The Gatineau river by: Emmett Jaynes

The Gatineau river by: Emmett Jaynes

Running a new river is amazing and full of new experiences. By running a new river, one can learn how to deal with new types of whitewater. This week the keeners went to the Gatineau river where I learned of a different hole that was surprisingly fun named lucifer's anus.

LUCIFERS:This hole was surprisingly fun because it had a wave as its shoulder. when we arrived to the rapid we got out of our boat to scout it, my counselor made a good joke describing it "if you were to name the nastiest hole ever what would you name it?  LUCIFERS ANUS". It s named this because of its roughness on boaters that go into it, the duration of the beatdowns are not that long but this hole can tear you out of your own boat.

BEATDOWN'S: Lucifer's humbled many of the keeners that went in to its gorging mouth, but everyone came out with a big smile and  awesome story. I sadly was not up to the challenge but had fun watching from upstream and hearing Steve-o screaming non stop like a little girl in excitement.

The Gatineau was an awesome river and i hope to go again and possibly stay there for a week there are many good waves and huge hole that are amazing for kick flips and entry moves. All in all it was an amazing time there.

Full Send-Patrick Kenny

We are on the Gatineau Trip on Wednesday and are split into groups of 4 with a coach. My group was myself, Liev, Kaelin, Hunter and Nick as our coach. The first rapid of the day has a massive hole aptly named Lucifer’s Anus. Nick says to us right guys you can’t say ‘full send’ if your not going to full send it! So I decide to drop into Lucifer’s; I drip in and surf around for a bit, I flip and the curler on river left hurls me into the air upside down! I get beaten for a few more seconds then flush and roll up, suprised I was still in my boat. Meanwhile Stevo is screaming and jumping up and down in excitement.

By Patrick Kenny

Why do keeners have speech night? - Andrew Palim

At keeners every Monday night all twenty something of us pile into a small conference room in the upstairs of the Wilderness Tours rafter’s resort. Not to review video or plan future kayaking excursions, but to work on our public speaking skills. Why, might you ask, would a teen kayaking camp require all of its participants to make a speech every Monday night? Not only is it fun, helps keeners get to know each other and plays to the overall keener theme of encountering and conquering your fears it’s also an extremely important skill that can take you far beyond the whitewater world. Skills practiced in speech night can be useful in almost every job both in and out of the industry, from kayak instruction to practicing law. And as Anna and Steveo always remind us, you can be the smartest and have the best ideas in the room, but if you can’t communicate them, no one will know.

Why Keeners is a Great Place to meet other Kayaking Kids - Abby Holcombe

Last year I participated in session 3 as well and I love how this challenging  kayak program brings together all these different types of kayakers and people from all around the world to one incredible river on the Ottawa river. There have been Keeners from the UK, Ireland, different regions of North America and even one keener who was Russian in the past two keener sessions that I have participated in. I love how the keener program has given me the opportunity to meet all these amazing people who have become really close friends whom I never would have met without this program. My family and I are planning on going to Europe next summer and it will be so cool to get to see all my fellow Keeners on their home river. Even back in the states it’s really nice to run into a familiar face while running the river! Not only do I make friends while I am at Keeners I have met so many other former Keeners. I like our keener clothing is a conversation starter and I frequently have conversations with other kayakers and former Keeners regarding my prized keener sweatshirt. To conclude, I love how the keener program is a great way to meet new kayaking friends! 

Keeping the dishes clean -Kaelin Friedenson

Keeping the dishes clean 

Keenervill is a great place to be but what makes it better is keeping the dishes clean here are key steps to making sure all the dishes are clean.

Step 1: do your own dishes. Doing your own dishes is key to have clean dishes because in theory that means that none of the dishes will be left out.

Step 2: even though everyone is supposed to do there own dishes they probably won’t so you need to crack down on the people who don’t do theres 

Step 3: dry your dishes its never good to make some food in wet dishes so make sure you dry them. 

Step 4: don’t let other people in your cabins because they probably won’t do there own dishes.

If you follow these steps your keener cabin will have the cleanest dishes in the world.

Why Kayaking - Owen Rafey

Why kayaking? I’m am asked this question on a daily basis and can never think of a full answer. So what makes kayaking so fun the community, the adrenaline, the exercises? To me kayaking is all about exploration. I get to explore countless rivers and travel to many cool places to paddle. I also get to explore to find my physical as well as mental limits. Weather I’m racing, doing freestyle, or river running I’m always learning more about myself and improving myself. Kayaking has also opened up many incredible opportunities to me and helped me to become a more well rounded person. So I kayak to learn not only kayaking skills but about myself and the world around me.

What it Means to be a Keener - By Katie Fankhouser

To me, being a Keener means a lot of different things. First of all, It means you are willing to face your fears and push you limmits. The people that get the most out of the Keener program give just as much to it as they take out of it. You have to be willing to go out of your comfort zone and put 100% into whatever it is your doing. Sombody that doesn't try can't expect to see progress or results. A Keener is respectfull of the river and the environment. We use the river everyday, the very least we could do is keep it clean. All the Keener's look out for other people. We take care of people and their gear when they swim, cheer on our peers when they beater and encourage each other to dig deep when things get scary. A Keener claims the bad rides and practices hard to get good ones. Even when you scream at yourself underwater for flushing on a trick you have never messed up on, you still roll up with a smile on your face and a fist in the air. And as Keeners, we do all this because we love kayaking. Every Keener I've met has a shared passion for the sport; this is the biggest one of all because the entire group genuinely enjoy's every minute we spend on the river no matter the conditions. Any day on the water is a great day on the water.

The Big Water Beatdown Guide, the Best and the Worst | Liev Mitchell

Every Thursday us Keeners get destroyed as much as possible, here are some of the best spots, and the worst spots, to get destroyed in at around the 0 foot mark.

