Tour de Friends: Meet Juliette Fritschi

Meet Juliette Fritschi, Physiotherapist and Urban Poling Master Trainer, is the owner of Pole Walking Australia. She was kind enough to share her background and ideas to help us develop in our Nordic walking journey.

She will be the webinar guest of Nordic Walking Groups on Facebook on May 6 at 7:00 PM Brisbane, Australia time. I linked a time converter so you can determine your local time. You can get the Zoom link by joining Nordic Walking Groups on Facebook.

Let’s get to know her and her work. Enjoy the wonderful photos at the end of this Tour de Friends.

Tell us about you and your group:

What is the proper name of your group? My company is Pole Walking Australia. I work exclusively with the Urban Poling form of Nordic Walking.
What are the links to your group’s website and social media

Website: https://www.polewalkingaustralia.com.au/
Social media:

Facebook: Pole Walking Australia. I also belong to a local group which is Nordic Walking And Urban Poling SE-Qld
Twitter: none
Instagram: juliette_polewalkingaustralia

How did you get started in Nordic walking?

I was working as a physiotherapist in a small Australian rural town in the early 2000’s. Physical activity and exercise options for my patients was not only very limited but also extremely important for them as many had chronic conditions, or needed to exercise for their physical health. I went to a course run by a personal trainer who had been to Finland and had seen Nordic walking there. He collaborated with one of the original developers of Nordic walking poles and brought them and the technique back to Australia. He felt that the term “Nordic” would never catch on here in sunny Australia (!) so rebranded it as Pole Walking.
After my first group got going, I started others and then got interested enough to do further studies on the health benefits of walking with poles. I did my honours and eventually moved to Queensland in order to do my PhD in the health benefits of Nordic Walking in older adults. I still call it pole walking to this day and in my PhD, have defined the term as “walking with the addition of hand held poles, used in opposition to lower limb locomotion.” This means that it can take in various different brandings and techniques under the one umbrella.
After my doctorate, I resumed physiotherapy, working exclusively with older adults. It was then that I was approached by Urban Poling, which is a strapless method of Nordic walking (based in Canada). I now work exclusively with this method because it suits the cohort of people who I mostly to work with, who are older and frailer.

Why did you want to become a Nordic walking coach?

There was no such thing as Nordic walking in Australia at that time that I learned, and the course I did was as a walker and coach together – they called it “Train the Trainer.” I took it back to my indoor exercise group, bought some poles and we started to walk, initially as a one off. However, my exercise group immediately loved it and told me that they needed to start a walking group, so that is what we did! Over time, I refined my technique, trained other members of the group as walk leaders, and they are still going today. I continued to learn with time and practice and did another couple of coaching courses as they developed because it is always good to learn from others and improve.

Where is your group physically located?

I now live in Brisbane, Queensland, and am a member of the Nordic Walking and Urban Poling Group of South East Queensland. In my practice, I run a couple of seniors’ walking groups and exercise classes. In addition to this, I train other health professionals in using Urban Poles for walking, exercise and rehabilitation and am a distributer of Urban Poles.
The Urban Poling company has a model of pole called Activators that is specially developed to be used as a walking aid for those requiring more support with their mobility. However, we also have other models that are similar to classical Nordic walking. Our poles are strapless. Instead of the strap, they have a ledge that walkers place the hand on and use that to push down and back. The pole is in contact with the ground until the hand reaches the hip, then the pole is pulled back up. So there is no grip and release technique, like in classical Nordic walking

Tell us about what your group does:

What is a favorite group excursion? What makes it a favorite?

The South East Queensland group that I belong to is a group that varies from moderate to high levels of fitness. We have a weekly walk along the lovely Moreton Bay shoreline for 6-8 km before sharing a coffee and breakfast together. We often have lovely sunrise photos that we post on our Facebook page.
Once a month or so, we hold a longer walk in the great outdoors. Because we like to differentiate between Nordic walking and hiking, we try to stay to paved and wider tracks rather than hiking tracks.

Do you have a funny/memorable/poignant story you can share about your group?

My very first group consisted of my patients in a small rural town. There was a woman in that group who had had a nerve injury at work and was in constant pain. She was mostly in a wheelchair and was quite depressed. When she started walking with poles she loved them and made a little route around her garden, which she walked every day.
That turned into a route around her neighbourhood, and eventually she was walking 5 km (3 mi) a day around the town. She lost 20 kg (44lb) (she was very large woman) and her carer who walked with her, lost 6kg! She is still a member of the group over 15 years later and puts out their monthly newsletter. I tell people who ask that she is the reason I went on to study Nordic walking and my career changed so dramatically.

Could you share favorite images of your group in action? See the images below.

Tell us about Nordic walking and what makes it so great:

Where do I start! I love the versatility of Nordic walking. It suits those who want to get fitter without running, and it helps with support for those who need it. My youngest group member was 17 and my oldest, 92. It is relatively cheap, because all you need are poles and no fancy gym membership. It is done outside and that is great for both physical and mental health. Finally, it is a fantastic social activity and connects people together in remarkable ways.

Why should beginning Nordic walkers seek out professional coaching?

Having been teaching Nordic walking and Urban Poling for many years now, I can say that those who do not learn properly pretty much to a person will struggle to master it properly and feel comfortable while walking. The technique, once learned, is not difficult, but certain aspects, like poles angled behind, left/right opposing walk to poles, and hills and stairs require practice and correction. Once they get it, you hear and feel the relief as they relax into the rhythm.

How have Nordic walkers managed their meetups during this pandemic?

We were and are very lucky in Australia. We had a two to three month “semi lock down” but were were still allowed out and about locally so many of us just went to our local parks and walked there on our own until we were slowly allowed to resume group walks again. Because it is an outdoor exercise, it has been more accepted by people and authorities alike.

What advice do you have for Nordic walkers who would like to start a local Nordic walking group with friends and neighbors?

Australia is a bit more like the US in that Nordic walking is a small niche and it is difficult to get groups going because of the scarcity of numbers, and difficulty in buying proper poles. Therefore, it is difficult to get people together who know how to train.
The internet has many resources now and I suggest you look around. (I will attach the Urban Poling training links if people are interested in that method).
The woman who started our group did so with a Facebook page, but it still took time.
Although Nordic walking is a skill, once learned, you can basically do it forever and not need a lot of instruction. So if you can learn either from a local instructor, preferably with a friend, then you can get out into the great outdoors and go for it on your own.
The groups that seem to have worked in Australia are those that are free, and open to all types of Nordic walking and poles. We do not charge for walks, but ask that those who come on them learn Nordic walking form a recognised instructor, and there are a couple in our area. Some people have taken online courses also.

What are some life lessons people have learned as a result of Nordic walking?

Doing things with friends is great for the soul, and you never know when you may make a new one (or 5) when you join a Nordic walking group.

Any last thoughts or advice for Nordic walkers?

I would say, get a lesson or three, don’t be afraid to ask questions and get it right, but then relax and enjoy, because that is what life is all about.

Out in the Australian bush: