Page Contents

• Walking Events
• February 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 2009 schedule of walking events in North and South Carolina is available on the Club Calendar page.

The 2011 AVA Convention is being held in Des Moines, Iowa from June 18th to June 26th. Check out their website at http://www.ava.org/clubs/ava2011convention/index.asp .

Our next club meeting will be on February 4, 2010 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 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 2006 and has been active since than.

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.

For 2006-2007 school year, Larry Brown reported that more than half of Bostian Elementary students had participated and that 2870 miles had been walked by students in The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club.

For 2007-2008 school year, Larry Brown reported that 3765 miles had been walked by Bostian Elementary students in The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club. Kindergarten lead the way with 2205 miles. First graders walked 1125, and Fourth Graders, 380 miles. A third grader walked 30 miles, and second graders walked 25 miles. One hundred sixty-seven students completed five miles; one hundred forty students completed ten miles including all students in Kindergarten.

At the end of 2008-2009 SCHOOL YEAR, Larry Brown reported that 4150 miles had been walked by Bostian Elementary students in The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club.

• Kindergarteners walked 1420 miles,
  Second grade walked 1370 miles,
  First graders walked 1165 miles,
  Third graders walked 30 miles,
  Fourth Graders walked 115 miles, and
  One Fifth grader walked 50 miles.
• 189 students completed five miles;
  177 students completed ten miles (including all students in Kindergarten).
• The following 68 students completed 25 miles or more:
  • Landan, Zachery, Aunna, Salem, Kara, David, Brianna, Kyle, Emma, Nicholas, Angelina, Ryan, Lindsay, Terry, Anna, Caleb, and Jordan in Mrs. Goodman's class
  • Cassidy, Andrew, Logan, Emily, Sydney, Corie, Jadyn, German, Efrain, Devan, Danna, Samuel, Diamond, Parker, and Jeffrey in Mrs. DeBerardinis’s class
  • Zachary, Jacob, James, Nathaniel, Seth, Gracelyn, Aaron, and Jadon in Mrs. Hinshaw's class
  • Thomas in Mrs. Luther’s class.
  • Cory, Amanda, Garrett, Jasmin, Riley, Hannah, Mitchell, Joshua, Carter, Caleb, Ryan, Amy, Chance, and Teolyn in Mrs. Haff’s class
  • Cheyenne, Abigayle, Matthew, Cade, Brooklyn, Dakota, and Autumn in Mrs. Raynes class
  • Elizabeth, Zoie, Steven in Mrs. Monday’s class
  • Marco in Mrs. Watt’s class
• Students who completed 50 miles are
  Samuel and Jeffrey (in DeBerardinis's class);
  David, Kyle, Angelina, Anna, Caleb, and Jordan (in Goodman's class);
  Zachary, Jacob, James, Nathaniel, Seth, Gracelyn and Aaron (in Hinshaw's class),
  and Thomas, (in Luther's class).
• Zachary in Mrs. Hinshaw’s class walked 75 miles and
• Kyle in Mrs. Goodman’s class walked 80 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.