Official Voice of the American Volkssport Association
1001 Pat Booker Road * Universal City, TX 78148-4147
phone: 210-659-2112 fax: 210-659-1212

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 9 September 1998

Obtaining national level support from corporations and national organizations has long been one of our goals. We have spent many hours preparing proposals, making presentations and talking to marketing people as we searched for just a little gold at the end of the rainbow. If persistence is the key to success in this area, we own that key, and now that key is beginning to open some doors for us. We have just begun a major partnership effort with PREVENTION that is already producing results. Beginning in mid-September, a slightly modified version of our New Walker Packet (a club directory is included) is being sent to members of the PREVENTION Walking Club as a membership premium. The people at PREVENTION hope to increase the size of their walking club to 20,000 members by the end of 1999. This means 20,000 people will receive a quick introduction to the AVA and volkssporting through the New Walker Packet. Many of their members are looking for places to walk and people to walk with. This is not only an opportunity for all of our clubs to pick up new active walkers as club members, but is an opportunity for us to develop new clubs in areas where we have no presence. Now, it is up to us to welcome these walkers to our events, help them feel comfortable with our program, and get them involved in volkssporting. Some of the PREVENTION Walking Club members are already volkssporters, and this means they will not be able to use the New Walker Packet. Don=t despair, however, as this gives us another wonderful marketing opportunity. Let's encourage those volkssporters to use that New Walker Packet as an incentive to get a friend or neighbor to join the fun of volkssporting. This is another chance to help our clubs and our sport. Let's not pass it up.

We are also about a month away from finalizing a sponsorship agreement with a major national corporation that will provide extensive support to our clubs and their events and significant financial support to the Association. As soon as we fine tune the details and sign this agreement, we will be announcing this new partnership. It will be a major step toward the future health of our association. If we can continue to be successful in these types of efforts, there is little question that we can move into the new millennium as the national authority on walking and the association that has made walking the lifestyle of a healthy America. Thanks for helping us make this happen.

Starting Point 1999 Proof Sheets. Proof sheets for the 1999 edition of Starting Point will be sent to your official club address (not event POC) in early October. Please review your proof sheets as soon as possible; your corrections must be returned to AVA Headquarters by October 20.

YRE + Stamps. Beginning in January, all event stamps will contain a 1999+ slug. The + portion of the stamp is applicable for year-round events only and will be removed on July 1, allowing individuals the opportunity to walk the YRE again after that time for another event credit. The + stamp will not be removed for any other events. A brochure reminder: advertise your YRE's two stamps - the 1999+ stamp is available until June 30th; the 1999 stamp is offered on July 1 and through the remainder of the year.

Opportunities Newsletter. Enclosed in this issue of Checkpoint is the inaugural issue of Opportunities, the AVA's official marketing newsletter. This is an interactive publication as club marketing strategies will be shared. Send articles and comments to Opportunities Editor Sandra Ward, 1001 Pat Booker Rd., Ste. 101, Universal City, TX 78148.

Insert Cards. Under no circumstance is it acceptable for a club to sell insert cards in lieu of official IVV Books. Insert cards are not replacements for IVV Books and will not be processed individually. A note about Great Britain insert cards: AVA Headquarters recently received confirmation which allows us to process Great Britain insert cards. AVA, however, does not have the authority to process Canadian insert cards; they must be processed by the Canadian Volkssport Federation.

AVA Convention Registration Brochure. Confirmation of prices and brochure content are being finalized as we go to press with this issue of Checkpoint. Brochures are scheduled to be distributed in October.

AVA Financial Manager Reports on Audit. Our audit was a great success. Only one adjustment was made to our books and that was provided in-house. This achievement belongs to many people, not just one. All of the staff, Executive Director and volunteers worked tirelessly to provide me with accurate information when I needed it.

Our Executive Council Treasurer was patient and extremely helpful in putting together the finishing touches. Most of the credit for this success actually belongs to my predecessor, Linda Finlin. Linda's diligent research and clean-up of records and accounting made it possible to concentrate on the fine tuning.

Thanks- Candace Purcell

AVA Financial Manager

Deferred Billing. The deferred billing option exists for clubs who submit sanction paperwork at least 90 days in advance and request this service. All other bills are due within 30 days. Late payments, those which are 60 days past due, place a club in "not in good standing" status. A club with this status cannot receive event stamps, have event sanction requests processed or AVA specialty items until the account balance is paid.

YRE Numbers Recycled. If your club did not renew a YRE/Seasonal event, be advised that YRE numbers are recycled, i.e., you will not have the same number if you skipped a year and then started again. These ESR's should be submitted as new.

Start Card Use. A policy reminder: individuals may walk a 10 km route twice on one start card on the same day only. The start card cannot be divided over a two-day or longer event period.

EC Meeting Report. Enclosed in this issue of Checkpoint are the minutes to the EC meeting in September. Please share this information with your club members.

Updated Specialties Price List. An updated specialties price list is included in this issue of Checkpoint. A reminder: AVA clubs now receive a 20% discount on every regularly priced specialty item purchased. Starting Point is the only exception; original published prices are in effect, i.e., if ten or more books are ordered, club price is $7 each. For the 1999 Starting Point, the 20% discount will apply with no quantity discounts. A reminder: the AVA Clearance Sale ends October 31, 1998.

Revised TAW Advertising Size Sheet. If your club plans on placing an advertisement in The American Wanderer, please refer to the enclosed revised ad size sheet. This is your guide to create camera-ready ads for the newspaper.

Historical Items, Awards. Clubs or individuals wishing to donate awards or other historical goods to the AVA should please send them to AVA Museum Director Lester Frantzen, PO Box 503, Fredericksburg, TX 78624.