How to spend weekends - Miguel

At least are supposed to be. The first one some of us had to do first aids, so sleep until late was gone. We had to get up at 8 because we started at 9. The first day was terrible. We finished at 5 only having some breaks of 5 minutes and half an hour for having lunch. The second day wasn't that terrible because there were more practical stuff. Then the second weekend. "Finally I can rest" I said to myself. I woke up prity late and I'm reslly proud of it. But when you come out of your room people ask you if you are going to paddle. And you ask them: when? And you know the answer because they are already changed about to sign out: "now". You try not to but you finally go. You can go to mckoys or run the river but you know one thing: You are not going to rest.

Being A Keener VS. Going to Keeners Rachel Buys

I am Rachel Buys this is my second year as a keener. I noticed straight away that in order to be successful here you have to not only be watching everything go down you have to be involved and developing the keener spirit. So I asked myself "What is the Keener Spirit?" In order to be a keener you have to be able to get up after a bad beat down. You need to be actively looking for ways to help. You should be able to push through any challenges you face. A keener sets an example for their piers. A keener is respectful. Keeners take showers. (Cough cough Guillermo cough cough) A keener is mature. Keeners are safe on and off the water. Keeners stay positive. Keeners are creative and have their own ideas. Keeners are mindful. Keeners don't fall to pier pressure. Keeners are confident. Keeners don't brag. Keeners are leaders. When listing these out I realized that my oldest brother Zac was the perfect example of a keener attitude. He never got the chance to come to Keeners but I think you don't need to be here to be a keener or have the keener attitude. Even when I'm not at Keeners I try to work the keener attitude into my life and the people around me. I think others even though they may have never had the chance to go to Keeners should still be all of these things.

-Rachel Buys

Paddling with Emily Jackson - Olivia Summerfield

Over the weekend all the girls at Keeners got a chance to paddle with Emily Jackson.  It was awesome.  Not only did we get to paddle with Emily we also got to paddle with Brooke Hess.  It was an amazing opportunity.  I learned so much just from paddling with them for about an hour.  It was also very cool to only paddle with girls.  It is very rare that girls are the majority in kayaking, much less the only people paddling.  I really loved getting to paddle with all girls.  Keeners is awesome because it gives you opportunities that you normally would not get.  I was amazed at good Emily was and how good of a teacher she was.  Within about five minutes she had helped me get up on my bow and hold it and she helped me with me cartwheels.  She also gave me a lot of good tips on surfing and looking around.  I was so glad I got to paddle with her and I hope I get to again. 

how to spin by Elliott Bonnough

How to spin

First step find a good wave 

Second step work on keeping the boat flat.

Third step go on a wave and learn how to stay on the wave good and how to cycle

Forth step give a good back stroke and keep your eyes up stream 

Fifth don't look down stream. Don't lift your down stream edge.

Sixth if the wave wants to push you to one side spin the opposite side.

Seventh  make sure the wave is deep so if you flip your not going to smack your head

How to be a Superhero Paddler By Davis Sineath

What is a superhero paddler? A superhero paddler isn't necessarily a good kayaker. It all has to do with their character. They are always happy to help, whether it be a swimmer, helping with shuttle, teaching a new skill, clearing a strainer or cheering other paddlers on. They make the river fun. So how can you do this?

Step 1- Smile, this is probably the most important step because without it others won't appreciate or look up to you.

Step 2- Help, here is the hard part. To be a superhero paddler you are the first to help. Always. You go to extreme lengths to help someone out, the only exception is if you can get hurt.

Step 3-Give Advice, when someone is struggling with a skill or trick, show them how to do it. Work with them till they understand.

Step 4- Sacrifice, to sacrifice doesn't necessarily mean jumping in front of a bullet. It can be as simple skipping a surf to prevent someone else from swimming. Whatever it is, when people see you sacrifice for the group they will respect you and follow your lead.

Step 5- Have fun, who wants to paddle with someone who doesn't?

That's it, congrats! But is it really? The reality is this should be the standard for all paddlers. This is part of the reason Keeners is so much fun. All the coaches demonstrate this and the kids follow their lead which gives an awesome group dynamic. So maybe being a Superhero paddler isn`t a big deal, maybe it`s the new standard.

