Trailmaster Topics by Mike Lanpher

Transcription

1 Trailmaster Topics by Mike Lanpher Great start to the year with Lake Buena Vista walk and lunch at Sea Dog and 25 hardy walkers on 24 January on a cold blustery day in Winter Springs (though weather was better after 9:30 am). Another cool day on February 7 saw 30 walkers view the 100+ manatees at Blue Springs State Park. We started the set up and walk in Leesburg on February 21 at 40 degrees. The 33 walkers warmed up quickly on the Leesburg hills and then 15 enjoyed a great BBQ lunch. Lots going on as we added a Pi Day event on 14 March to celebrate the π number ( ) equal to the 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 when we will start the walk. We offer a great lunch (chili and pi(e), an award of a pewter π pin, and the walk for $ Please preregister at any event or download the brochure from the web site. Following that, the Winter Park Art Festival is visited on the walk from the Crosby YMCA (10K); no parking issues there. April finds us in Celebration on the 4th as the weather is warmer and at the Audubon Birds of Prey Center in Maitland on the 18th. In addition to the neat tour cost of $5.00, we are collecting $3.00 per walker and donating the funds to the Center as a way of supporting a great facility. There is a large change to our key support volunteers as Sharon Axelrod took membership, I took publicity in the interim, and Rosemary is working to replace Jackie for the web page. Still needed are volunteers for our Facebook page and event operations volunteer to print instructions, brochures, flyers on a walk-by-walk basis Event Planning Traditional Events This year we have a list of events from New Years Day to late December. As you can see in the upcoming events listed we have a robust set of events in March and April. The Second Quarter sees us in Maitland, Windermere and Auburndale (where there were AVA walks in 1990 and 1991). The Third Quarter we look at events in Orlando, Oviedo, International Drive (and the annual luncheon/meeting) and Davenport. Finally, as the weather cools, we walk in Belle Isle, the 25th Anniversary of Walk Across and Around Florida, enjoy Wekiwa Springs State Park, Celebration, and a night walk in mid-december. Walks are always new, but in some areas there are limited options, so a walk will be familiar. All walks start with a newly conceived route, and then they are modified in the pre-walk process as needed for interest, special programs, new construction, or safety. Many areas to still confirm, so look for updates in the following newsletter issues. Page 1

2 Club Shirts and Name Tags We have sold 12 of our new club standard Tee Shirts, and 12 of the new nametags. The shirts come in Men s, Women s, and Youth sizes. The color is called Butter Yellow, and the shirt has the club logo on the front and Orlando, Florida underneath. We will order these with a prepayment of $ We think it helps for folks to have nametags. A sample is shown here. They have a very strong magnetic clasp to protect clothing. If you would like to have a club nametag, we will order one for you with a prepayment of $7.00. These will be available to order at any walk or by providing payment to the Treasurer, Sharon Predham, River Watch Ct., Leesburg FL, Please download the order form from the MFM web site s index page. Mid-Florida Milers Walking AVA / Club IVV Walking since 1989 First Last AVA Associate Membership MFM and the AVA President have written about the value of becoming an associate or lifetime member of the American Volkssport Association. This not only provides you information via the newsletter, but also supports the AVA membership. To get an idea of the members who are associate or lifetime members, please provide an to the club secretary, Sharon Axelrod, at palmtreesax@gmail.com that you are an associate or lifetime member. We use this information as part of AVA s Pathway to Excellence program. Thanks for your input! Page 2

