Happy ending ! (Léa)

It's already the end of this amazing adventure on the Ottawa river. I'll miss this place and most of all every single person I met. It was super cool to share the love of Whitewater.

Last Wednesday was the best day ever, the trip to Lachine ! The waves there are awesome, and it's really spectacular to paddle in front of skyscrapers. Also we had a super good weather. All the conditions were gathered to make us spend an amazing time surfing Big Joe. I really enjoyed surfing with my sister, both of us shouting for joy. I'll come back there for sure !

Last but not least Big Water Beat Down Bacon Thursday. Actually it was the best one. I went to right side Phils for an awesome and also interminable hand surf. After spending a good minute in, my boat was full of water and then hand rolling was quite hard. It finally turned out well after many attempts. I had a huge headache all the day long due to the flow's violence but it definitely worth it.

For our last day on the water, my sister and I decided to do some topo duo -mainly because our boats had already been taken- It was a kind of surf and roll session. I had the most hilarious moment of my life underwater. We went for a surf on right side Horseshoe and then we flipped over, however we didn't have decided yet which side to roll. So we individually tried to roll on different sides for a long time until we finally synchronized our paddle stroke and were on the same side. It might have been really fun to see the boat moving any old how according to the laugh of the other paddlers.

-Léa

Swimming the Lorne

Addy's Very Last, Concluding, Final, End of the Session Keener Post!

Hi everyone! It's Addy and sadly this is my very last keener post. In my three weeks here I have had an amazing time and definitely pushed my limits. I came here with a sketchy roll and bad tecnique but after tons of help from the coaches, I have become a lot more confident on the river! Today I tried two new lines, the boof at the Lorne and the boof at Coliseum, it was tons of fun! I have been working really hard the past few days to surf corner wave on McCoys and today I had my best surf yet. It is so rewarding to finally surf the wave after many times down left side horseshoe upside down, sideways and backwards. One of my favourite memories from my time here was running McCoys top to bottom friday evening right at sunset. The water running into Sadlers was like glass and it was the first time I've seen the rapid with no other boats or rafts in sight. Many of the experiences that I have here are unique to the Ottawa River and the keener program. There aren't many places that you can try challenging lines without serious consequences. As a result of that we are able to have an entire day dedicated to getting beatdown in the rapids, Big Water Beatdown Bacon Thursday. This is definitely one of my favourite days of the week because we are encouraged to try new and scary lines. I'm partly convinced this is because the coaches enjoy the carnage but it's a great day non the less. Everyone helps eachother out in rescues and are super encouraging. It really helps build experince which allows a kayaker to think clearly while in a difficult situation. I'm looking forward to the rest of this week and our trip to La Chine rapids tomorrow! All in all I have had an unforgettable time here at keeners thanks to the coaches, keeners and everyone else that has helped me become a stronger paddler.

Surfing Corner Wave Today!

Jared's third post of awesomeness

Hey there, 2nd week of session 2 or my 3 week of keeners, were super fun. Again, I've learned so many things like how to do a helix to clean blunts.

But this time ill write more about whats going on around keenerville and coll stuff that happened on the river.

So first of all the level of the river have gone up about 3-4 feet in two days! That makes the level to be about +2. The water went up so fast that on Sunday Nicole, Sara, Marleigh and I went to garb in the morning and garb was so foamy and fun. But when we got back from lunch that took us about an hour and a half, neither of the Lorne waves were in. But with that level, corner wave, right side horse shoe, chopping block and right side black are good. Although, even with all of those cool waves and holes, i still miss garb a lot.

Secondly, I just tried a medium rock star and I have a lot of trouble throwing tricks and to toss it around. But it does improve my technique because I really have to do the right movements to actually do tricks. Also, i had a lot of trouble putting my skirt on, it got to the point that i have an open blister on my pom and i needed help to put it on. But that's caused by cockpit rim being slightly larger than a small rock star.

Anyways, I'm happy to be back in my small and I'll be throwing it around at are trip to Lachine rapids on Wednesday. I cant wait to be there!