Mcoys:

Satlers:
Pros: Absolutely savage, usually shorter, sets you up for the triple crown.
Cons: Steep, Hard to control

Left Side Phil's:
Pros: Easier to control, shoulder is good for wave tricks like pistol flips and Blunts and the fluffier
         part is good for hole tricks.
Cons: Harder to catch, easy to flush on.

Right Side Phil's:
Pros: Stout, makes you look cooler, very sticky.
Cons: sometimes long and exhausting, causes some skirts to implode, easy to swim out of.

Left Side Horseshoe:
Pros: Great for loads of hole trick, not too sticky but you can still stay in if you roll up quick.
Cons: A little to flushy.

Right Side Horseshoe:
Pros: Fun at higher water
Cons: Steep Shallow and not fun

The Lorne:

The Pour-over at garb:
Pros: The single best beat down spot, can be savage but easy to regain control, easy to get out of if
         you know what you're doing, retentive.
Cons: retentive :)

Center slot:

Center slot hole:
Pros: savage and brutal.
Cons: not the most fun spot.

There are still a few more but I'm sure you'll find them.

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Keener Lunch Site Experience - Andrew Palim

As keeners we eat lunch at the rafter’s lunch site, either at the Lorne on the main channel or Garvin’s on the middle. While there is also good food served at both there are certain ways to optimize your time at the lunch site, secure more food and have a better time with the lads. Today I will fill you in a few secrets I’ve learned the hard way over many lunches.

First, get a mocha at the soup station but skip the soup, we’ll be eating more than enough hot food later and the caffeine is essential to overcome the fatigue that comes from kayaking everyday. Be sure to high tail out of there before the raft trip comes or you might be “voluntold” into serving endless throngs of rafters soup, a purgatory from which you will never escape.

Next up is the main event, the burger stand. I highly reccomend going behind the counter here, the work is pretty easy and lots of keeners will be behind the grill with you so it’s easy enough to dip before the crowds. The advantage to working at the burger stand is access to cookies, an extremely limited resource only awarded to keeners deemed helpful by the kitchen staff. And you can easily take a two or three patty burger without fear of reprisal, because after all you are helping out. After you’re done chopping veggies, flipping burgers and collecting your aforementioned reward you can settle into your burger. But don’t forget to always toast your buns and add cheese. Another great trick is to grill your onions and then stack your patties on top. Not only does the grease help cook the onions but it also allows for the cheese to melt. As for condiments, pickles are essential and some mix of ketchup and mayo is ideal. Lettuce is sometimes nice but I’m not sure vegetables are really on brand for my style of burger. Depending on the weather the benches by the trail and the fire are good places to eat, allow easy exit in case of Steveo asking for garbage men and letting you disguise yourself as a rafter for the purpose of eating more cookies. 

If you followed my steps you should be full, sufficiently caffeinated and quickly back on the water doing what keeners do best: kayaking.

The Gatineau Road Trip by Hunter Kalat

    Normally on Wednesdays at keeners the day is spent doing various races on the Ottawa. This Wednesday we still raced but this time it was the Gatineau instead of the Ottawa. While we made the two hour drive through Quebec i kept wondering what this river would offer. 

    When we got on the river there was a short stretch of flat water followed by a really fun rapid called Lucifer’s. When we got there were allowed to walk up and down the rapid and run as lines as we wanted. In the bottom right part of the rapid there was a monster hydraulic were several awesome beat downs took place. Once we were done doing laps on the rapid it was time for the race. My start for the race was not optimal and my line was less then perfect but two people in my group were disqualified which put me in first place and allowed me to race in the winners bracket.

     For the winners bracket race we were going down a rapid I had never seen which made it pretty fun. Unfortunately for me I did not start well during the race but because I had had a good line I still got third out of five. 

     After we finished the race we kept making our way down the river. The rest of the Gatineau was awesome and had many good play spots. At one of these spots I did one of the best blunts I have ever thrown which made me very happy. Overall the Gatineau is an awesome river with tons off potential for fun.

The Gatineau River by Chloe Tippett

The Gatineau is a river about 2 hours away from Keenerville.  This river is a lot like the Ottawa. The stretch that we kayaked is 4 miles long and the level was about fourteen feet. That morning we woke up at six thirty to start our journey. When we got to the put in we ate delicious wraps that Wilderness Tours had made for us. After we were full we put on our soaking wet clothes from the day before. Finally, we put in on the first rapid. We stayed at this rapid for about an hour and did laps. There is a huge hole in this rapid called Lucifer’s. I surfed it and had an out-of-boat experience. We then set off with our group to run the rest of the river. The rest of the rapids were easier, but just as fun. Sadly, our journey came to an end when we reached the take out. Before driving back to Keenerville we stopped for poutine and ice cream. The Gatineau River was very fun and I highly recommend running it.

How to get the most out of coaching during keener drama --hunter vincent

            During the weekend of the second week during session 3 of keeners, a group of keeners where caught sneaking out at night. Unfortunately this caused a lot of bad drama and had major consequences not only for the keeners who got caught but for everyone and the major one was getting everyone's SIM cards taken away from there phones. But with all this drama it was easy to get distracted and not get as much coaching out of your session as possible. So I am going to tell you some of the techniques I used to first of all have lots more fun and second get as much focused progressive coaching possible.

         

          For me personally i chose one night to sit down and think about what all the different tricks and skills I wanted to learn on Monday and Tuesday as those are both the day that you get designated coaching for freestyle. But I laid out all the things I wanted to accomplish so when we went out the next 2 days we got split into small groups to work on stuff and that truck worked beacuse I came out having learners donkeyflips and panams both ways. There are other ways to get through drama but I found that the best way was to stick your head down and focuse and that turned out for the best for me.

