How to Catch a Chipmunk

The reasons we must learn how to catch a chipmunk are simple. They are illegal aliens that steal our trail mix and poop in our cereal but here are simple steps that will allow you to become a ninja chipmunk catcher.

Step 1: Become a kayaker

I know that you think this has no correlation but being a whitewater kayaker in most people’s cases will make your reflexes faster.

Step 2: Set a trap

Whether with trail mix or fruit it must be in a deep container with a lid. Step away from the container and be patient the rodent will eventually come to you.

Step 3: Be ready and patient

Wait until the rodent is all the way into the container and wait a little bit more.

Step 4: Use those kayaking reflexes

Spring into action and slam the lid down thus trapping the chipmunk. But be careful the chipmunk will go wild so be ready for a hurricane of fur.

Those 4 simple steps will prepare you for chipmunk catching and in doing so will place in the halls of eternal glory in the eyes of the lunch coordinators.  

my second saturday by elliott bonnough

My second weekend

So today i want out and surfed for a while then came back in. then me and a lot of people when to garb and we were there all day. I'm getting really good at blunts and round houses.Then when we got back we ate dinner then i went back out to kayak with some of my friends. Then we had a full out water war at white house vs the girls. One of my friends Ray started to get a squirt gun and sprayed them and it was funny then thats when it broke out to full out war.It was so much fun. Then later i went out and looked at the stars it's so beautiful her. I really don't want to leave keeners yet i'm having so much fun here.I love how we get to kayak every day hear it's so much fun. I've gotten so much better at kayaking then when i was when i came. I'm so lucky to get to paddle with so many good paddlers hear. I'm going to hate it when i haft to leave here. I really like it hear a lot im so lucky i got to come to this camp.

By elliott bonnough

Welcome to Browntown with Bennett Fleming

While many at keeners wish to improve whitewater kayaking skills and form bonds that will last a lifetime, I on the other hand wish to walk the righteous path and reach the state of tan known only as “Browntown”. In an attempt to document my journey, I will lead you through the 7+ stages to the ultimate brown. As a wise man once said, sunscreen is for white people.

Stages I - III: The Phantom Brown, The Clone Brown, and Revenge of the Brown

Honestly, these stages aren’t even worth talking about, and are rather shameful if I do say so myself. Like the Star Wars prequels, we pretend that they don’t even exist.

Stage IV: A New Brown

At stage 4, the brown is very pronounced. A distinct life jacket tan line can be seen, or as former keener David Koyrakh said, “That’s not a tan line, that’s a race line.” Many compliments are given and much pride is taken in the brown.

Stage V: The Brown Strikes Back

“No sunscreen is the path to bad skin. No sunscreen leads to tan, tan leads to dry skin, dry skin leads to peeling.” - Definitely Yoda

Stage VI: Return of the Brown

Though through unfortunate genetics my skin dries out very quickly and thus peels easily, the Browni are not so easily beaten. Like a brown phoenix, in the smouldering pile of peeled skin, a new, more glorious tan is being reborn. At the end of week 2 at keeners, with dedication and lots of moisturizer, I am currently in-between stages V and VI, and hope to reach full stage VI by the end of the session.

Stage VII: The Browntown Awakens

The stories are real, all of them. Only after years of careful patience and dedication can one achieve Browntown, a tan so righteous that only a true Browni master could only dream of achieving. 

Thank you all for joining me on this epic odyssey in my quest to achieve Browntown. They say that a new stage, Stage VIII, exists, but only whispers of its name are heard. Maybe we’ll see in the Christmas of 2017.

Credit: Anna Bruno

Till next time,

Bennett Fleming

How to be Anna Bruno By: Claire Melton

Anna Bruno, aka "mom", is probably one of the best people in the world. Here are some important steps if one wants to become Anna Bruno.

1. Be incredibly patient. Now be more patient. You're probably still not at the level of patience Anna is, but you're off to a good start.

2. Have the ability to wake up 20-30 exhausted teenagers at 7:45 AM, every morning. An important step to the is making sure to do it with a smile on your face, and loudly enough that no one can "not hear you".

3. Becoming really good at yoga is an important step to being Anna. With time and practice, this is one of the most achievable steps. An incentive to truly mastering this step is that a ski resort might offer you a job teaching yoga, which has all sorts of benefits (i.e., free lift tickets).

4. Respond to "mom". Much to the frequent dismay of rafters/all other people, it sometimes appears as though Anna has 23 kids. All within five years of each other. Most Keeners refer to Anna as mom, and when more than four of us say it at once, we definitely get some strange looks. Silly Americans.

5. Having a way with words is the fifth step to becoming Anna. When someone does something wrong, she never tells them that they're a bad person, and she never really yells. Instead, she tells them what they did wrong, and that it shouldn't happen again. Handing out push ups is a GREAT way to keep everyone on good behavior.

How to Keep the Mice Out of One's Food - Daniel Mills-Thysen

So at Keeners, one of the many things we sacrifice to be able to paddle the incredible Ottawa River with some of the best coaches in the world is the ability to live a rodent-free life. Last year, I wrote a blog about how to mice, but this year the subject is how to keep them out of one's food.

