Page Contents

• Walking Events
• June Club Meeting
• Feelin’ Good Mileage Club
• Affiliated Organizations
• What is Volksmarching?

Enjoy the fresh air, improve your physical and mental health, meet new friends, and meet existing friends by walking scenic and historical paths in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Please be sure to check the TSWVA Events page for upcoming walking events that are being sponsored in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The Rowan Roamers 2008 schedule of walking events in North and South Carolina is available on the Club Calendar page.

The 2007 AVA Convention (Walk for the Gold) was held in Sacramento, California from June 23rd to July 1st in 2007. Check out their website at http://www.2007avaconvention.org/.

NOTE: Because of club member commitments the May 1 meeting has been canceled.

The Rowan Roamers club meetings are held every month on the first Thursday evening in the month. You are cordially invited to join us for our next monthly club meeting on June 5, 2008 at the Blue Bay Seafood restaurant at 1007 East Innes Street in Salisbury, NC . The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and will end promptly at 8:00 PM . If you care to join us for dinner and a social hour before the meeting, plan to arrive about 6:00 PM .

The Blue Bay Seafood Restaurant is located at 1007 East Innes Street. This is the Restaurant just off of I-85 exit 76.

In November of 2006 the Rowan Roamers donated $400.00 to Larry Brown to promote walking and to establish a walking trail for the children at Bostian Elementary school in China Grove, North Carolina. Bostian Elementary is a part of the Rowan-Salisbury School System. It was felt that investing in and promoting a healthy life style in our young children was a good place to start something that would last a life time.

The walking program was organized in November of 2006 and has been active since than. By the end of the 2006-2007 school year, more than half of the students at Bostian had participated.

According to the Feelin’ Good Mileage Club here is how the walking program works.

Students walk on the school playground several times each week. The Mileage Marker Cards provided in the kit are checked every time a child completes a lap on the course. When recess ends, the students return their cards to their personal files (a copy is provided in the teacher packet). For each 5 miles/8 kilometers a child walks, the child is rewarded. Toe Tokens (bright colored plastic feet designed to be worn on shoe laces), certificates and a school display poster to sign are provided. All awards are designed to provide children with a sense of accomplishment, recognition and a source of positive image building. The children also learn responsibility, mathematics and record-keeping skills.

June, 2007, Larry Brown reported that 2870 miles have been walked by students in The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club of Bostian Elementary during the 2006-2007 school year.

For the 2007-2008 school year, at end of April 2008, Larry Brown reported that students at Bostian had walked 2975 miles. Kindergarten leads the way (1875 miles). First graders have walked 850, and Fourth Graders, 285 miles. Second Graders have walked 25 miles, and Third Grade now has one walker who has completed 5 miles. One hundred forty-four students have completed five miles; one hundred twenty-eight students have completed ten miles;

The following students have completed 25 miles or more:

• Mrs. DeBerardinis’s class- Chance, Kevin, Landon, Caroline;
• Mrs Hinshaw’s class – Zachary, Jacob, William, James, Olivia , Payton, Derek, Nathaniel, Jordon, Adeline, Seth, Jace, Shakia, Gracelyn, and Jadon;
• Mrs. Goodman’s class- Thomas, Joshua, Caitlin, Kate, Carlton, Kayla, Abraham, Shelby, Zach, Trevor, Landon, Anthony, Cameron, Justin, Emma, Kendall, and Reid;
• Mrs. Haff’s class- Jasmin and Amy;
• Mrs. Luther’s class- Kursten, Drew, Wesley, Taylor, Dakota, Autumn, and Ostyn;
• Mrs. McDonald’s class – Amber, Peyton, and Kayla;
• Mrs. Barringer’s class – Savannah and Corey.

(Nathaniel, Jordan, and William) from Mrs. Hinshaw class, and (Thomas and Caitlin) from Mrs. Goodman class have reached 50 miles.

Zachary in Mrs. Hinshaw’s class has walked 120 miles.

The American Volkssport Association (AVA) web site is one of the best sites for getting updated information about events in the US and for linking to other related sites. The homepage offers the following options:

Find Walking Events: Choose a state and get a chronological listing of regular events and a alphabetic listing of Year Round Events.

Find Walking Clubs: Locate clubs anywhere in the United States and get points of contact.

What it's about: A group of topics including; Tutorial, Frequent Questions, Year-round Questions,New Walker's Program ,AVA Youth Program.

Membership: Information on joining AVA and the various types of membership and their advantages.

Publications and Sales, New Online Store: Purchase record books, walking gear, etc.

The American Volkssports Association (AVA) is the United States affiliate of the IVV and sanctions events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Rowan Roamers Volkssport Club is an affiliate of the AVA and the Tarheel State Walkers Volkssport Association (TSWVA).

The volksmarches are traditionally 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) or 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in length. A volksmarch is not a pledge walk or a race, it is a fun activity you do with friends, family, pets, or all by yourself.