        

River Trip to the Gatineau- Ava Christensen

During the third week of every keener session there is a river trip. This session we went to the Gatineau. This river is similar style to the Ottowa with lots of fun waves and big water. Last year during session two we also went there. It was super cool to be able to see the same rapid a year later and confidently run some of the lines I was nervous about last year. The first rapid is one of my favorites on the run. It begins with a few good surfwaves with many more as you go down. The rapid but also includes spots for good potential bestdowns, Lucifer's and Lefty's. Our morning started out by running lots of different lines. After surfing we had a boatercross race down the rapid. The person who won out of each heat would enter the finals boatercross. This was down another rapid with the top five finished. The next bracket of those who didn't get first in there heat competed in another boatercross down a rapid diffrent than the other two. During this race we were to go down the rapid and finish tapping nicks boat. The challange with this was that as some paddlers became close to Nicks boat he paddled up the eddy making it easier for those in the middle of the group to now get to him quicker. This taught all the paddlers a valuable lesson about competing; that the result might not always reflect how you paddled but you still know if you paddled your hardest and in the end it's just for fun. 

How Trying New Rivers Helps Kayaking Overall, By: West Burge

Do you ever wonder why more experienced boaters are generally better? Well, I think I have the answer. I think that they are better because they have done more rivers. If you have paddled lots of rivers, that means you have had to deal with many challenges. You will have dealt with challenges like unknown rapids, unexpected holes, pinned boats, and most other things that can go wrong. Dealing with challenges can make you a better kayaked because you are more confident in your skills.  This means that you can boat scout better because you know you can paddle up when you are done looking at the line. It also means that you don't freak out when you get in a swift water rescue scenario.  That can help because you can generally stop things from going more wrong quicker. This skill can, in the rare occasion saved lives. The sport that we participate in has a lot of risk involved so it is always better to be cool, calm, and collected whenever we go boating. When you achieve the rank of an experienced boater you will be more efficient in rapids. Trying new rivers can help you become more experienced, and a stronger boater. New rivers might have new features, that you might not have on the rivers you usually paddle. This will help you figure out how to deal with new features any time you come across one. I have tried a few new rivers where I live and never have been let down. Try as many new rivers as you can, and remember to have fun!

The Gatineau river - By: Andrew Burgoyne

Gatineau

Every Keener session we go to a different river then Ottawa river. We either go to the petawawa river whitch I live about 30 minutes away from or the gatineau river. Last year we went to the petawawa but today we went on the Gatineau, I think I like the Gatineau better then the petawawa because I think that you can do more in it and it has more play spots and more rapids. The Gatineau has about 6 rapids and the petawawa has about 4 or 5 rapids, the Gatineau has a lot of flat water for a while until it hits the second rapid then there is bairly any flat water. I think my favorite rapid on the Gatineau would be the wall because it has a nice hole at the top then has a great wave train that you can kickflip and then at the end there is a huge wall wave at the and it is the best thing to dive into. I tried to boof over it but I flew really high up in the air and then landed on my head, it pulled me back up into a front surf and it was so cool because it is so high and then my friend Panda saw what was happening and was heading right for me and then he crouched down like he was going down a waterfall and he dives right through the wave and I almost dripped right on top of him. U had such a nice day today. But that's why l had a great day today. 

Trust is a whitewater kayaking skill- Julia Frangenberg

Trust is a whitewater kayaking skill

In kayaking, one of the most important skills that can get you through a lot of sticky situations is trust. For example, when we run rivers with our friends and/or family, we have to trust the skills of whoever is leading us down the river. If we don’t, then the whole time will be much less enjoyable than if we were to take their word that they’re leading us down a safe line. However, trust isn’t something that can only be applied to other people. Trusting yourself in paddling is one of the most important keys to being happy and confident on the water. By being confident in your skills and being able to try new tricks, learn new skills, etc., you’ll have so much more fun and develop skills better than if you’re scared to try things because you might mess up! On thursdays as well, trust can be really helpful when people show you new lines down the rapids or if you’re paddling a relay race on Wednesday. Overall, trust is one of the most important whitewater kayaking skills in order to stay safe and have a fun time in the river!

What you should try to learn at keeners on the water max ryan

When your not hanging out in the thunder dome or sitting on porches with other keeners your on the water. 

Now this isn’t you average day kayaking, your with 4 amazing coaches, your out on one of the most amazing rivers ever and can learn brand new trick and get really good tips on how to improve.

Now their are 23 other keeners their so you are going to want to know what you need tips on and the tricks you will want help learning. For instance let’s say you are trying to learn to air screw. Your going to want to ask for it instead of just sitting in the eddy. Now your going to want to start by building your skills like stat with something easy like a blunt and then work your way up to a helix or something. Now they hole point of my topic was not to tell you about what trick is the best to learn or  what the coolest one. It is just hear to say that you should try to learn the most that you can and to ask what you should do.

Trying Out New Boats and How it Impacts Your Paddling By Ethan Frangenberg

      Over the last week of Keeners, there has been a lot of talk in White House about new boats, which are the best, and different opinions have formed as well. For example, a few people strongly love one boat, but I do not. I love one boat, and I am shocked to find others do not. Really, I have found that those who do not have the same gear opinion have a different paddling background and style, while those who do agree with me are those who have similar styles and background to me. For example, if someone learned to paddle with a boat that was slicey, they are less likely to feel at home with a boat with a fat stern, whereas someone who learned how to paddle in a creek boat will not feel as comfortable in a slicey boat. 

When trying a boat, think about these things:

• Is it comfortable? Can you stand being in the boat?
• Do you feel like it lets you perform to you maximum ability?
• Does the boat feel alien to your paddling ability and style? Does the boat feel like a part of you?

Ask yourself these questions as you are testing out the boat, but take into consideration that every boat takes some getting used to. It will take time to fully get used to the boat but you will be able to tell if you like it or not. 

            I hope that this blog helps you figure out which boat works for you, and see you on the water soon! Yeti!

