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Welcome to the Bedford Hiking Club website
We always welcome new people to join us for our weekly Monday evening walks. Walks are usually 45-60 minutes and are lead by club members on a volunteer basis. We meet and/or travel to a variety of locations and terrains including neighborhoods, farms, nearby parks and attractions, etc. Dues are $5.00 a year and are collected at our Annual Meeting held each June. In addition to weekly walks, we are a Volkssport club (see below for more information) and some members are active day hikers and overnight backpackers. Come check us out!
The Bedford Hiking Club is an active member of the Indiana Volkssport Association (INVA) and the American Volkssport Association (AVA).
See the "Schedule" tab for information on weekly Monday night walks and the "Walking Events/Brochures" tab for information on traditional walking events, year-round walks, and other walks of interest.
Volkssporting
Some of our local club members participate in a sport called Volkssporting. Volkswalks or Volksmarches are non-competitive 3.125 (5k) or 6.25 mile (10K ) walks along a prescribed trail and is designed to encourage physical fitness, to promote camaraderie and to enjoy nature. Each participant is encouraged to walk at their own pace and comfort level; it is not a contest or a test of speed or endurance. For more information check out our brochures under the "Year Round" tab or submit a contact form under the "More..." tab.
The Bedford Hiking Club sponsors two year round volkswalks. One walk is Spring Mill State Park and the other walk is Bedford, IN (Limestone Walk) which features limestone of the area. In the U.S there are 1850+ walks that are available. Check the Links page to access the American Volkswalk website and read more about volkswalking.
HISTORY OF VOLKSSPORTING
In the 1960's, in Germany, ordinary people were being prevented from having healthful outdoors family fun -- so many competitive sporting events were using up all the public park and recreation areas. So they started organizing non-competitive sporting events - "volkssports," which means "people's sports." Everyone who finished was considered a winner, no matter how long it took to finish. Awards were made available for a nominal fee, and record-keeping developed so that participants could track their individual achievements, both in distances covered and the number of events completed.
Volkssporting includes cross-country skiing, biking, and swiming, but by far the most popular is the walk, "volksmarch" (people's walk), or as we call it in the U.S., "volkswalk."
Germany-stationed American GI's and their families were drawn to volkssports, and brought them home to the U.S. Volkssporting is an international-recognized activity. The International Volkssport Verband (IVV) is the parent organization. The U.S. member of the IVV is the American Volkssport Association (AVA), headquartered in Universal City, Texas.
Our local club officers:
Alison Piper President
Teena Ligman Vice President
Debbie Hicks Treasure
Brent Pinnick Secretary
For more information about the club or available walks, please complete and submit the Contact Form under the "More..." tab at the top of this page.
We always welcome new people to join us for our weekly Monday evening walks. Walks are usually 45-60 minutes and are lead by club members on a volunteer basis. We meet and/or travel to a variety of locations and terrains including neighborhoods, farms, nearby parks and attractions, etc. Dues are $5.00 a year and are collected at our Annual Meeting held each June. In addition to weekly walks, we are a Volkssport club (see below for more information) and some members are active day hikers and overnight backpackers. Come check us out!
The Bedford Hiking Club is an active member of the Indiana Volkssport Association (INVA) and the American Volkssport Association (AVA).
See the "Schedule" tab for information on weekly Monday night walks and the "Walking Events/Brochures" tab for information on traditional walking events, year-round walks, and other walks of interest.
Volkssporting
Some of our local club members participate in a sport called Volkssporting. Volkswalks or Volksmarches are non-competitive 3.125 (5k) or 6.25 mile (10K ) walks along a prescribed trail and is designed to encourage physical fitness, to promote camaraderie and to enjoy nature. Each participant is encouraged to walk at their own pace and comfort level; it is not a contest or a test of speed or endurance. For more information check out our brochures under the "Year Round" tab or submit a contact form under the "More..." tab.
The Bedford Hiking Club sponsors two year round volkswalks. One walk is Spring Mill State Park and the other walk is Bedford, IN (Limestone Walk) which features limestone of the area. In the U.S there are 1850+ walks that are available. Check the Links page to access the American Volkswalk website and read more about volkswalking.
HISTORY OF VOLKSSPORTING
In the 1960's, in Germany, ordinary people were being prevented from having healthful outdoors family fun -- so many competitive sporting events were using up all the public park and recreation areas. So they started organizing non-competitive sporting events - "volkssports," which means "people's sports." Everyone who finished was considered a winner, no matter how long it took to finish. Awards were made available for a nominal fee, and record-keeping developed so that participants could track their individual achievements, both in distances covered and the number of events completed.
Volkssporting includes cross-country skiing, biking, and swiming, but by far the most popular is the walk, "volksmarch" (people's walk), or as we call it in the U.S., "volkswalk."
Germany-stationed American GI's and their families were drawn to volkssports, and brought them home to the U.S. Volkssporting is an international-recognized activity. The International Volkssport Verband (IVV) is the parent organization. The U.S. member of the IVV is the American Volkssport Association (AVA), headquartered in Universal City, Texas.
Our local club officers:
Alison Piper President
Teena Ligman Vice President
Debbie Hicks Treasure
Brent Pinnick Secretary
For more information about the club or available walks, please complete and submit the Contact Form under the "More..." tab at the top of this page.
