slaying the beast

hey internet, gustavo here
after a couple of weeks in the keener program the water got to the perfect level and we were able to run the rapid "dragon's tongue" in the middle channel of the ottawa river. if you didn't already know this is the biggest scariest rapid we get to run while here at keeners. while running this rapid i managed to go too far right and ended up hitting the front of my boat against a rock and denting  it really good, but thank god i was alright. after seeing everyone else who ran it do it successfuly i was not about to give up on running the hardest rapid on the river.

next time we ran the middle channel i was reluctant to try dragon's tongue again, trying to convince myself that i had already done it, but i knew that floating down and almost breaking my boat was not enough. i had to slay the beast that is dragon's tongue. after scouting the rapid and thinking it through, i decided to run the rapid. i started paddling down and almost went to far left and hit the boof of destiny, but managed to paddle right at the last moment and hit the line straight on.

The Upper Petawawa (Ben Heath)

Today was our roadtrip day! The day started for us at 6:30, and by 7:00 we were out to the river. The river was only about two hours away, so the drive was not bad at all. However, the Upper Pet, like almost all nature runs, had a bit of an approach to it. While the two mile flat approach was not bad in comparison to many other longer and steeper approaches, it was still hard for someone who was not used to hiking with all of their gear, and a kayak on their back.

 By the time we all finally got to the put-in, it was cold, and had been raining for twenty minutes with no sign of letting up. When we finally got on the river after eating a quick lunch, many of us were cold, tired from the hike in, and put down by the rain. However, as soon as we reached the first rapid all of those feelings were replaced with excitement and adrenaline. The first rapid consisted of a beautiful 8 foot boof. With no hole or real pourover  underneath, this was a great, safe place to practice boofing. After running a few laps on the boof, we continued down the river. 

Scouting on the Upper Petawawa

The river was not like the Ottawa. Instead of having mostly big water, this river was much more creek like; shallow, rocky, technical, and lots of little but powerful holes to boof. It was definitely fun to switch things up and try a different style of whitewater. Throughout the day we would get out to scout the bigger rapids we came across, as well as practiced reading the river as we went, following the coaches. Towards the end of the day we came across another big 5-8 ft boof, which was super fun and safe to run. After running a few laps on that, we proceeded down to the end of the river, where we were fortunate enough to take out right by the van. After loading everything up, we embarked on our journey back home! And thus ended our day. 

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard- Julie Zebrowska

Hey readers! For the last time this year, it's Julie posting about the amazing experience that is the Keener program.

To begin, I've had a few accomplishments that I'm proud of since my last blog. Last week, I ran Elevator Shaft, got my whitewater hand roll, surfed left side Phils, and did a loop for the first time. In addition, today we had our road trip to the Upper Petawawa. Paddling this beautiful river was an amazing opportunity, as it was new and refreshing, and taught me plenty of river running skills.

Running one of the biggest rapids on the Upper Petawawa

The highlight of the day was watching three Keeners get worked in a hole at the bottom of a rapid, which resulted in two swimmers, and lots of entertainment for those who got the privilege of spectating. If things weren't going well enough, I won Speech of the Night for the third time out of the six speech nights I've attended since starting in this program. But the glory of having the best speech isn't nearly as important as what I feel I've gained from speech night. As much as I hate public speaking, I can notice how much my confidence and comfort level have improved in regards to talking to my peers. I've grown to realize that everyone is in the same boat, (no pun intended) so nobody will judge me if I fumble. This has really help me overcome my fear of public speaking, and I'm much more comfortable discussing improvised ideas.

As we all know, this is unfortunately my final blog of the year Since I've never been skilled at writing conclusions or aging goodbyes, I just want all my coaches and fellow Keeners to know how grateful I am of their support, motivation, kindness, patience, and friendship. I have never felt to welcomed or at home as as I feel here. I've learned so much, and have so many memorable moments to take away from this experience. This isn't a "goodbye", since goodbye means forever. Instead, this is a "'till next time",  until I get to come back next year for another awesome session of bonding, boating, and beat downs.
-Julie

The Scariest Moment of Keeners – Hunter

Well this my scariest moment so far. I did not know what to do. I was stuck in an eddy that jetted me straight into a sketchy hole which flipped me and I returned to the eddy, repeat cycle.

I was trying to do a line called the pipeline. This is a line in the Lorne where you go to the far right and punch through a curler and continue down the rapid. Well for me this did not work. I punched through the curler but in the process I was thrown to the right. This sent me straight into a rock wall. Which I found had an eddy right at the base. Well at this point I was relieved. I thought sweet an eddy i can sit here for a second and figure out how to get back on line. Well as I was thinking I didn't realize that I was thrown into a viscous cycle. I went backwards into a very flushy hole and was flipped I thought ok, alright just roll up and when I did I was back in this eddy well this sucked me right back into that hole. I flipped and rolled up again. 

Well by this point I had had quite enough of being thrown around. I tried to peel out but I was facing down stream in a very boily eddy right against an almost sheer rock face  that was less wide than my boat. I tried to turn around to face up stream and caught an edge. This threw me into the hole. Roll up again this time I notice Claire, an instructor.  I yell “what do I do?”I assume she responds with wonderful words of wisdom but I don't hear them for I am in the hole again.

 Well this time I am really determined I yell again but at the same time I also try to peel out backwards. This did not work I am back in the hole. Well I decide that this is a lost cause and pull skirt. This was a bad idea. I end up going through this process again but this time without my boat. When i am thrown back into the eddy the rock wall hugs my face. Without a boat or paddle I am powerless in the water. When you pull skirt it is generally a please god let this swim be a way out of this hole or up for air i do not want to be recirculated any more. Well this did neither of these things for me. A boat is like a giant life jacket that you can do fun things in well when you jettison from that life jacket you no longer have that buoyancy. I was getting  recirculated without my boat in something I couldn't deal with in my boat this was not a good time. I was scraping my fingertips across the rocks when I floated by to try to slow my descent into that horrible hole. About the third time around without my massive orange Jackson life jacket, my fingers stuck. It was a wonderful experience my fingers were painfully wedged in a small crack in the other wise smooth wall. 

