Volkssporting what it's all about and Starting a new club info

The Canadian Volkssport Federation provides this opportunity every day of the year across a large portion of our magnificent country. Through its unique non-competitive, family-oriented, fun-filled program of sporting activities, you can experience the beauty and history of Canada. You can walk through scenic and historic areas of our major cities or visit small country towns left almost forgotten by the development of our major highway systems. You can enjoy national and provincial parks or the quiet beauty of an abandoned railroad line. You can see the special beauty of our beaches and mountains... all yours through volkssporting.

Volkssporting, translated from German as "the sport of the people", originated in the mid -1960’s in Europe in response to the need for some type of outdoor sport, free from competition, for people of all ages. The movement grew rapidly.

In 1968, the International Volkssportverband (IVV) or International Federation of Popular Sports was formed to promote volkssporting throughout the world. Today, this organization has active associations in over 25 countries.

Volkssporting made its debut in Canada in the early 1980’s and has grown steadily ever since. The Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF) was formed in 1986 and now has over 50 member clubs, plus provincial organizations, throughout most regions of Canada and sponsors hundreds of volkssporting events each year.

A Volksmarch is an organized walk held in all weather, along a trail winding through selected scenic and historic areas. Usually, the walks are 10 kilometres long (the minimum distance for volksmarches) with water and rest stops en route. Occasionally, longer distance walks are held. In Canada, there are four types of Volksmarches:

Annual Volksmarch Events

Guided Walks

Map Walks

Year-Round/Seasonal Events

Annual Volksmarch Events are organized by local clubs, and are usually scheduled on week-ends. Trails are marked with signs and tape and have control points along the route. Generally, participants may start the walk any time between 8:00am and 1:00pm and finish by 4:00pm. The exact start and finish times are always indicated in the event brochure. In the volkssporting tradition, you will frequently find volkssporters gathered at the Finish Point where they take time to enjoy friends, entertainment, food and drink. Occasionally, festive music fills the air. There is no better way to enjoy the sights and sounds of our beautiful. country.

Guided Walks are those events where walkers meet at a specified place and all start at the same time. A member of the host club usually heads the group as a guide. These walks can also be enjoyed at your own pace as walk organizers spread through the group to accompany those walking more slowly.

Map Walks differ from Guided Walks in that walkers are given a "window’ of time in which to start and finish the walks. Participants are provided with a map and route card and proceed along the route at their own pace.

Year-Round/Seasonal Events are self-guided walks enjoyable every day of the year or applicable season. After registering, walkers receive a map and instructions and then proceed along the route at their own pace. Walkers may complete the event as often as desired during the course of the year or season. Year-Round/Seasonal Events are an excellent way to accumulate credits towards the WV Individual Achievement Award distance program.

Volkssport events are open to everyone. Membership in a volkssport club, local or otherwise, is not required. As well, anyone may participate in a volkssport event free-of-charge. Before starting, participants are simply asked to register, and at the end of the walk, to turn-in their registration card so their achievement can be recorded for statistical purposes.

Most volkssporters, however, choose to experience the personal incentive and satisfaction available at a very low cost through the LVV International Individual Achievement Awards program. The awards are based on a walker’s progressive record of the number of Events completed and the Distance in kilometers walked (or biked or skied). At the end of each walk, WV Record Books are stamped to acknowledge participation in the event and the distance covered. Upon achieving the required levels, books are forwarded to CVF Headquarters in Ottawa. In return, without additional cost, participants in the program receive special pins, commemorative patches and certificates to mark their accomplishments.

Some volkssporters also collect souvenir awards of volkssport events. These awards are usually in the form of a medallion, patch, or a pin depicting the theme, location and date of the event.

Formation of a club is open to any group that is willing to support and promote the goals and purposes of the IVV and CVF. The ideal way to start a club would be as a part of a partnership, made up of a group of walkers, the municipal recreation department and a public service group (i.e. Lions Club, Kinsmen, Legion, etc.). The group of walkers will provide the core of the membership and could consist of yourself and friends or it could be an existing walking club which has decided to add volkssporting to its activities. The municipal recreation department can assist you by providing access to community centres and possibly with such things as photocopying brochures and advertising within its own community recreation program. Assistance of local community groups may be obtained in order to help defray expenses (particularly during the early stages of the volkssport club when membership is comparatively small and revenues are meager). The community group members and their families would also provide another group of people who would have an interest in participating since it is their club which is helping to introduce volkssporting to your community.

