"Walking the 50" refers to participating in an accredited walk in each of the fifty states in the U.S.A.
The AVA is the U.S affiliate of the International Federation of Popular Sports(IVV)....The AVA avocates exercise as a way of life and their member clubs sponsor events that encompass four disciplines.... Walking, swimming, cycling and cross-country sking....Events are held throughout the year by the various clubs.... A credit/award system has been devised and the AVA members who participate in these events record both the event and the distance in record books.... Awards are made by the AVA when various plateaus are reached....
A new inovation created by the AVA members is to walk in an accredited event in each of the fifty states.... In addition to the personal satisfaction of such an undertaking, it is also a wonderful way to see this great country of ours....
So the Williamson's, Bernard, Joan and son Terry have been active in the AVA since 1988.... A medical problem prompted Bernard to start walking as an Rx and the family joined in.... An advertisement in a magazine introduced us to the AVA and the rest is history !!!!
We walked our 50th State in MICHIGAN !!!!
Sunday, August 1, 1999 marked the end of a quest for the Williamson Family....Joan, Terry and I completed the 11K walk in South Haven, Michigan which marked our 50th state.... The next step will be to send in our completed record books which recorded 49 other state walks to the National Headquarters of the AVA for certification.... Although we have been active walkers and members of the AVA for some 11 years, we did not set out on our 50 state plan until four years ago....
Earlier in 1999 we traveled to Juneau, Alaska via Alaskan Airline, which was quite an adventure !!!! The plane that we were on made stops in Ketchican and Sitka before getting to Juneau.... The runway in Juneau looked like JFK compared to airstrips in Ketchican and Sitka.... They truely "fly by the seat of their pants".... We had a great guide while in Juneau.... A young Alaskan Native, Cory Mann.... We would recomend him highly.... After several days in the capital city of Alaska where we also completed a walk, we arrived back in Seattle.... We rented a car and then completed sanctioned walks in Olympia, Washington followed by Portland, Oregon and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.... In addition to our walks, we were kept very busy soaking up the scenery of the Northwest which was vast, varied and exciting....
Following our walk in Michigan, we travelled to the Lake of the Ozarks Region of Missouri for a family reunion with our son Glenn, his wife Debby and grandchildren Glenn Jr., Garrick and Trista who live in Omaha, Nebraska....After Michigan, is there any more walks on tap???? Do bears s___ in the woods???? Certainly!!!! Bet the farm !!!! That will be our time to revisit some of the great places that walking and the AVA has taken us .... as well as a chance to rekindle friendships created on the trails.... As long as we can put one foot in front of the other, I believe we will be volksmarching.... Why not join us ????
Terry Gets His 50th !!!!
Although Joan and Bernie completed their 50 State Program, Terry had one state to go to get his certificate.... Kentucky.... So following a family reunion at Lois' 50th Jubilee in South Bend, Indiana, we took a tour of Kentucky.... On July 24, 2001 in Louisville, KY, Terry participated in a volkswalk that completed his 50 State Program.... He was presented with his certificate at a Group Walk in Portland, CT by CVVC President Bob McDougall....
So if walking is your thing, you might want to look at:
"American Volksport Association"
"Connecticut Valley Volksport Club"
"Mining Company"
"TrailPlace"
Take a Moment and....
Drop Us a Line !!!!
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