I started to climb, it was hard there were almost no footholds only slightly less steep sections of rock but i quickly made it to the top. At the top I found Clara throw rope in hand. I knew that the next time around I would of had a rope to grab onto. Standing at the top she checked me out made sure I was okay while she was doing I proceeded to almost fall right back in. Well she grabbed be and I sat on the edge of the rock regaining my breath. When all was well I walked down the island and watched as my boat was saved and brought back to my slightly shaky hands. 

There was no paddle. We went down stream to the push button eddy which is a big comfortable sluggish eddy where we asked if anyone had seen my paddle everyone said no and told me to walk back up pushey and look for it there in the big pool except the last person in line who had the brilliant idea of asking me if my paddle was the one saved a minute before and placed on shore. I was finally reunited with all my gear and the story telling began.

Nick Finally Learns a Trick!

Hello again its Nicholas,

Smiles from Keenerville

When I came to Keeners I had know clue what I was doing in the playboat and would jealously watch the senior Keeners do these complicated and impressive tricks. Each time they flushed off the wave I would pick their brains and try and figure out all the little details about whichever tricks they did. On tuesday, the trick that I had gotten into my head to try and "master" was the roundhouse. the roundhouse is like a shuvit with the pivot point being the bow and with the stern going no greater than forty five degrees up. After surfing corner wave a few time just to get a feel for it, I finaly decided to give it a few tries. My first two were total failures and after that I had trouble catching the wave. I talked a lot with Clay Wright and he gave me a key piece of information which was to get onto a left edge before switching to the right edge which would help me gain lots of momentum. After putting all the pieces together I finally landed it and I was STOKED!! After lunch I worked a lot with both Clay and Stephen to slowly make it more consistant. I am now quite comfortable doing this trick and am excited to learn another!!

PetaWawa WeeWaa

Yo!
and welcome to David's last blog post!

So far the last week at Keeners has been great. Monday and Tuesday revolved around practicing freestyle. In the morning we practiced in flat-water and surfed Push Button, and in the afternoon we paddled back up to surf at McCoy's. I've been getting more spins and a couple roundhouses. Yesterday I decided to give right-side Horseshoe a try, where I successfully spun and somehow managed not to flip (it's one of the more powerful holes).

Today was our road trip to the Upper Petawawa! It was an awesome experience and I took a lot out of it for sure. For example there were a a lot of boofs including 5 foot and 8 foot drops. A few of us even jumped off a ~35 foot bridge. Needless to say today a lot of us experienced our biggest drops, both in and out of our kayaks.

Scouting on the Petawawa on one of the biggest drops. 

Anyways... there's only two days left of Keeners and I can't imagine going back home. My parents arrived at WT today (they are also on a vacation). When I saw them it hit me that Keeners is really ending.

Peace. Keep your eyes out for my blog posts next year.
-David Koyrakh.


Big water beat downs, high water Colosseum, surfing rad waves, world's best kayak instructors, awesome people...
I don't want to leave

Isaiah Galbraith's Last Blog

Hello Readers,

This is once again, Isaiah Galbraith. That 17 year old that only wants to be on the water in his boat. Well, this appears to be my last post, but I don't want it to be another sad goodbye, when really this is just a new beginning. 

Keeners has made many things that seemed impossible for me to ever do, seem possible. It has developed my on water skills to a level I would feel very comfortable with teaching others. Keeners has also changed me off water. I have become a much better leader, I no longer talk to others, I talk with them. I have learned the difference between a good and bad leader. There's just so much that keeners has taught me. But once again, I don't want to end my last post talking about what other people have talked about. 

There are so many things I could talk about, but it seems as though everything has already been said. So as I sit here, trying to find a topic to write about, I don't feel sad. I feel surprisingly happy. I keep trying to think about the best moment, or the most  memorable moment. But in reality? The only way I can sum up my experience, is to simply say that I am an ex Keener now. 

So as I start my last week, of the last session in my life. I will remember that for now, I can call myself a Keener. I can look at my coaches, the creator of the loop, the current record holder for the highest scoring ride in freestyle as well as record holder for longest mystery move, as well as the new generation in paddlers. I can look at any of these legendary paddlers and be able to ask them to teach me how to loop, how to bow stall, or even what I can do to improve my forward paddling. 

This last week is what will be my big bang. I can't wait to see what lies next for me. 

Until then! It's time for me to go paddling some more on this beloved river. 

Goodbye.

How to perform a loop/Space Godzilla trick in a kayak by Max

Loops are some in m opinion one of the coolest tricks out there. They are a front flip done in a hole or wave feature. Loops are easiest in holes or steep angled waves. To setup angle your boat perpendicular to the feature. Lean forward and plug your bow under the water(kicking down helps). This will create the potential energy needed for the pop. Right before you feel the boat is about to jump back up again help it. Jump up and do a regular front flip motion like you would on the trampoline where your hands and body curl towards the boat. By now the loop should be half way finished. The final and last step is to throw your weight back with the paddle blades over your head to push away any water in case your loop falls short.

If you are having troubles plugging
Try to reduce the amount of movement on the wave and plug slowly. A perfect deep plug helps in getting giant air. An air bonus is awarded in competitions

If you are having troubles landing on waves
Loops are occasionally difficult to land in the feature. Big waves with a big foam pile help in the landing, while small waves will push you down stream once you plug in the green. There is no sure way of landing these tricks yet jumping upstream seems to help.

Loops in small holes/waves
While approaching for the plug do so slowly, back paddle while approaching and don't plug nearly as deep.

