Walk This Way
When it comes to being outside, some of us aren’t into competition—we just want to enjoy moving through nature with no pressure. We like to walk or hike a trail with other people without worrying about our speed, or winning medals or trophies. If this speaks to you, then becoming part of the American Volkssport Association is a great way to get up and go. AVA is a group of folks, both locally and nationally, who just like to get outdoors and walk.
Volkssporting began in Germany. It’s a personal fitness, sport, and recreation program offering noncompetitive walks and other sports activities. You choose your time to start within a start/finish window and participate at your own pace. Walking—known as volksmarching—is the most popular volkssporting activity.
“It’s fresh air, nature, time alone with my thoughts and time with a friend or family,” says Karen Kaufman, describing what she likes best about AVA walks. She’s Deputy Regional Director for the Atlantic Region. “You can’t beat the health benefit of getting up and moving,” Karen says. “Anybody can do this if you have in you the spirit to move. And you can form lifelong friendships.”
AVA is “America’s Walking Club.” It’s made up of about 250 chartered sports clubs nationwide whose activities are monitored by 10 regional directors elected by the clubs in their region. The local chapter is the First State Webfooters. Having just marked their 40th anniversary, the club hosts walking programs throughout the year.
The Webfooters started in the 1980s at Dover Air Force Base; members had encountered volkssporting in Germany and started a chapter in Delaware.
Karen first got involved with the Webfooters’ free community walking program called Couch-to-5K. It involved eight weeks of one-day-a-week participation, starting with a half-mile walk and building distance each week until she completed 5K (3.1 miles). “I had lost my mother the summer before, and the program offered a way to get out of my rut and commune with like-minded folks,” Karen says. “AVA’s motto is, “Fun, Fitness and Friendship.” We ‘Webbys’ like to add a fourth, ‘Food.’” Her wife and fur babies don’t usually join her on the walks. “My wife is a member but only participates when we have club picnics and parties, which is true of most spouses or significant others in the club.”
When it comes to the trails they walk, Karen says all clubs have what are known as “year-rounds” that anyone can walk during daylight hours on their own for a $3 fee. This fee covers administrative costs plus the cost to AVA to hold the walk under its purview. “We sometimes will choose other Delaware walking trails or travel to Maryland, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia to participate in club walks.”
The Webfooters have a 5K and 10K walk New Castle, Newark, Dover, Lewes, Rehoboth, and Bethany. Rehoboth also has a 25K bike ride. “We also hold two traditional events where folks come to walk—a spring walk held at the Kent County Recreation Center, and our fall event held in conjunction with Rehoboth’s Sea Witch® Festival. What’s Karen’s favorite? “The beach year-rounds and New Castle. Anything that puts me near the water.”
Karen has called Delaware home for more than 20 years. She is retired from the US Air Force and the US Department of Agriculture. She’s the founder of The Kritter Sitter, and is now semi-retired, working for her wife, Mandy, who now owns the business. They serve their four spoiled kitties—Darth “Kitty” Vader, Chief, Pale Tiger, and Flynn of the Mighty Quinns.
Karen has always been a walker, growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania. “I also played field hockey, basketball, softball, and tennis. And dabbled with pickleball.” These days, though, walking is more Karen’s speed. “We first learn to crawl, then walk to run, and then we fall back to walking.”
Karen says being part of a walking group like AVA is beneficial for everyone. AVA offers information on participating club walks across the United States. There are no restrictions to join AVA and/or a club. An annual membership to AVA is $25. Most club dues are $10-15.
To find out more information, contact First State Webfooters’ President Kathy Kresko at fswf.kathy@gmailcom or call 302-339-0097.
Both year-rounds and traditional walks are identified on the AVA (cb.ava.org/about2.php) and club websites and indicate whether dogs and strollers are allowed and whether the walks are accessible to all. ▼
Beth Shockley is a public affairs specialist and former editor of Letters.
Shown above:The First State Webfooters, the local chapter of the American Volksssport Association, celebrate the AVA’s 40th anniversary. Karen Kaufman (far left) stands next to 91-year-old Louise Fair, who has been a member since it was founded.