AVA/IVV Record Book Guide

This guide is created for you to help expedite your achievement/record book processing and to ensure AVA Headquarters receives books that are submitted properly. Please keep this guide with your achievement books for reference.

View A Practical Guide to The IVV Awards Program, a companion document to this page here, complete with pictures.

1. Make sure your name and current address are legible and are on all IVV Record Books. If your address changes or your name changes, notify the Awards Department when you submit your IVV Record Book. Only one name should appear on an IVV Record Book. The award system is set up for individual achievement only.

2. Record of Achievement number (passbook number) When corresponding or calling AVA Headquarters concerning your IVV awards, please use your Record of Achievement number (passbook number) located on the front of your passbook. If you are getting your first award, this number will be assigned to you upon redeeming your first book. If you are a Volkssports Associate member, please do not confuse the two numbers, i.e., an associate number begins with the prefix VAI, VAF or VAL-XXXX

If you lose your Record of Achievement Book, let us know, we can issue you a duplicate. Also, if you are turning in your IVV Record Books without the Record of Achievement Book, please write your number on the IVV Record Books.

3. It is no longer a requirement to submit your previous IVV Record Book when submitting a book you just finished. You do need to send the Record of Achievement Passport Book. Your milestone will be recorded in this book and returned to you along with your IVV Awards. Please send in only what is needed to help with clarity and to keep postage costs down. When a family has books ready for processing, they may mail all the books in one envelope.

4. The IVV Event Certification Stamp may only be applied (impressed) to an official IVV Record Book "Paste-ins," correction tape, handwritten in (except in extreme circumstances approved try AVA Headquarters), attached papers, etc., are illegal and cannot be accepted. If a stamp has been erroneously entered or a duplication made in an IVV Record Book, it may be corrected with liquid paper. The preferred way to correct an error in kilometers is to have the finish table attendant mark out the error with a line, write in the correction and initial the change. If an error is made with the certification stamp, the error should be crossed out and the correct stamp may be placed either along the sides, top, bottom or on the back of the IVV Record Book, as long as it is legible.

IVV Event Certification Stamps may only be received at the actual event. We cannot enter that stamp into any IVV Record Book after the event has taken place (unless the certification stamp did not make it to the event on time). please do not mail your books to the club representative to be stamped at a later date; this is illegal.

A reminder: only one event stamp credit is allowed per regular event.

For year-round events, you may stamp your event book twice in a calendar year — the first time six months the stamp has a + on it, the second six months it does not. For seasonal events, you may stamp your event book twice in a calendar year — the first time prior to June 30, the stamp has a + on it, the second time after July 1, it does not —if the event is sanctioned from June into July.

5. Distance books.

a) You can have multiple certification stamps for the same event when recording distance achievements because the distance book shows the actual distance accomplished.

b) No swim events can be entered in the distance books.

c) Bicycle certification stamps can be entered in the bicycle record book (same rules apply to the Bicycle Book that apply to the Distance Record Book) OR in the regular distance book (per AVA EC 1/2000).

d) If you do a route less than 10 kilometers, you receive credit for the actual distance covered. You receive credit for the full 10 kilometers only if you complete the entire regular route.

e) No matter the distance covered, please use whole numbers at all times when recording distance accomplished, i.e., do not place 2.9, 4.5, 0.8, etc. in your record books. If necessary, round numbers off to the appropriate distance.

6. Insert cards. An insert card is a supplemental stamp card inserted into a record book. This card was created for participants who accomplish 5 km walks or walks less than 10 km, resulting in the need for extra slots to record achievement stamps for processing.

If you should attend an event without your record book, you may use an insert card (available at no cost). Please keep in mind that the insert card is only for temporary use in this case, i.e., excessive use is not permitted. Insert cards alone will not be processed; a card will only be accepted when placed in a valid IVV Record Book.

7. Purchasing achievement books. Achievement books are available for purchase ($5.00 per book) at regular weekend volkssport events or can be obtained from AVA Headquarters. A New Walker Packet, for those who have never participated in the awards program before, is specially priced for $5.00 and contains a distance and events book along with coupons and general information. New Walker Packets may be ordered through your local club or AVA, 1001 Pat Booker Rd, Suite 101, Universal City, TX 78148. To place a credit card order, call 210-659-2112 between 8 and 5 p.m. (Central Standard Time.)

A Guide to Event and Distance Books

Event Books

Green book - Used to record 10 (1 -10) events, 30 (11-30) events or 50 (31-50) events. When the green book is used for 10 events, the second page must be marked through. For the 30 and 50 event levels, all lines are used.

Purple book - When the green 50-event book has been completed, the participant graduates to the purple book. This book has lines for 25 events and is used for recording event numbers 51 through 600. It can also be used for lower levels of events if a club runs out of green books by crossing out the lines which are not needed (either 15 or 5) and marking on the front of the book the level for which it is being used (10, 30 or 50).

Rose book - Used after a participant has completed 600 events. Records 50 events and is used for event numbers 601 through 1,500.

Gold book - Used after a participant has completed 1,500 events. Records 100 events and is the highest event book.

Distance Books

Blue book - Holds 500 km and is used at increments of 500 km through 8,000 km. If a person does only short walks, it will take all the spaces to total 500 km. If an individual does medium or long walks, it will take only part of the book to make 500 km. All the lines in this book do not need to be used - only those lines needed to bring the total to 500 km. Any distance more than 500 kilometers will be carried over to the next distance book.

Orange book - After a participant has completed 8,000 km, the individual graduates to the orange book. This book holds 1,000 km for each level and is used through 22,000 km.

Yellow book - After a participant has completed 22,000 km, the individual graduates to the yellow book. This book holds 5,000 km for each level and is the highest distance book.

Bicycling Distance Book 

Brown book - Used for recording distance credit for participation in bike events only. This book records up to 5,000 km. Distance from a brown bike book cannot be transferred to another walking distance book.