Log Limbo- Maddie Kimmel

Today we took the afternoon to do some safety drills with logs. When creeking logs can be a major safety hazard and it’s important to be able to be able to dodge them. Branches, leaves and anything stick out that you could get caught on. There are two strategies for dodging logs: 

Going Under- There is more than just playing limbo with logs. First you need to judge if you can fit underneath the log based on your size. You should slow down before you come to the log. When your bow starts to go under the log you should tuck back into a back deck/airscrew position with your head pointed down. It is important to point your head down so it doesn’t snag on anything sticking out underneath the log. 

Going Over- If you cannot fit underneath the log you could boof over it. If the log is 3-4 inches out of the water  you can book over it. You need to charge at the log and pull over the lip of the log and then immediately tuck forward and take a strong forward stroke. If you don’t take a good forward stroke then you will fall over backwards, and get stuck on the log. Raising the log by only by a few inches can make it super challenging. 

It took me 3 attempts to go under the log without flipping over and I failed everytime trying to boof the log. It is important to practice so you know what to do when you do run into logs on the river. 

What Playboat To Buy - Patrick Kyle

What playboat you get is up to personal preference, but I will attempt to outline the pros and cons of all freestyle boats that I have demoed:

2016 Rockstar - Pros: Very comfortable due to Jackson outfitting, you can really feel the water underneath the boat as it molds to you. Easy to initiate both ends on flatwater and whitewater due to the relatively stubby/slicey ends. Can be thrown around really easily. Cons: Has a low volume in both ends making it hard to go as huge as other boats in a hole. Edges aren't quite as good on a wave as some other playboats.

Rockstar 4.0 - Pros: Added volume makes the boat go a lot bigger/get more air. Jackson outfitting... Better edges than the 2016 for taking of on a wave as well as being faster. Cons: Harder to throw around on flatwater, is quite large so some major adjustments and added foam are needed before this would fit me, generally a bigger boat - depends on your height and weight as to whether this is an advantage or disadvantage.

Piranha Jed - Pros: Amazing edges, the boat really flies on a wave, very responsive/twitchy. Very fast, easier to catch a wave and get faster runups before a bounce. The boat is looser and spins more easily than either of the rockstars on a wave. Plastic is much better quality and less likely to break, more volume than the 2016 Rockstar gives it more air in a hole. It is also considerably cheaper than Jackson boats. Cons: Harder for flatwater tricks (except for stern squirts), outfitting is not the best. Does let in more water and is slightly heavier.

Dagger Crazy (My Very First Boat) - Pros: Very slicey, easy for flatwater, easy to initiate tricks, fast on a wave, very cheap. Cons: It leaks, lacks needed volume, the edges aren't that great, it is really uncomfortable to sit in.

All Star - Pros: Much more volume than the 2016 Rockstar, Jackson outfitting.... Cons: Harder to initiate on flatwater.

That is a rundown of all the playboats I have ever paddled in, only critiquing the boats on features that I have tried them on (for example: never paddled the Rockstar 4.0 in a hole of the All Star on whitewater).

The Long Road To An Airscrew - Andrew Palim

Recently at Keeners I’ve been learning how to airscrew, and what seems like a simple trick, just an aerial barrel roll,  has turned out to be one of the hardest to learn yet at keeners

Some of my mistakes have been:

Throwing the airscrew too late. Things go very quickly on a big fast wave like Garb and sometimes my mind gets behind the rotation of the boat, so by the time I think “GO” I’m already crashed upside down.

Not committing enough edge. Sometimes it’s scary to throw your whole edge down, for fear of wiping out but you have got to in order to create the takeoff and air necessary to complete the rotation without hitting the water.

Sitting up. If one is upside down in the air in a kayak and sits up, it immediately brings the bow down, perfect for a move like a Panam or blunt where one must rotate around the bow, but it’s counterproductive for a clean, straight airscrew.

Keeping your arms in. When I throw over my shoulder to initiate the move I often throw my arms out away from me, which just slows down the rotation. It’s quite similar to a ballerina keeping her arms in to pirouette faster, the smaller you make yourself in the air the faster you will spin.

In conclusion, while I have stuck an airscrew a lucky couple of times and I’m really looking forward to learning more and getting them more consistent over the rest of the keener session.

Food at keeners by Finnian Donovan

Here at keeners we are a bunch of kids who just want to go kayaking and what we eat will fuel us for the day.

Here in robertsons our cooking skills are amazing, we eat like keener kings, our breakfeasts consist of eggs in all forms, pancakes, fry ups, pancakes which turn into cakes( amazing right) and of course we eat bacon on Thursdays( seriously what else would you expect us to eat on bigwater bacon beat down Thursday).

In all seriousness what you eat at keeners is important make sure you eat well so you don't end up feeling bad on the river. Make its full of nutrients and is not just junk food. Also eat well on the weekends there might be left over pizza but hey make a healthy wrap instead with salad, meat and what ever else you can think of it will be a lot nicer.

Mr freezys( the ice popcicles that everyone loves) they will be eaten like there is no tomorrow so my advice if you really want at least one pull a Marshall Cooper Pearson and write your name on one declaring that if anyone takes yours they will answer to your wrath.

Weekend Life at Keenerville | Liev Mitchell

The weekend at keenerville is a great time to relax, watch movies or go paddling. here are some tips for having a successful weekend.

1. Days off, taking at least one day off during the weekend is highly recommended to heal your sore muscles, allow your various ailments like footrot and ear infections to heal, and enjoying some sweet kayaking movies.

2. Weekend paddling, if you don't want to take both days off during the weekend, weekend paddling can be great. it's a great time to work on blunts at baby face, or doing loops on push button, weekend paddling is great for learning tricks and just having fun.

3. Watching movies, movies are a great way to pass time during the weekend, whether your watching blackbook for the umpteenth time, or exploring the dusty corners of the movie rack watching movies is tons of fun.

Those were some basic and simple tips for weekend living here at keenerville and I'm sure you'll find some of your own.

