One day left- Reece

There's one day left of keeners session 3. Then everyone will go home and back to their lives. Whether it be Canada, the U.S, Peru, Venezuela, Belgium or Ireland. Which is definitely bittersweet for everyone. We've all made great friends and some great memories in the past 3 weeks. And it's almost time to say goodbye. Keeners is such a great thing, and the river is awesome too. So many fun things to do! The instructors are super helpful and great at what they do. Even though it hurts to leave, i'm excited to go paddle my home rivers and see everyone I haven't seen in 3 weeks! I'll definitely have to visit the Ottawa again someday.

#wilderness tours #1moreday #oks #keener #kayak #whitewater #ottawa #playboat #freestyle   

Leaving my real home -Sabina Sander

I am not usually one to cry, but somehow on speech nights at keeners my coaches and (second) parents always manage to move me to tears. Stevo's stories always seem to make me feel good about my weirdness and it's pretty easy to laugh at his own. Anna has a way of putting life into perspective in a way that makes it possible to follow your passions and live your dreams. They are the true image of success, success through simple, pure happiness, they are my idols and my role models and probably the coolest people I will ever meet. Just being here has truly changed my life and way of thinking. At this ''summer camp'' you truly come back with more than just your sunburn, you come back with a new, brighter outlook on life and on how to treat others.

I feel so at home here... those dirty keeners are really starting to feel like family. And I only have one week left. In one week I have to leave paradise and go back to normal life, back to school, land of fake friendships and popularity based on belongings and appearance. As Carolin would certainly say, my feelings could only be described as ''sappy'' (a combination of sad and happy).

The amazing coaches we get at Keeners- Pierce Huser

                At Keeners, we are very lucky to be able to learn from the best coaches possible.... Literally. When I first arrived from the airport to WT, Albert and I almost crapped ourselves when we saw Kalob Grady in line waiting for dinner. We just couldn't believe our eyes it was actually him.     5 minutes later he walked by us and said "what's up Keeners!" and we didn't know what to say back to him as we just stood there in disbelief. The next day Stephen Wright guided me down the ottawa river which was an awesome experience because I got to know Steve-o who is an amazing guy and I got to know this awesome river. On the second day I had the honour of meeting Dane jackson who was an awesome coach with a super fun personality. Claire O'hara was one of my favourite coaches, She was an amazing coach and she was super fun to be around. Every other night we have great conversations with Clay Wright who is a very kind and wise coach. Even just today I got to paddle with Bren Orton which was just so awesome, he was super nice and his paddling skill set is crazy good! There are so many unbelievably good pros here in ottawa, but at keeners we get the best of them. Its not the fact that they're really good kayakers that makes them great coaches, it's because they are incredibly nice people who know how to kayak the proper way.

What REALLY Happens at Keeners - Daniel Mills-Thysen

So I hate to say this, but almost none of what you probably think you know about Keeners is true. Starting with probably the most well known part: the "coaches." They are actually not world famous kayakers, they are pirates.
And instead of teaching us to kayak, they teach us ridiculous things as: How to wear a hook hand,  how to load, aim and shoot, the cannons, how to sail, how to board the rich merchant ships, and most importantly, how to walk the plank. Also, knowing how to grow a huge beard and wear a long coat is a big help.
 Here is a typical day at Keeners. We get up at around three in the morning, pile on the the rowboats, and start practicing our pirate chants. We continue with the ARRRRRRRRRR!s and the SEEEEEAA!s and most importantly, the GAAAAARB!'s. And when the sun comes up, we all retreat back to Keenerville so the other people on the river (rafters, kayakers, and riverboarders) won't see that the Keener program is a fake.
Then we put our pirate costumes: beards, peg legs, hook hands, and long jackets (and short skirts), and then jump on the pirate ship and set the sails for GAAAAAARB. After we arrive, we usually board some rafts and shoot the rafters with our powerful (water) cannons, steal the diamonds, and run away to plunder some lunch from the Wilderness Tours lunch site, and then we will be on our way down the river. We often hang out around Push Button for some surfs (oops, I meant chanting and ship-boarding) and then run out the river through Butcher's Knife (we are the butchers, and have the knives), Colosseum (we are the Romans) and Normans, where we are the invaders (think 1066).
After arriving at the takeout, we stick the ship on the trailer and drive back up to Keenerville before invading Rafters for dinner. After dinner, we come back to Keenerville, where we watch instructional videos on how to be various famous pirates, including Steve-O, the hairy ape.
And that is how a day at Keeners usually goes, with some occasional differences, such as a Bacon Thursday, where we eat bacon, and Comp Friday, where we compete for the biggest stolen diamonds.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

Differences -Sarah Eadie

coming back to keeners for third session has made me realise that
having real roommates can change the whole experience on and off the
water. During first session i had to face the struggle of being the
only girl. I can honestly say that being this predicament did have its
perks but also a downside. In and outside of school I prefer being
around my close circle of friends who just happen to be girls. Its not
that i have a problem with guys, Im simply use to socializing and
being myself around more relatable people.first seesion was hard and
quite lonely... not that my fellow keeners werent amazing people, but
living in Yakistan alone, preparing meals alone, cleaning alone and
for the most part doing alot of off water stuff alone wasnt actually
that entertaining.