How to have a ton of fun at Ottawa Kayak School-Nate Oconnor

       How to have a ton of fun at Keeners.  It really isn't difficult to have fun here, I mean it's kayaking everyday! How could you not have fun? You're pretty much constantly having fun, but to get the most fun out of your Keener experience there's only three steps! Stay healthy, stay away from your phone, and listen to the coaches.
       Not being healthy equals days off the water, and let's face it no one what's that! Everyday I use "ear mix" to stop ear infections.  I clean every cut that I get on and of the river with soap and water. Being healthy is a very important step to staying pain free and on the water.
        For me phones and social media give a lot of stress.  Taking all this away makes everything much more fun! You get to focus on kayaking and having fun with friends on the water.
        Listening to your coaches is the most important way to have fun. They know this river, and they know where the danger and the fun spots are! Just by listening to your coaches, you can avoid getting hurt and getting push-ups for disobeying!
       Although not having fun at Keeners is literally impossible, there are definitely ways to make your experience much more exciting.

How Kayaking Teaches Success - Aidan Davies

Here at Keeners, life is based around the common interest of everyone here, and that is whitewater kayaking. However, there is more to this sport than meets the eye. It is more than an extreme sport focusing on nailing huge air screws, phonix monkeys, and space Godzillas. Kayaking teaches valuable life lessons and most importantly how to become successful in life.

Firstly, kayaking teaches the value of friendship. There is never a time where kayaking with your friends will be less fun than kayaking on your own. With friends, they will cheer for you when you succeed and even if you fail. Most importantly, friends will be there if you need help. In the off river world, it is important to have friends like this to support you and help you out of tough situations. However, kayaking is an independent sport for the most part. Sometimes there will be times when your friends cannot help you, and you must work out your issue on your own. With enough practice and knowledge in your abilities, you should never end up in a situation that you are helpless.

Additionally, kayaking shows the importance of respecting your limits. this is important because it helps preserve your mental, physical and emotional health. Doing things that you know are outside your comfort zone is important, but in moderation and when there is little or no negative repercussions. Attempting things that you know you cannot do well if at all, can be very dangerous in kayaking, for example, running something so difficult and/or dangerous. That could result in undue stress on your body, and/or mind. What if you did something that stopped you from everyone wanting to¹ kayak again?! In the business world, this means not taking on projects that you cannot do due to lack of knowledge, time or other things. If you can rearrange your schedule to achieve this, but it is important that you don't overdo yourself.

Thirdly, overcoming extreme challenges like whitewater rapids helps in building confidence and a positive self-image. In addition to this, the Journal of Leisurability determined that kayaking supports increased social skills and self-satisfaction. This is important in the life for dealing with stressful situations and panicking. Fear is logical, however panicking shuts down the brain's function to make rational decisions.

As a final point, kayaking teaches good dental hygiene. In the kayaking world, clean teeth results in clean lines, and you can shine your pearly whites for the camera. Having clean lines is essential for kayaking because it reduces the chance of getting hurt and increases the chance of having a good time. As I said in my last blog, having fun is inevitable at Keeners, but it is within your best interest to make the best of your time. Outside of kayaking, maintaining adequate dental hygiene is crucial, because it cuts down on money required for dental work, cavities and whatnot. Spare money can be put towards better things, like  kayaking.

In conclusion, kayaking is more than just an extreme sport, it is an art and a way of life. It is an art in the sense that you be yourself and it is relaxing and calming. It is a way of life in the sense that it it shows you other ways of seeing a situation. Lucifer's Anus can teach you a lot of things other than being beat down is the best and worst thing in the world. It teaches you that even if times get tough, enjoy it, because it will get better. But also take into consideration that if you panic and flounder when things get tough, you could drown, metaphorically or in reality. After three weeks in Beachburg, I have had the time of my life, and it is hard to express in words my gratitude for everyone involved. From coaches to friends, I have so much respect for all of them. So I guess that is what I'm taking out of kayaking, and I hope my blogs have been at least entertaining, if not informative. Happy Summer:)

How To Be A Vegan Keener-By Zac Cole

As one of our blogs has to be a how to I decided, instead of making a already done before blog about how to do a kayak trick, I would do something that hasnt been done before.  Nevertheless, it is also important as more people eliminate animal products and by products from their diet.  This blog wouldve saved me a lot of time, stress and from bringing about 5 kilograms of food i didnt need.   So I decided to make a blog about how to be a vegan keener.
So firstly the most important meal of the day breakfast.  Youll have access to fruit ,vegetables, oatmeal, cereal, peanut butter and jam sandwichs and soymilk as breakfast is eaten at keenerville you have a lot more options. if possible i would recommend brining a blender and protein powder to make a smoothie, however, it is not needed to have a good healthy breakfast.
Next is lunch, which is on the river, and there really arent a lot of options there are veggie burgers, vegetable soup and trail mix so you can make due but it may he a bit repetitive and you better like veggie burgers.
Finally, there is Dinner which is eaten at wilderness tours resort, and since almost no one stays there for more then 3 days it is a 3 day rotation.  Your 3 meals will more or less be the same 3 I start with a salad from the salad bar and then will have either rice and beans, chili or spaqhetti with tomato sauce depending on the day.
Although being a vegan keener can be repepitive, you can easily maintain a healthy and adequate diet.  Furthermore, the lunchs are the same every day no matter what and the dinners follow a three day rotation anyways, so any diet is a bit repetitive as a keener.

WHAT A GREAT COACH AND MENTOR CAN MEAN 

by Guillermo Meire
    

                                                                                                                                                   

It was a summer morning like all others. i got up early because I had to catch a flight at noon Montreal bound. I was very nervous because I was 12 years old as it was my first time travelling alone. Needless to say it was my first time in Canada too. To make things worse my English was poor and I could not communicate much.

It went all pretty ok even if I had to endure the 8 hours plus flight.

When I arrived I was picked up by a very nice man that drove me up to the camp at Keeners.

When I arrived I just got a lot more nervous, all my team mates had already arrived and I was the last one to make it there. I think I am more the kind of shy person by definition and I could not understand much, let alone speak much English. This is the reason it took me a while to settle in and mix even if everybody was so nice and kind to me.

The day after i met a teacher i have not seen the first day. I did not pay much attention to him but later on he came see me and started to talk to me. He spoke Spanish. From the on I became his "shade". I was following him all around. He helped me with my communication and also with my kayaking: how to pick the right line while in the rapids, how to do tricks I was learning and more.

He always had a smile for me! He made that summer the best of my live. I was learning a lot from one of the best kayakers in the world. But he was also approachable and always worked on building my confidence. I learnt kayak, English and a lot of other things about live from him. That is well rooted in my heart and I will never forget.

Now it is summer of 2017 and here I am again. It is all a lot better for me!! My English is better, I communicate better, I am leaving my shy side behind, my kayaking is better too but ... he is not here this year, I am missing him a lot, on the water and outside the water. I am sure I will get the chance to see him again. Don't know where or when but I know deep inside that we will get to paddle together again. I will be very happy then! I will be able to show off a bit and show him all what I have learnt thanks to him, one of the best kayakers in the world and in my eyes the best friend, coach and mentor in the world.

Gracias Matthieu and see you soon

How to Make the Most out of Kenners by Ava Christensen

Usually keeners don’t come accustomed to paddling for 6 hours a day 5-7 days a week or living with 6+ other people they just met or barely know. 

I come from Charlotte, North Carolina where the water is nothing like the Ottawa. Having huge waves and deep rapids as your backyard is one of the many great things about keeners. On top of that you meet paddlers from all over the world and a few who might live in your state. It can exhausting to go out and paddle as hard as you can or try and get to know people better every day so here are my tips for all future keeners:

1. Don’t take any day for granite because on the ottawa a “bad day” could quickly become on of the best days of your life. With the water level constantly changing you want to take advantage of every Phil's, big kahuna, and garb surf you can because for all you know the next morning they could be gone leaving you with fun new waves and challenges.
2. Don’t be embarrassed over what you can’t do. Everyone comes into keeners with different backgrounds and abilities. Some people come in with killer airscrews while other are still focusing on perfecting there spins. But you won’t improve as much if don’t try new things.
3. Do what terrifies you. Some people running the “thread the needle line” at Phil's hole is scary enough. While some keeners need to get beatdown in right side Phil's hole to be scared. But on beatdown Thursday don’t run what comes easy to you because when you do end up with that awesome beatdown or nail the perfect line you will have wished you had more time to run it again and again.