To re-iterate
1. Plug leaning forward and perpendicular to the hole/wave.
2. Stand up and do a front flip motion ending back up on the bow.
3. The loop stroke: Lean backwards and use the paddle above you head to recover if the loop falls short

Continuing onto the Space Godzilla
Once you've mastered the loop you can try the Space Godzilla which is an off axis loop to the left or right. Instead of doing a front flip motion directly forwards do it aiming to one side of the boat. Occasionally, loops may turn into Space Godzilla's if the plug comes in at an angle.

Things to remember
 - The plug determines whether your loop/Space Godzilla will be successful/have air or not
 - Time the moves individually.
 - Remember the loop stroke
 - If you get one thank Clay wright for inventing the loop



------------------------
An update for family (Not Loop/Space Godzilla related)
------------------------

I've learnt a lot and can't wait til a competition day because I've had some nice ~200-300 point rides in some holes. I've also learnt to double pump which is where you get on to your bow in flat water. I have had too much fun and a week remains :(. There is also a rapid known as Garvins which includes different lines. These are Dragon's tongue, Elevator Shaft, ST chute, WT chute/Staircase. I've run all of these, but the one I'm most proud of is Dragon's tongue because it is huge. Here is a picture http://goo.gl/YSMGeD On Thursdays we get beat down in giant features to get comfortable in situations and not swim. I haven't swam for all the time here which I am quite proud of. There was recently a time when I got stuck in a wave/hole known as right side horseshoe that was really difficult to surf out of. I must've spent 4 minutes in it trying to get out but plugged for a fail loop and it spit me out. I also almost lost my paddle when I was told to try a hand loop. I paddled onto the wave and threw the paddle back into the eddy but no one caught it and it went down stream. Luckily Kalob Grady found it. I'll be back soon.

Chase Shebey- New moves

Hello readers,
 Its Chase Shebey again, It is my 3rd week of keener now and i couldn't love it here any more than  i already do. I have learned so many new things from all of the worlds best kayakers. Like the other day, i landed my first blunt in infinity wave. Kalob and James taught me how to split wheel the other day and i already have it down on flat water. Before coming to keeners, i didn't even have a bow stall; now it is effortless to double-pump into a bow stall for about a minute. And it is always amazing to see Steve-o throw massive loops like its nothing. just being around the coaches, it is crazy how fast you pick up things. I just can't wait to get back to show off to my dad with all the new moves I've learned!

Burnt eggs and bagles: By Isabel

Burnt eggs for breakfast!!!!!... Again!!!

     No matter what I do my fried eggs always burn. Maddie and Julie's eggs are always so perfect! I want to be able to make eggs like that. I love making my own breakfast and having freedom like we do at keeners. I imagined myself making gourmet eggs with toast but most days I have a bagel with cream cheese, cereal or burnt egg sandwiches. I didn't realize living with other people and keeping clean alone would be so easy!! Yakistan is the girls cabin. Its where Julie, Maddie live. There are only three of us this session so its easy to keep everything in order (except the dish rack, it never gets emptied!!) The house of two couches, box shaped kitchen, three small bedrooms and a bathroom sounds pretty big , but if you were my family of 6 it definitely wouldn't be. Its the perfect size for Julie, Maddie and I to live very comfortably.  We sweep the floor and clean the bathroom and dishes every morning before we leave and make sure to make our beds. Its week 2 and every once and a while when I don"t take a shower my bed gets covered in dirt and I haven't put my sheets in the dirty laundry, so I just throw my sleeping bag over my bed and hope nobody looks to see the mud and dirt... especially Anna!!!!

Swiming High-Water Coliesium by Jack Carroll

          Hey readers this is Jack Carroll with another amazing blog. Have you ever looked at a huge rapid and been told you are going to swim down it, well I have. Today on Big Water Beatdown Bacon Thursday the water level was around 6 and a half, so Coliseum was gigantic. Big Kahuna was massive. When we got out to scout our line down the rapid we were soon told that we would be swimming it first.

           We started of our swim by walking far up stream on the river left shore. After we got to the top, we jumped into the water and began to swim out into the middle of the current. We all lined up to follow Jahn down the rapid who was in a kayak.As we approached the rapid we knew our line. We were to start off just river left of the White Face Monster which was just starting to form. After we passed it, we were to move river right. As we approached the rapid, we were told a spew of directions, including HARD LEFT!, HARD RIGHT! Once we drew closer we decided to ignore Jahn and choose our own lines. As we approached the lip of the rapid we all began to swim. As I broke through the first wave, I looked forward and saw a massive wall of whitewater before me. I swam into it and was engulfed by the water. I swam to the surface and got a quick breath before the next wave hit me. I swam right and over a ledge of rocks. Luckily I flattened myself onto the surface and my life jacket took most of the beating. After this, the group swam out on shore and walked up to the top of the rapid and swam across to our boats. Finishing off the day by paddling this rapid, which seemed pretty plain compared to what we had just experienced. After enduring one of the worst possible outcomes we weren't as afraid of the rapid anymore. This was a great experience for all and a day to remember.

Swimmers View of High Water Colliseum

Celebrating Post Swim

Thanks for reading,
                              Jack Carroll

Goal Setting at Keeners

Goal setting is an extremely important aspect of kayaking because it is the only way you will ever improve your skills and become a better paddler. Even the best of the best kayakers have ways they could improve their skills and set goals.
 The purpose of goal setting however is not to set an unreachable goal such as learning an airscrew if you have never surfed a wave before but something more attainable and specific such as learning how to cycle on a wave so you can progress towards bigger tricks.

The best goals may not even be to get an airscrew on Corner Wave or get a spin at S-bend. The best goals are ones that are specific such as improving your edge to edge transfer for a blunt or roundhouse, or about remembering to throw your body under you in an airscrew instead of out to the side. The point of goal setting is to make you work for something but also to reward you for achieving your goal so you can work towards your next one.