Step 1: Keep it in a mouse-proof container, such as a plastic box, refrigerator, or freezer. This is the easiest and most obvious step to keep your food safe.

Step 2: Mice do not like the scent of peppermint. So while this method has not been scientifically proven to work by me, according to some people it does.

Step 3: Call a professional exterminator! If the mouse problem reaches epic proportions, it may be time to call in the pros (even though they will do the exact same things you would to catch mice, and are not available at Keenerville).

Step 4: Enjoy your mouse-free life. Even though mice are cute and all, living a mouse-free life is rather preferable to living a mousy one.

Why skirts are important -Kathryn Walker

Skirts are important for kayaking. I decided today was the day to surf the right side of Phil's hole; It seemed rather scary, but it looked manageable.  As I was surfing and getting thrown around, I realized it really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I flushed out pretty quickly, so I decided to give it another go. On my second time, I got tossed around, but nothing too bad. Then, my skirt imploded. Which means, it undid itself and let in a lot of water. As I finished surfing, I ended up slipping out of my boat from all of the water, and swimming downstream. So, moral of this story is, skirts are important.

-Kathryn Walker 

Phil's Hole-- Tim Vitkin

Considered by some the legendary hole of the river, Phil's hole was coveted by Keeners today for the mystical "Beatdown of the week" award. However, there are many rumors surrounding this hole that should be clarified for incoming Keeners, here are the top ones.

1.) You have to surf Phil's hole.
This is a complete lie. If you are not comfortable with it you do not have to do it. The reason keeners pile into this hole is to gain confidence and practice thinking in violent situations. While it is recommended, you do not have to surf the hole.

2.) It is very nasty.
Lie again. Maybe at lower levels this is true, but the coaches will not let you do something unless it has little consequences.Also, most people only get worked for 10 seconds in its left side, 30 in right side. It's not as bad as it sounds.

3.) You never want to go in it.
This ties in with the point above. I actually had so much fun in Phil's today that I'm definitely going into it again next week.

While there are many more myths, these are perhaps the more widespread. If you get the chance to go into Phil's Hole, just remember to have fun.



No keener has ever died surfing Phil's hole. Trust me, you won't regret it if you decide you want to get beat down.

--Tim Vitkin

why keeners is the best by parke miller

i got three things why you should come to keeners

one it is a great way for kids that don't interact vary much with kids have a safe place to do so. at keeners if you don't talk to people much you will miss out on stuff. keeners also makes us do speak night to make us comfortable with public speaking.

two: you get to paddle with the best coaches in the world. when paddling with the best coaches you learn a lot more then if you were on your own. it think the coaches are the best because they motivate you and push you at the same time.

three: it is one of the best places on earth you get to kayak you get to make friends everything it is great if you are ever looking for a camp for kids who kayak send them this way.

LET'S GO TO THE CINEMA!!!!!!! By Guillermo Meire

Yesterday, wednesday july 27th, at 5 pm, we go with the bus to the cinema to watch a movie. The movie starts at 7 so we had one hour and a half that we used to shop and have dinner. I ate an egg sandwich with bacon and a bottle of water.

It was really good!!!

I got a toy that looked very fun! After it was time to go to the cinema.

We watched the movie ICE AGE 4. The movie was really fun!

VERRRRRRRY FUNNNNNNN!!!!!!

When the movie ends we went back to the bus but not to go to the camp, to go to a very big supermarket. There was every thing. I tried to buy a present for my family.

When we got back to the back it was 10 o'clock so i didn't think twice and i went to bed.

ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz...!!!

Race Day & Pembroke - Topher

With another race day wednesday marking the halfway point for the session, I’m met with so many conflicting emotions; This place is amazing, and part of me wishes I could be here for so much longer, but at the same time, I can’t wait to see all of my friends from home. Either way, I know that the memories from here will last forever, even if the session is only another week and a half. That being said, today was definitely one of the more memorable days so far, with the Pembroke mall trip and all of the ridiculous but fun races that we completed. The most memorable of the 3 was probably the head to head / 8ball race, in which we had heats of 3 to determine the finals, and I lost to bryce by a matter of centimeters. However, I won the loser’s bracket, and, along with the other top 4, we got to become the obstacles at the finish for the winners. Utter chaos ensued, with boats and people everywhere, and although I’m not entirely sure who won overall, it was really fun anyways. After boating, we went to the Pembroke mall, where, after we made loads of stupid purchases at the dollar store, we saw the newest Ice Age. After this, we proceeded to go to walmart, which went about as well as you might expect had you brought 20 or so hyperactive teenagers into a massive value store. Overall, this day was definitely one of the most memorable, and I’m looking forward to thursday and the rest of the session, but not the end.

2 days learning some swift water rescue- Tom Dollé

So rescue is the most important thing we can learn when we are a kayaker, because It can save your life and save the life of your friends...Matt was our teacher, he is really cool.

So the first day, we learnt to throw the rope to someone who is swimming. We also did a competition of throwing the rope, we had to throw the rope, pull it back in and throw again, and the fastest won.

The afternoon we learnt how to get out of a tree under water, this was so much fun but really scary.