This session there are 6 girls, me being one of them. For the longest
time II was actually quite nervous about whether we would get along or
not . I arrived a week into the session so this added to the thought
of '' what if I show up, and the girls are already so close, that im
unable to join the group properly without being the "weirdo" or the
odd one out?." I of course over thought the situation in my head and
was nervous for no reason. The girls I now share yakistan with, i can
say are true friends. Even tough we havent known each other that long
I feel a strong bond with these amazing individuals. Rose, is a sweet,
talented, friendly face who when boredom seized us at WT made my leg
into a beautiful couloured masterpiece. Sabina is quirky, has
incredible athletic abilities and joins in my weirdness to the point
where we choke and nearly die from laughter. Angela is a crazy young
girl, coming all the way from peru who in her own strange ways makes
us all laugh. Amanda is an awesome paddler who tough seems shy, is
definitely a great person to talk too. Finally, theres Savannah... shes
down to earth in more ways then one, i love her energy and enthusiasm
as well as her confidence. I'll also add that shes a huge flirt ( even
tough she dosent realise it half the time). ;).. To summarize; these
friendships are the kind that are made in weeks but last a lifetime.

So what are the differences of having other girls around? well; for
instance, the house is a whole lot messier and we really need to work
as a team to do chores.We have to share the washrooms, limit our
shower times, make breakfast at the same time without getting in
someones way and stay away from each others wal- mart purchases. There
really needs to be compatibility between everyone so that no one gets
annoyed with each other. Another thing to add is the langusage barrier
between the gitrls and Angela. When I first arrived I found it so hard
to communicate with her ( having no idea how to speak spanish), but
with the use of google translate and savannahs weird hand gestures, we
have covered ground when it comes to making her understand what we're
trying to say. Many people would probably think its a pain to try and
have a full out conversation in neither english or spanish but we in
yakistan see it as a challenge and an oppurtunity. To top it all off,
we have alot of fun times on and off the water as a group and having
other girls with me just makes these experiences all the better.

To shine an even brighter light on all the differences, I want to add
that emotionally its easier to get through things with friends at your
side.I trust these girls, they are easy to talk to and confide in, I
hope that we dont get fed up with each other by the end of the week
and that we can become an even closer knitted group.

As sabina would say " Aah les bonnes memoires!".

Thank you, Mom -Rose Menominee

Keeners is an amazing program. We have world class coaching and a world class mom. Anna Bruno is our keener mom, and she is often forgotten when people talk about their experience at keeners. However, Anna is a huge part of what makes keeners special, she tells us when we need to take out the trash and clean up. She looks after us when we're injured and she's the one that drives us to the hospital when our spider bites get infected. She gives us push ups when we swear and fixes the t.v. when we're too sore to get off the couch. She makes sure we make our food lists and actually gets us out of bed and on the water at a decent hour. Anna does so much for us during our time at keeners, and I personally appreciate what she does so much. Even at 8 am when I'm lying in wet grass doing yoga and would much rather be back in my bed, I'm so thankful that Anna cares enough to make us do the things that challenge us most (even if that challenge is just touching your toes).

Thank you so much, Anna, you're the best keener mom we could ask for. You look after us and take care of us and sometimes you get super frustrated with us, but you always do your best. So thank you mom, and happy birthday!

P.S To my real mother, if you read the title of this blog and thought this was about you; I'm sorry for the misunderstanding and I love you very much.  

Why Keeners Is The Greatest Program Out There! - Willem von Schilling

Why Keeners Is The Greatest Program Out There! - Willem von Schilling

After Session 1 ended, I travelled back home to Toronto to no one telling me what to do. My days went unplanned and mostly empty. I had no idea of what to do with no rivers around. I felt sad that I decided not to stay for Session 2. I could not wait to come back for Session 3.
The first couple of days in Session 3 were amazing and exceeded my expectation. I could not believe that my experiences from Session 1 were beat by Session 3 in just a couple of days! The people here were just simply amazing and fun. Keeners has taken my love for kayaking further.

          I think that the weekends are what make Keeners just absolutely amazing. The fact that we can just go and surf for an hour and relax on the rocks with music is unbelievable. We have the perfect combination of freedom and training. No other program in the world, kayaking or not, has this available. The combination of these two allow for loads of training without getting tired of the sport. I believe that enjoying the sport is the most important concept Keeners teaches us. If you can't enjoy the sport, I think you shouldn't be paddling. Paddling without enjoyment or motivation is pointless. You cant achieve anything without adequate motivation, if you want to succeed you must paddle towards goals you'd like to achieve. That is another thing that Keeners teaches us, goal setting.

         Goal setting is how you improve in anything wether it be cooking, school, paddling or just life. If you have no goals, how do you measure progress? Claire O'Hara is a perfect example of why goals are so important. Our Keener Coach uses her goal sheets to measure her consistency and track progress on learning new tricks. By using these goal sheets, she can measure how far she has come from any point in time. This may or may not be why she is 2x world freestyle champion, 3x world squirt boating champion and 2 time mystery world champion. She has inspired me to set short-term, long-term and realistic goals for myself. Thank you Claire, if you are reading this, for teaching all of the session three Keeners the most valuable lesson we have learned yet and a great life lesson.
       