Me doing a blunt on Corner wave

Nicole Week 8

         Hey everyone its Nicole here again, it has been a great first week here in session three all of the new arriving keeners are great paddlers and great friends already! It is hard to believe that two sessions have already passed by, it feels like just yesterday i was getting out of my car in the keenerville driveway and bringing my bags into Yakistan! Tonight was speech night and Anna our keener mom gave me the speech topic of what it was like being a keener all summer compared to just for one session, and this really got me thinking.
Many people ask me why i chose to spend my whole summer up here at the keener program and the truth is i could not think of a better way to spend my summer. As i was thinking up my speech i came with a two comparisons one was with the coaching staff, having the world class kayakers for our coaches such as Steven Wright, Tyler Curtis, Joel Kowalski and many more is like if you ever had the chance to have a one on one practice with Sidney Crosby a once in a life time opportunity! Our coaches care about us and want to see us improve, they cheer at our failures because we have learned and are even louder at our successes!

Group Seven Week Photo. Hard to believe how fast
the summer goes! 

         The second comparison that i came up with was for the friendships and relationships we grow here, Keeners is a family away from home, i have seen countless graduates of the keener program out on the river as excited to see the keeners they came to know in these short three weeks as i would be to see my own family. Here we truly feels like a home away from home. We as keeners are the luckiest people in the world, we have the immense privilege of wearing our black keener sweater or t shirt and saying that we were a part of the keener program. I am sure that all of us take pride in the fact that we are in this world class program and in conclusion i would like to thank my parents for allowing me to come to this program and I would also like to thank Anna and all of the other keeners for making keenerville seem like home.

Kady's Big Water Beat Down Experience!

Today was Big Water Beat Down Thursday! Every Thursday we push our limits by going into the biggest holes on the river. For my first beat down I surfed left side Phils and didn't get a very big beat down. So for the first time ever I went into right side Phils. The first I thought when I was in right side was to surf out on the tounge but when I tried it spun me around. I was then on my left edge. It flipped me and  I swam to get out of the hole. Next Thursday I will try not swim out of right side Phils. Also today we had rope and nots. We had a chance to propel down the bunge tower. I was scared to do it at first but when I got to the top of the tower the view distracted me. It was so pretty with a sunset over the lake. The rappel was supper fun. I had a slow speed at first but I picked it up a little faster towards the end.  Kady

The Hardest Part of the Day

By Jesse Metzger

Have you ever slipped and fallen while getting out of a kayak? Ever had difficulty hucking your dry exit at a stout take-out? Here's a comprehensive guide to styling what one clumsy paddling buddy of mine always said was the hardest part of his day: getting out of your boat. As with any technical skill in the world of whitewater kayaking, there are a number different methods that can be applied to mastering this move.

One of the most popular is the Scootch-n'-Step, a classic, versatile technique developed by some of kayaking's pioneering paddlers. To initiate it, grab the sides of the cockpit and scootch your butt backwards. With some boats you may be able to continue the move with your butt still in the cockpit, but many paddlers still swear by scootching all the way up to the top of the cockpit's back rim so that your rear rests partially on your stern. In either position, your next step is to slide one leg out and step onto the ground aside your kayak, still gripping the cockpit rim. It is recommended that you move your other foot up close to the seat of your boat for added stability while making the initial step. Finally, slide the foot that remains in the kayak onto the seat, stand up while continuing to use the cockpit rim for support, and step out of the kayak. The Scootch-n'-Step is by far the most stable way to exit your boat in a conventional situation.

The Backdeck Exit provides a tried and true way to get out of your boat on one side. While difficult to master, it can be used with amazing results when practiced correctly. Initiate the exit just as in the Scootch-n'-Step, but quickly scrunch both legs up so that your knees tuck into your chest. From there, turn your body towards your take-out. Proper edge control is crucial at this point in your movement. Place the forearm of your aft arm across the stern of your boat, lean towards shore, and plant the hand from your other arm firmly on the ground beside your kayak as close to your stern as possible. Finally, roll your hips over the edge off the cockpit rim closest to shore and plant first one then both feet on the ground. This can be linked with emptying the water out of your boat for a Backdeck Exit-Dripdry combo.

Another solid method is the Crab Leg, which has become especially popular in recent years. After scootching as in the first step of the Scootch-n'-Step, slide both legs out and plant them on the ground on either side of your kayak with your hands grasping each side of the cockpit rim. Shift your weight forward and move one hand so that it grasps the very front of the cockpit rim and place your other hand on the back end of the rim. For the final step, gradually stand up. This method is only useful at a relatively flat take out. It makes the kayaker vulnerable to tipping in its earliest stages, but once the legs are planted the technique offers unparalleled stability.