As all volkssport clubs in Canada are Regular members of the CVF, groups must submit an Application for Regular Club Membership form to CVF for approval.

Essentially, to prepare the Application, groups must form an Executive Committee to choose a Club Name, prepare a draft Constitution, raise some start-up funds and plan a Schedule of Events for the first year.

At the outset, it is probably best to limit the size of the Executive Committee and keep the configuration simple. Consider the following arrangement:

President...................provides general direction, acts as liaison with outside organizations and looks after protocol matters.

Vice-President...........assists the President and coordinates all aspects of the club’s events.

Secretary/Treasurer...processes correspondence and receives and disburses funds.

Trails Coordinator......explores and marks trails for club events.

The above arrangement should be quite adequate to get the club started. A larger and more elaborate configuration is recommended as the club grows and the Event program expands. The CVF "Guidelines for Clubs", which is provided to all clubs on joining the CVF, contains additional recommendations on the configuration of an Executive Committee for an established club.

There are no restrictions on the name chosen as long as the elements of propriety are met. Most clubs choose to include the word "Volkssport" in their name as it tends to attract the attention of those who are looking for this type of activity.

Some clubs have chosen to include the word "walk" or "walkers" in their name to attract attention to their primary activity of walking. A combination of both might be considered as it attracts attention to both factors (e.g. Your Town Walkers Volkssport Club).

You should check with your provincial volkssport association and/or CVF regional director as they may be able to provide some financial assistance. Before doing so, it is recommended that you approach your municipal recreation department for a grant to pay the start-up costs. Many clubs have succeeded in getting their start-up funds by doing so. Often, local service clubs or other community organizations are also a potential source of financial support in getting a club started.

When to hold what type of walks (volksmarches) during the club’s first year is another decision for the Executive Committee. Before doing so, it is recommended that they familiarize themselves with the official IVV and CVF Rules governing volkssport activities in Canada.
When planning, it is a good idea to start off slowly with regard to the number and type of events to conduct and to concentrate more on membership building during the early stages. This approach will also give the Club Executive a chance to become familiar with
their jobs. A Club’s event schedule for its first year should include a Year-Round Event (which is an excellent revenue generator), one Annual Volksmarch Event (at most) and a couple of Guided or Map Walks. As the membership grows, the number of events conducted can be increased in proportion to the support of the members in developing and measuring trails since the latter, at times, can be quite time consuming.

Although not considered necessary, it is a good idea. For many participants, the favourite aspect of volksmarching is the social side of it. They look forward to the events, not just for the exercise but also for the opportunity to meet new and old friends and to spend some time with them, both during and after the event. For that reason, many clubs, in addition to the usual "bratwurst and beer" after a volksmarch, also plan other activities for their members. It may be something as simple as meeting at a favourite restaurant after an event or it could be regular club meetings at restaurants or even in a pot-luck format. The idea is to make membership in your club enjoyable and something that people will look forward to on a continuing basis.

Similarly, it may benefit the club in the long run to include activities which might lead people to join the volkssport movement. One possibility in that vein could be to include mall-walking as a club activity. It might appeal to those members of the community who feel that 10 kilometers is too great a distance for them but who would like to get into walking. Alter several weeks or months of counting 35 laps or so of the mall, they might feel capable of taking in a volksmarch, where they don’t have to count at all. Not only does this serve as a source of potential new members but the club is also performing a community service, in addition to publicizing the existence of the club.

Once you have formed an Executive Committee, chosen a club Name, drafted a Constitution and rounded up some funds, you need to fill out the official CVF Application for Regular Club Membership form in triplicate (sample attached) and forward it with your Constitution, List of members of the Executive Committee and the appropriate fees to the CVF for approval.

You should also complete the Application for Event Sanction form for your first event and include it in the package. Please allow approximately 90 days from date of submission for appropriate processing and approval of your event sanction application. Your complete package should be accompanied by a covering letter, listing the clubs main point of contact (name, address and phone number), in the event questions arise.

Therefore, to summarize, your club’s application package should comprise:

A covering letter containing background on the club and listing the main point of contact should there be questions
CVF Application for Club Membership form completed in triplicate
List of founding members of the Club Executive Committee
Your club Constitution
The completed Application for Event Sanction form in duplicate for the club’s first event (if a date for the club’s first event has not yet been selected, then this form can be forwarded at a later date allowing the required 90 days lead time for processing)
The cheque/money order for the appropriate Start-up fees payable to the Canadian Volkssport Federation