3 Upcoming Events: March May 2015 DATE Upcoming Events START TIMES 7 Mar Orlando Lakes at Beardall Senior Center 9:00-9:30 14 Mar Christmas Orlando Wetlands Park for walk, Pi Day fun, chili & pi(e) lunch: Preregister 9:26:53 21 Mar Winter Park at Crosby YMCA (Traditional Event) during WP Festival of the Arts 8:30-10 am 4 April Celebration at Starbucks. 8:30-9:00 18 April Maitland Audubon Birds of Prey: Admission and tour is $5; walk is $3. Proceeds to Birds of Prey. Tours at 1015, 1115, : Other Clubs Events: March April 2015 DATE Upcoming Events START TIMES 14 March Indian Rocks Beach, Suncoast Sandpipers 9:00-9:15 Guided walk 15 March, Sunday 21 March 21 March Palm Coast - Washington Oaks Garden and State Park; lunch at Captains Bait, Tackle and BBQ following. First Coast Trail Forgers Deland YRE- County Library. Happy Wanderers Jacksonville Ft. George Guided Walk. First Coast Trail Forgers 9:00-10:00 Sign up 3.30 pm Walk 4:00 28 March Deleon Springs The Happy Wanderers 9:00 11:00 28 March 29 March, Sunday 4 April 11 April 12 April, Sunday 18 April 19 April, Sunday 25 April 26 April, Sunday Jacksonville Riverwalk YRE. First Coast Trail Forgers Daytona Beach YRE, City Island, 105 East Magnolia Ave. Happy Wanderers Green Cove Springs Guided Walk. First Coast Trail Forgers Old Ortega Guided Walk. First Coast Trail Forgers Cocoa Beach YRE Marriott Courtyard, 3435 North Atlantic Ave. Happy Wanderers Jacksonville San Marco YRE Guided Walk. First Coast Trail Forgers Ormond Beach YRE Volusia County Public Library Grenada Shopping Center, 30 South Beach Street, Ormond Beach. Happy Wanderers FVA Meeting and Fernandina Lighthouse YRE Guided Walk. FVA/First Coast Trail Forgers Flagler Beach YRE at Big Al's Bait Shop, 323 North 2nd St. Happy Wanderers. Sign up 9.30 Walk 10:00 Sign-up 7:30, Walk 8:00 April 18 th Event is for the Birds! We have teamed with the Audubon Birds of Prey Center in Maitland on April 18 th to lend a little support for their ambitious and critical activities. This urban environmental Audubon Center focuses on the rescue, medical treatment, rehabilitation, and release of Florida's raptors. The Center provides an opportunity to view some of nature s top predators up close and personal Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Kites, Owls and Falcons. We will learn the unique adaptations of raptors, the challenges they face, and the ways we can help. The walk starts near the gazebo, where we can view the Center's Magic of Flight barn that houses birds currently under rehabilitation. The man-made wetland, improves the water quality of the lake. The Center hosts Audubon EagleWatch, a statewide citizen science program dedicated to the protection of Bald Eagles and their habitat. Volunteers in the field monitor nesting success of more than 25% of the states nesting population. The entry fee for their tour, when you return from the walk, is $5.00. Tours are at 10:15, 11:15, & 12:15. The walk fee for all participants is $3.00, and will be donated to the Center as well as a club donation - our way of supporting a great facility! Page 3

4 Jan 3 Orlando North Jan 3 Orlando North Jan 24 Winter Springs Jan 24 Winter Springs Jan 24 Winter Springs MFM Milestones* Congratulations! Jan 24 Winter Springs Name City Events Distance Betty Brown Lakeland 30 William Paugh Davenport JoAnne Cross Winter Springs Michael Lanpher Winter Springs David Bundy Orlando 1500 Jan Van Vlack The Villages 1600 Robert Lazzell Brooksville 1700 *The American Wanderer, Feb-Mar 2015 FVA Web Site ( contains all Florida milestones for last 36+ months. Find the two blue arrows hidden in this Newsletter! Laurie Page 4