The final technique covered in this guide is the Extra-Terrestrial Phoenix Orangutan, a ground-breaking and controversial tactic that should be used only at the most demanding and dangerous of flatwater roadside take-outs. To complete it, simply lean back over your stern with your hands grasping the cockpit rim on either side, slide your butt out of the seat and onto the back of the cockpit rim, and place your legs on the top of your bow before rolling off one side of the kayak. Do this exit without gripping the cockpit rim for a clean ET Phoenix Orangutan.

So there you have it - a diverse list of exit techniques that, when all mastered together, can provide a solid skill set for taking on any Class 1+ takeout. Be sure to look out for next week's installment in which we will discuss what to do when you've got that really bad itch on your leg but you don't want to pop your skirt to itch it cause you might start to float out of a really tight eddy but it still itches so bad.

Justin's walk through on the melt-down line!

Hey guys im Justin and for this blog im going to be walking you through the melt-down line, and what to do! So first off you want to line yourself up so that you will be dropping your bow directly off of the front half of pour-over. Next when you slide off of it you will feel your boat getting pushed under the water, which is when i personally like to drop my right edge and high brace on the left all the way until your boat resurfaces  and you can paddle away having successfully ran the melt-down line on Coliseum! 

Freestyle Friday Sick Day ! (Léa)

   Hi there, it's Léa,
all goes very well so far. Yesterday was competition Friday. It took place first of all in corner-wave, located in McCoys, then in Blacks, on the bottom section of the river. I didn't managed to throw amazing tricks during my runs, but enough to finish at the 4th position on the overall result, and 1st in woman category. I took a lot of pleasure during theses runs, and I really feel an improvement compared to last week.

   After the usual Friday Pizza Party I went to McCoys for an evening session. Surfing corner-wave under the sunset is magical,  and even more when it's in company with super cool paddlers. Everybody seemed to took great delight in paddling there.
   So stoked for the week end, I'm gonna try to run McCoys in topo duo -with my sister- and probably surf some waves. Which might involve getting beat down, but not alone !

Race Day!

Hi, it's Marleigh! Every Wednesday with Keeners, we race. We practice racing in order to further our ability to select the fastest and best line as well as improve our speed. Last week, we did a time trial through Mccoy's, which allowed us to practice kayaking while being timed. This was different because we were under pressure rather than simply running the rapid.

Yesterday, we were put into teams of four in order to race down Mccoys rapid. The first team member ran through Sattler's tongue to the Corner Wave eddy where team member two waited to be tagged. That person then ran back to the top of Mccoys and ran through Phil's tongue down to the Babyface eddy.  Team member three then fairied across the Babyface area and ran back up to the top of Phil's in order to tag the last member. The final person ran the "Sting" and chased down and tagged Edward in order to win.

I was team member three in the race.  It was interesting to race as part of a team because you were counting on those around you rather than only yourself. I think it's more fun to race as a team. Overall, it was another great race day.

Differences Between Keeners and Paddling at Home

    My name is Grady Kellogg and I come from a family of fourteen. Five girls and seven boys including me. I live in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, U.S.A. This is my first time at Keeners and my first time out of the United States. From the first week of Keeners I have found many differences between paddling here on the Ottawa and paddling back at home.
    The main difference is the Ottawa River is big water and has mostly natural wave features. Back at home it is all low water artificial hole features. I have been kayaking for about three years and became very accustomed to these very consistent, mellow, and shallow hole features and almost had never surfed a wave. Hole surfing is a lot different than wave surfing. In most holes you can flip over and stay up-side-down for a little bit before rolling back up and still retain the feature. Also most man made hole features are calm and don't throw you around when waves are bouncy and can trash you a lot easier. On that note, it was a bit difficult to come out here to Keeners used to something completely different than what's here.
    Also, back at home I know everyone, especially my family. Here at Keeners everyone was new to me. I had fun learning everyone's name and making new friends. Some of them had been to Keeners before so they helped me out by showing me how Keeners worked. A lot of the time, at home, I am showing others about the rivers and features even my own family. Coming from that, everyone at Keeners was showing me where to go on the river, so everything was new to me.
    To wrap it up, there a many differences between Keeners and paddling at home. Including the difference in the flows and features, and this is my first time at Keeners so everything is new. I'm having a lot of fun here at Keeners and never want to leave.