Swift water rescue at keeners by Chloe Tippett

Swift water rescue is very important if you want to kayak more challenging rivers. Swift water rescue is usually a two day course that teaches you how to get out of dangerous situations. This year at keeners I did a two day course with Matt Cucaro. The first day we learned about strainers, foot entrapment, and body entrapment. Strainers are something that water can get through but you can’t. Foot entrapment is when your foot gets caught in rocks and the current pushes you under water. Body entrapment is when you or your life jacket gets caught on something and your head is under water. On the second day we worked a lot on tethered rescues. a lot of life jackets have blow away belts. Blow away belts are belts that are connected to your life jacket. They are there so that if you need to save someone you can attach a rope and go save them. The good part about blow away belts are that if you are in danger you can pull a rope and then you are not attached to it. I think that if you’re starting to kayak you should do swift water rescue.

3 Key Tips to Backfliping -By Katie Fankhouser

Last week I did my first backflip off a cliff jumping rock. And let me tell you, I was absolutely brikin it before hand. I was really afraid of hitting my head or landing too close to the rock. But after some well needed advice and encouragement I was able to do it.
My first rule of thumb; fall before you jump. Always make sure you are already falling backwards off the rock before you jump out, that will keep your head away from any rocks you may be worried about hitting.
Second: ALWAYS COMMIT! If you chicken out mid way through you are more likely to mess up. Keep your head back, spot your landing, and go full send.
Third; Start on something smaller. My first few we're off a five foot drop and after some practice jumps I was able to do it off the twenty footer. When doing it off the taller cliffs it is much better to keep your body layed out instead of in a ball. This will keep you from over rotating and floping when you hit the water. So just remember these three imortant tips and get out there and get flippin' flippy.

How to Blunt - By: Hunter Kalat

Step 1: The setup

In order to go big on a blunt you must first cycle to the top of the wave in order to get the speed necessary. 

Step 2: The take off

Once you have cycled to the top of the wave and you are speeding down the wave you must start to take off. If you are blunting to the left then first drop you right edge and vice versa. Often it helps to start with a bounce previous to your take off bounce and many times the wave requires you to take an acceleration stroke.

Step 3: the edge transition.

Once you are finished with the take off in order to actually blunt you must switch to opposite edge while placing your paddle vertically into the water next to you body. In order to properly control your blunt it is important that you keep looking up stream    

while you blunt.

Step 4: the recovery. 

Once you have thrown your blunt your next challenge is to stay on the wave. It is often necessary that you take a few backwards recovery strokes before you spin back into a front surf.

I almost died! (not clickbait)

As part of our SRT course at keeners we had to swim into the pour over at garb and rescue a person. I was ‘stuck’ in the pour over and Liev comes to rescue me, as he grabs hold of my life jacket we are plunged down it to the deep water. Liev some how manages to get me going down head first, face inches from the rocks! We pop up down by moby dick about 10 seconds later. I managed to sustain a nice bruise on my leg from hitting a rock as a souvenir from this traumatic experience, however we still came up laughing and being laughed at by the other keeners and coaches! Swimming the pour over at garb is a must for the Ottawa river!

Beatdown Thursday by Ava Christensen

beatdown thursday

Beatdown Thursday is by far one of the most fun days at keeners. This thursday in particular was on of my favorites so far. We have this day for many reasons. One of which is because if we are ever in a situation  where we aren't in control we will at least have felt that feeling before. The day isn't just about beatdowns it also consists of fun downriver games such as getting out of your boat in difficult places. This is a skill that can come in handy if you ever were in a situation where you needed to be out of the water to set safety, avoid a unrunable rapid, or even shoot photo/video.  Another skill we work on is breath holding and being uncomfortable while underwater for longer periods of time. During this morning at Mcoys lots of keeners, including myself, were very stoked to get lots of surfs in right side. After this the group paddled to the Lorne where we got out of our boats in challenging places. At the top of the rapid we had two options; get out on the wall above pipeline or above the pourover. After successfully or unsuccessfully attempting one of these the next challange is the gangsters paradise island. This one can be more challenging than the others as if is right next to waikiki  and a very boily eddy. I had tried this a few times before but today was the first day I made it up the rock.

Pros and Cons of Hand Surfing - Owen Rafey

Pros and cons of hand surfing. Many kayakers of varying experience have attempted to challenge themselves by “hand surfing”. Hand surfing is just what it sounds like, it’s surfing in your kayak without a paddle. One of the pros of hand surfing is that in big powerful holes like those found on the Ottawa you are less likely to injure your shoulder. Also some kayakers feel that hand rolling is simpler than paddle rolling. So when you are in a beatdown situation it’s much easier and takes much less time to setup a roll. The cons are that you have less power in the water to control your boat and to brace off of. Hand rolls are less reliable because with less surface area you can’t transfer your hip snap to the water as efficiently  and do you can’t roll as consistently. Finally, once you flush out of the feature you don’t have a paddle so it is much harder to catch eddies and make moves. And as a bonus hand paddling makes a great challenge and I would highly recommend it to any one.