5 Even after obtaining a Masters of Business from Rollins College, Rosemary remained in teaching. I have taught Math, Spanish, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and reading. I taught middle school for 36 years, and then worked part-time for Florida Virtual School for 5 years. I am now teaching Math and computers to 2nd - 6th grade at a small private school in Altamonte Springs. In 2001, I earned National Board Certification in ESOL. When asked about the impact of digital technology on today s teachers, Rosemary said her students use I-Pads and desktop computers. Websites are a vital tool in supporting Rosemary s classes. And she adds, Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) is a wonderful site that offers math, science, and computer instruction from kindergarten through Calculus. It is free and is even a great way for adults to keep brain cells growing as you learn new topics. I am learning how to make computer animations and simple webpages with Khan Academy online lessons! I'm also permanently attached to my I-Pad and smartphone... I love technology! Walker Profile: Rosemary Barna This newsletter introduces a new series of member profiles. We hope to provide some background to the faces you see on our walks. This profile is of our MFM President, Rosemary Barna. As is the case with many of us, Rosemary is not native to Florida. She was born in Kansas and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. She enjoyed learning and speaking Spanish as a youth, which eventually led her to Florida State University. She figured this campus would provide plenty of opportunity to practice Spanish. Not, to mention the football! Rosemary always wanted to teach. As she says, I made my brother and sisters play school with me when we were kids, so I think I always wanted to be a teacher. Practice teaching brought her to Orlando in She decided to stay. It was a mild winter and the azaleas and orange blossoms made Orlando seem like paradise. So, I found a teaching job and stayed! When asked how she came to Volkssporting, Rosemary mentioned that she and her husband Ron were looking for exercise and recreation opportunities as retirement approached. They found the MFM website and participated in their first walk at Celebration. Letty Zook was the greeter. They walked 10K. We made it, but drank about 10 gallons of water afterwards. Walking AND nice people - we were hooked! This was in The Lake Buena Vista YRE is Rosemary s favorite walk, while her husband, Ron, is partial to the Pearson walk held by the Happy Wanderers. Both of them like soup walks. In 2012, the MFM presidency became vacant. Rosemary saw an opportunity to give back to a club that she enjoys and to the many friends she has met. When asked for final comments, Rosemary offered the following: I am appreciative to all of the MFM members who stepped up and offered to help with publicity, and our webpage. We are in the process of putting together a helpful hints booklet for each position and arranging for some training sessions. In the meantime, please check our webpage or Facebook regularly to stay up-to-date on upcoming events and please pass the information along to other walkers! Page 5

6 Blue Springs State Park Feb 7 Page 6

7 Run Lady Bugs! By Letty Zook If anyone had told me two years ago that I would come to love running as much as walking, I would have said they were crazy! My goal initially was to WALK a Half Marathon. As I trained, though, I surprised myself by starting to RUN and actually enjoying it! This past year, I decided to run Disney s Full Marathon (26.2 miles) and trained for the big day held on January 11, My fellow Lady Bug, Petra Royston (who is also a fellow Volksmarcher) ran with me. It was quite a challenge, but we avoided the sweep-bus, finished, and got the medal. Since our running limit was a Half Marathon (13.1 miles), we decided to run/walk a 50/50 ratio for the Full Marathon. This accomplishment was a bucket list item for both of us; and despite sore muscles, we are so glad we did it! We are proof you don t have to be a spring-chicken to set a new physical goal! Page 7