Goal setting is just one of many great lessons Keeners and our coaches have taught us. The lessons I have learned in Keeners will most definitely last me a lifetime. Lots of thanks to all of my Keener coaches, you have changed lives! I don't know what I would do without Keeners!

What keeners is all about - Gustavo Toro

Trying to explain Keeners to a non-Keener is some times complicated for the simple fact that it is a summer camp with just 1 activity, but once you are at Keeners you realize that kayaking is only a bonus. When searching videos about Keeners all you see is teenagers kayaking but that is not really what Keeners is about. Once you are at Keeners is that you realize that the fun you have is mostly based on stuff that has nothing to do with kayaking.

On a daily basis fun at Keeners revolves around just ridiculous stuff that happens all around, like imagining crazy ways to have fun with inflatables in the river, having a great time with all the different types of people that are around you, or simply eating tons of  bacon (literally TONS!!!). Whatever it is you find is the best part about Keeners apart from kayaking you can be sure you will be having blast while at Keeners or craving to be at Keeners whenever you are not.

How to left air screw by kaelin friedenson

1. Get to the top of the wave by carving to the corner. Then the wave will poo0sh you up the wave . then you cut back and pull yourself on the foam pile

2. Charge down the wave as fast as you can. Then take a stroke on the left side. In mid air switch sides and bounce on your right side. As you bounce throw your head back to the left side of your boat. Then throw your hands to the back of your boat like a back deck roll.

3. As the boat comes around flick your right knee up and come down straight upright.

4. Ways to practice an air screw. Do it in flat water. Do it in your mind. and last but not least do it on a wave. Dont be scared its just water it dusant heart

Finally if you've done all these steps correctly you know what they say practice makes perfect

A Guide to Keener Weekends-By Luke Antonyshyn

                  Over the last few years of keeners, I believe that I've uncovered the formula for a typical keener weekend. While it may seem that a weekend is too complicated or variable to break into reoccurring components, this is not the case on the ottawa river. The staples of any keener weekend are as follows:

• Pizza: Any previous attendee of this kayaking camp knows that on every Friday, after a long day on the river, we are treated with a delicious dinner composed of about 10 boxes of varying flavours of pizza. While we are all starving, some are weary about finishing it all too quickly, hoping to stretch it out into lunches for the next two days.
• Sleep-ins: After a week of being woken up before eight and going to sleep before eleven, we're all happy to shift the schedule a bit. While some of us are too rooted in this routine already to wake up later, there are others who are very content to wake up and eat breakfast at the crack of noon.
• Paddling Sessions: This one almost goes without saying, seeing as it is a kayaking camp. Most of us will go out for at least a couple of hours a day for a surf session, despite our coaches urging us to rest in order to avoid exhausting ourselves. Some of the braver souls will even decide to run the river and hitch a ride back to the put-in with the rafters. 
• Bonfire: A universal occurrence in all of the sessions which I have attended, the bonfire is one of the more camp-esque activities we have at keeners. We all sit around the fire, listen to music, share stories and jokes,  make marshmallows, and have a great time.
• Downtime: Between all of these events, there is often a huge amount of time to relax and do whatever you want. This time can be used to read, go swimming, rest, or, as seems to be the new norm, watch Top Gun multiple times in a weekend.

                 As you can see, although there is often no instruction on the weekends, there is hardly ever a dull moment, and as I can say from experience, there is always something exciting happening.

Mi Segunda Semana (my second week...translation below) Angela Baca

En mi segunda semana tuve unas clases de rescate donde aprendi a ayudar a personas que estan en peligro y a lanzar la soga. Estas clases me ayudan para que yo pueda sentirme mas segura y saber que no solo yo puedo ayudar a personas que estan en peligro, sino que a mi tambien pueden ayudarme. Tambien ami segunda semana pude hacer el rol y surfiar en los rapidos asi es mi gol de la segunda semana. El gol de mi tercera semana es correr el rapido 'Garburator' donde haran el campeonato del mundo. In my second week I had safety and rescue classes where I learnt to help people who are in danger and throw a throwbag. These classes helped me to feel safer and know not only that I can help people in danger, but that they also can help me. Also in my second week I did many rolls and surfed my first wave thus completing my goal. My goal for the third week is to run Garburator rapid where they will hold the World Championships

Race day! Reece

Race day is always fun. It's when the coaches get to watch us completely exhaust ourselves while trying to win whatever crazy race they have schemed up. Such as going over a big pour over while attempting to get a beach ball out of the pour over (in my case getting worked while trying to get it out) and taking it to your partner who had to take it downstream to the next point without losing it! Some races are timed, some are team races, some are relay and some are free for all. One thing I learned quick is being fast is definitely not just paddling hard. Choosing your line, being strategic and knowing where you're going is key! Making your competition swim works wonders as well assuming it's not against the rules! (sorry Will). These races seem silly but they really help you to make crucial decisions quickly and make you a better paddler. As Clay told us "paddle smarter not harder"!