Race Day For Nick

Hello again its Nicholas!

Getting ready for Race Day

 This past wednesday was race day for us keeners. I was in a group with Clay and Juan and a whole bunch of other keeners and we were all really excited for racing! Our first race was held on the Iron Ring. This rapid is super awesome with challenging moves and eddies to catch. Clay Juan and the rest of us eddied out above the rapid to get out to scout and find a fun and exciting race line. Finding a race line can be tricky as I found out, there are a lot of things to take into account like, what eddies to catch, what landmarks do we need to touch with our paddles, and time penalties for missing them. After we all decided on a suitable race line, we started to head down one by one. When it came to my turn I was a little nervous as to how fast I could go and wondered how well I could do. After I heard Clay yell "GO!", I launched in and started paddling hard. As i dropped into the rapid, I threw a hard stroke on my left side which propelled me forward and I suddenly found myself in the first eddy. To move past the eddy, you must use your paddle to hit this big chain on a rock. As I went to attempt this, I found myself spinning completely around and immediately dug deep with my paddle to get myself back to the chain. After successfully hitting the chain, I paddled as hard as I could back into the current to reach the opposite shore to end my time. as I looked back at Clay, he signaled to me that I had done it in 47 seconds. This was enough to win and I was extremely thrilled with my performance, although, next time I hope to improve it!

The Choices of the Ottawa by Ben Heath

When people think of the Ottawa river, they normally think of Mccoy’s Rapids, along with the main channel. The main channel is the classic Ottawa river. It is the home of the Colosseum Rapid, one of the biggest and most challenging stretches on the river, as well as so many amazing features, such as Pushbutton, Garburetor, Waikiki, Mini-Bus, and of course the world famous Buseater Wave.

However, not all of these features are in at the same time depending on the water level. At some levels, none of them are even in! Right now, with the river level at 6 ft, only Waikiki is in, leaving the main channel without many features to play on.

However, the main channel is not the only part of the Ottawa River. After Mccoy’s Rapids, the river parts. If you were to continue straight instead of hooking a right to go to the main, you will be brought to the Middle channel of the Ottawa. The Middle channel is definitely a step down from the Main as far as size and difficulty goes, but it is able to hold it’s own as far as features go. With the water level at 6 ft like it was today, S bend, Butterfly, and Upper No Name were at prime play levels. Instead of camping out at Waikiki for hours, struggling to get a quality surf, we were able to surf on these beautiful features without any real effort to catch them.

Even thought many people tend to view the Middle channel as a smaller, wimpier brother to the Main, it can be easily forgotten that the Middle is home to Garvin’s Chute, arguably the hardest rapid on the entire river. Garvin’s is a rapid that is normally just portaged by boaters, because it is normally not runable at all at lower waters, and when it is, it is definitely a challenging rapid. Garvin’s is not just one rapid however, it is actually split off into four different drops all adjacent to each other. Elevator shaft on far river right, followed by Dragon’s Tongue next to it, then ST Chute, and then WT Chute.

Running WT Chute

All of these, with the exception of WT Chute, are very challenging rapids that are super
fun to run, and definitely make the Middle channel a great, if not better, alternative to the Main channel.

Race-Day Wednesday

Hey its Maddie with my second blog ;)

 Depending on how familiar you are with the keener program, you may or may not have heard of Beatdown Thursdays, the day everybody at keeners voluntarily subjects themselves to scary lines usually involving even scarier holes. Evidence of Thursday's carnage is likely posted frequently on this blog, complete with floating paddles and (hopefully) floating paddlers. What you may not have heard of, however, is what happens on Wednesdays. The slightly less famous, yet no less entertaining day we all forget to be scared of that hole we got stuck in on Thursday; paddling right through it on the way to the finish line at the end of whatever rapid we happen to be racing. Believe it or not, Race-Day Wednesday is often responsible for more swimming kayakers than any other day of the week. If you imagine trying to hold you're breath while running a marathon then you might have an idea of what its like to flip during a race. Today we got especially lucky because we got to do a boater-cross down coliseum rapid, with many people getting lost in the foam pile that is Big Kahuna. I can only imagine how entertaining it was for our coaches.
The first race I participated in must have been particularly entertaining because almost everybody missed their line by varying degrees, resulting in multiple upside-down kayaks being surfed in the middle of Big Kahuna, all trying in vain to continue downstream. Because racing isn't my strongest point I was last coming down the rapid, and all I remember right before I got eaten by the wall of foam was the hull of another kayak coming down on my head. Needless to say I didn't finish that race very quickly.
Luckily my last race was more successful and I came in a very close second (like ridiculously close) and although I didn't win I had a much better line that didn't involve running through every hazard you could find. All in all race day was really fun and I think we all learned a lot of river running skills as well as the best way to knock someone out of your way on a frantic race to the finish.

Carnage by Zach Ruben

In all of the other sports I have played in my life, none compare to whitewater kayaking. Especially at Keeners. There are many reasons for this, but one big one I will talk about today is because carnage is considered awesome in this sport. If a paddler messes up a line and is forced to go down a gnarly section upside-down, or if someone gets a massive beat down, everybody applauds that individual. The love for carnage here at Keeners is unreal. For those of you who don't know exactly what carnage is, you are probably pretty confused. Let me explain. The word carnage means "The killing of a large amount of people." Now obviously this doesn't seem like something kayakers would love. But, for us, carnage has a different meaning. In kayaking, carnage is just another word for a beat down, or a botched line that goes horribly wrong. Whitewater kayaking is basically the only sport in the world that loves it's failures almost as much as it's victories, and that is another reason that I love this sport so much. Until next time -zach