How to be a keen Paddler by Aleksei Mzhachev

Now before I start with my few steps I would like to say there are many different ways to be a “keen paddler” but I think that these are a few steps people sometimes forget and I think are valuable.  Now onwards!!

Step 1- Make sure your gear fits and suits you!

You would be surprised the amount of people that don’t get gear that’s is comfy or that have a boat that really doesn’t fit. So go to a retailer/outfitter or even somebody that knows how to get the best fit. Last week I got help with boat outfitting and wow, all my playboat moves are feeling easier and more fluid when I attempt them.

Step 2- Practice Practice Practice!!

This isn’t the first time you’ve heard this and won’t be the last and for good reason. If you don’t practice you won’t get the move/ trick or technique down and always think back to another move you tried to learn and how long it took but you got it and now you have it perfect.

 So practice!

Step 3- Have Fun!

Do you remember the first set of rapids you paddled, the first roll you did or even the first drop you ever did I hope you do because I think you also remember the feeling  of you doing it. Butterflies, fear, shock and finally happiness: isn’t that why we do what we love? It’s fun and makes us happy, like extremely happy, and never forget that.

How to Catch a Wave - Olivia Norman

Firstly, catching a wave has a few key steps that you will need to follow in order to surf and have fun on the wave. When you start thinking about surfing, you need to approach it with confidence and the expectation of catching and surfing the wave rather then anticipating a failure.

  To safety surf and catch a wave you will need a paddle, boat, helmet, spray skirt, and life jacket. Once you are equipped with a properly outfitted boat, paddle and gear you can approach the wave. You have one of three choices for your approach; you could ferry over from across the river above your wave; you could approach from the side of the wave, for example from an eddy; or lastly you could approach from above the wave, paddling upstream to come into the wave with the proper speed to catch it.

Once you are about to get on the wave, put in a rudder stroke to keep your boat straight and lean back. Congratulations, you have caught the wave! Keep your eyes upstream and enjoy the ride.

How To Not Run A Class 4/5 Rapid (4 ways) by Mark Zielonka

When paddling the Ottawa River you are exposed to big, non consequential, and friendly whitewater. This means you are almost never paddling a rapid which can seriously hurt or injure you. The only rapid which is an exception to this statement is the famous class 4\5 rapids found at the Garvins section of the middle channel. Almost every kayak paddler to ever come across this section makes the well calculated but easy decision to portage the section. However more experienced and skilled paddlers frequently run 1 of the 4 channels. The 4 channels at garvins consist of Elevator Shaft: 4+, Dragons Tongue: 5, St chute: 4, and Wt chute: 4.

I myself have run both elevator shaft and dragons tongue while at keeners and would like to explain how not to run these kinds of rapids (from my own experience)

1. Foolishly thinking that because you have run a rapid cleanly once that you can run it cleanly again with less focus.

Finding myself scouting elevator shaft with a few other Keeners I was not understanding just how dangerous the rapid really is. Having already completed a clean line on it before, I made the mistake of basing every thing i was planning to do on my last run of the rapid. Which by the way was at a completly different level. This can lead you to disaster when a river level can fluctuate a lot causing the rapid to change.

2. Dont let your emotions cloud your judgement.

This is a huge problem especially when running big and hard whitewater rapids. Having already flipped over at the bottom of elevator shaft I was overcome with dissapointment and anger towards myself. Not considering what went wrong i proceeded to run back up to the top and then tried again twice more, tweaking my line and failing. This was a perfect example of me failing to recognize where my problem actually was (in my bracing at the bottom of the rapid) and allowing my emotions to turn myself into a liability on the river which not only endangers me but it endangers my fellow paddlers as well.

3. Not listening to your guide or instructor

There is no greater screw up than not listening properly to what your guide or instructor is trying to tell you. When O kept screwing up my elevator shaft run i was not listening or consulting with my instructors about what i was doing wrong.   I was naively thinking it was my line that was screwed up and not anything else. My instructor Kalob Grady (super talented and world renowned paddler) was trying to tell me that it was my lack of bracing at the bottom of the rapid that was causing me to flip over and beater into the rocks and not my line that was the issue. Looking back on it now i was not really listening to what he was saying and was alowing my own judgement of myself to make my fix's instead of an experienced paddler like Kalob who can spot everything wrong with what I was doing.