#ottawa #okskeeners #race #kayak #whitewater #wildernesstours

Albert's Spider Bite

Four days ago I noticed a bump on my arm. I thought, "it's probably just a bug bite". The next day it was bigger. I mentioned it to Steve-O and in return he gave me the classic, "It will probably be ok". Considering he was probably right, I went on with my day. But the next day (yesterday) I was much bigger, and hurt a lot more. I showed it to Anna, and she said "We should go to the clinic so it doesn't get infected". So we went. When we got to the clinic I had to fill out paperwork due to the fact I am not a Canadian citizen. After waiting for about an hour, and a quick call to my mom they finally started to "Investigate". They took me back for a ultrasound. As if I would really have a baby in my arm. But I guess they are the doctors right? After finding out there was no baby in my arm (which I could have told them in the first place) I was back in the patient's room. The doctor came in, Anna quickly jumped up saying "DO WE GET TO CUT OFF HIS ARM, OR POKE A HOLE IN IT, ANYTHING?!" (with a rather creepy smile I might add). The doctor said no, which was a complete win for me. He prescribed me some medication and we were on our way. The next stop was wendy's, yummmm fast food. Anyway. after that we headed to the pharmacy to collect my meds. When we got the the pharmacy, we waited about fifteen minutes then were out the door and on the road to feeling better. We arrived at keenerville shortly after to complete our adventurous day.

On the water or off the water, Keeners is an AWESOME experience.

how not to get out of a boat

    On big water beatdown Thursday,we had a cometion to see who could get out of their kayak in the worst most brutal area.This so called competion didnt go so great,I failed miserably.I decided to take out right above the pour over.when i was getting out of my boat i threw my paddle on shore, popped my skirt, and took both of my legs out of the boat.Sadly, I unexpectedly got swept away by the curennt and ended up going threw garb with no paddle or skirt.Not only was this scary for me but the person who was surfing the wave,lukly i was able to pull it off.I ended up swimming after w kiki beacause i had to much water in my boat.one of the main reasons we had this competition beacause it is an important skill to have when you are creeking or payboating in an area surronded by rocks and steep surface.This is an important skill beacause if you were running a river or playboating and someone got stuck you would have to get outbof your boat quikly while keeping your gear together.I definatlety learned that it is important to keep your paddle with you and your hands on a surface at all times.I got swept over garb because i lost my foot grip and hand grip,also i didnt have my paddle on me.clearly i have learned alot from my experince of faliure and i know now what i can do differently to acheive this important skill.

Jacks flight of destiny

It was saturday morning at the early am's to which I woke to a knock on the door "get up lazy" . I had been living in collage dorms all week at a youth conference. After I gotten dressed and showered I walked out to a sight I couldn't believe, fifteen of my friends had woken up to see me off and wish me luck. Emotions ran high but I had to leave in the end. We took the short trip to the airport and I said good by to my mother who sent me on my way. Making sure to be two hours early and making great time then being hit with an hour delay isn't something you want. Delighted to be boarding the plane I was ecstatic to be sat at an exit seat. Falling asleep and snoring my self awake isn't exactly ideal but the trip flew and I was in Toronto but to be woken up to the fact my connecting flight was leaving in ten minutes and no one had left the plane is quite worrying made worse when the air hostess tells you you will need a miracle to make the flight . So everyone on the plane heard and passed my bag up to me . I ran as fast as I could toward the gate as I get to security I'm told the three most disheartening words....."you're too late" . Being as sleepy and clueless as I was I didn't know what to do but my only saving grace was the next flight to which I received a ticket. So I took my time and chilled. Everything went to plan on the next flight apart from sitting in a random persons seat by accident. 

I had finally arrived in Ottawa, everything was perfect I met the wilderness tours rep and thought I was fine ..... But no. I stood at the baggage carousel until it stopped , yet again my bag had vanished. But I didn't care I was finally back to Ottawa where I could paddle every day in the heat of the sun that was all I wanted and to be met with an influx of good luck messages just made it easier. 

It just shows that no matter how bad things get there is better things to come.

Missing home and standing in the rain,

"ill never let go rose"

The movie/Walmart excursion - by Savannah Westeinde

So I can't believe that our first week flew by so fast, I feel like I've only been here for two days but the three weeks is already half way over! So today (the half way mark of our time here at keeners) we went to go see a movie in pembroke mall then to Walmart after. As soon as we arrived at the mall we were given 20 minutes to go look around and get candy for the movie, then we met in the food court for dinner where we were given 10$ to buy food. Being Canadian I opted for poutine and I was so surprised when I found out that half of our session had never had poutine before. Sometimes I forget that we are all from different places and have different foods that seem normal to ourselves but to the rest of us is just plain weird (like poutine). It's so cool to think that after this I will know people from all over, but it's also kind of sad that I'm not going to be able to see these people that I have started to build strong bonds with, very often or maybe even never again. After we ate our dinner we watched mission impossible (it was a pretty great movie) then headed to Walmart. At Walmart we all bought lots of yummy treats to eat in our cabins, (mostly pop tarts) and things like toothpaste, shampoo and other things we'd been running low uon. We then hopped back onto the keener bus and spent the 45 min drive talking and listening to the radio, before we arrived at keenerville exhausted and ready for bed. All in all it was a super fun and I'm so happy that I'm lucky enough to get to experience it.

Mi primera semana (my first week, translation below)

Hola, soy Angela, estoy en el programa oks keeners practicando y aprendiendo el cayac con profesores profesionales y sobre todo muy buenas personas.

Le contare un poco como me fue mi semana:

Mi profesor se llama Seth un cayakista y persona muy buena que me estuvo enseñando a rolear y a pasar olas rápidas ,a mí me daba mucho miedo ,pero seth me decía “todo va estar bien y sonríe “ y yo decía “nou nou nou “ pero todo salía muy bien y era divertido .pasando una ola me volteé y seth cuando venía a hacerme el t-rescue me choco en la cara con el cayac y me hizo una herida y al día siguiente era asombroso mi cara por todo lo que me paso un día antes  y viendo los videos me dio risa mi cara de miedo .

Esta semana aprendí muchas cosas y me fue muy bien, y esta semana que viene quiero aprender el rol y pasar olas grandes aunque me de mucho miedo pero yo sé que todo me ira bien y nada me va a pasar y la estoy pasando de maravilla con los keerners.

Translation:

Hello, my name is Angela and I am in the Keener programme practicing and learning to kayak with professional instructors and, above all, very nice people.

I will tell you a little about my first week:

My instructo was called Seth, a kayaker and good person who was teaching me to roll and run rapids.  I was very afraid but Seth told me ''everything will be ok, and smile'' and I said 'no no no' but everything went well and it was fun.  Going over one wave I flipped and Seth when he came to T-rescue me hit me in the face with his kayak and gave me a bad bruise on my face.  The next day it was a big lump on my face and when I watched the videos of the day before it made me laugh looking at my face.

This week I learnt many things and it went well.  This coming week I would like to learn to roll and run rapids even though it scares me.  I know it will all go well and nothing bad will happen and I am having a great time here with the keeners.

Slalom Kayaking by Kaelin Friedenson

The two weeks before this one, I was in the regional slalom team camp. It was super fun. Slalom is a little different than freestyle. One, Slalom boats are a lot longer than freestyle boats and they have a lot less volume. Slalom boats are also usually carbon. In slalom, you want to go as fast as you can going through all the gates. If the gate is green, you go through it downstream, but if the gate is red you go up it. When you are going through the course, every time you hit a gate, you get two seconds added to your time. If you miss a gate, you get fifty seconds added to your time. There are many different ways slalom kayaking and freestyle kayaking can relate and help each other. For example, this one time I had to make a gate. I thought I missed it, but caught a hole to surf it across and made the gate. With out knowing how to surf, and other freestyle skills, I wouldn't have been able to make the gate. Slalom also helps a lot in running rivers. This is because in Slalom, catching gates is similar to catching eddies or making a certain line through a rapid. Even if I probably would choose to paddle freestyle over slalom, I still think Slalom is a great way to build skills and helps a lot in my kayaking abilities.

Thanks for reading!

Kaelin.

How to Catch Mice - Daniel Mills-Thysen

At Keeners, one of the big problems of living is the mice. They eat the cereal, poop on the floor, and drown in the nutella. So one of the main goals of my session at Keeners this year is to catch more and more mice. This will be a quick guide on how to catch mice at Keeners.

Step I: Learn to think like a mouse. This entails: ascertaining the favorite food of the mice (usually Nutella), and determining which routes the mice use to steal the food.

Step II: Set up an elaborate system of traps with Froot Loops arranged in patterns, with spaces for several mouse traps.

Step III: Set the traps, preferably with nutella.

Step IV: Place bets, have fun, and do random things with the mouse traps, and compete with the others rooms in your house for the most mice caught.

Step V: Enjoy a mouse free life.

And this is how to catch mice at Keeners.

Why are ropes and knots useful for kayaking? - Marin Bibot

Ropes and knots are not the first thing that come in mind when we think about kayaking. However it does have its importance. Sometimes river are not as accessible as the Ottawa river. Sometimes in order to access a river you need to do some climbing and it's not always an easy thing when you carry all your gears (boat, paddle, dry suit...). To make your way up or down a cliff safely you need to know a few knots.

The first one, which is the base for other knots, is the figure 8. It is not a really useful knots by itself but it has to be known if you want to learn the other knots. 

The double figure 8 ( Or figure eight on a bight) is exactly the same as the figure 8 but unlike the simple 8 it allows you to attach a carabiner to the loop ( see picture) 

Another knot that can be useful is the double fisherman. This knot allows you to attach two ropes together. Although you have to be careful with this knot because it can be very hard to untie.

So if you guys want to kayak on new rivers make sure to bring solid ropes and that you have some basic knowledges in knot because it can  become very handy. 