Jack Caroll experiencing carnage in Phils Hole

when everything "clicks"

hey internet Gustavo here on the second week of keeners session 2.
Have you ever had that sensation when you do something and it just feels perfect? Even if that something is done daily by other people or even you have done it before but its just this time that you feel that something clicked and everything was perfect even if you know it wasn't. Like doing a skateboard trick and just feeling that it was the best anyone has ever done, or doing a loop in a small hole and feeling like you can do anything.
Yesterday, with the water level at just the right level we were able to surf the Waikiki wave at the bottom of the Lorne. This is a very challenging wave because you need to do a long ferry into the wave. After many attempts I finally managed to get on it, and realized why it is such a great wave. it is steap with fast moving glassy water going into it, this helps you get crazy air while not having to stabilize yourself. after an hour of surfing there I was only able to get in twice, but got one of the best surfs in my life almost sticking an air screw. It was there with that air screw that I didn't even stick that I felt that it clicked. It is in those moments that you know why it is that you love what you do.

Lapping Boof of Destiny

A couple of weeks ago me and my buddy Max ran the Boof of Destiny on Dragons Tongue for the first time. I really liked that line and I wanted to run it again. Yesterday, we went on the middle channel and the level was around 5 1/2, it was a good level for the boof. Before lunch, I tried to do it two times but I kept missing the line. I tried to cut across from river right to river left and hit the boof. It did not work and I had to try another way. After lunch I decided to scout so that I could style the line. Instead of cutting across, I decided to line myself up with the curler that goes into the hole and be just to the right of it. I was flirting with disaster by being close to that curler. I did two runs in which I styled the line and was able to cross the line to river left. I wanted to do it again for the third time but it did not go that smoothly. I boofed into the eddy between the hole at the Boof of Destiny and the hole at ST chute. I began to get pulled into the holes. There was no place where the eddy was calm. I could not paddle to any side, so I decided to surf the Boof of Destiny Hole and get out. I got into the hole and flipped, missed a couple of rolls and then I was out.
The Boof of Destiny is my favorite line on the river, but it can be sketchy. Next time I run the boof, I will go more to the right and avoid boofing into the eddy.

Mauricio Martinez Laresgoiti

Dragons Tounge From Below

Improvement Begins with "I" - Julie Zebrowska

Hey readers!
It's Julie again, posting about all the exciting things week 2 at Keeners has to offer. Firstly, I'd like to start off by saying that I've accomplished a lot this week. I learned how to hand roll, and I ran Dragon's Tongue for the first time, which is a pretty intimidating rapid with a few serious consequences if not run correctly. Many know this isn't an incredible feat, but it's actually of great importance to me. Last year at keeners, I was terrified of paddling. I would cry before almost every rapid. But running Dragon's Tongue today was a way to ultimately conquer my fears and validate how far I've come and how much I've improved. I believe it to be a significant milestone, and hope that there are many more of these great feelings of accomplishment to come.

Running Dragons Tounge

However, another moment I found memorable had nothing to do with kayaking. Yesterday, I got attacked by a squirrel. How I managed that, you ask? To summarize, never try to separate a squirrel form the trail mix bucket. That's all I have for today, but the week has just begun and there's plenty more to learn and experience. I'll keep you guys up to date with another post next week!
-Julie

Keep Calm and Paddle On (by David Koyrakh)

Hey! David Koyrakh here, for my Week 2 blog post.

Last weekend was this session's first weekend at Keeners, which means we got to go free paddling! Since we didn't have to take First Aid on Saturday some friends and I decided we'd run the main channel. After about an hour of bothering people Jahn and I formed our river squad: Jacob, Maddie, Jahn, and me.
One thing to note is that it was raining on and off for a few days prior, so the water level was rising.
...No, it was skyrocketing.
But we didn't realize that until we passed McCoy's, where all of the familiar rock islands were not so familiar anymore. Everything looked different, and then it hit us: the water level had gone up.
At first we were excited, more water means more fun!
But then we got to the lunch site and learned that the gauge was at 5.5, compared to 4.25 in the morning (which is a lot considering it was 0.5 all week beforehand). And it was still going up!
Someone in our group (not gonna name any names) started freaking out.
"We gotta turn back!", he cried.
"Lets get Devyn to pick us up!", he screamed.
"I need an adult!", he whined.
But the rest of the group wouldn't hear it. We managed to calm our buddy down after about 20 minutes, with our final compromise being that we would scout every rapid and portage if needed.
So on we went.
We Paddled.
And we Kept Calm.
And everything went smoothly until we got to Colosseum, which looked huge (at this point of our trip the river was at about 6). We scouted for a little while, and then Jacob, Maddie, and Jahn ran it with no problem. I decided that I`d paddle out to the far right side and avoid the juice, the flesh, the action, of Colosseum rapid, and all went well. The trip was a success. We had a blast.

Moral of the story, if you are already on the river and things take an unexpected turn, assess your situation.
If it is safe, what do you do?
Keep Calm, Paddle On.

Air While Under Water - Hunter Gibson

Hello readers I am going to be talking about what happened to me while surfing waikiki, a wave that is quite difficult to catch, on the Ottawa. I never actually caught the wave but the run after was incredible. Enough with my silly intro get to reading you beautiful internet user you.