Van Life vs. Keener Life | Abby Holcombe

Unlike most of my fellow keeners I don’t live in the standard brick and mortar house. I actually live in a 175 square foot Winnebago motorhome with my parents and our enormous yellow lab. When most people go to summer camp they probably don't expect their cabin to be more spacious than their home but in my case, Yakistan (the girls cabin) feels especially roomy with Yakistan’s 3 bedrooms, a spacious common area, bathroom, and kitchen. For anyone who has lived in or visited Yakistan, the living room area alone is equivalent to my whole ‘house’. Yakistan is just one of the many creatively names cabins such as White House, Buseater, Istambul, Thunderdome, Roberstons, and the Foosball Room which all have varying purposes. My RV lifestyle might seem weird to most people but I have gotten used to van life in the last 4 years. However, there are still many differences in-between RV life and Yakistan living. The biggest difference in-between the Winnebago and Keenerville is that we don't have a shower in my rv so the daily cleansing is appreciated not only by me but by my friends and fellow keeners. Another major difference in between van life and keener life is that my RV does not have an oven. This is an unfortunate thing because who doesn't like cookies and not being able to cook them leaves the RV gloomy. However, last year at keeners I accidentally scorched Yakistan due to not checking the oven (where we were storing food) before I preheated the Yakistan oven. My parents are really grateful that the RV doesn’t leave me the opportunity to go up in flames. I am also an only child so living with 6 other girls and a roommate isn’t something I am accustomed to but I really appreciate the time with girls my age and love sharing clothes and the constant dance parties. Most people might think that I do more kayaking when I am at keeners than when I am in the RV but I try to kayak almost everyday so I don't have a huge adjustment when it comes to the time I spend on the water. Keener life is very similar to RV life but if I had to choose in between the two I’m not sure if I could pick one over the other but I love and appreciate all the educational opportunities for my kayaking and getting to spend time with old and new friends! 

Is it worth it to go to Montreal eau vive while at keeners : hunter vincent

Is it worth it? This is what I asked myself before I signed up for Montreal eau vive. In a short answer yes it's definitely worth it, and I will tell you why!

Montreal eau vive is a super fun event in Montreal, Quebec it has big wave surfing and boatercross with a pro and intermediate category for both comps. For me going into the event I was super nervous because every one I talked to said that the two waves where really big and trashy and after looking at the videos and just before dropping into it I thought this is going to suck and I am going to get supper trashed and end up swimming out of it and swim into the hinge waters of the st. Laurence river!
But I was completely wrong. Once I dropped into both waves I thought I didn't catch the wave or was floating on clouds and rainbows beacuse these where the melowest and smoothest waves I had ever surfed.

But Back onto the man topic, for me personally I suck at surfing waves and doing tricks, so part of me thought it was Ent worth it but the other part of me thought why not it will be a fun expierience to do once in your life plus there where jet ski shuttles so why wouldn't you go! But all seriousness it's an amazing event and is so much fun and wether your amazing or sucky at surfing waves and are a decent paddler I would totally recommend going to Montreal eau vive during keeners especially if your a second year keener beacuse it is the weekend of first aid, but would definitely recommend going to the event beacuse it's so much fun and me personally I mainly went for the jet ski rides.

How To Make The Most Of Your Town Trip: By West Burge

During the second week of your time at keeners you will have the opportunity to take a trip to the Pembroke mall. Once you make it to the mall you will get to eat dinner at the fast food restaurant of your choice. I would recommend the Asian Wok. You should go to the wok, because the portions. They give you a large amount of food for little cost, plus the service is great. Next you will have the  chance to roam around the mall with your partner. I would recommend taking a right when you look at the start of the mall to find the dollar store. Their candy isle is their main isle, and they have a large selection of household items. I got pounds and pounds of candy, for only 14 dollars. The movie theater is really chill on candy, so you can bring it all in to the film. The main thing I have to say about the movie is to enjoy it. If you have had fun so far, your day is about to get a whole lot better. Next up is Walmart. Walmart is usually thought of as a calm outing with your mom and brother to pick up the weekly essentials, not at keeners. the Walmart experience at keeners is totally different. This an energy filled shopping spree that lasts for an entirety of 40 minutes. I would recommend making a shopping list before, and totally not sticking to it. Buy the essentials, and much more. If you see anything cool or interesting, buy it. I would buy an extra pillow, beach ball, and lots of food. That's all you need to know for now.

Oh wait, have fun!!!

Going Sky High - Patrick Kyle

How to get a huge air blunts - warning, you will fall on your face, A LOT. I have followed this guide and it seems to have worked well over the last week.

1) Assuming you are comfortable on the particular wave you are surfing, make you way to the very top of the foam pile, to get to the very top you may flush, if you don't - you aren't trying hard enough.

2) Keep looking upstream (something I forget) and edge hard on one side just before hitting the green water. When I say edge, I mean it, edge all the way over, fall on your face. The more you edge, the higher you go. It's better to fall over a lot but go high than be able to roundhouse on both sides, and it's more fun.

3) Still looking upstream switch edges edging just as much as before. Your bow will skip up and fling the stern up over you head. Push down on the inside paddle blade levering the back down.

4) Add a quick back stroke going all the way from the front to the back. This will flatten of you end and you won't flush. The harder this back stroke is the higher you can get away with going.

5) DONE!

The more you flush or the harder you hit the water, the better it will work once you get it...good luck.

How to get the most amount of chill out of free time max ryan

So one of the two most consistent time consuming things you do at keeners is kayak and have free time. When your off the water and are not convening in the thunder dome your probably making food or texting on your phone. This is all well and good but what about relaxing? Their is always sitting on you bed in the hot humid weather or you can spend it in the Thunder dome with all the other people trying to chill. Their is alway out side but the sitting on wood is not always comfortable. The best way to send you free time chilling is in hammock with a good book or some music. This is the prime way to relax without having to be around a tone of people or being to hot. The best way to se up you hammock is with the eco hammock straps a hammock with Caribbeaners and some help from a friend. Their are many keen places to hang  you just need to find the one that fits you. My personal preference is right next to the cabin called Robersons. This is my favorite way to chill out at keenervile.

Expecting the unexpected- Kaelin Friedenson

With everything we do there is are always manny possible outcomes, some are positive and some are negative. Usually before you are about to do something you can guess what the outcome may be and try to calculate the percentages of each of each outcome happening. Now the reason I tell you this is because earlier this week there was a situation that happened where the outcome was totally unexpected and very negative on something that has been done many times by numbers of people including myself. 