What I'm used to.                                                                                   

Tim Truesdell's Tips on the Airscrew

The airscrew is an extremely dynamic trick that involves a 360 degree rotation around an axis in the air, essentially you are doing a complete aerial roll.  Like every trick the airscrew begins with a hard edge to edge transfer which allows the water to reject the boat and send it into the air.  Where the airscrew differs from a lot of the more basic tricks is the start of the rotation.  In order to not land on your face, you have to be leading ahead of the rotation of the boat, twisting and storing the spin momentum like a rubber band.  When the "rubber band unwinds" the boat follows it.   Every person has a different style of landing an airscrew.  The majority of new school boaters have realized that a stroke in between landing can help increase your chances of sticking a snappier, prettier airscrew by allowing you to pull the boat flat and remain on the surface of the wave.  Many people experience the same problem of their boat landing sideways or "panaming."  Like an olympic diver, you and your boat will rotate faster when everything is tucked in.  When one's arms are spread, not only do they catch water, but they also prevent the boat from spinning around an axis, the most efficient way to turn.  The airscrew, though seeming complex is a great trick that opens the doors to a variety of harder tricks.  With a bit of practice and a few "epic fails," face flops, and injured pride you too can airscrew.  The airscrew does not favor people, but the time they put in.

Addy's SRT Post

Hey it's Addy and this is my second post at keeners! This past weekend I did a lot of first aid training and swiftwater rescue training (SRT). It is really useful for white water kayaking and provides lots of knowledge that makes everyone more confident on the river. I learned how to throw a throw bag which is actually harder than it looks but definitally a useful skill in rescue. Practicing this also ment a lot of swimming so we all got to swim down Garb! Today we learned how to safely wade across a currrent solo and in a group while avoiding foot entrapment. My favourite part by far was swimming in the pourover at the Lornes and practicing tethered swimmer rescues. The pourover pushes you down really deep until all you see is dark green water than you are pushed back up and surface downstream. Swimming down in a pourover is key so that you don't get body recirculated which is kind of unpleasent. Finally we practed how to stay calm underwater when our gear or lifejacket gets caught on something. It is a good skill to practice but in a real life scenario, there would be a lot more pressure and it definitally would not be as easy. SRT helped to prepare me for lots of different scenarios on the river and how to act under pressure. I'm looking forward to lots of kayaking this week and some new lines on Big Water Beatdown Bacon Thursday!
Thanks!
Addy

Swimming into the pourover!

Jesse's First Post!

Hello hello!

It's been a wild ride for my first week at Keeners! Incredible to be here. Feels like I'm in the right place at the right time with the right people. I've never before gone a full week of being on the river every day, but I can certainly say that I'm stoked for another full week ahead. A number of us completed First Aid today, then a quick late-afternoon run of McCoy's for three of us, and finally a big Keener game of soccer after dinner and a quick, refreshing swim at dusk. As Ice Cube once said, ``Today was a good day.``

The best moment for me this fist week was Saturday, when Grady and I headed down to Garb in the late-afternoon on reports that the wave was big, foamy, and stickier. And it was - instead of catching Garb a few times out of all my attempts, I was catching it all but a on a few. A couple hours rolled by as we surfed through dinner and into the evening, first with some Kelloggs and a few others, then just with the small, freakishly talented tiny versions of Brody, and finally it was just us two. It`s been rare in my limited kayaking experience that I`ve paddled back to the top of the eddy after a long surf only to drop in again right away, and I`ve never once been on a wave like that! A good, quick spin is still not too easy for me, and bouncing around on Garb was a great place for practice. Apparently I got in a backstab and a few other unintentional tricks, all of which I was unaware of until being told about it in the eddy. I just continued to bounce around out of control in hopes that one of my near-wipeouts was something that could be named. And we got in some solid seconds of face-surfing, too. The evening out was capped off by a lift from WT back up to Keenerville with the least mini of the Kelloggs.

Here`s to two more weeks of paddling!

-Jesse

Kalem's Last Keener Blog (maybe)

I've been a keener for almost three years and thanks to all of the great coaches and thanks to everybody who helps make the keener program run. I have learned many new kayaking skills as well as very important life skills. Keeners has not only help me become a better kayaker, but also a better person. This Saturday, I will be leaving for North Carolina to start training for Worlds, which I will be competing in. I'm very nervous because on my homeriver, which is the Ottawa, is mostly waves, therefore, when I go to Worlds, which is a hole, it'll be very hard to make the transition. Marleigh taught me how to roll (for the most part).