My Sunday- Pierce Huser


Well today I was woken up unexpectedly by Daniel at 8:30 in the morning. The reason that we woke up early on  weekend is because the second half of our first ad course started at 9. We all didn't like the idea of a first aid course on a weekend. You could tell by the look on everyones face that they weren't exactly excited for the next 7 hours. Thankfully our instructor "Jim" was very good and entertaining. He thaught us many great things that weren't just good, but they were also useful. Afterwards we went down to baby face for a few hours too get our daily kayaking fix. At dinner we ate more ribs and meet 4 new keeners. At 10ish reese and I set a trail of fruit loops that lead into a mouse trap. Anna wasn't impressed, but I think she'll be proud when we catch  mouse! Sorry for writing such a lame blog, I was crammed for time.

How To Make The Perfect Pancake - Willem von Schilling

How to make the perfect pancake!

 This guide is to make the perfect pancake at Keenerville on the weekend. No matter what skill you have it is possible to make the perfect pancake so long as you have the materials and this guide. Now let’s begin.

Step 1:

Find some pancake mix. This powdery substance can usually be found somewhere in your kitchen. If you can't find it, ask nicely (or steal) some from another house.

Step 2: 

Find a nice, non-stick pan that would be the perfect size for you pancake. A 7.75 inch diameter pan is ideal for the perfect pancake size.

Step 3: 

Add just enough water to your pancake mix to make it a smooth pourable substance. If your pancake batter is too dry, it will taste like cement. If your pancake mix is too watery, it wont cook properly.

Step 4: Heat up your pan and lather it in a generous coating of butter. This will provide the nice golden crisp to the outside of your pancake. Too much butter and the pancake will be greasy. Too little and you risk not being able to flip it.

Step 5: 

Drop the batter onto the pan and spread it evenly throughout. You don't want a lopsided pancake now would you?

Step 6: 

Sift through a hard-drive to find a movie to watch while eating your pancake. This usually takes the amount of time the pancake needs to cook on one side. As soon as you find a movie of your liking, you are ready to flip the pancake.

Step 7:

THE FLIP. To complete the perfect flip, all previous steps must be done to near perfection. First you will have to loosen the pancake from the bottom of the pan. Once the pancake can slide around smoothly on the pan, it is time to pul it off the stove. Now you can practice the motion of the flip. NOW, you are ready! First toss the delicious treat up in the air using the pan and only the pan, only allowing just enough rotation for half a spin. If you are feeling good about your skill, a double flip might suit you better. When the pancake is on the way down, you have to cradle the pancake with the pan so that it does not splat and flatten out, as we do want the fluffiest pancake we can get. If you miss the pan, you will have to clean up and return to step one. If you successfully complete a single flip or greater, you can replace the pan on the stove and allow for the goldeying of the other side.

Step 8:

You now must set up your movie on the computer so that it is ready to watch as soon as your breakfast hits your plate. This also usually takes the amount of time that is needed for the pancake to turn a beautiful golden brown colour and perfect texture.

Step 9: 

THE TRANSFER. There is a variety of ways the transfer can be made, my personal favourite is the double flip onto the plate, however you can just simply slide it onto the plate. You have successfully completed the transfer, congratulations on making it this far!

Step 10:

DRESS IT. You cant have a naked pancake, there must be some dressing wether it be fresh fruit, chocolate chips or simply pancake syrup. This will showcase your artistic skills and make it ready for a picture if needed.

Step 11: 

DIG IN! You have a movie set up and you have your breakfast. You can now relax and watch your movie. Congratulations, you have just made the perfect pancake. Now you can relax away your weekend in hopes to be rejuvenated by Monday!

Always finding ways to make things more delicious,

Willem von Schilling

Whitewater ninja -Gustavo Toro

When most people think about getting better at kayaking they think about working on freestyle tricks or running harder lines on bigger rappids and that's what makes it soo hard to get better at kayaking. The one and only way to get better at kayaking is by becoming what some call a "Whitewater Ninja". You may or may have not heard this expresion before and may or may have not seen a "Whitewater Ninja" out on the river. If you haven't heard this expresion before, don't feel left out, because it's probably the best kept secret in the kayaking world. If you say you have seen a  whitewater ninja on the river you're either lying or it wasn't a very good whitewater ninja, because they're not supposed to be seen.

By now you might be wondering what a whitewater ninja is and how to become one. The best way to describe a whitewater ninja is by pretending kayaking is a video game. It doesn't matter how much game time you get the whitewater ninja is that kid that uses cheat codes and makes every body else feel bad by beating them without even trying. And if you really want to know how to become a whitewater ninja, I'm sorry, but if I told you...... I would have to kill you. All I can say is that it is kind of like in the movie "Karate Kid," the only way to learn kung fu, is not by doing kung fu but by doing other random stuff that you would think has nothing to do with it. So just have fun and hope that one day you can call yourself a whitewater ninja, meanwhile I'll see you on the river, but you probably won't be able to see me.

How to (try) to do a Photo with Keeners! by Carolin Riemer ( The New/ old Girl)

Photos and saying goodbye

         So I've been here for two weeks now and made some experience with taking group selfies. Here are some tips and tricks for the (not) perfect photo. Also I tried to do as many as possible to remember an awesome time.