The next day, we ran the middle channel of the Ottawa, we did the left part of the ST chute. After we swam in a hole that body recirculates, we also went in the hole in kayak with Brice, he won the competition and he made me swim... 

Matt and Clay showed us some river signals.

It was 2 really fun days and all I learnt during these 2 days will help me for the future.

Tom Dollé

Be Prepared! -Olivia McGinnis

     I'm sure everyone at Keeners can agree on one thing: Kayaking is one of the most fun sports in the entire world. Who doesn't love the feeling of adrenaline pumping through you as you paddle up to the horizon line, ready to take the stroke that will be the deciding factor of your success? Although fun, thrilling, and absolutely amazing, kayaking can also be dangerous. Who wants to paddle with people who aren't prepared for the worst case scenario?
     These past four days, I've taken Wilderness First Aid and Swift Water Rescue. I feel as if the skills I've learned these past days are very important ones to have. The occasional blown line or dropped edge can quickly lead to something much worse. Although they may not happen often, shoulder dislocations, head injuries, foot entrapments, and many other bad things CAN occur. These two courses have taught me how to handle such scenarios, and many more.
     People kayak because it's fun, but sometimes overlook the fact that there is danger in the sport. Often times, kayakers aren't prepared for the worst. I feel like Wilderness First Aid and Swift Water Rescue have prepared me for the worst case scenario. It's nice to know that I'll be able to take care of my kayaking crew as well as I know they'll take care of me.


-Olivia McGinnis
   

Safety on the River by Bryce Aaron

This past weekend we learned first aid and Swiftwater Rescue. What I am going to talk about today is river signs and why they are important.

To start off, there are a few basic river sings that we should all know:

X- Crossing your arms in an "X" means don't come down.

l- With your arms or paddle straight up in the air mean all clear come down.

_-A horizontal line with your paddle mean don't come down too.

When a paddler mean a circle in the air then point in a direction means eddie out on left or right. If it's followed by a number, most likely "1" or "2" means it is a 1 or 2 person eddie.

Whistle blows are also important but vary between groups. 1 is normally look upstream, 2 is someone is getting worked or swam but is ok, and 3 is HELP, eddie out and go help. These calls do vary so it is good to review them before any run.

I hope that these river signals will help you on your next river. As a reminder it is always good to review these signals with your crew before you do your river.

Jump Rock! By Garrett Madlock

Last year, I was incredibly scared of jumping off of the giant jump rock. I would never try flips or tricks until the third week, when everyone had to try a trick. I somehow talked myself into doing a front flip. I failed miserably! I over rotated and took a giant hit to the face! 

This year, having a lot less fear than last year, a small French kid talked me into doing a back flip. I had never done a back flip this high before so I was very nervous. But I did it! It was less than perfect, but I was still stoked. 

Now I backflip almost every day! 

The reason behind keener "speech night" by- savannah westeinde

I'm sure many other keeners have felt the same way, but when I first came to keeners and heard that there was speech night every monday... well, you can say I was not enthusiastic. I think for me and many other people the thought of public speaking just isn't that appealing. It's scary and intimidating. Before keeners last year whenever I had to do a speech in public, or even talk to new people who I didn't know, my face would often turn bright red and my hands would get all shaky. The first speech night I spent the whole night before worrying about my face turning red and all that other stuff happening, but it actually went well, and after that I started to get more comfortable with speaking in public. It really made me more confident. After keeners ended I realized that because of speech night and situations like that, I had changed as a person. I was able to talk to new people and make new friends. I was able to do really well in a lot of presentations that I had at school which got me better grades, and I was just way more confident in myself and my ability to communicate with other people. Another thing that I personally take out of speech night is the fact that it actually helps me to get to know the people that are in my session. The first speech night, which is kind of an icebreaker, gives a bit of insight and background on everybody and their home life. This is really helpful for becoming close with these people, because you already have learnt a fair bit about them from the first night. So for any new keeners, or even returning keeners who think that speech night is stupid or just don't understand why we are forced to participate in it, remember that it really is important and it will help you later on in life so take it seriously and listen to other people's speeches, and learn from them. Now this year, when I am back at keeners, it is way less intimidating and scary. 

Progression - Albert Binkley

     At Keeners we all want to succeed. We want a chance to do well and experience self fulfillment in a job well done. An important part of progression is having a goal and know what sub goals you should set to achieve the ultimate goal. Having a few small goals makes the larger task seem much more obtainable. During my experience at Keeners I have learned many tricks in merely a week's time. I have learned airscrews on both sides, blunts on both sides, and I have made tremendous progress on my left helix. In order to achieve these I simply broke down each trick to their basic motions and slowly pieced it all together. I am very happy with where I have come in a week and even happier about where I could potentially go in the next 2 weeks.

my frist friday at keenkers by elliott bonnough

Today was funky fresh friday. It was a nickname for champion friday. You could choose to be at push button or garb. I choose to be at garb, garb is a big surf wave and you can do a lot of tricks. I can't do very many tricks but back surf and spin both ways and I could shove it both ways.from our camp garb is a far paddle away. There is a lot of flat water so you get to practice your flat water skills. I'm not very good at flat water. I have been working on my blunts I know how to do them I just can't do it on a wave. I'm having such a great time here and i'm so glad to be here. Every night we eat at wt which is wilderness tours. We eat there every night but the weekends.i get to film all of this cool stuff we have been doing because my dad let me use his gopro. At keeners we get to paddle with a lot of professional kayakers. Where i have been staying was in the white house in the morning Ray usually makes us pancakes.