8 OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE MILERS January and February proved to be good months for the Mid-Florida Milers. After opening the month and the year with our annual New Year s Day Walk, the Milers were back on the trail on the morning of January 3 to meet for a group walk of our North Orlando YRE at the Marks Street Senior Center. On Jan 24, a number of us braved a misty start to walk Central Winds Park in Winter Springs. The day dawned chilly, but it was not long before walkers were peeling off layers of gear to enjoy the bright sun and clear skies. Walkers got to see a great sports complex at the start and finish of the walk and passed through a beautiful promenade in Winter Springs. A MeetUp group of Milers revisited the Lake Buena Vista walk on January 31. Thus, we closed out January in the same fashion as we opened it: we walked through Downtown Disney (now called Disney Springs), had our free chocolate samples, and experienced great fellowship. Several Milers rose extra early to make sure we were near the front of the line when Blue Springs State Park opened on February 7. For those unfamiliar with this park, the springs are a favorite spot for Florida s Manatees to escape cold winter waters. The fresh spring water keeps the swimming temperature at about 70 degrees, which makes for a happy manatee. Seeing the manatees gliding in the springs and traipsing through the beautiful park made for happy Milers, too! On February 21, we closed out the Jan-Feb time period with a walk in Leesburg that started at the Sleepy Hollow Complex. Our club treasurer, Sharon Predham, and Pete Fournier mapped the course along with their dog, Layla, a natural herder that also tries to herd wandering walkers back into the group! This walk was a chance to mix walking through residential areas with journeying through the adjoining countryside. The Milers had guest walkers during Jan: Gary and Marietta Pritchard, an Alabama couple, who were travelling through Florida and walking as many YRE s as possible. A small group of Milers (Connie Welch, Bill Paugh, Sharon Axelrod, and Gail Brooks) met them in Deland to do the Happy Wanderer YRE. In the Orlando area, JoAnne Cross, Mike Lanpher, Connie Welch, and Bill Paugh joined in on some of the local YRE s. The Pritchards are avid participants in Volkssports, walking throughout Europe and North America. Page 8

9 Feb 21 Sleepy Hollow, Leesburg Page 9

10 Walker Profile: Dave Piatt Dave was born and raised right here in Orlando. After being inspired by an excellent Edgewater High School Chemistry teach, he decided to pursue an undergraduate in Chemistry and Physics at Florida Technological University (now known as University of Central Florida). After graduating in 1981, he went to work for The Procter and Gamble Company in Cincinnati where he started in Product Development and then spent the remainder of his career in the Engineering Division. His work focused on improving the processing of any P&G product that either was a liquid or was a liquid during manufacturing. This allowed him to do business travel to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. Most of his time was spent on Beauty and Household Cleaning Products with some time also spent on dentifrice. Finally in 2010 he accepted an early retirement package and moved back to Orlando and into the house he grew up in. Since that time he has been involved in extensive home remodeling. Dave knew he wanted to pursue a career in research, so he went to get his doctorate in polymer physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Here he experienced his first real snow. One of his most vivid memories is that first December listening to the radio in the evening and hearing that the wind chill factor was -77 F and wondering, What have I gotten myself into?! Dave s interest in walking began about 12 years ago with need to lose weight and improve overall health. I became a believer in the 10,000 steps-a-day program and have been pretty successful with it. Since moving to Orlando he walks daily in the College Park area. About 3 years ago Dave joined the Mid-Florida Milers. When asked about his favorite activities with Mid-Florida Milers he said, I always enjoy the walks in Winter Park, Downtown Disney and Celebration. I also have a fondness for the Orlando Wetlands Park since I was involved in organizing that walk for the national convention and I am looking forward to our PI Day walk on March 14. I have also enjoyed the Walk Around Florida events. However, what I like best about the Mid- Florida Milers are all the great people you get to meet and walk with. Other than walking, Dave also likes to attend plays, gardening, photography, investing and reading. Once the remodeling is done, he hopes to have more time for his passion for travel. Page 10

