TO WALK THE WALK, YOU BETTER TALK THE TALK!
These terms will become second nature, trust us
ALERT
Alerts are emails that give you all the information you need to participate in our events like location, times, driving directions, etc. This email list will never be sold or used for non-club purposes and you may unsubscribe at any time. (We don't like spam either.) Subscribe below to get our Alerts.
AVA
Initialism for the American Volkssport Association. The umbrella organization for the United States. Visit their website at www.ava.org. See also IVV.
AWARDS
Awards can be patches, pins, or other items. They are given for or achievement or purchased as a souvenir of the event.
Achievement awards are given for number of events or distance walked.
Souvenir awards have two sub-types:
"A" award: available at traditional events and are specifically designed for that event.
"B" award: available at any event, but are not specifically designed for that event.
CHECKPOINT
Usually the half-way point on a traditional walk. It is usually manned and often has hard candies, water, and welcoming faces to greet you and see how you're doing. They will also check off your start number on a numbered sheet, so please have your start card ready.
CREDIT
You receive credit if you participate in the Incentive Program and pay the $3 fee for an event. You'll get to stamp both the Event Book and the Distance Book for each event for which you pay the fee.
DISTANCE BOOK
The official AVA record book of distance achievements for people who participate in the Incentive Program. Distance books cost $5 each and are available at most events or are available at the AVA website, www.ava.org
EVENT
An event can be a walk, bicycle ride, cross country skiing, or a swim. Walks are most common. Events sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association can be entered into your distance and event books.
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Some routes can be walked on your own while others are walked as a group.
For group walks, you usually have a choice of when to start, and whether you want to walk with a guide.
EVENT BOOK
The official AVA record book of events completed by people who participate in the Incentive Program. Event books cost $5.00 each and are available at most events or are available at the AVA website, www.ava.org
GDMVA
Greater Des Moines Volkssport Association, the former name of Iowa's Walking Club. Formerly a regional club, now sponsoring events statewide.
GROUP WALK
A walk scheduled at set time for a group to gather. Group walks usually start off as a group at one time, unlike Traditional Walks that have a window to start over several hours.
INCENTIVE PROGRAM
This program is designed to nudge you off the couch and on to greater glory! Participation in the Incentive Program is always voluntary. Participants track the number of events they do in their Event Book and the cumulative distance they do in their Distance Book. Completed books are sent in to AVA who returns them along with a pin, patch, and certificate of achievement. You can get started by purchasing a New Walker Packet for only $5.
IVV
The International Federation of Popular Sports, the English translation for "Internationaler Volkssportverband" which is headquartered in Germany. The IVV is the international organization that governs all of Volkssporting. Over 50 countries have IVV sanctioned events and your Incentive Program books are good at any IVV sanctioned event. Visit their website at www.ivv-web.org. See also AVA and GDMVA.
LIABILITY FORM
The Amateur Athletic Release of Liability for the Traditional Event must be signed before you use the Walk Directions.
RATINGS
Most events are rated for difficulty. A rating of 1A is the easiest and is normally flat and entirely on paved surfaces. A rating of 5E is the most difficult and often includes rough terrain and substantial elevation gain. An explanation of the rating system can be found on this AVA web page.
REGISTRATION LOG
The Registration Log is usually located in the Walk Box for a Year Round Event. This form is where you sign the Amateur Athletic Release of Liability for the Year Round Event which must be signed before you use the Walk Directions. See also Start Card.
SPECIAL EVENT
A special event is held at a specific date and time. Iowa's Walking Cub holds several special events, including the New Year's Day event and the Skywalk event in February,
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Special Programs are usually run by clubs throughout the US and are a way of making events more fun. Each program requires the purchase of a special book which gets stamped, along with your Event and Distance books, if the event qualifies for that special program. No extra participation fee is required, the purchase of the Special Program book is the only extra cost.
START CARD
The Start Card is usually used at Traditional Events when you register for the event. You are supposed to carry the copy with you on the walk and show the copy at any Checkpoint along the route.
See also Registration Log.
TRADITIONAL WALK
An event/walk that is done once and has a unique stamp assigned specifically to the event. Traditional events may span more than one day and are usually done on one or both days of the weekend.
STARTING POINT
This term can mean two distinctly different things:
A starting point is the physical location of the start table for traditional walks or the walk box for year round walks. Any publicity you see for an event should indicate the start point.
The Starting Point is the annual book produced by the AVA that lists the approximately 1,800 year round and seasonal events sponsored by clubs in the USA. The book is organized by state, then by city. You can order directly from AVA here. This page shows all the updates made to events since the book went to print.
START NUMBER
Each participant in an event is assigned a unique start number for that calendar year. In the registration log, write the next sequential number in the space provided. Then write that number on the start card that you carry on the walk. You send in your $3 walk fee with the start card, in the provided envelope.
There is rarely any need for you to remember this Start Number.
THE AMERICAN WANDERER (TAW)
The quarterly newspaper published by the American Volkssport Association (AVA). Membership in the AVA gets you a subscription to this fine publication.
VOLKSMARCH
A volksmarch is a noncompetitive walk, usually 3.1 mile (5 km) or 6.2 mile (10 km) long. It's not a pledge walk, it's not a race, it is a fun activity you do with a club, with your family, with your pet, or all by yourself. The word is German for "people's walk."
VOLKSSPORT
Non-competitive sporting activies for groups of people;Â includes walking, swimming, skiing, swimming, snow shoeing, and biking (and occasionally roller-skating).
WALK BOX
The collection of forms, the walk stamp, and other materials walkers use to sign themselves into a year round walk. It is most often in an actual box, but sometimes is a 3-ring binder or some other manner that works for that particular location. You may have to ask an employee for the walk box; not all employees will know of its existence. Be prepared to be creative when looking for the walk box (it's part of the adventure). See also Registration Log and Walk Directions.
WALK DIRECTIONS
Walk directions provide step-by-step route instructions and usually, but not always, a map of the route. You cannot take walk directions until you have signed the Amateur Athletic Release of Liability, either on the registration log or start card.
YEAR ROUND EVENT (YRE)
An event that can be done during at least 11 months of the year, at any time, for credit. There usually is a start box or binder at the start point (often a store) that has the walk directions, stamp(s), money envelope, and other materials a walker uses to to self-register.
The Year Round Events page lists all the year round events sponsored by Iowa's Walking Club and has links to the event details on the AVA website. For year round events throughout the U.S., purchase a Starting Point book or go to the Clubs section of the AVA website. See also Traditional Event.