By elliott bonnough

How to be like Bren Orton- Cat Hardman

First of all who is Bren Orton? Bren is an amazing whitewater kayaker from England. He's one of the best in the world actually. From surfing huge waves like Ginormica
on the Mistassibi to paddling off enormous waterfalls in Mexico. So here is the step by step process on how to be like Bren Orton.

Step 1

Since he is from England you must have a british accent, he also has bright orange hair. To get this color hair you can dye it orange or be naturally born with it like . Bren. Bren is about 5'8, if you are taller than that you need to measure your legs and then cut off the inches that make you taller than him. If you are shorter than  him try getting shoes with heels on them or figure out how to grow taller.

Step 2

Your attitude must always be happy and be stoked to go kayaking becasue that's the way Bren is. Bren's attitude never puts anyone down and he also makes you get fired up to do stuff. SO if you ever see someone down while kayaking or anywhere else make them feel happy and stoked to do whatever they are doing or about to do.

Step 3

Be really good at kayaking. if you have ever seen Bren paddle or watched any of his videos, you would know he kicks butt. Bren is an amazing play boat in waves
and holes. He throws massive airscrews and pan-ams. He does sick combo moves like the bread and butter with a McNasty after that. Then in holes he can do
double lunars with an orbit at the end with loop finishing it off. To be like Bren, you have to be able to do all f the tricks in the trick book and be able to
make up tricks too like the space jam and lunar to lunar wih finishing it off with an orbit.

Step 4
 Run big waterfalls. Bren has run some really big waterfalls like Tomata in Mexico which is 60 feet and other that are bigger like he ran one that is 80 ft. But you have to run them like Bren, so when going of something like Tomata you  have to tuck just like bren. So when you go off the lip start slowly and as you go  off and once you know your free fally tuck by putting your paddle to one side and tuck. Then you can also do ear dios like Bren. So when you're going off a drop you
can boof, do a brace as your going off the drop and when you're coming up take a stroke.

Step 5

Well there is no step five, if you have at least done all of these you can be like Bren. If you haven't done all these steps you cannot be like Bren, which is sad and very  unfortunate. So be like Bren.

First Aid by Jake Elder

Yesterday I took a  first aid class as part of he keener program. To me at least first aid is one of the most important things to k ow when your on the river. It's important because when disaster strikes you have to know what to do and how to safely do it. For example we learned how to deal with dislocated shoulders and unconscious patience and all sorts of injures that might occur while on the river. I thought that the first aid class was super fun and interesting and I highly recommend taking a first aid class. Today I'm also gonna take a swift water rescue class which is essentially a more hands on version of the first aid class. It's gonna teach us exactly what to do when there's a swimmer and emergency situations. I'm also very excited for this as well. Thank you

First Week at Keeners By: Olivia Summerfield

    All of my kayaking friends were very jealous that I was going to spend three weeks on the Ottawa kayaking with some of the best boaters in the world.  I was very excited, but also very nervous.  After being here for a week I have realized that there was no need to be nervous.  Everyone is super nice and the coaches are awesome.  

    The first couple days I was trying to get to know everyone.  By Wednesday I was ready for race day and beat down Thursday.  Race Wednesday was my favorite day.  All the races were super fun, especially the ridiculous races.  Beat down Thursday was also very fun.  Between surfing baby face on a SUP and doing legs out to the take out down Garb it was very fun.  I am super excited for the rest of camp especially the next race Wednesday.

Chasing Glory by Bennett Fleming

Drop edge, paddle out, turn back into the curler, lean in and stroke. Surf.

Eyes upstream, carve out onto the shoulder, look into the foam and drive in. Cycle.

Drop down the wave, takeoff edge, lean back, look ahead of the rotation and bring it around. Air 

screw.

Surf, cycle, airscrew. Glory.

Now do it again.

This year being my third and last year at keeners, I have felt many things. Fear, pain, and regret, to name a few, but the one thing that keeps me coming back is the feeling of glory. Never mind the amazing coaches or the beautiful river, the feeling of pure joy and elation just gets me every time. I remember one of my first kayaking instructors, a former keener. I remember how amazing he was, cartwheeling and looping in the flat water, and I remember his ever so far away goal, to air screw. At the time, it seemed so impossible. To fly and contort in such a way just seemed so distant, but now I know that many things I deemed impossible are now within my reach. With a little coaching and a lot of effort I completed an airscrew, and it felt glorious. I felt it all throughout my body, and I was so shocked at what I had just done, I didn’t even try to stay on the wave. To me, glory is one of, if not the most enjoyable feelings in the world.

But the thing with glory is its fleeting nature. You can chase and nip at its heels, and sometimes take a bite larger than the last, but glory will still elude you. After doing a trick that you’ve perfected over and over, the glory starts to dull. It’s not glorious, it’s expected. So you find new ways of tasting glory, new tricks, new lines, but in the end, glory will still outrun you. 