4. Not asking all the questions about a line before running a class 5 rapid

Running dragons tongue is perhaps one of the most exilerating and most fearful feelings you can have on the Ottawa River. Shooting down a big green tongue at lightspeed into some of the biggest holes you've ever seen makes you understand exactly why its considered a class 5 rapid. When it was my turn to descend the rapid, I did not know that at the end of the huge tongue you needed to boof the hole right at the base. Having no idea the boof was necessary i plugged straight into the hole and took the rockiest and shallowest 10 second beating of my life. This is completely my fault for not taking the time to understand my line completely and looking back now that decision was a very big liability to myself and my fellow paddlers.

Running a hard rapid requires careful consideration in regards to skill and god judgement. This guide does not reflect the worst case scenario when running any kind of whitewater. When running any kind of river, past whitewater experience and a guide is highly recommended. Anyone can run a rapid but having the necessary skills to paddle it is what seperates a skilled kayaker from a ordinary person. I have run both rapids mentioned in the article successfully but I still have a lot to learn when it comes to reading and running big water.

How to accidentally run the boof of destiny by zach auber

First off start with saying yeah ill run dragons tounge today if we're allowed. But have almost no actual intention of running it that day. Then when your instructor decides to scout it and see if he thinks anyone should run it or not you realise you messed up and may actually have to man up and run it. So you paddle onto the scout island that has a view of elevator shaft and dragons tongue. Once you get there your instructor tells you it looks good and is runnable. And you get your first rush of adrenaline from the situation. When only three other keeners volunteer to also run it with you that's  when you know you may be in the running for accidently boofing the boof of destiny. Next off talk to your instructor about the line and hell tell you the main line. The main line starts off going river right to river left and you stay on the tounge the whole way. Ask your instructor what will happen if you go over the left side. Hell tell you you don't want to be there and it won't happen. Then you start worrying about going over the left side.. (where the boof of destiny is). So your instructor runs it and has a perfect line. So now you're sitting on the middle scout island with three other keeners and they say you have to go first. You obviously argue but in the end you ultimately don't really have a say. So you get in your boat and paddle upstream to get setup for the rapid while setting up your friends on the Rock start screaming GO LEFT TO RIGHT NOT RIGHT TO LEFT. Even though you can't blame it on them they did tell you the wrong line. You start your way down and realise you are way too far left from the top. Youre on line for the boof but don't know if you want to keep trying for the main line or not. You decide to go for the boof. You hit it right on. Nothing after that matters if you'd like you can decide to paddle backwards into purgatory and surf. All that matters is you hit the line.

How to run Coliseum successfully by Connor Gagliano

Coliseum is the biggest rapid by far on the main at 6 feet. It starts with a pretty big short wave train that goes into a big surf wave called Big Kahuna and it ends with a couple of big waves and then a small pool. The easiest way to run it is to take the wave train right into the curler on the left side of Big Kahuna and punch through it hard. Then go straight through the other waves and eddy out on the left. The hardest way to run it is to drive right and somehow get passed the wave hole. But there is one other way to run it. If you go down the wave train and turn backwards then you can surf it like the picture above. It will flush you out if you get tumbled but it sucks to get tumbled.

Non-Kayak Related Injuries -Sam F.

There are a lot of ways to get injured at Keeners. But a lot of those injuries often don't occur on the river.

I was standing in the Whitehouse kitchen after a long day of paddling, finally getting to relax and goof around with the other boys. Eventually I had the great idea to microwave a gummy. Though I only microwaved the gummy for 15 seconds, it was still to hot to eat. So what better thing to do when a food is inedible but pass it off to someone else to try it. So we decided to pass it off to G$ (Guillermo) to eat it since he eats a lot. Instead, G$ decides to flick the gummy at everyone and some of it lands on me. None of us actually knew the gummy was hot enough to leave a burn, but it actually was. So that's how I have ended up with a small burn on my arm.