The upside down air. This is a strange phenomenon where your kayak is launched in to the air while you are under water. This happened to me today for the first time. I went in for a surf on the wave waikiki and immediately flipped, as often happens to me. I then started to drift down the rapid over a large wave train. this is where it went wrong for me, well wrong if you are going for oxygen and not fun. I tried to roll up and my kayak was flung into the air with my head still under water, but only my head. A fellow Keener recounted "dude you really kept with it." I had tried to roll up eleven times, eleven! The twelfth time was lucky for I finally made it up to that sweet, sweet air that resides above the waters surface for more that half a second. when I got up I was stoked. I loved the ride it was like a roller coaster but under water. I had half a mind to realize that during this episode my chest seemed to leave the water. I asked the fellow Keener and he replied ya man you got up to like your neck. My entire torso was leaving the water with my boat above it. The only thing under water was my head. I'm still working on a name and a guaranteed way to do this other than carping rolls really badly at the right point on a wave, but it was a blast while it lasted. this was so fun I'm going to try to repeat it but with better results. working in flat water trying different things like a push up motion with my paddle and use my abs to push instead of my arms. The possibilities are endless as to how to make the best launch. All I know is that you should try kayaking and if you have already and have access to a nice big wave train try this it is so fun. I am a little more scared that most here of being under water but this is worth it. Go try it and have fun.

Hunter signing out.

Another post by Jahn high water experiences pt 1

On the weekend all keeners who are not taking a class (first aid) get the chance to go paddling. most of us took this opportunity to go paddling. The problem was that the water was getting higher and higher by the moment.when we got on the water it was around four feet. by the time we got down to the lunch sight it was around four and three quarters, by the time we got off the river it was around 5 and three quarters. This would sound amazing to most and I must admit that it was a bit interesting. In my opinion one of the most difficult rapids on this section of the river is called Coliseum. it has a bunch of holes and tricky moves to avoid them. so pretty much everyone in our group decided to scout it. when we got onto the rock to scout the rapid we could tell that it was way different. massive holes that was easily flipping twenty foot rafts. And the problem was most of the water was flowing to exactly where we did not want to be. I of course was voted to go first so that way if i died they would know which line not to take. I floated up to the top found my markers and went just barely missing a massive hole where I then eddied out right beside the hole and "set safety" the reason it is in quotes is because if someone swam or got stuck in the hole there was nothing I could do except watch and laugh. Part two to come. Except I am paddling now peace!

The Perfect Meltdown By Jack Carroll

           Hey readers, my name is Jack Carroll, I am 16 years old, and this is my third year in the amazing keener program. I live in Canada, more specifically approximately one hour north of Toronto in a little town called Tottenham. One of my favourite lines on low water Coliseum is the infamous meltdown. A meltdown is when you are pushed underneath the water by in your kayak by two downward streams of water. This line is a great way to run Coliseum when you have exhausted all of the other lines. This line is scary at first but once you have mastered the technique the meltdown can be a lot of fun run and watch.

           This Line is best run between 2 to 0 on the gauge. The meltdown ledge is located on the right side of Coliseum right near the shore and is easily seen from the left shore. The perfect meltdown zone is on the upstream side of the ledge. This is formed by water falling of the ledge on the river right side and water folding in from river right. These two streams of water create the perfect place to disappear under the water.
           To perfectly execute this line begin by paddling up around a small wave located at the top on river right. This is the best way to line your self up for this line. If you paddle at the seam straight on your bow begins to meltdown before your stern. As you float around the corner line your self up as if you are going to boof the ledge. Instead of following through with the boof at the last second give up. this will set you up in the perfect position to meltdown. When you float over the edge lean to the right into the curtain of water. Suddenly you will feel the river grab your boat and suck you under the water. It will be swirly under the water and if done correctly you will pop out of the water a few feet down stream. You are then in a position to run the rest of coliseum on the river right side.

           Today I had one of my best meltdowns ever the level was around 2 so the meltdown was in its more burly conditions. When I dropped over the edge the air around me all of a sudden became dark water and my paddle was wrenched from my hand. A second later I found my self on the surface, luckily I was right ways up, so there was no issue with hand-rolling. I then navigated the rest of the rapid safety with a smile on my face, It was Awesome.

We are a team: by Isabel Markoff

   I feel my self going down and down into an endless pit, slamming into the rock wall again and again only black water surrounding me... Thats a good way to start a blog right? Drawing a picture for the readers? When Anna told me I had to wright a blog I was like "Uhhh why, we aren't at school are we..?" Now I see why. Sitting here at this old acer computer, thinking about what Im going to write reflecting back on the week shows me how fast time can fly and soon Ill actually be sitting at school trying to remember every part of these three weeks and I know there will be times where I won't remember what I said as I came out of that endless black pit after missing my boof on the Lorne. I am now trying to bring myself back to that moment that I just exaggerated so heavily... What did I say??? Oooo I remember.. I took one huge breath and heard Stevo yelling there she is!!!! Bigwater Beatdown Bacon Thursday... and I didn't even mean to get beatdown. 

     I watch as our team work together to pull me back to shore and grab my boat and paddle. Zach offers me a ride to shore and I grab the back of his boat. Stevo asks me if Im ok. "Im fine" I reply. Connor returns my pink princess water wings (that i received to wear for the day for being late to get ready) and the boat that got ripped off when I decided to miss my boof and take the journey to visit the titanic. My boat is returned in a matter of seconds to were I am and I get back in it to continue my journey down river. We have been together for one week and The keeners showed me what it looks like to work as a team.

BIG WATER BEAT-DOWN THUSDAY

Keeners is a world famous kayaking school that attracts great kayakers from around the globe. keeners is a wildy popular and a growing camp, something that keeners is famous for is big water beat-down Thursday!

BWBT is a super fun day where we do challenging runs at big rapids where you are most likley to swim. the purpose of BWBT is to build confidence for kayakers who are nervious in big water. the ottawa is a incredibly safe river, its super deep and there is a almost 0% of injury because of this BWBT is really safe and a great learning experience.

At the end of BWBT we all come back and watch the beat-down that were filmed and then as a whole we decide on who got the biggest beat down. this week i personally won with the best beat-down. it was a accidental beat-down where i missed a boof over dogsleg and kept getting recirculated into a wicked hole! I was a bit scared at first but then i gathered my wits and assessed the situation but trying to flip my kayak and surf out of the hole. this worked partially because on my way out after being beat-down for almost a minute my skirt imploded and I was flushed out of my boat and rocketed down stream. i learned a lot from this experience. I learned the true power of the Ottawa and what to do when i am stuck in a hole.

thank you for reading my blog i will be posting again soon!