So that’s it right? We’re doomed to chase a fleeting high, only to be disappointed over and over? Not quite. It may be fleeting, but it’s contagious. When I see someone more experienced or less experienced than me complete something that they’ve been working on, when I see their glory radiating throughout their body, I can’t help but to feel that glory too, and that’s what I love about keeners, and kayaking in general for that matter. I will always be surrounded by people radiating glory, be it big tricks, beatdowns, or big pancakes, and the ever present feeling of joy, no matter how strong, will keep me chasing glory forever. 

The Tournment to last the Ages by Ray Barbera

Competition, that one word sets keener adrenaline pumping and makes the fear palpable in the air. Every friday the keeners compete at a feature on the river (ex Pushbutton Garburator)

and one of us hopes to score the most points in one ride to win the golden ribbon of awesomeness. But this friday there was a backroom game going on….. Foosball. Today was the tournament to decide what pairs were the best at the game. Every participant was prepared for the best, but ready for the worst. 5 teams and only one can claim the glory of being the best. The tournament starts and in no time we are at the finals two teams in the red corner French Connection with Tom Dolle and Mathieu Dumoulin and in the blue corner The Dream Team starring Ray Barbera and Kaelin Fridenson. BAM BAM! The game starts and immediately the French Connection scores. Minutes go by and then The Dream Team makes a comeback and they score 5,6,7 goals. By this time the French Connection is getting desperate and BAM BAM the score is tied up at 7 goals. The players are perspiring with sweat from the nervousness the win is on the line either you win and are glorious forever or you lose and are shamed with embarrassment. The Dream team gets the ball and all of the sudden two goals are scored and one more the DREAM TEAM WINS what a miracle eternal glory for Ray and Kaelin.

P.S Happy BirthDay Mathieu

How to Not Have Fun at Keeners! - Daniel Mills-Thysen

Not having fun at Keeners is one of the hardest things in the world to do, because Keeners is pretty cool hella amazing. Kayaking all day, every day is just too fun! In fact, I am about to go out paddling very soon after I write this on Friday evening, on one of the best rivers in the world. However, if you really want to not have fun at Keeners, read on to find out how to do that.

Step 1: Be an unhappy baby. Being an unhappy baby is no fun for anyone, but especially for the people who have to put up with you being an unhappy baby. To be an unhappy baby, simply do something spectacular (either spectacularly good or a spectacular failure), and the proceed to have a fit about it. You know you have finished with this step when Steve-O pulls out the infamous picture of what you have become: an unhappy baby.

Step 2: Don't sleep or drink any water. Staying up all night and not drinking any water are essentials if you want to be sad at Keeners. This is because being tired and dehydrated and trying to surf Garb at the same time will very quickly make you sad.

Step 3: Be a downer about everything. If you are having an off day or aren't quite able to pull off that one trick, don't be sad. Listen to what the coaches tell you, and think about it during your next ride. And above all, try to forget that you are on one of the nicest rivers on earth and DON'T HAVE FUN!

How to Have the Best Sweet Sixteen Ever

How to Have the Best Sweet Sixteen Ever
By: Claire Melton

Today I turned sixteen, and it also happened to be big water beatdown Thursday. In case your birthday ever matches up with a beatdown Thursday, I have written a list of steps to success. 

Step 1: Wake up, and put on the most obnoxious combination of clothing you own. Be prepared to paddle and swim in this clothing. During warm ups in the morning I went for a pair of pink flannel pants, and a red flannel shirt. While this was decent (flannel on flannel is always great), what I wore on the water was much better. I’m not even sure how to describe that, so below I have attached a picture. 

 

Step 2: Swimming ALL of McKoy’s is another step in the perfect birthday/beatdown Thursday combo. An important part of this is to make sure you’re body surfed in both of the worst holes in the rapid, and then end up in a whirlpool. Start by swimming left into Satler’s, and then hard right into Phil’s hole. 

Step 3: Personally, I think the best way to follow up bodysurfing is to surf the holes in your boat. After spending a while getting beat down in Phil’s hole and watching others get beat down in Phil’s hole, it’s time to move on downstream.

Step 4: "Legs out to lunch" not only makes lunch taste that much better, but is a wonderful game that mildly concerns rafters. It’s played by running Garb and Waikiki without a skirt, and with your legs out of your boat. While I was successful in making it through both rapids, if you really want to put the “beatdown” in beatdown Thursday, running the pipeline through Garb is a fantastic way to ensure that you swim, and are not successful. Taking this line is also very entertaining to everyone observing. 

Step 5: Partially filling up a raft with air, piling it full with kayakers, and having Dane Jackson guide it into holes that aren’t commercially run is another suggestion as to how to make the most out of your birthday/beatdown Thursday. Later that day Dane broke his hand, so isn’t currently available to guide a raft, but I’m sure he’ll be back, and better than ever before we know it. If you don’t have enough people to fill the raft, don’t worry! Just fill it with inflatables such as a killer whale named Shamu, and a large sombrero.

