History of the American Volkssport Association

By Wendy Bumgardner

Want some walking variety? Want to meet other walkers? The 50 American Volkssport Association (AVA) walking clubs in the Northwest invite walkers to enjoy their hundreds of weekend walks and self-guided trails, all at your own pace and either cheap or free.

Each AVA club is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to get you out walking for health, fitness, and fun. Events are open to everyone, membership is not required. At a typical weekend walk, such as the Canby Dahlia Walk to be held September 11-12, walkers register and begin their walk at anytime during the morning. As they enjoy the fields of flowers, they follow arrows and ribbons to enjoy a 6-mile (10k) loop designed to please walkers. Along the way, a checkpoint or two provide water and hard candies, but walkers can stop anywhere along the route to enjoy a site or eat a snack, as long as they arrive back by closing time.

The walking routes chosen by AVA clubs cover a huge variety of terrain. In Canby, enjoy country roads and small town charm. The Columbia Gorge Classic walks take walkers on challenging trails. City walks in Portland may have a bridge theme or visit the Rose Festival floats. Enjoy the Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel or walk along the Veterans Parade route in Vancouver, WA.

Most of the walks are offered for free or for a small fee for an award or for those getting their IVV Record Books stamped. An optional New Walkers Packet contains IVV Record Books to record a stamp for each event and for distance walked or biked at an AVA-sanctioned event. At milestones such as 10 walks, 30 walks, etc. the books are redeemed for a certificate, patch, or hatpin.

Throughout the USA, the AVA has over 350 walking clubs, and it shares the IVV credit system with thousands of walking clubs around the world that are allied in the International Volkssport Federation. Walkers can get their record books stamped at walks throughout Europe,
Asia, and the Pacific Rim.

In addition to weekend-hosted events, there are over 200 self-guided routes available throughout the Northwest and 1,400 nationwide, available year-round. For these events, walkers register at a start box such as the one in the lobby of Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland. They take a map and directions and enjoy a loop route.

The standard distance for an AVA walk is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), which most walkers complete in two hours. A shorter route is often offered for those who prefer it. Many times two walks are offered from the same start point so those who want to walk a half marathon or train for a longer event can do both the same day, or go around twice. The Portland Marathon on October 3 is a sanctioned volkssport event, and each year the Discovery Walk Festival in April in Vancouver, WA offers marathon, 20-mile, and half marathon distances in addition to the standard 10k and 5k routes.

For a calendar of upcoming American Volkssport Association walks and links to clubs, logon to www.walkoregon.org or call the nationwide hotline 1-800-830-WALK.