World Nordic Walking Day Coming Up, 10/10/10

Catchy date for sure, but will it help Nordic Walking catch on?

10/10/10. What a numerically balanced date! I was in Jericho (the original in the Palestinian Territories, not on Long Island or elsewhere) earlier this year, and tourism officials said that they had decided that date would be ideal for promoting that ancient city’s 10,000th anniversary. I haven’t heard or read much about it since, but that date is also the lightly promoted World Nordic Walking Day, which was originally conceived of by someone to offer free introductory classes and other NW events. The date might have been selected to coincide with the International Nordic Walking Association’s 10th anniversary,or perhaps coinciding was a  coincidence. Hard to tell, but in any case, I haven’t heard much about that either.

This might be akin to the the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in a forest but no one hears it, does it make a sound?” I’m no philosopher, but I’m wondering, if a “world day” or something or another is announced but hardly anyone knows about it, is it a world day? I’ve been reading yet another string of comments on the Nordic Walking eCommunity forum about the designation of this day, who might be organizing something, if so what they are organizing and who is/isn’t invited to participate.

Meanwhile, below is my sketchy information on who will be offering something on that  day, including basic contact inormation — with California events dominant:

San Diego. Jeff DeMeester’s weekly Nordic Walk coincides w/ WNWD. Call 619-507-9835.

Southern California. Nordic Walk Now founder/president Suzanne Nottingham announced, “Nordic Walk Now will offer a free session, Intro To Nordic Walking, to kick off the beginning of a winter sport training education series that includes a variety of other workshops to help skiers train for their sports.” No specific time or location given, so contact her by E-mail to information@nordicwalknow.com or phone 760-912-4471.

Sacramento. Nordic Walk Fitness hosts a Meetup.com group called Sacramento Area Pole Walkers, which plans a  free 5K walk around the UC Davis Arboretum. This is a free walk.

Australia. Not one day, but rather a Nordic Walking Week, promoted by Nordic Academy and Kinect Australia, wrapped into the monthlong ’Walktober’ initiative with more than 500 walking events throughout the country. Click here for more Walktober info.

Great Britain. British Nordic Walking lists events here.

And that, my friends, is all I know about. Some “world” day.