Walking Moai competition heats up

By Jeshua Erickson

Published Friday, June 26, 2009

Almost every day I get emails from area coordinators who want me to clarify the Walking Moai program rules because teams in their neighborhoods are getting VERY competitive.

Next week I'll post top team scores in each of the three categories, but for now, here are rules.

There are three different prizes:

MOAI PRIZE - The team that walks together as a whole the most times. Each time your whole team walks, you get a point. The team with the most moai points will win. NOTE: if someone is on vacation/out of town, the team can get credit if everyone else walks.

STEPS PRIZE - The team with the most steps. This can be any combination of steps taken by at least 2 team members.

VOLUNTEER PRIZE - The team that as a team does most hours of volunteering. We know that volunteering contributes and is a great friend building activity. For teams that have members who volunteer together, track the hours volunteering. The team with the most volunteering hours will win. (There must be at least 2 team members volunteering together.)

Prizes for the winners in each category include:

1) Dinner in Albert Lea with Dan Buettner

2) Leki nordic walking poles and instruction

3) Being featured on the national AARP website that will be launched in September

4) Photograph in the Albert Lea Tribune

Phone numbers for the Walking Moai program co-directors at the bottom of this article: Moai initiative kicks off. Call Nancy, Catherine, or Jeshua if you'd like to join a moai or start one of your own.