Last weeks highlights were a field trip to Pembroke to see the new Batman movie and a trip to Wal-mart to stock up on some snack foods. My big purchase was tupperware bins with locking lids to combat the army of Chipmunks that constantly besiege our Keenerville kitchens. The chipmunks are still around, but have had decidedly less to snack on. Another highlight was having Thomas "Deuce" Fahrun on the water as one of Keener Coaches. Deuce was one of the original Keeners with Joel and Nick Troutman, and it is awesome to have him back with the Keener program. We are excited to have him coach next session as well.
 |
| Our Fearless Leader: Sir Stephen Wright. |
Big Water Beatdown Thursday started with a breakfast of bacon, and a game designed to build communication and trust between the group. The Keeners were paired off, with one Keener blindfolded. The other Keener was then given the task of walking the Blindfolded Keener through a maze/obstacle course- without touching them! They were only allowed to use verbal cues, and they needed to stay behind their partner. This exercise was particularly useful when Kalem Kennedy and Tim Truesdell decided to take out the topo-duo- a two person kayak affectionately known as a "Divorce Boat." In the words of Tim, they were "looking to get beatdown twice as hard." Luckily for them, I think it worked!
 |
| Tim and Kalem rocking the duo- trying hard to surf Left Side Phils. |
 |
| Jordan Launches off the Jump Rock |
 |
| Ziggy surfing in Left Side Horseshoe |
Friday's competition used almost every wave on the river- the "A" class competed with two rides each on Corner Wave and Garberator, the "B" Class had two rides each at Babyface and Corner Wave. The Coaches changed it up by taking 1 ride each on all four waves. There were a lot of ties, and a lot of zeros, as the level was challenging. Once again, Stephen Wright took the win for the Coaches class, followed closely by Joel Kowalski. Nicole Diviney got her first official spin in Competition, and had some of her best rides ever, as did Eve Preucil for the "B" class. In the "A" Class, Luke Eckert took home the win with 90 points. The winning moves were an Air Blunt on Garb, and a Left spin on Corner Wave. Luke started using a Jackson Rockstar this week, and it has made a huge difference in his paddling!
The weekend was leisurely, with the ladies having an early morning session at Garb, and lots of work by Tino, Luke, Sean and Duncan on the Keener Videos. I know I am excited to see them when they are finished. It was Tino's birthday on Sunday, and the girls banded together to make a delicious chocolate cake with strawberries to surprise him. Well done ladies!
There has a lot of practice of boat emptying drills to get everyone ready for our trip to the Lachine rapids in Montreal tomorrow. The LaChine rapids are on the St. Lawrence river which runs through Montreal is a 4 hour trip from Keenerville, but well worth it. The rapids host the infamous Big Joe and Pyramid waves, big green glassy waves that you can get some of the biggest tricks of your life on!
 |
| Jessie practicing boat emptying drills. |
Last Night's speech night was filled with farewell's and "Thank you's"- to the coaches, co-ordinators, Joe, and of course, to everyone's parents for sending them here and allowing them to be a Keener.
We are all looking forwards to our last week together, and it will be sad to see this group go.
Have a great week, and be sure to check back for more blog posts! For daily photos and updates, check the Keener Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/okskeeners
No comments:
Post a Comment