Kalem

Calistas blog

Hi, this is my first blog of this year, I am a returning keener of three years. It is great coming back here and getting to see some old friends and meet some new ones.  Today is Monday, every Monday we get to do speech night, where every keener gets a topic and presents it in front of the rest of the group. This teaches us to have more confidence in ourselves and with public speaking. my speech topic this week was to explain The importance of looking upstream when surfing a wave.  This week we are also going to a trip to Walmart and to see a movie, going to be exciting. This week I am hoping to work in my double pump and maybe some roundhouses. Hopefully this week and next week will be awesome. - Calista

Justin`s blog!!

Hey guys! My first week here at Keeners was amazing! We are learning so much, from First Aid to getting beat down on Big Water Bacon Beat Down Thursday! I`m working on improving so many skills its just crazy how much better of a boater I feel already with new confidence! Everybody is so supportive and eager to learn and try new things there's just a great positive attitude and environment. Its a great feeling to be around other teenage kayakers my age that share the same rare amazing passion for kayaking that I do!

Brody's Tips on the flat water loop

     I always had a hard time with my flat water loop, weather it was not getting enough air, not holding the bow stall long enough or having a bad loop stroke. But really they all tie together. If you can't hold the bow long enough its hard to get air and if you can't get air its hard to get a good loop stroke. And really you only need to hold the bow long enough for one bounce. The Macho move is another way to practice flat water loops. All it is is when you come up to a wave you get on your bow and use the wave to get air for the loop. Those are some ways I found to practice and perfect your flat water loop.

                                                        Brody Kellogg

Léa's first play boating feelings !

Hi everybody !

Here I am, at the Keener program, discovering for my first time freestyle pleasures. What was quite unthinkable a few days ago as I still were in France. Actually I decided to join this program two days before its beginning to develop new kayak skills and especially to play differently with the water than I am used to as a slalom paddler.
   My first days in that type of boats were awesome, and full of new feelings. Also the place is magic, beautiful landscapes, incredible waves, and world-renowned paddlers. It's maybe the best river I've ever run, and the most complete one. Loads of different types of waves as well as right side Phils were I got hardly beat down -amazing feeling of getting out of control by the way-
   Yesterday was Freestyle Friday, so I competed on Garb -which is truly my favorite wave- and made some spins and roundhouses. Next goals ? probably blunt and donkey flips, but still training some basics before trying some new tricks, and of course improve my english level as well.

Jared's 2nd post of awesomeness

Two weeks of keeners has gone by already and so two weeks remains. So this weeks I've learned so many techniques from doing trick to river running.

On a wave i got to do a few panams but there not very consistent and i have trouble sticking them. But i can get my stern over my head and my bow further away from me in the air. Also, i tried getting aircrews but i haven't stuck any cause i land on my side wall and i cork my boat. That happens because i sit up to early into a neutral sitting position. 

Now, while river running,one thing that I've learned is how to properly boof a hole. It's actually pretty easy, you just have to pick up your bow and when you hit the foam, with your bow on top, you just need to lean hard forward so your stern doesn't cache and get flip back into the whole. I learned to lean hard forward the long way, two Thursdays ago i tried booffing right side phil's and got my stern caught and i got a beat down but i did successfully made it on last big water beat down bacon thursday. 

So, i have learned many useful river techniques and I still have two weeks to learn many more.

P.S.: Couldn't find any footage to put on.

Co-ordinator Report Session 3!

It is hard to believe that we are already into Session three, our last session of Keeners for the summer.

Last session ended with a huge increase in confidence and skill level for the majority of the group. A few highlights for me were seeing the group come together as a team to lead some of our lesser experienced Keeners through McCoys.  Here, Charlie, who came into the start of session one without a reliable roll, runs the Phils tounge.

Charlie Dupuis runs the Phils Tongue

Another highlight of Session 2 was the Keener trip. Lower water levels on the Ottawa meant great play, but not as much variety as we had in Session one. To change things up, we took the Keeners on the road to the Gatineau. A mere two hour drive away into Quebec, there is a land of poutine of whitewater. 

The Gatineau is similar to the Ottawa in that it is large volume, pool drop, with large pools below big rapids. Despite Low levels on the Gat, everyone had a ton of fun seeing new lines and new features. Keeners surfed at Lucifers, and take-out waves, and worked on their boat scouting skills.  The highlight of the trip though was the Poutine- a special Quebec concoction of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Delicious. 

Enjoying Poutine... easily the highlight of a trip to Quebec

Surfing on the Gatineau

While we were sad to say goodbye to session two just as things were getting good, I am stoked to welcome Session Three. 

