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fame is unathletic and [[TheKlutz terribly klutzy]]. She especially hates gym class because she always seems to be at her most klutzy during it.

See SchoolOfHardKnocks, PickedLast, GymClassRopeClimb, HumiliationConga, DodgeballIsHell.

-->-- '''Gym Class punishment description''', ''VideoGames/{{Afterlife|1996}}''

-->-- '''Gym Class punishment description''', ''Videogame/Afterlife1996''

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6842191/1/No-More-Time-For-These-Trousers No More Time For These Trousers]]'', we get a glimpse into the nature of PE teaching at the Assassins' Guild School. Cross country runs are a terrible weapon in the PE teacher's armory. Mr. Bradlifudd, the PE master, goes one better: he sends his cross-country runners through an area of cold, wet, muddy, countryside outside the City, which the Guild's Exothermic Alchemy Department cheerfully uses to test explosives of all kinds, including landmines. He contentedly reflects that this teaches student Assassins to be observant even in the most desperate of conditions.

* ''Series/ElInterdoubles as TheDragon to the EvilPrincipal, yells a lot at the students. After [[spoiler:the student riot at school and Rita's death]] Mara decides that the solution is to ''increase'' discipline and to make the P.E. class so intense that the students are too tired to revolt. Plus the hot water in the showers is turned off, as an extra degree of misery.

* the Dodgeball episode of WesternAnimation/SouthPark, in which the kids at South Park Elementary become so good at the hated Hell of dodgeball that (despite themselves) they become American champions, and finally end up playing an international match against a Chinese team composed of lethal automatons. Their secret weapon is despised British kid Pip, a kid with a lot of anger-management issues who uses the game for release with lethal effect (Kenny and others).

Since the protagonist of such a story tends to be an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent, he or she is usually not exceptionally strong or graceful and thus will struggle in Gym — at best. Alternately, they may be pretty good at it but have [[{{Foil}} a best friend who is completely hopeless]], or one activity they hate/are horrible at but have to master in order to pass. Popular, bullying students tend to do better, but this is often divided along gender lines — the JerkJock obviously has nothing to worry about, but the AlphaBitch will frequently whine about messing up her hair. Since gym teachers are almost uniformly portrayed as {{Sadist Teacher}}s in the DrillSergeantNasty mold, they will favor kids who play sports or cheerlead, leaving the weak and nerdy to be trampled into the highly waxed floorboards. Worst case scenario, the whole class isn't safe, no matter in which part of the PopularityFoodChain they find themselves in, having to complete unfair exercises that even trained army soldiers would have trouble with.