What is Volksmarching or Volkssporting?
It comes from German, meaning “the people’s walk” or the “the people’s sport”. It’s non-competitive, it’s open to all, but it does have some rules, such as a “real” Volksmarch must be 10 kilometers long, with a 5 kilometer option. American soldiers stationed in Germany in the 1970’s brought volksmarching back with them to the United States. The American Volkssport Association (AVA) was formed to meet the demand for Volksmarches and other sports across the United States.
What is the AVA?
AVA stands for “American Volkssport Association”. It’s also known by its nickname, “AVA: America’s Walking Club”. The AVA has 200 or so member clubs, which offer walks and other sports, such as swimming, biking and snowshoeing. Walking is the most popular sport. The AVA itself belongs to a group of 40 national clubs across the world, the IVV.
What is the IVV?
It’s headquartered in Germany, so its full name is “Internationalen Volkssportverbandes” (IVV), or International Volkssport Association in English. The IVV sets the rules for Volkssports that member clubs can offer. That means that any event in any country is conducted according to the same rules, or “sanctioned”. People taking part in sanctioned events can get stamps in special books, commemorating those events and the distances achieved in those events.
What special books? What stamps?
An event that qualifies for AVA/IVV credit (i.e. sanctioned) is assigned an event number. Clubs that host the event receive a stamp with the event number, the year of the event and in some cases, personalizations such as location or symbol. Using a stamp pad, these stamps print that information into lines in books that record distance achieved and the occasion of the event. More information on these books and stamps can be found on our Walk for AVA/IVV Credit page.
Why do some walks cost $4 and others are free?
Sanctioned walks have administration fees, beyond insurance costs and the regular costs to put on a walk (e.g. park permits, supplies, facility fees). Walks that we offer for free are not free to the club. Sometimes we receive a sponsorship covering the cost of a sanctioned event, such as our Lights Walk, which is sponsored by The RiverFront and KANEKO. Other walks, that aren’t sanctioned, are paid for out of club funds to promote our mission of “Fun, Fitness and Friendship.”