We have a lot of returning Keeners this session, and 8 girls out of 18 total Keeners. The skill level is high, even if the water is low, and if the first week is any indication, the next two weeks should be even more awesome. 

Session 3 keeners scouting McCoys

Stoked for What is to Come!

         Hey everybody! This week has been pretty sweet for me. There are many reasons for this but I have just been in an amazing mood. I was incredibly sad to have to say goodbye to someone I had become best friends with over the last 6 weeks but sadly that is what happens sometimes. It all started on Saturday. I woke up feeling so alive and ready to do anything! After a morning on Cornerwave I had succeeded in making a lot of progress in my playboating in just one day. I was able to stick flashbacks, my first clean blunt and got a lot of pistol flip attempts in and was getting very close at the end of the day. The week has continued on to show even more progress. As Garb has been getting greener I have been able to bring my panams much further past vertical and they are becoming fairly consistent. I would love to be able to go home having figured out clean blunts and airscrews although I know it will take a lot of work. At this point I realize that I will have to put in 110% effort to achieve my goals because I will not get anywhere if I try to do the bare minimum. Hopefully things go really well over the next two weeks and I’m super excited for Comp Friday today!

Clay's Coaches Report Session #2

My first session up here with the Keeners we had some really strong paddlers and a lot of Keeners perfecting their rolls and learning the basics of ''head down while rolling and bracing'' and ''Look Upstream when doing freestyle tricks or surfing'' before moving on to roundhouses, some blunts, and lots of spins.  We seal launched rocks to practice waterfall technique, swam rapids intentionally, talked a lot about river running trip etiquette and of course surfed our brains out as Garb was perfect!

  This second session has just started and we happen to have MANY of the same Keeners as well as some really experienced new arrivals.  While all the kids are great people, I especially enjoy the novelty of coaching more advanced techniques and pushing the challenges of boat control on this higher level.   New to the Team are the ''french connection:''  Lea and Claire - two very talented junior slalom racers who are taking an interest in freestyle and river running, and the Kellog Show:  Grady, Brody and Katy Kellog who are top-notch junior freestyle paddlers from the same very large traveling family.   It's been really fun to see these french girls take 1st place in the races (beating out the boys) and now the Kellog's are forcing Kalob, Tim, Jordan and everyone else to really step up their game.

Today was beatdown Thursday and we focused on some strategies:
1. Visualize Success
2. Look for opportunities
3. MAKE opportunities happen.

These points can be used in all sorts of kayaking but also school, dating, job interviews, and the rest of life.  To test their grasp on these points we surfed some of the biggest holes in the river and the lesson seems to have paid off - only 5 swims in spite of more ''right side phil's'' surfs than I've ever seen!  I was really impressed with the kids' ability to keep focused in the face of utter chaos and proud of the tremendous gain the returning Keeners have made in terms of control and panic management since just last week.

  That's all for this blog report, thanks for listening and hope to see you on a river.

Clay Wright

Nicole Week 6

Alright Keeners! Its been a great first two sessions but its time to move into a new session and it’ll be great you’ll love it. Though it has been sad to see the Keeners that we have grown close with from session two go I am really looking forward to meeting the keeners who are arriving for third session. As I am already talking to you about how sad it is to see the keeners from last session go yet happy to see the new keeners come I am going to touch on something that is often overlooked in the blogs, rather than talking about our week and what we did every day and how amazing the kayaking is; I am going to talk about the physiological aspect and friendship building that goes on in Keeners.

As you know here at Keenerville we are thrown together in houses (Yakistan, White House, Robertson’s, and Istanbul) without knowing each other and suddenly you are expected to share a room with a stranger, and a bathroom, kitchen and common space with six. Not only that but you are expected to share the chores and food, all of these things present challenges as sometimes the people you are living with may not be the type of people you would become friends with at home. I feel like this is one of the most amazing parts about the keener program, you get to meet all of these amazing people who you may never have talked to had they not come to this program the main basis of conversations being kayaking at first then you begin to realize that you actually have something in common with this person who you met a week ago. I have personally seen these friendships bring people out of their shells and make them more comfortable in a social environment.

Scouting at McCoys

The best part of all of the friendships you make at Keeners is that they carry over into everything that you do and it gives you connections world wide for example, in first session I met two people from Norway and two people from Costa Rica, then second session someone from Switzerland with both sessions having multiple keeners from across North America. This is amazing because now I have people to call who may be able to lead me down new rivers and I already have trust in them and know their skill level so it is better than having a stranger lead me down the river.