Now the reason I am sharing this story is to prove that teens given enough time on their hands will easily find something stupid to do.

We are here mainly for 3 weeks of improving our kayaking skills, and to get injured off the water is a really bad way to end it. My gummy incident could have been a lot worse and so could some of the other crazy ideas we have come up with.

So sometimes I have to remind myself how terrible it really would be to miss out on kayaking from some mindless, easily preventable idea, and take a step back and think about what's about to happen and if it's really worth it or not. I am lucky enough to be up here kayaking every day with amazing coaches and it's really a chance I and no one else should miss out on this opportunity.

Thanks for reading!

How to almost do an airscrew - Miguel Escuer

All the people who come to keeners know that they are going to surf the biggest and greatest waves in their lives. And who has been in freestyle hopes to get some awesome tricks. I am one of those people. I came to Ottawa for a week two years ago and I could not do any tricks in garb because I was younger and I was paddling a 2007 star. So coming to keeners was my second opportunity. I have been here for a week and I have not done any good wave trick. So instead of teaching you how to airscrew, I am teaching you how to almost do an airscrew.

The first thing you have to do is finding a fast bouncy wave. Then just get in and try to get up the foam. When you are in the highest point of it you say to yourself; i am going to throw the biggest airscrew of my entire life. If you go down the wave straight and without flipping over you are doing it okey. When you hit the green water and you bounces once you have to do a hard stroke in the opposite side you are doing the trick. Then in the second bounce just do it. Do a fast roll. Most of the times you just do not bounce that high or you miss the roll so you just get out of the wave up side down. But sometimes you get a big bounce and a fast roll. And you think; Yes, I did it. Then you realise that you came out the wave. And this is how to I almost do an airscrew.

How to Successfully Complete the Stairway to Heaven Jump - Olivia McGinnis

     The Stairway to Heaven Jump is a fairly simple task that many Keeners complete on various occasions. In order to complete it, you must leave your boat in a tiny eddy beside a large rock in the middle of the Ottawa below Brain Douche, run up the rock as your boat slowly floats downstream, and jump off the other side in order to catch up with your kayak. Now, it is a known fact that learning from mistakes is the best way to learn, so here is a step-by-step way NOT to successfully complete Stairway to Heaven:    

1. Clumsily step out of your kayak without double checking that it is in a semi-calm part of the tiny eddy before you begin running up the large rock.
2. Run as fast as you can up the side of the rock, and not show too much concern for your footing, because you can see your kayak washing faster downstream than you anticipated.
3. Reach the top of the rock, and make a sketchy jump from one small rock to another, and catch your toe.
4. Begin to tumble. Now, this is the part in which you KNOW you've made a mistake. 
5. Roll a rough 15 feet to the edge of the rock, at which point you will accidentally flip face first over the edge into the deep water awaiting you below.
6. Laugh at yourself, struggle to catch up to your boat, laugh at yourself some more (now along with your friend(s), who saw your tragic tumble).
7. Fail to sufficiently wash out your cuts so that it takes an eternity for them to heal completely, and also so that they will leave scars.

     Now that you have learned from my mistakes, let me provide for you a step-by-step description of how to successfully complete Stairway to Heaven (do not fear, for I have indeed successfully completed this move). 

1. Step out of your kayak onto the rocks with one foot, and drag your kayak into the calm part of the eddy with your other foot.
2. Begin in a fast jog up the side of the rock, keeping an eye on your footing, and not worrying too much about your kayak - if you do end up not catching up to it, your friends will push it into the large eddy on the left for you, or you can just swim a little ways and catch up to it.
3. Reach the peak of the rock, and step carefully from rock to rock, because the surface here is particularly jagged. 
4. Successfully reach the part where the rock begins to flatten out.
5. Run quickly to the edge of the rock, check that your kayak is not in the water where you are planning to jump, and leap off of the edge of the rock into the water.
6. Catch up to your kayak, and get into it before the next rapid.
7. Not have any cuts to wash, or scars to have in the future, and be proud of your success!

     Now that you have both learned from my failure, and from my success, I urge you to go and try this fun jump for yourself! Chances are, you are nowhere near as clumsy as I am, and won't struggle with this even close to as much as I did.