Here is what happened. We were padding up to one of the most well-known and safest jump rock on the Ottawa river call BFR (big friendly rock). I’ve been jumping and doing flips off this rock for years just like many other people had and I was really stoked to finally come back here to jump off it again. When I got on the rock, I decided to do a backflip 360. I did it and landed perfectly. I repeated this jump and many other flips that i’ve done before landing on my feet every time until, I didn’t. 

 It started out just like every other time I jumped off except for the landing. When I jumped, I did a back flip 720 then straightened out to land on my feet just like every other time, except this time instead of landing on my feet I landed flat on my back. When I hit the water I felt one of most brutal pains in my life, then everything went black. The next thing I remember I was floating way down stream into the next little rapid as my friend and coaches dragged me to shore. My back and neck really hurt, and I was pretty scared to move, not knowing what was wrong with me. My friends helped me to the road where an ambulance picked me up and brought me to the hospital. In the hospital they took X-rays and Cat scans and slowly the results came back and luckily nothing was broken,  however many of my muscles were pulled, so the doctor told me I was off they water for a few days. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as it could have been but it is a good lesson that anything could happen no mater how many times you have done it before. 

Stoked to be on the water tomorrow, probably not going to be doing flips of this rock in a while. 

The Kid Who Can’t Jump For His Life By Ethan Frangenberg

It started off as a normal day. We had just finished some Garburator and Push Button sessions before heading down to the jump rock, known as a perfectly safe, friendly spot where thousands of kayakers and clueless rafters have felt the falling feeling right before impact. So, we were all having quite a wee-good time doing flips, jumping and talking, until Kaelin decided to throw a 360 Back Flip off of the big jump rock. He over rotated and landed dead flat on his back, making a deafening sound. At first, we thought he was fine, but when he floated past the clump back up, face down, it was clear that something was not right. Paul started blowing his whistle ballistically, and Patrick, who was in his boat, went to go help him. That is when everyone got into their boats to go see/help him. Thankfully he was conscious, he had just blacked out for a minute, and his neck and back hurt when he moved or breathed deeply. TC and Clay told a few senior Keeners to stay with him while the rest of the Keeners went down. Panda, Katie and I were selected, and Clay towed him to the beach with Panda and I stabilizing his boat. We found the trail and with some difficulty, we were able to walk him over the rocks and logs. Katie and I had to also carry boats while Panda and Clay helped him over the rocks and up the trail. This situation taught us and important lesson, which is that no matter how many times something goes right, it does not mean it will always, and one should plan for the worst. 

How to successfully bake a cake in Yakistan | Abby Holcombe

Last year I encountered quite the traumatic accident of catching Yakistan on fire. The fire started because I forgot to check the oven (in which we were storing our food so rodents couldn't get to it) when I began to preheat it. Long story short, Anna saved the day and put out the fire and the Yakistan oven lives on. So I thought that I would devote a keener blog on how to properly bake a cake in Yakistan. 

Step 1.

When all the Keeners go to Walmart buy lots of brownie mix for you and your friends to share. 

Step 2. 

Read the instructions for the correct measurements and supplies you will need and begin preparing the batter. This would be a good time to preheat the oven but don't forget to check the oven to avoid a burning inferno. 

Step 3. 

Once the oven is preheated pour the batter into a pan of your choice and place that into the oven and set a timer for the suggested time in the instructions.

Step 4. 

Once the brownies are cooked (but not scorched) safely take them out of the oven and let them begin to cool.

Step 5.

Once the brownies are cool enough to cut them into slices to share with friends and enjoy! 

5 Strategies for Boatercross- Maddie Kimmel

Boatercross is one of the most intense races, where you and your friends go head to head in a downriver or gaint slam race. The smallest mistake can cost you everything here are some strategies to help you succeed in the boater cross- 

1. Choose a Fast Line- When picking a line look for a direct line with the least amount of slow water, let the current push you to your destination. Let the water do the work for you! During boater cross the best line might not be the fastest line, if everyone is pushing through each other to through the same line it might not be the fastest. Your line should be a balance between fast and the least taken. 
2. Avoid Contact- Banging Boats and/or paddles against others slows you down. Getting tangled up with other paddlers is counterproductive because instead of sprinting you are trying to get away from another parson. When racers get tangled it is also likely that paddles end up in faces which could lead to injury and/or disqualification 
3. Pass with enough space- passing with plenty of spaces helps prevent getting tangled. If you have plenty of space, then you don’t bang into each other. 
4. Be Flexible- With so many possible things that could happen, you must be able to quickly adjust your line, weather it is a curler, a person or you make a mistake. Being able to adjust quickly is important so that one problem doesn’t cost you everything. 
5. Be Ruthless- Sprint from the beginning to the end. Even if you are ahead, still give it your 150% because someone behind you could get pushed ahead of you. 

Walmart-when keeners return to civilization by Julia Frangenberg

On the second week of keeners, there comes a long awaited time where keeners gather together and plot mischievously about how spend their money in the funniest ways. This time is called Walmart night. Every session on the second week of keeners, we take a trip to Walmart to buy anything we want or need for the rest of keeners. For us, this is one of the most exciting parts of the week since we are finally being able to see the wide range of food there is outside of keenerville and wilderness tours. So, when we finally saw the huge, bright blue and yellow logo reading WALMART, the bus doors opened and all the keeners scrambled straight into the doors and scattered in different directions. Every time we’d look to one side, it was like the depths of the enormous superstore called to us ‘BUY EVERYTHING.’ Slowly, our carts filled up with food, candy, soda, funky socks, velvet pants, and anything strange you could think of. By the time we arrived back to the bus, which had been quite spacious when we had gotten off, it was filled with overstuffed Walmart bags full of practically everything in the whole store! I can’t wait to see what people wear into Phil’s on Thursday!

The beat things to get at Walmart - by: Andrew Burgoyne.