Thanks for listening

-Nicole

Kady's First Blog

Hi!
 This is my very first time at Keeners and my first time out of the US. It was my fourth day being on the water and it has been great! I really enjoy push button and baby face. At babyface I have been working on some more of my wave moves like round houses and back stabs. Today was Big Water Beat Down Bacon Thursday. I punched through left side phils and tried to surf right side. There was alot of beat downs in right side which lead to some swims. These past four days I have been working on my double pump, my mcnasty, and my round houses. I aslo got my very first macho move! I am a much better hole surfer than a wave surfer so I am hoping that after keeners I can be good on waves too

Scouting McCoys and Right Side Phils

. Kady

Luka's First and Last Post

Today was Big Water Beatdown Bacon Thursday, and it was a blast. for me. This was the last beatdown Thursday of the year for me
, and I had fun hand surfing right side Phil's. I'll be leaving keeners on Sunday, after a three week stay, starting on the second week of the second session. I've had a great time here this year, have become a way better and more confident paddler, and have gotten to meet plenty of people. Even though i'm sad to be leaving this weekend, I've been getting tired for the last little while, so the end of my paddling this summer is rather well timed. Despite the mournful feelings that come along with my departure from the keener program, i'm leaving with many great memories, and i'll be sure to come back next year.

Luka

Chilling with Tim, and Jordan in the Garb Eddy. 

Jordan Week 3

Hello everybody,

Second session just ended, and now all of the new Keeners have arrived for third session. As sad as it was saying goodbye last weekend, it has been great getting to know everybody new this week. Already stoked that it will be a great session!

Personally, these last few days have seen me progress more than any others. I have really started to get comfortable and in control of my boat. I got my first ever flashbacks and super clean spins on corner wave.  Then I also got my first ever flat-water loops. These two tricks were definitely goals, though they are far from perfected. I hope to keep working on them and other tricks. Jordan

Blunts on Garb have also been sweet

Tim Truesdell: week 2

Hey Tim here for my second blogpost,

This week I have adjusted fully into the kayaking mode and mindset.  The waves have been great, if not unreal.  Garb has greened out a little with makes it a little bit harder to catch and stick tricks on, but at the same time, a greener wave allows for bigger bounces.  A wave trick depends on two distinct parts: the takeoff, and the actual trick itself.  In the takeoff, a kayak bounces on one edge and because the water is moving so fast with stronger unbroken surface tension of green water, the boat is rejected from the the water and causing it to takeoff from the water.  Hopefully, a green garb will yield great video footage of big tricks and big air.  Once again I would like to thank my parents, coaches, and anna for some of the best weeks of my life as I continue to pursue new tricks and push the limits of my freestyle ability.  Till next time,

Tim

Addy's First Blog!

Hi there!
Today was my second day at keeners. Almost every line I ran so far has been new to me and on the main channel. Yesterday I ran Phils Tongue and today I ran Sadlers which are parts of McCoys. My white water roll is inconsistant right now so I am working on improving that. I need to work on setting up my arms beside my boat before I try to roll and to keep my arm agaist the side of my boat as I come up.We swam in the pourover at Garb yesterday which was a great way to get used to swimming in currents. I think that I need to work on eddying the most because that is where I have the most trouble. We have been working on rescues as a group which has saved me on more than one occasion (thanks Sarah!). My goal for keeners is to get more comfortable surfing and to learn to spin. Thats all for this week, bye!

Jahn's least favorite post.

Hey guys it is Jah-n again and i am really sad to say that this will be my last post. these last weeks have definitely been some of my favorite memories of my life i cant choose just one to tell you guys about either because there has never been a dull moment. the last two days were spent at srt where i got to learn an incredible amount of useful information.today we went on our river trip which was really fun but the best part was the poutine which is french fries with gravy and cheese curds it is legitimately the best thing i have ever tasted. on Monday we had our farewell speeches which had allot of us tearing up and the rest of us reminiscing.as well as being a great kayaking expierience it has been an amazing cultural expierience i have learned a whole new vocabluary (well almost) and i have met some amazing people along the way.
 lastly i have to put in one big shout out to all of the coaches that helped make this the experience of a lifetime "And that has made all of the difference".

Jared's first blog of awesomeness

Hey, I'm Jared

I know that session 2 is coming to a close and many are leaving but I'm starting my 4 week session. Although, a week has gone by and it was super awesome. 