How to roundhouse by Max

The roundhouse is simpler to learn once you've done multiple successful spins. This trick is a stepping stone to the blunt. It is worth 15 points in a competition ride and may be done on both LEFT and RIGHT sides.

Step 1:
    Cycle to the top of the wave. You may do this by carving to the side and back in, or edging hard into a side surf and being dragged to the top.

Step 2:
    Surf your way down the wave. You will have built up momentum. For a LEFT roundhouse angle on your boat on the RIGHT edge. For a RIGHT roundhouse angle your boat on the LEFT edge. Depending on the size of the wave you will need to be ready to quickly jump to the next step.

Step 3:
    Switch your edge aggressively. At the same time back sweep to spin the boat. Throw your body weight forward so that the stern does not plunge. Remember to keep your eyes upstream

Step 4:
    Plant a reverse stroke to remain on the wave and not get flushed.

You did the roundhouse, and are now in a back surf. You may go on to other tricks. Keep practicing, If you do this trick faster and harder, you may throw a blunt. Watching a video of someone doing this trick on YouTube will help you understand it better.

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Now for my update to family at home:

I am doing fine. I've learnt a lot while here and have made many friends. I have some nice goPro video to share when I get back but have not filmed as often because my hard drive is having issues unlocking on the computer here :( I hope I can figure something out for that later. Today we will be doing swift water rescue but am not sure, because I did it last year. I am also learning how to double pump and am easily able to get on the stern. The bow is really hard. Keeners is probably the best camp ever.

Hi readers,
My name is Chase Shebey and this is my first time at keeners. The other day was the first time I've ever surfed corner wave and it was great! It took me a few tries to get in it but once i finally did it was fantastic. I couldn't believe how easy it was to do clean spins and blunts. But keeners isn't just about the amazing Ottawa river just off of your back porch. It is also about becoming so close with the people around you that they feel like family. Its only been a week so far and i already feel so close with everyone here. Im staying in the White House which is by far the best cabin to be in because there is constantly something going on there. Between the intense foosball games and the music playing in the background there is always some sort of excitement here at keeners

.

NOC vs. Keeners -Hank Goodman

The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and Keeners are both great camps to learn how to Kayak. The NOC camp is better for younger paddlers that might just be stepping into the world of kayaking. The coaches at NOC are very capable of teaching any kid to roll and the basics of Kayaking. The Keener camp will do that, but also help you expand all of your skills to a deeper level. Keeners is able shape kids into kayakers because of the Ottawa river. The Ottawa gives coaches the opportunity to push kids far out of their comfort zone which expands their comfort zone further and permanently. That combined with top notch advice from world famous kayakers makes for a kick-ass camp!

Keeners Celebrating our First Week

Crazy Keeners - Bennett Fleming

After my first week at keeners, it is apparent to me that the keeners are all crazy. Maybe it's how we seal launch down a 25 foot long rock-slide to paddle every morning. Or maybe it's big water beatdown bacon Thursdays, where we dive head first into surging holes and get trashed and destroyed for fun. For fun. Also, there's the skipping contests we have to see how many boyfriends we can drop. Though all of this may seem a little nuts or even insane, I am truly starting to enjoy it. Maybe it's not really that insane after all, or  I myself am starting to lose my sanity from being immersed by less than sane people for almost a week. This has lead me to realize that things that may seem like a bad idea may not be as crazy as thought, and if you can become crazy yourself, many more fun options will present themselves to you. Anyway, on bealf of all the nut jobs here, I strongly encourage anyone who reads this to try something new today. Maybe it will even be enjoyable.

- Bennett Fleming

The Middle Channel of the Ottawa River

        For those of you that are unaware, the Ottawa River Rocher Fendu section consists of two white water channels that kayakers as well as rafters run. The Main Channel, which is where most of the water flows meaning higher volume rapids, larger holes and waves, deeper and faster moving water. There is also the Middle Channel which is much lower volume with much shallower and generally shorter rapids. Although the Middle Channel may seem less interesting, It is still a fantastic place to challenge yourself and practice some skills. Some of these reasons include:

Map of the Rocher Fendu Section

1. There still are large rapids.
        The Middle Channel consists of one of the largest and most difficult rapids on the Ottawa River called Garvin's. This rapid contains three main lines that may challenge you all in different ways. ST Chute is the river left most channel which is a small chute with a giant hole at the bottom. Although the hole is very flushy, making it through upright is always a challenge. The other middle section is called dragons tongue, which within itself  has two lines, the main tongue with a small drop at the end and also the Boof of Destiny. This line has always been the result of lots of carnage and people getting worked. The river right most line is called Elevator Shaft, which at the current level is completely dried up but at higher water is a fun rock slide.

2. There are plenty of spots to play.
        The Middle Channel consists of many play spots with virtually no line up the majority of the time. The holes, although shallower and smaller are a difficult place to practice skills, The kayaker must be in complete control of their boat as flushing is very easy. Although this may not seem very appealing, it helps improve a kayakers ability to understand and be aware of what is around them or risk flushing off of the wave or out of the hole. These holes are also deep enough to do every trick imaginable without risk of anything down stream and the eddies are also fairly large so it is rarely a challenge to catch them even if you miss one or two rolls. 

3. There are still opportunities to get worked and challenge yourself. 
        When a group of us went down the Middle Channel on Tuesday, some of us decided to try to do a boof off the side of a rapid called Butterfly. Virtually everyone followed our instructor Kalob Grady through a line that we thought was the line we were supposed to run, however he was trying a new line and ended up getting worked. Not knowing what the actual line was, all of us followed him and got a good beatdown. 

