SCOA Globe Walk

Wishing everyone the very best of the holiday season.  See you in the New Year.

Since we can start counting kilometres on January 1st, we thought you might like some information on our first destination – Chichen Itza in the Yukatan (Mexico)

If anyone actually visits this popular site this winter, we would love to see a photo !

FACTS ABOUT CHICHEN ITZA

1. This famous Mayan site may not be entirely Mayan.
   • It is true that Chichen Itza was built in two stages – the Pre-Classic or Formative period, completely dominated by the Mayan Civilization and the latter period with influences of the Toltec regime.
2. Chichen Itza gets its name from a cenote nearby.
   • A large cenote also called the Sacred Cenote and believed to have been used for sacrificial purposes. Chichen means “mouth of the wells”
3.  The main pyramid nests multiple smaller pyramids inside it.
   • the Kukulkan Pyramid (30 meters in height) nests within itself two smaller pyramids (20 meters and 10 meters tall).
4.  Monuments of Chichen Itza were astronomically aligned.
   • You can see a round-shaped observatory, the El Caracol, which was specifically used to gauge the positions of planets and the sun.
   • The Pyramid of Kukulkan has 365 steps – 91 on each side and one at the top. This equals the number of days in a year. The huge pyramid, in fact, functioned as one big calendar.
5. The Serpent God, Kukulkan descends on the pyramid twice every year.
   • During the spring and autumn equinoxes the sun forms the shadow of a serpent, slowly moving down the stairs as the sun sets, when it merges with the serpent head at the bottom of the stairs.
6. Apart from mysterious shadows, Chichen Itza is home to mysterious sounds!
   • If you clap your hands at the base of El Castillo’s stairs, you can hear an echo that is unlike anything else. It sounds like quetzal, a bird that was considered sacred in the Mayan culture.
7.  Chichen Itza had the largest ball court in the Americas.
   • The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza is the largest in the Americas. The deadly but popular ball game of Mesoamerica was played here. Losers were decapitated at the end of the game.
8. Gruesome death practices were openly flaunted in Chichen Itza.
   • The land of the Mayans was not only about fun and festivities. It was a lot about gruesome sacrifices and brutal death penalties. Quite similar to what occurred at the Colosseum in Rome.
9.  Until 2006, tourists were allowed to climb El Castillo.
   • The pyramid was banned to climbers in January 2006 when a woman tumbled to death while descending the steps.
10. . Chichen Itza met a mysterious end.
    • The glory of Chichen Itza declined and the city met a mysterious end in the 14th century. The residents moved out never to come back to the city again.

(from storiesbysoumya.com)

Learn more about our seven destinations at the Globe Walk Launch (January 6, 2020 – McClure United Church, 4025 Taylor St. E. – 1-3 pm).  Doors open at 12:30.

Register by emailing globewalk@scoa or call 306 652-0027

The SCOA office will close for the holidays beginning Monday, December 23rd .  We will reopen on January 6th.

There are still a few lanyards left for those Globe Walkers who would like to use the indoor track at the Field House this season.  They make a great stocking stuffer!

We are sold out of the 1-2 pm time slot for all days but if you don’t wait too long you can still get a lanyard for Monday & Wednesday from 2-3 pm or Tuesday & Thursday from 2-3 pm.

They can be purchased at the SCOA office in the Field House.  If you need a parking pass, you will need to bring your plate number.

Don’t miss out on the best fitness bargain in the city!

AND DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR OUR 2020 GLOBE WALK LAUNCH! 

IT’S MOVIE DAY! (See detail in the previous post). 

Call Beth at 306-652-0027 or email globewalk@scoa.ca

Don’t forget to add  Monday, January 6, 2020 to your calendar.  It is our first Globe Walk event of 2020 – and it is going to be a lot of fun!

It is MOVIE DAY! Come watch a film and enjoy nibbling on popcorn while you do.  The film is on the new 7 Wonders of the World (our theme).  Find out why these seven sites are so special.  The movie will be followed by a new physical activity for you to try.  The event runs from 1 – 3 pm at McClure United Church (4025 Taylor St. E.).  Doors open at 12:30 pm.

Please register if you plan to attend.  There are limited spaces and in order to purchase snacks we need to know the numbers.

Our last day in the office, before Christmas, will be Friday, December 20.  If you can register by then, it would be great, but if not I will check for phone or email messages until January 2nd.

To register email:  globewalk@scoa.ca or call 306-652-0027.  If I am not in the office, you can leave a message on the phone and it will be forwarded to my email.

REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN START COUNTING KILOMETRES ON JANUARY 1, 2020

(A Great Idea for a Stocking Stuffer)

LANYARDS GO ON SALE  DECEMBER 9, 2019

9 am – Noon  &  1:00 – 3:00 pm

Room 3 (across from the SCOA office) Saskatoon Field House

Globe Walk is just around the corner.  For those of you who choose to use the indoor track at the Field House as your preferred exercise venue, Globe Walk is, once again, offering lanyards for sale at $20 which includes a parking pass.   You must have your licence plate number with you to be issued a parking pass).  A lanyard will give you access to the track for one hour, twice per week (some people purchase more than one).  For about a dollar per visit you can walk the track during any one of the following time slots:

Mon & Weds     1-2 pm  OR  2-3 pm

Tues & Thurs    1-2 pm  OR 2-3 pm

IT IS THE BEST FITNESS DEAL IN TOWN!

Lanyards sell out quickly.  The early bird sale is the best way to make sure you get the time slot you want.

Remember –  You have to be a registered Globe Walker to take advantage of this great price.  Make sure you register with your team captain or contact Beth at globewalk@scoa.ca or 306 652-0027 to join the SCOA team.  The lanyard is good from January 1st to April 30th, 2019.