11 Pedestrian Safety (Extract from the New York Times, Jane Brody) People 65 and older make up 13 percent of the population but account for a disproportionate number of pedestrian deaths (20 percent in 2012), and sustain more severe injuries in nonfatal accidents. Drivers are not the only ones at fault. They share the blame with cyclists, designers of streets and pedestrians themselves. On a recent fall night at a major New York intersection West 57th Street and Seventh Avenue I had to intercept an older woman with a cane as she started to cross this big avenue when the traffic light countdown flashed a mere six seconds. Many factors increase the risk for older pedestrians. They may not see or hear as well, think as clearly or move as quickly as they once did and some fail to make appropriate accommodations for these declines. Even those who remain mentally aware and physically able well into their Medicare years can become victims when drivers are careless. An overly aggressive driver gunned the accelerator to turn left ahead of coming traffic and came so close to hitting me that I could pound on the hood of his car. He was clearly unaware or chose to ignore the traffic law in New York, and nearly every other community, that gives pedestrians in a crosswalk the right of way. In many places, including New York, drivers are not supposed to attempt to turn around pedestrians until they have walked at least halfway across the street. I had started across a neighborhood street in broad daylight, come cars sped around the corner when the light changed, forcing me to jump back. At corners where cars can turn, I now always look first to see if one is likely to turn into the street I m about to cross. And as many experts have noted, most communities were built for easy vehicular access, not pedestrian safety, which is only now being addressed, almost as an afterthought. Wide two-way streets, often with multiple lanes (think Colonial, Semaron, US 17-92, 441), can make it impossible for an older person to cross on one light. But I m extremely nervous at intersections where there are no traffic lights, as is true on many residential streets and throughout the town I spend most of the summer. True, it has a few stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks marked by ladder-style white lines across the road with signs saying it is a state law to yield to pedestrians. But drivers may not see the lines or the signs. Even if they do, they may fail to notice pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross. Larger cities have cyclists intent on making lights and avoiding mash-ups with cars; speeding cyclists can easily miss seeing pedestrians already in or about to enter the roadway, and the reflexes of an older person may not be quick enough to avert a run-in. Pedestrians too must learn to be on the lookout for cyclists (as well as vehicles that run red lights) even when they are crossing with the light in their favor. There are now two-way bike lanes on some one-way streets that add to the challenge. To be sure, many traffic signals are too short to assure a safe crossing by an older adult, but when the countdown says how much time is left, it makes sense to heed it and be realistic about how long it will take you to cross before the light turns red. Consider timing your walk across frequently used streets and refrain from stepping off the curb unless there s enough time left to reach the other side safely. Too often I ve seen older people starting to cross when the Don t Walk light is flashing; others tend to hesitate at corners too long after they have the opportunity to cross. Walk Statistics for 2015 by Sharon Predham 2015 is starting out as a great year for our Year Round Events. All of our YRE s have more walkers in 2015 than they did at this point in 2014, except for Key West and Palm Beach, which have the same number, and Orlando Marks Street, which has two fewer walkers this year than last. Here are the numbers: YRE Jan-15 Jan-14 Celebration # Celebration # Delray Beach 6 4 Fort Lauderdale 9 6 Lake Worth 6 3 Key West 9 9 Lake Buena Vista Orlando Downtown 13 2 Maitland Miami South Beach 10 6 Orlando Lakes 4 2 Orlando Marks Street Palm Beach 4 4 West Palm Beach 6 5 Winter Park As for our regular walks, we re not doing as well. The first three walks last year had a total of 157 walkers and this year totals 106. The breakdown: 2014 Lake Buena Vista 34; Lake Apopka Trail Walk 55; Eustis Lake Buena Vista 47; Winter Springs 26; Leesburg 33. Now, I realize that on January 24 of this year at Winter Springs the weather was dreary and wet, but last year on January 18 at Lake Apopka it was freezing and windy, and we still had lots of walkers, so weather sometimes has nothing to do with it. As for our February walks in Lake County, the weather was equivalent, and Leesburg is not that much farther to drive than Eustis, so why the discrepancy? So, continue to support the YRE s and come on out to our regular walks. We have some great walks lined up for this year. Page 11