Step 6: The day must be finished off with a cake from Wilderness Tours, and an incredibly enthusiastic singing of Happy Birthday from fellow Keeners. 

Side Note: Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this the best birthday ever, there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be. :)

Cheers!!

the many fun games we play at keener by parke miller

 At oks keener we do amazingly fun games like legs out to the take out and who can get bet down the best but my favorite that we are hoping to play is how can get out in the hardest spot on the river because it is a lot of fun to watch people lose there gear and then swim down after but in the end some dose it in a really cool place I think it is the greatest thing to watch because people try the dumb thing ever. I remember last year a keener named Kyle tried to turtle his way of the side of the cliff. Also clay showing us that absolutely wrong way to get out of are boat he showed you are supposed to stick your butt up first and your head in the boat.

The value of Teamwork-- Tim Vitkin

While race day can seem intimidating, it actually can be a valuable learning experience. As my first kayaking race ever, the relay that was the first thing we did in the morning was scary for me- in the end I messed up my practice and thus missed my turn as I didn't make it to my leg in time. However, this was partially due to miscommunication, and while bringing your team down because  of this is not fun, it teaches you a lot in terms of how to properly talk with your team.

As we were planning for the race on shore, what I believed my role was supposed to be was different from the beliefs of my team; they believed that I had to paddle a different leg than I thought I had to. Miscommunication strikes again. 

Since this put me down, I decided to take away some morals from my mistakes; it is these types of team errors that in the end cause massive failures when they are actually needed, for example a stressful job situation. Teamwork is key, even when it is least expected.

The idea of racing to me never involved the idea of teamwork, and the first race at keeners was actually more of a lesson on teamwork than on actual racing.

Big water beatdown- Kathryn Walker

This morning I got up, silently groaning at how early it seemed. I slowly got dressed and ran out side on the freshly dewed grass. After playing a team building game, I ran inside to cook up my eggs and bacon. After talking about what a big water beatdown is we decided the plan for the day. I jumped into my gear, eager to go kayaking. After scouting out the Mccoys rapid, we decided to swim it. It seemed very scary at first,  but after I swam it, even when I missed my line, it was really fun! We then hiked back up, and ran it in our kayaks. I decided to surf left side of phill's hole, which had always terrified me. The rest of the day, we spent swimming lots of things that scared me. Then I slowly realized, the real reason of big water beat down days is not to give our coaches some free entertainment, but instead, to learn how to conquer things that scare us. Learning how to conquer things that scare us is definitely an important life lesson, even if it is learned kayaking and swim through massive water, while running into other terrified keeners. It's a lesson I am thankful to have learned.  

Race Wednesday - Albert Binkley

Race Wednesday is a special day at Keeners. A time to push yourself as well as your friends. A time to truly know speed. We split into groups, a mix of fast and slow but which is which you won't know. We all are waiting for that one moment where your coach shouts "GO!". As you slide off the rock whether it be in a relay, head to head, or timed race you have one thing in your mind and that is to try to place. As the race starts you'll soon see which keener is the one to beat. Though it's friendly we all compete for the satisfaction which is winning the meet. When you finish your race you know what you've done. You went on the river and you've had fun. You may not win, but you truly have won when you giggle and smile because you had fun.

First Impressions by Jake

Hi my names Jake and let me first just say that after my first day in the river I was worried that I wasn't going to have fun. Now this might seem a little weird but to me three weeks of paddling the same stretch seemed a little repetitive. But now I'm three days in and I'm completely confident that I'm going to have a good time. I found out that each day has a sort of theme whether it be race day Wednesday or freestyle Tuesday, you'll never be bored. You might get tired or sore but you'll always have fun.

Race day By Guillermo Meire

Today is race day and we are going to do a relay race. In my group were Daniel, Tim, Tom and I. The group were of 4 people. There are four legs in the relay race. I did the first leg. In the first leg i had to run from the forest to the river, put in and do a back ferry.

Biiiiiiip!!! Here starts the race!

I have to say that my start is not good! But after I run fast and take over the other people and i put in the first. To go fast I don't put my spray squirt. All is good until I was in the eddy of the other side. The eddy have a wirlpool. It put water in my boat. And more and more water!
I keep going until the end and Tom was waiting for me.

His leg was more difficult. He had to paddle the rapid and avoid holes. When he paddles he had to touch the right side and after touch the left side of the river again.
When he touch the left side, Daniel can start. He have to paddle to the end of the rapid to the right side again. And there Tim was supposed to be but he wasn't!!!

Where is Tim!!!!????

As every body was confused Daniel did the fourth leg. But the second group took over Daniel and in the end we were second.

Great race!!!

My 3 favorite playspots on the Ottawa- Ton Dollé

My 3 favorite playspot on the Ottawa by Tom Dollé 

• So my third favorite playspot is Push Button, it’s a little hole right below Garburator where we can do some really big loops and space godzillas. That’s a sweet hole to learn tricks because It’s not too fast and It’s really good to learn big loops. 
  
