Volksport

It is one of the simplest yet most satisfying activities and it is one that has significant health and wellness benefit. It is an activity in which most seniors can indulge without fear of being hurt or injured. It is the one activity for which no special equipment is necessary save a good pair of well fitting shoes. It doesn't call for any competitive aspect but it could enter into the realm of competitive sport. It is probably the one activity in which most wives try to get their man engaged. If for no other reason just to get him off the couch and into the fresh air where she (for once) has his undivided attention and during which she can chew his ear off regarding all manner of things that he really probably doesn't want to hear. Be it just a mundane everyday activity or be it sport the act of walking is good for the heart, the lungs and the soul (if not the psyche). Sport Canada and Health Canada proscribe walking as one of the best activities in which the aging should indulge on an everyday basis. It seems that message has been heard loud and clear by the senior community of Vernon. By stepping outside the box the seniors in Vernon have taken this simple activity up a notch. It is really not a competition. It is really not against anything or anyone else but it is for oneself. The Vernon group has established mileposts of accomplishment where one accumulates a record of walked mileage and compares it to distances on a map. Therefore after walking 6300 miles around the Vernon Multiplex one has achieved and is entitled to claim a walk equivalent to a leisurely stroll to St Johns Newfoundland or Mexico City. The kicker is that one doesn't have to leave the city of Vernon. What a concept; just to keep things interesting. Walking for sport is nothing new in Europe where for millennia they have participated in 'Volksport Marching' that is really just a movement euphemism for 'good folks walking in the woods'. What originated in Germany and became a national pastime is now a worldwide movement with Volksport Clubs established in countries around the world. Other clubs have attempted to capture the essence of Volksport but few have been able to replicate Volksport mystique where each individual city/town/village or burg are in competition to outdo the other. Sophisticated participation medals and keepsakes, dances, fests, food and music are used to lure Volksporters in the thousands; and in the thousands they come. Walking sticks in hand, record book at the ready, and distance stamps on the ink pad 'Volksers' vie to get the most mileage points accumulated and display their medals of accomplishment with unbridled pride. Of one thing we can be sure. When the skill requirements of the more sophisticated sports and activities are no longer physically possible we can hope the sport of walking will still be available to most of us. In the beginning it was one of the first activities we learned. At the end it may be one of the last physical activities we will be able to enjoy. God Bless! 2005-12      Jerrry Flaman    This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more information on the sport of walking and the Volksports Club of Canada go to: Volkssport Association of British Columbia Ethel Hansen: 250-756-9796 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Wine Country Volkssporters Don Grant: 250-493-2524 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Peachland Volkssport Walking Club Tom Nickerson: 250-767-2243 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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