12 Stonehenge Walk in England By Mike Lanpher The British equivalent of AVA is the British Walking Federation. They have walks called Walking Events (our weekend traditional walks), Permanent Trails (our Year Round Events), and National Trails (19 different km trails). The most interesting walk I did in England was the 17 km Stonehenge event: A circular walk mainly over unspoilt country footpaths around Amesbury and visiting the famous Stonehenge site. The route keeps well off the roads and affords an unusual view of the famous monument from Normanton Down burial mounds. I walked this because I had been to the grounds of Stonehenge twice before and wanted to see the site from different perspectives. Leaving from the start sponsored by the Amesbury Walkers the circuitous route brings you to the hills overlooking from the south the site that lies along Route 303, a major east-west route to southwest England. From the Normanton Burial grounds, you get a sense of the massive stones and the many rises in the ground circling the stones, burial grounds that are from 3000 BC. You then walk straight down into the National Heritage site and across the fields to the rise on the opposite side. The recent ground penetrating radar studies have provided even more information than available almost 20 years ago. While I did other events in England, this walk was clearly the most interesting (even more so than walking thru a dairy at dusk). Page 12

13 CELEBRATION MARKS STREET CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION It is always good form to recognize the business and entities that make our Year Round Events (YRE) possible. They host our walk boxes, so that walkers can register for walks, fill in start cards, stamp their books, and pick up walk instructions. Depending on where the walk box is located, the venue can be a place to shop or simply to relax a bit. So far this year, our YRE monitors have presented an AVA Certificate of Appreciation to several of these partners. We have photos from the following presentations: Bill Paugh at the Celebration Starbucks. Mary Walker at the Marks St. Senior Center in Orlando. Mike Lanpher at the Maitland Walgreens. Betty Brown at the Pirates Gove Adventure Golf in Orlando. LAKE BUENA VISTA LAKE BUENA VISTA WALGREENS Page 13

14 TAW DIGEST by BILL PAUGH Here are some of the interesting articles in The American Wanderer (TAW) for February/March 2015: 1. AVA s second president, Dr. Carol Coffee, has been presented with the French Order of the Legion of Honor. This award recognized Dr. Coffee s role in the liberation of France in WWII. The ceremony also honored another 21 soldiers from WWII and was held at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. Besides his service as AVA president, Dr. Coffee founded the Houston Happy Hikers. 2. Robert Wright and Suzanne Right, RN offered tips on how to increase the workout aspects of a walk. They made several recommendations, including: using walking poles to increase upper body strength, bending your arms and pumping them as you walk, and adding in sprints at certain intervals in your walk. 3. John McClellan of the Happy Wanderers provided suggestions of best practices to insure successful events: using clothes pins to attach trail tape along the route, including your AVA event in conjunction with another event like a festival or road race, enticing walkers with a food event. 4. Last but certainly not least, a bunch of us Mid-Florida Milers made the Time to Walk picture album on page 17. Undoubtedly, we are the best looking group in this issue! Walk Volunteers by Sharon Axelrod, MFM Secretary On behalf of the Mid-Florida Milers I would like to say, Thank You! to all our members and friends who continuously volunteer their time to assist us during the MFM walks. Many thanks!! And at this time, I would like to invite those members and friends who have not experienced the fun and comradeship of helping at walks to sign up for a volunteer position at one of our upcoming events. This is a great way to meet fellow walkers and make new friends. (Remember: besides Fitness, we are all about Fun and Friendship). During our Traditional Events, normally the third Saturday of each month we need the following volunteers: Two helpers at the Registration Table, usually 8:00 to 10:00 Two helpers at the Checkpoint Table, usually 9:15 to 11:15 Two helper at the Finish Table, usually 10:00 to 12:00 There are written procedures for each volunteer position so there will be no confusion as to your responsibilities. Also, we will always be sure to pair-up a new volunteer with a veteran volunteer. An organized and successful walk is the result of many helping hands. We encourage all our members and friends to be a part of providing an enjoyable experience to our walkers. Please me (palmtreesax@gmail.com) or call me ( ) if you have any questions. AVA Membership A Reminder We need to know which MFM Members are AVA Associate or AVA Lifetime Members. Please this information to the club secretary, Sharon Axelrod, at palmtreesax@gmail.com. We use this information as part of AVA s Pathway to Excellence Program. We have not heard from everyone as yet, so please reply soon. Thank you for your input! Page 14