How to (try) to take a groupselfie with Keeners Step 1, find People:
 The easiest way to find people for a groupselfie is being in a group, very hard to do that while at Keeners;). If no one is around, raise your phone for a selfie of your self. After max.10 sec. you are at least one more.

Step 2, silly faces:
 A real Keener group selfie is never without someone looking like a zombie. So that person is not feeling lonely everyone gives their best effort. Easiest here is Duckface, while preventing to laugh or cross your eyes.

Step3, Outfit:
 Very important are the most comfortable shirts I know. KEENER SHIRTS. They are there so that everyone knows that it's a Keener group selfie. If you don't have one be in the back or... don't worry about it.

This blogpost is supposed to be about groupselfies and saying goodbye.  This Friday was very sad. All my friends from the last two weeks had to leave. The worst for me was that I actually had to say goodbye to them, because I chose to help at the Kayakschool over the Weekend, so that I'm not alone.
The last night we did a big fire and grilled marshmallows. Jacob, Parke and I tried to find constellations, (I think) we found the Polar star.

Next morning we did a big breakfast with pancakes and frenchtoast. AWESOME!! So time went by and it was time to say goodbye for me. It started with saying special things about each other and ended in big grouphugs and tears running down faces.
These People were awesome, no they are, and the thought to never see them again breaks my heart 20 times.

Carolin
The new/old girl

Bigwater beatdown! Reece

Every Thursday here at keenerville is a special day. Big water beatdown Thursday! The goal is to run bigger, harder lines than you already have. To start off big water beatdown Thursday we all swam McCoys's. Are you crazy? McCoy's is one of the biggest, most intimidating rapids iv'e ever seen. With Sattlers hole on the left, and Phil's on the right which takes up half the river. Going down in a kayak is one thing, but swimming? On purpose? Crazy right? Not according to our instructor Clay who showed everyone where to go, talked to us about safety hazards and safely led everyone down. Turns out its a lot of fun and pretty easy! After swimming McCoy's everyone got back in their kayaks  and took turns paddling into Phil's hole where beatdowns ensued! These were the highlight of the day and fun was had by all! Definitely looking forward to next Thursday here at Keenerville.



#kayak #keeners #oks #ottawa #bigwaterbeatdown

Pierce's love for Garburator

 Pierce- Garburator

To be honest with you, I never thought that I’d get to surf Garburtor. I was so stoked when Steve-o said “and this rapid here is Garburator” when he introduced the river to us. When I first got to surf it, it felt like I was on the tongue of a dragon breathing fire! I was so scared and so stoked at the same time, and I felt so outa control! Garburator has so many pros surfing it that it forms a wicked atmosphere of excitement! But when there is no line up in it, it’s just magical. You can just keep on going and going as many laps as you can get before the crowd comes. I’ve fallen in love with this wave, and I’m so stoked to surf it more over the next weeks to come.

How to have fun at keeners - Albert Binkley

1) Smile.

Smiling is the most important part of keeners. When you get beatdown you smile, when you throw the biggest air blunt (like it's your job) you smile, and when your friends pull awesome tricks (or get beatdown) you smile. Smiling creates positive energy for everyone at keeners. If you constantly smile pretty soon everyone will. In situations like a beatdown, it shows that you can have fun and enjoy yourself despite failure. 

2) Paddle

Paddling is why we are here. We paddle, building special relationships with our new family from all locations of the world. Paddling is the best feeling in the world, especially when surrounded by people who love it just as much as you do. When paddling, you will fail at times. But just like step one, smile and it won't matter because nobody will care. Whether you are good or bad at paddling, doesn't matter, just keep going.

Now you may be thinking two steps, is that all? Yes. At Keeners, I feel that all you need to do to have fun is smile and paddle. And as long as you make it the most eventful experience of your paddling career you'll have the best time ever.

Keep On Kayaking

how to fail and succeed at kayaking by amanda eckhoff

     kayaking is a hard sport, and it takes alot of time and commitment to learn the basics and skills.while you are learning the different styles kayaking ,or improve your skills you will fail miserably over and over agin until you finnaly get it right.As a keener my last few days have been filled with epic fails.After experiencing failure i know what skills i can apply to experience success.

 racing

when you are racing it is important to get a good head start, have a strong paddle stroke, and to choose a good line.The way you start a race plays a huge role in the results off the race because it is much easier to be ahead of someone instead of being behind them.one wensday a starded off with an amazing head start and i stayed ahead until i got stuck in an edddy,this is why chooseing a good line is important.In order to het ahead and stat ahead of a racer tou must have a proper padddle stroke.if you have achived this skills you are no longer a failure at racing.

playboating

one of the main keys of playboatig is to have fun a learning  tricks in a wave or whole the right size for your level.there are seval waves or holes that you can learn diffrent moves in but if you try a move in something big or not ment for that type of featre you may find yourself in not all that fun of a situation,for example getting worked.

running rivers

one of the main jeys to running rivers is a strong paddle stoke and boof stroke.if you do not paddle or boof you may find yourself getting sucked in a hole.when i was kayaking i did not boof this drop and i got stuck in this pretty nasty hole that luckly i was able to get out of.this is one of the main ways you could end up falling and swimming.

swimming

if you find yourself swimming you have already failed but you still have a chance at having a safe and sucessful swim. one of the most imporant things you must do when tou bail from your kayak is to look for the saffrst eddy and path to swim down and in.i was swimming with the keeners and we were if you find yourself freaking out you mat hurt youself and fail to make it to sore safley,so it is important to remain calm.