Something that I've notice at the beginning of the week, is that i am not in shape for kayaking. My abs, my back and even my legs are super sore. I've been getting cramps in my legs just by sitting in my kayak. And in it, my knees get bruised, it has gotten so bad that there's a small gash in it and i have to wear dry pants even though its warm out. In other cases, Wednesday we went to the Gatineau river to do some surfing and some river running. The waves there were pretty good actually, i got to do some blunts and even an accidental loop. The day after (big water beat down Thursday), was super fun but scary! I had a challenge of boofing right side Phil's but I didn't make it and got wrecked. Sadly, the camera wasn't rolling for most people so we didn't get to watch any beat downs. Then today was competition Friday. I didn't get any good surfs but the camera wasn't working so we didn't get everyone's surfs. Although, I can do panams and air screws once in a while on garb! I'm actually really happy cause that was one of my goals for the camp so i'll just concentrate more on my other goals.

So, that was my first weeks at keeners and I'll keep you updated next Friday.

Swissies (Toms) last blog

Hey all,

It's Tim and Tom, the dynamic duo, writing the first ever Keener joint blog.  This week we worked on a lot of new tricks, braving the whitewater gods as we surfed Garb.  Tom worked on his Blunts (a vertical 180 on a wave) and Tim worked on his airscrew (an aerial 360 degree twist on a wave.)  For me this was an amazing time.  I have learned a lot both on and off the water, with english and my boat.  I would thank to everyone for this amazing experience.  I would especially like to thank Anna, the Keener Coaches, my parents, and my uncle Philipe Doux. -Tom

This has been my first week at Keeners and as usual at has been amazing.  I joined in to a session that was already tightly knit, but they were very friendly and welcomed me right in.  It was great to be able to see a lot of my old friends from prior sessions.  At first, my paddling skills were a little rusty, but with the help of my coaches I was able to regain my comfort on the wave and even surpass the point I was at last year.  The progress of my friends in their paddling galvanized me to work harder and try to catch.  Overall, it has been a great week and I am beyond "stoked" to be here. -Tim

 

David's last blog post!!

Hey guys!

Today (Thursday) was the last Big water beat down day. We started off the day at McCoy's, and then went down to push button and garb to surf for the remainder of the day. At push button I was trying to surf and catch the wave the whole time. At first I was having trouble staying on the wave, and then I started to have trouble with getting on to the wave. I flipped every time I caught the wave. I ended up swimming after a run. It was very discouraging and I didn't do anything after that for like 10 or 15 minutes. There was a group of kayakers there that re-encouraged and helped me with surfing after that. I did not know the kayakers and they were not with our group. They helped me out with how to catch the wave, and by the end of the day I got a few surfs in. It is an awesome feeling when experienced paddlers that you never saw before help you out and support you, as if they are one of your instructors.

After kayaking we went to dinner as usual, and then we had ropes and knots. For the past ropes and knots I just zoned out and did nothing, but today was different. I decided to listen and I learned what a mechanical advantage is, how to tie a 3 to 1 or 2 to 1, and how to tie a munterhitch with a quick release. Greg, the instructor for ropes and knots, is a very knowledgeable and friendly guy.

Anyways, I have to go now, but the second to last day of keeners was a lot of fun, and I got a lot out of it. Thanks for reading my last post! Check back next year ;)



--David Koyrakh.

Kate's Final Post: (Swift Water Rescue Training)

Last post for MAX!

So the session is ending off and this will be my last blog. Today we went to the gatineau river as the river trip. The whitewater there was a lot more shallow and the waves where significantly harder to catch. I managed to pull of a lopsided loop and several pirouettes. The rest of week before today was a bit more boring and therefore this blog will be shorter. If your're wondering why it was boring, we simply did SRT (swiftwater rescue training) where we basically swam a lot of rapids/threw throw ropes/ walk across the river currents and get out of foot/gear entrapments. Other than this the only thing else that stood out this week was the friday competition in which I failed at because I was going for a bunch of moves (which I did in trails) but got washed out on the simpler ones. I was at garb and going for
( R-spin / L-spin / L-shuvit / R-shuvit / R-Roundhouse / L-Roundhouse / L-Blunt / R-Blunt / Airscrew ) If I reached to the airscrew during the competition I would be really happy. Luckily I managed this during the trails on my free time during weekends. Thats all. TOMORROW IS BEATDOWN!