  
  

 

• My second favorite wave is Corner wave, the wave is between Phil's hole and baby face; It’s the first rapid of the Ottawa, but it appears mostly at low water. It’s a really hard wave but It’s so much fun. It’s really steep and the water comes really fast so it's really fun to do a lot of spins. It’s also really good to learn the left helix. The eddy is pretty hard to catch because the flow goes to the other side of the river.. 
  

• My favorite wave is the famous wave of the Ottawa called Garburator, that’s where the World Championships were in 2015. It’s a really fast wave, this wave is really hard to understand but when you understand it, It’s the best wave ever. 

These are the best spots on the river but there are so many other spots to play and to do some downriver tricks, there are also a lot of rocks to diving which are very fun.

Swimming out of my boat- Cat Hardman

When coming to Keeners you should know you are most likely going to swim and today was the day I swam. It was a little weird because I haven't swam in about a year because I have just been playboating and running waterfalls. I knew I was going to swim, but the way I did surprised me. Since today was Race Day Wednesday we had many kinds of challenges and one of them was to go into the whirlpools and one of the coaches would call a name in the group and the and person that had there name called had to swim. The rest of the group had to get the paddler and all of the gear back on the shore. So the group that did that the fastest won. The groups consisted of four people, and my in my group was Olivia McGinnis, Albie Binkley, Rachel Buys, and myself.

When it was our turn to race Steven Wright called Albie's Name and and as he swam I raced to get to his boat and as I was trying to get to eddy with his boat I flipped in the process without a paddle. Normally I can hand roll but I was on the eddy line which makes it really difficult to roll. I started to use Albie's boat trying to roll and because it was full of water I couldn't. Therefore I swam, and it was very interesting for the rest of the teams to watch me swim and still trying to get Albie's boat to him to complete the race.

It took us about 17 minutes total to complete the race, and obviously we came in last. Our race was definitely the one to laugh at, and everyone laughed. Even our group laughed at us. So when coming to Keeners expect to swim, even if you think you won't, you will. But if you swim the must not be an "Unhappy Baby" as Steven Wright says. If  come to Keeners and swim just laugh, and be happy.

my day of race day by elliott

Today was race day at keeners it was a lot of fun. We also swam through garb which is a big wave. Today was a lot of fun. I also got a nice surf on baby face which I never get a good one. The later that night Garrett took me back out to baby face and I got a couple blunts and I got a nice grind. Then at wt Ray and I were playing basketball it was a lot of fun. We did a lot of fun races, like we did one with a beach ball. We also did one. We have a lot of guides in our camp. Like we have Clay,Steven and Dane. At this camp I have made lots of friends. Like Tom,Ray Timmy,Garet. I'm so happy to be at this camp it's a great camp and it's amazing to be here. Every morning we do a game and eat breakfast. We have a camp mom named ana she's a great kayaker and does a great job keeping track of us. Keeners is so much fun and i'm only a couple days in. I can't wait for a couple weeks later.

By elliott bonnough

Living with a Small French Kid by Garrett Madlock

I've been living with a little french kid named Tom for a little while now, and it's surprisingly amazing! Although I thought the language barrier might be an issue at first, it has much easier over time.

The little things about Tom makes him so much fun to live with. Tom likes to: make fun of American food, take random footage of us being total goof-balls, and sleep talk in french every night. We've been all over the place together and it just keeps getting more and more fun. 

Tom has also taught me a lot about kayaking. He struggles to explain things, but somehow his hand gestures and tiny sound effects are a great teaching method. He may be a much better kayaker than me, but we both continue to push each other to try new things. 

Tom is my favorite french kid!! 

Down the Rabbit Hole: Part 2 - Holly Wilson

     A little introduction is needed for this blog. Last year I began my first ever keener session off with a blog post all about the surprising insanity of this lovely program. If you have not read that post and would like a better understanding of where this continuation is going, here is a link: http://okskeeners.blogspot.ca/2015/07/down-rabbit-hole-holly-wilson.html.

     Here I am back at keeners for another year, this time I am lucky enough (and extremely grateful) to be doing two sessions in a row. The drive to Beachburg from where I live is approximately 6-7 hours depending on traffic and how well you listen to the road signs .The further along the road my father and I drove the higher my expectations rose. I recalled all the crazy things that had ensued last year; including, but not limited to, building our own ramp, swimming the boof, and an endless supply of inside jokes. Last year was fantastic and I was more than stoked to be going back, which was quite obvious to my father as I would not shut up about stories from before that I had most likely already told him all about. The craziness would live on this session.


Kate Rowan from session 2 2015, my session
   
     Or so I thought... First day back on the water and I can thoroughly say that only one word could describe the day: disappointment. I kept telling myself "I should be happy, this place is basically heaven on Earth!" but I couldn't ignore the fact that I didn't feel happy. At the time I didn't know if it was the fact that I'm going to be away from home for six weeks hitting me, if it was the fact that I sucked at kayaking more than I thought or if it was just one of those days. I thought about it that night, longer than I probably should of, but I finally came to a conclusion. Although those few things did play a factor in my unhappiness, I realized it was my expectations.

     All I thought about was "last year this" and "last year that" when I should have been focused on this year and the new people and experiences. I was so set to top last year that I was stuck comparing this year to last year, even though it was just the first day! It's not the people, or the kayaking, or the being away from home. It is my mind set. The one thing (other than a roll) that will let you accomplish anything on and off the water is your mind set.