If you can acheve the skills above then you are a dessent kayaker withe many fails ahead and if you have not well then you have alot of things to improve on

How to be Irish in Keeners - Seán Cahill

In Canada, purebred Irish people are hard to come by, thankfully on the third session of Keeners we were blessed with two in the first week with one more on the way. The Irish are pretty recognisable here, the white skin and loud, strong accents stand out more than pterodactyls  in the river.
Luckily becoming an Irish person can be achieved in  few simple steps.

1st. Be a Leprechaun
According to the rest of the world all Irish people are Leprechauns, this is unfortunately true, we are a struggling race.
So to be a Leprechaun, having ginger hair and a pretty solid beard is a good start. Height here is the key, in general Irish Leprechauns max out at 3'6'', this may be tough but a noticeable height difference between you and your peers will deliver the desired effect. To complete the look full green attire is an absolute must.
If you can master the look of the leprechaun you are really on your way to being Irish.

2nd. Understand the Irish sport of Hurling
To the rest of the world this sport consists of two groups of hairy men in not very much clothing who go out an attack each other with sticks for 70 minutes and sometimes they see a little white ball moving incredibly quickly. This bloodbath is in the heart of every Irish person from birth, if you cant hold a hurley people question the authenticity of your origin. So get educated and fall in love with the fastest field sport in the world. When played properly the beautiful Gaelic sport can be intimidatingly peaceful.

3rd. Love of water
Water is a pretty big deal in the emerald isle, not only the fact that its an island but the climate blesses us regularly with buckets of rain. We cant not end up falling in love with that clear wet stuff. Perhaps that's why so many Irish people end up finding kayaking. If you are already a Kayaker your halfway there

4th. Eat potatoes EVERYday
Potatoes are the staple diet of an Irish person. We constantly fight a love/hate war with these brown things that grow in the ground they provide us with the necessary energy to paddle hard and party harder. The potato is what makes us so fun to be around and have so much to talk about. Eat potatoes and you can embrace the Irish culture
5th. Have the ability to pretend to speak Irish
Irish people learn their native language or most of their childhoods but few if any reach  a standard higher then being able to string a few sentence of gibberish together. So if you can learn a few words and spout them at some Irish they will treat you with utmost respect



Combining these this together you get something somewhat near an Irish person, if your not quite right then you will make a pretty funny sight, take a picture and make a fool of yourselves, Irish people will love you for it.
In truth this may not be 100% accurate but in the end does that really matter
 Irish are proud, loud and fun loving, with a strong passion for their culture, they should be celebrated and you should strive to keep some near always

Happy padding
Seán Cahill

Travel Tip for Keeners by Rob

Top tips for keeners traveling with kayaks 

1. If you have a layover in America apply for a travel visa early , like really early this will save you from untold amounts stress as you stay up all night before the flight trying to get one. For those traveling from the UK and Ireland its the ESTA visa !

2 . Find an air line that's "kayak friendly " this means there will be no trouble at check in as they realise your "surfboard" is really a kayak ! A quick google will help you find out which airlines take boats. 

3. Wrap your boat and paddles up ! It's a well known fact that baggage handlers hate kayaks there heavy and awkward to lift meaning there's a huge likelihood that they will drag it over the ground rather than lift it . Wrap It in anything from a old sheet , pallet wrap or even a surfboard bag ! 

4. Make the most of the space in your kayak it's essentially just an over sized wave shredding suitcase ! Pack any light bulky items such as life jackets ,sleeping bags and paddling gear inside it to save suitcase space . Just make sure your still with in your weight limit .

Broken Ice - Rose Menominee

New things scare me. New people especially. Meeting someone for the first time has always freaked me out. What should I say? Am I talking too much? Am I not talking enough? It makes me nervous just thinking about. It's like standing on thin ice that's ready to crack; if you can make it to shore your safe but if you step in the wrong place you'll fall through. For the first few days the silence drags on and I try and fill it with nervous chit chat. But once you start kayaking, eating, living and spending almost all your time with someone it's pretty hard to stay strangers. You start to learn things about them like what makes them laugh and what they find interesting. Conversations flow easier and the silence is companionable. We have know each other for 76 hours so far and already we feel comfortable enough make jokes and laugh and see how many people we can squish onto a rock. At keeners not only our kayaking skills improve, our communication and social skills develop as well. Our teamwork and problem solving is tested daily, and our leadership skills are sharpened. It's amazing how far we've come in just 76 hours I can't wait to see what we can all accomplish in the weeks to come!