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.