Last week we took our first look at how the IVV Awards Program and IVV books work. Here is our second installment of questions and answers. For more, visit the American Volkssport Association Web site, www.ava.org.
Could someone use IVV Record Books in several countries?
Yes, the procedures at every sanctioned IVV event (an event approved by the IVV) are the same. The same type of stamp is used in the books.
Can a book be “processed” (redeemed for an award) in a country other than a user’s own or where the book was purchased?
Yes, any IVV member country can process any book and issue the appropriate IVV awards for the level completed.
The first time we tried to have our award books processed in Europe, it was at a walk in Germany. We were told by the IVV representative that since we lived in the Netherlands, we should have our books processed in the Netherlands. At the time, we did not find IVV representatives at very many of the Dutch walks, so we mailed our books to the American Volkssport Association headquarters and it processed the awards without any problem. For those who choose this option, the headquarters’ address is:
American Volkssport Association, Inc.Awards and Records1001 Pat Booker Road, Suite 101Universal City, TX 78148
If you want your certificate printed in German, it needs to be processed in Germany. You can turn the completed books into an IVV representative at a walk — I’ve heard that sometimes they will do the required paperwork and present you with your awards on the spot, not sure how often that happens — or mail them directly to the German IVV office. Its address is:
Deutscher VolkssportverbandGescsäftsstelleFabrikstrasse 884503 Altötting
If you have them processed in Germany, you greatly reduce the chance of having things lost in the mail if you use your German mailing address. Plus, always make copies of anything you mail off, just in case.
When your first award is processed, you will be given a small, tri-fold document that is a record of the awards you receive. In Germany it is called an Abzeichen Pass. The American version is the IVV Record of Achievement. It is more commonly known as the “passport.” American versions require a photo on the back, not sure about the German version.
This is an important document for the processing of awards. When you submit your completed books for your subsequent awards, this “passport” must be sent along with the last set of processed books and the new books you want processed. For example: You have completed 30 events. To receive this award, you must submit:
Your just-completed book that documents the 30 events.Your old book from your 10-event award.The “passport” that gives the date when the 10-event award was processed in the IVV or DVV office.Again, I would keep copies of anything sent in the mail, just in case.
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I (Bob) would like to apologize to the Bamberg and Stuttgart walking clubs for missing their walks. After laying out an itinerary for the weekend that included both walks, I was laid low by some kind of virus that made both long car trips and long walks impossible. I’ll try to make it up next year!
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Miscellaneous notes about this week’s Volksmarch events:
¶ Berg in Terblijt is the start location of a four-day walk through the hills around Valkenburg, in the Limburg region of the Netherlands. You do not have to do all four days, but if you do, you will receive a medal and certificate. We have done these walks and have enjoyed them very much.
¶ The prize for the walk in Hainsacker is a coffee cup decorated with a picture of the pope.
¶ Clark Soeldner, our voice of Italian volksmarching, says the walk in Villanova della Grotte-Lusevera is one of his favorites. The route winds through the mountains surrounding the Alta val Torre. Toward the end of the 16-km route there are two old fortifications. Arrive early unless you want to do a warm-up hike to the start hall.
Please e-mail volksmarch schedule information for any country to two.walkers@ yahoo.com. Please mail brochures, in date order if possible, to: Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278 APO, AE, 09703-0278.
