CHAMPLAIN — The new Champlain Walking Group is giving residents a chance to safely stay active during the cold, winter months.
Started by Village of Champlain Mayor Janet McFetridge, the group is aimed at providing nearby residents with the opportunity to engage in acts of physical exercise without having to travel far, while also combating isolation by connecting with others in the process.
McFetridge held a trial walk last week at Rouses Point Elementary to gauge how many people might attend regularly and whether or not they would have enough space to accommodate for more.
NO AGE LIMIT
She said 16 people showed up and it wasn’t crowded at all during their laps of the school’s gymnasium.
“I haven’t put any restrictions on it at all,” she said. “I suppose if I got huge numbers I would have to. I just don’t think that I’m going to have to.”
Currently, the group is planning to hold four walking excursions per week. From 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the group will meet at Rouses Point Elementary and again on Wednesdays and Fridays at Mooers Elementary.
There is no age limit to attend.
“That’s what makes it really unique is the age doesn’t really matter,” McFetridge said.
“When you see a youngster holding hands with a great grandma, it’s really sweet … That cross-generational interaction is pretty special.”
AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY
McFetridge said this healthy initiative was kickstarted after the Village of Champlain qualified as an age-friendly community through the AARP last year.
As a result, the mayor participated in a “rural lab” which included monthly discussions with people from rural areas all over the country.
That led to Champlain being selected to participate in an America Walks Leadership Training, of which nine people, including McFetridge, from the Village and Town were “walkability trained.”
Following the completion of that training, McFetridge connected with NCCS Superintendent Robb Garrand to see if she and a group could utilize the school district for walking after hours on certain days.
She said it took about a month of talking with Garrand to make it happen.
“It’s clear in the community that it’s hard to get out in the winter and walk,” she said about her decision to form the walking group.
“As much as the sidewalks are clear and all the crews and all the municipalities work on keeping things safe, it’s just difficult in the winter between the temperature and the ice and the snow. and then a lot of people were just telling me privately that they weren’t doing anything with anyone. They were like, ‘Yeah, I’d like to do something, but I don’t know how to do that.’ and that made me think that maybe the walking and gathering of a few people might open some doors for them.”
CVPH SUPPORTIVE
But before any plans were set in stone with the school district, McFetridge said she had to first find funding to cover the required insurance costs and building use fees, which totaled $350.
The Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Foundation stepped in to fund those costs, she said.
“They were very supportive of the idea.”
Looking ahead to the spring, McFetridge said she’s not sure what the Champlain Walking Group will do then, but she is open to suggestions.
“I think we’ll just evaluate it in probably April and see what people would like and I can talk to the school about continuing it or we can even go up to the track at the high school, maybe, or another location,” she said.
“I think there’s a lot of possibilities with this. People have been messaging me and saying, ‘I want to participate, what do I need to do?’ and I said, just show up and wear your sneakers.”