     Once my mind set had changed I saw things in a different way. I realized all the crazy was here, just in a new way. I had to accept the fact that these weren't the same people I was with last year. Even the returning keeners from my session weren't the same as a year had passed, which usually changes people. With the change of mindset off the water my mind began to change on the water and I began to gain something I lacked to try new tricks. It was Clay who had given it a name for me: confidence. So by the end of today the one thing I could think coming back from the river was "back down the rabbit hole we go". Maybe the insanity legacy that keeners holds in my mind will live on.

The Elephant in the Room: What it's Like Not Being at Keeners - Savannah Westeinde

     Everyone always talks about what it's like at keeners, but no one ever talks about what it's like not to be at keeners. Ever since last year when I was in the third session of keeners, I have spent every waking moment thinking about keeners. Sitting at the back of a class room listening to my teacher yammer on about history (which of course is important) I would think back to those warm summer days on the Ottawa river. Paddling all day every day with amazing people is something that not many people get to experience and I have been fortunate enough to be one of those few. I'm sure many other keeners can relate to the fact that when not at keeners, time is spent watching keener videos or just watching kayaking videos/movies in general and thinking about keeners. Once you have had such an unforgettable experience, every day life just seems bland and boring. My poor friends have had to put up with me talk about keeners 24/7 and half the time they have absolutely no idea what I'm saying because they don't paddle. I'm sure It was quite annoying to listen to me talk on and on and on about keeners and I am so grateful to them for putting up with me. Thankfully I am finally here back at keeners, and ready for another amazing session! 

Whirlpool Rescue Fail By:Olivia Summerfield

Today was race day at camp.  One of the races was rescuing a swimmer in whirlpools. The goal was to get the swimmer and all of their gear to the shore in as little time as possible.   Team South-eastern Shredders did not rescue their swimmer (Albert) very well.  Albie swam and Rachel got him to shore fine.  Cat and Olivia tried to get Ablie's boat, but Cat got caught in a whirlpool, lost her paddle, flipped, and swam.  So, they had two swimmers, one swimmer was on the right shore and everyone else, plus all the gear was on the opposite shore.  Albie had to swim all the way across the river and the whirlpools to get to his gear and finish the race.  The moral of this story is to always keep a hold of your paddle while rescuing people.  Also try your best not to flip in whirlpools.

The Ottawa. By Bryce Aaron

The Ottawa is one of the world's most famous rivers. The Ottawa river, though it may be long, only has a short section of whitewater. But in that short section of whitewater, it holds some of the world's best playboating! In the river's most recent glory, it held the 2015 ICF World Freestyle Championships, with it's winner being Dane Jackson.

After that brief summary of the Ottawa, now let me tell you about my days on it (which has only been 2 days so far.)

The day started out by eating breakfast (Duh!) and then getting in our boats for a warmup, to get our bodies loosened up.We then paddled to Mcoy's Chute, and looked at the lines we wanted to take down Phil's hole. I choose the Macho Move line and nailed it on my first try, just minus the macho move, for now.

Then we moved down to babyface wave and surfed there for a few and finally moved down to Garb. The highlight of my day was my first surf on Garb ever! And my first move was a HUUUUGE blunt that turned into a Blunt Nasty. I was so stoked that I did one! Then later, I almost did one again (I just got flushed out before I could finish it.) We paddled down the rest of the way, stopping for cliff jumps and whirlpools.

I'm going to finish my blog by saying that my first day on the Ottawa was pretty awesome!

Where Are The Rocks? - Olivia McGinnis

         The Ottawa is definitely a lot different than the rivers in the southeast. Where are the rocks? Every rapid is full of fun, fairly un-concequencial play waves and holes, some of which look intimidating, but in all honesty, are safe as can be.
         I've been kayaking for almost six years, and I've never been on a river as wide open and great for tricks as the Ottawa. This awesome river, plus the fantastic coaches at Keeners, just from being here for two days, I can tell that I'm already improving as a kayaker. I'm beginning to nearly get kick flips and dialing in my blunts.
        To think that it's only been two days is insane. Being surrounded by a group of amazing Keeners and Keener coaches sure does make time fly! I'm so lucky to be privileged enough to be in this fantastic program with these fantastic people. I absolutely cannot wait to see what these next two and a half weeks will bring!

Watching Coach Kabob do a backflip off BFR (Big Friendly Rock. There are so few, the rocks have names!

-Olivia McGinnis

fun of editing video kaden

Today we had a guy named David come in and teach us about video editing and making little clips about our time here. One thing I was surprised to learn is how easy it is to actually edit videos. The hard part is making it flow to the music and having good shots. Everyone was pretty fired up after David talked and got into groups to plan for their edits. There was a group that is making a video about the trip to the gatineau river i think it will look great. My group is making a video on freestyle kayaking to try and show other people how much fun it is. I am planning on doing a little bit of editing and helping make everything work by filming people today. If you ever get the chance to learn about photo video editing you should take it. Another way to learn that is a lot of fun is watching videos on youtube to learn how.