        Although many people opt to run the Main Channel as they feel it may be more of a challenge, The Middle Channel is always a fantastic option to improve your skills and have a fun day. It is always how you make of the day and how you use your time to become the best that you can be with what is given to you. It is also always a fantastic idea to try and challenge yourself in new holes and new waves so you learn how to read the water and not just understand the one play spot you spend all of your time in. 

Ben Heath’s First Days Back on the River

My first two days at Keeners so far have been a blast! After having my flight from New York cancelled, I really could not wait to get out on the river. After not paddling challenging and new whitewater in over a year, my first time running the famous Mccoy’s rapids was many things: Fun, Terrifying, and mostly humbling. It definitely made me realize just how rusty I was with my skills and how much work I needed to do.

         Throughout the day I made it a point to take in as much as I could. I realized just how cool it was to be surrounded by a bunch of awesome kids who love kayaking just like I do, something that isn’t easy to find at home. However, I think that the coolest part was being able to realize that the coaches are some of the best paddlers in the world. I’ve had some great counselors and instructors in the past who have taught me everything I know to this point, but there’s just something awesome about getting coached by guys like Stephen Wright, Clay Wright, and Juanito de Ugarte. These are the guys who I’ve spent hours watching videos of them paddling, and they’re now coaching me. I think that’s pretty cool.

         Today, being Wednesday, was race day. Going into it I assumed the day would be spent racing from point A to point B, over and over again. I was very wrong. Throughout the day we had many different kinds of races, none of them traditional A to B, and all awesome. They all made us put our skills into use in different ways, ways that could be used in circumstances other than just racing.

         To cap the day off, me and four other keeners made our way over to babyface wave for a little evening surfing. I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something nice about having such a beautiful wave so close by. With no line for the wave other than us, we were all able to get some great surfs in. I was able to work on some spins and blunts, and there is debate as to whether or not I accidentally threw a back loop. Regardless, Keeners so far has been fantastic, and I cannot wait for the rest of it!

starting the day with roll practice

How I Became to be a Keener By Nick Markoff

Practing Playboating Drills in Warmup

It all started when I was finishing up another boring day at school, my dad came to pick me up and as I got into his old Range Rover and asked, "Do you want to kayaking with Isabel in canada for three weeks?" "Sure!" I replied. I had no clue about what I was getting myself into and I, over the next few weeks, asked my dad random questions about it either stating that he didnt know or that he would call and ask. What we did know was that it was on the Ottawa and to bring a playboat. I had been on the Ottawa river the previous year and had enjoyed myself immensely so I was really excited! On the other hand, the other piece of information I had was that I was to bring a playboat... I had never set foot in a playboat before and had seen them on rivers surfing the holes an waiting in line. My old kayaking teachers at a different camp had taught me river running and we had never spent much time surfing. When the date to leave drew nearer, I became very nervous about if I would be able to paddle this boat. When We left, we took my cousin Isabel and we drove from Maryland up to the Ottawa. After our ten hour drive ended, we went to Keenerville, my home for the next three weeks, and met Anna who was to be our keener mom. I went to bed early and woke up to "mom" banging on our door asking us if we were awake. When we had gotten our gear on, we went though the basics of playboating and I felt so off balance and out of my element, but through our instructors Steve-0, Kalob, Juan, Devyn, and Clay, I have already improved greatly and been able to start surfing and learning the basics of the tricks we are to eventually learn for the rest of the time here. I am stoked to see the progress I make throughout the next two-and-a-half weeks here!

Reaching Your Goals

Everyone needs to set goals in order to improve. Without them, learning can be very difficult and

dysfunctional. This especially applies with kayaking, because without any direction, progress can

become slow and exasperating.


I often set goals that seem to be unrealistic and unattainable. I quickly become frustrated and give

up, so here are some of the simple steps I use to reach them.


1. Set your long term goal. This can be anything from being able to do a blunt, an airscrew, or even just a bow stall.

2. Set a few smaller goals that are easier to attain and will bring you closer to achieving your overall, long term goal. A few smaller goals can be spinning on a wave, learning a backdeck roll, or a simple double pump.


3. Set daily goals. This can simply be doing three double pumps on each side every day.


4. RECORD YOUR PROGRESS! This will be much more rewarding and will keep your focus on your long term goal. You can simply write it down, or even just talk to a paddling buddy.


5. Keep trying! Don't forget to never give up on your goals. Once you've learned something, it can stay with you forever.


One of my biggest goals for this session of keeners is to get a loop on a wave. But in order to do
this, I am constantly practicing my flat water skills, because if I can't do something on flat water,
than how could I hope to do it on a wave. Though this can often be demotivating because flat
water skills are not nearly as fun to practice, by using the above techniques I am making constant
progress and not losing sight of my overall goal.

paddling hard for race day wednesday

Wednesday Smack down!!!!! with Jahn Pearson

Whilst it is uncommon to see a keener post more than once a week, I have something amazing to share! Today was race day wednesday. We had to choose our own line and go down the Lorne rapid,  touch river left bank, then turn and burn back and touch the right river bank. I thought the fastest line was straight over a pour over. So when our coach blew the whistle we all do a 180 turn and dig into the water. So as I power forward I steal a glance back and realize I am way ahead but the others are catching up. Of course I get too excited and do my boof stroke too early on the pour over and completely penciled in. I got worked for around 45 seconds which tires out your core supper fast. I dropped my edge and got what I like to call rumbled and tumbled and window shaded a few times before pulling my skirt, I then got sucked out of my skirt and shoved down so far that the light faded from around me. I pop up and there is my favorite coaches and my friends cheering me on as I struggle to breathe again. Afterwords, Devyn helped me get my boat back and I helped set safety for the rest of the racers. All and all, it was a pretty good day on the water.