Once every session Anna Bruno takes us the Walmart to get things we might need for the next couple of weeks. This happens on the second week of the session either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Some people go and buy silly things so we can laugh but I like to get things that are useful, I would get a memory stick or harddrive so I can put all the footage of me doing either something really cool or something silly. The next thing I would get would be beach ball if you don't have a over thruster. A beach ball would really well as either a backup or a primary over thruster. Now since you have gotten the two most important things you can get things you think are nice of things you think are funny, for example someone bought two new shirts and some sunglasses. Some people get an extra charger for their phones or other devices. If you dont have a gopro of something like that and you have lots of money you might want to get a gopro. So when you come to Keeners now you know what to get and what not to get. I hope this blog was useful. 

The Secret To Longevity kayaking everyday at keeners By Finnian Donovan:

Why are we at keeners?

Obviously we are at keeners, because we want to kayak and no keener wants to have to take a day off the water. This is why keeping yourself in check is important.

As there is unfriendly bacteria in the Ottawa you have to take care of open skin eg cuts, scrapes etc. Your best bet to prevent infection is to apply antiseptic(firstaid cream) to the affected areas to attack any lingering bacteria.

Ear infections. How wonderful are ear infections? They are anything but wonderful that is why I take ear mix before and after a session/ day on the water. Ear mix is a mix of hydrogin poroxide, rubbing alchohol, vingear and a tad bit of salt. This will get rid of water in your ear.YAY.

Foot rot, sounds nice doesn't it? Foot rot is caused when you have sand betwwen your toes and you don't dry your foot. My advice to combat foot rot is to wash your feet well, dry them well and anahilate them with tinactin.

Poison ivy. As a Brit I had no idea what poison ivy was before I came to keeners. Let me tell you it is in no way nice.  It makes you skin itchy and bubbly( disgusting and irritating). If you think you touched rubadubdub that area with all the sand you can get until the skin falls off.

Stay safe and healthy so YOU CAN KAYAK ANOTHER DAY.

To send or not to send By: Emmett Jaynes

When faced with a difficult decision to run a challenging rapid one would have to look over all the consequences and or the risks  when analyzing a rapid. Some of the things that I like to consider are the following:

Hazards: When one is looking over a river they need to pay attention to all the hazards like boils, whirlpools, rocks, and shallow areas. These are all put in to perspective to come to a final decision of if the rapid is safe or not, and where the best line will be to avoid any hazards. 
Safty: Scouting a river is not always to look for hazards it is also good to find areas to set up safty when needed, or find fun lines to try. When looking for a place to set up safety, one would look for an eddy or an open area where there is good footing and a safe area for you to be in and so you can help a person who is in need. It is important to find a spot that doesn't put you in any danger.

Physical abilities: One you look over the rapid, ask myself if they are physicaly able to run the rapid. if you are confident in running the rapid ask yourself if have taken over all the risk you would normally think you can do it.

Can you send it or not: if you are completly confident and you have thought of all the possible ways your run could roll out to be, then by all means SEND IT.
If the Rapid is a bit out of your confort zone:  I myself would still think even if the rapid is so far the hardest you might ever do, you need to push your limits to progress yourself in the kayaking world, you need to challenge your self by doing things you would not think of ever doing, but you want to do it safely.

Aidan's guide to shoulder-free kayaking

Whilst freestyle and river running kayaking, shoulder strength plays a crucial role in power, dexterity and coordination of paddling strokes and manoeuvres. Since the first day of my second year at Keeners, I have had to work around subluxation in my right shoulder. With the importance of my shoulder removed from my use, I was sure that my days at Keeners were limited. However, after completing the first week, I have found ways to enjoy the steeziest lines possible without risk of developing any further injuries. To avoid injuries, I adapted my roll, changed my lines, and took restorative action to heal and improve my shoulder's flexibility. As mentioned before, I subluxed my shoulder on the first day due to a roll with an overly wide brace. I knuckled through the pain of the first day and seemed to have avoided future damage by keeping my head back and my shoulders close when rolling back up. By not creating additional leverage which dislocates my shoulders, I edited my roll to keep myself from injuring myself and improved the speed and efficiency of my roll overall. Secondly, I changed my lines while running the main channel to avoid any further beatering. Holes are the main perpetrators for the munchiest, most chunkiest beatdowns which should indefinitely be avoided with shoulder damage. Had I been caught in a hole and attempted to roll up, the power of the water could easily wrench my shoulder out of place. For example, when running McCoy's chute, instead of taking a Keener favorite route such as the Triple Crown or the Right Side Phil's punch, I ran the right-side sneak, taking myself out of reach from Phil's and Satler's holes. The sneak offered a fast pace ride and an entertaining boof that is much easier than it appears.  This ride is perhaps the fastest line in the renowned Keener Race down McCoy's, with a stunning time of 43 seconds total from Max Ryan. There are many different lines down each rapid, even if it is a walk down the side. Lastly, I used sports tape and other methods of physiotherapy-like methods to support my already weakened shoulder. Sports tape was used to keep my shoulder stabilized and secure on and off water. I also learned that the tape can be used to create some wicked tan lines as well! Advil and ice in the evenings are temporary cures to reduce pain levels and inflammation before sleep or nighttime activities. It seems silly of me to think that I once thought an injured shoulder would end my kayaking days this summer since it clearly has not bothered me since and continues to strengthen and improve. To any kayakers worried about kayak inhibiting injuries, keep in mind that there are always around every problem, even if it means taking it "easy" for a couple days. I continue to challenge myself and have the time of my life here in Beachburg, despite any burn, cut or dislocation. Aidan out🤙

How to play ultimate frisbee by Chloe Tippett

Ultimate frisbee is a fun way to get exercise. Playing ultimate frisbee sounds complicated but when you have played it is easy. Here is how you play:

• To play ultimate frisbee you need to make 2 teams (unless you are playing tournament style).
• After you pick the teams then you can make the end zones.
• End zones are areas on the opposite sides of the field that you can score a goal.
• To score a goal you have to pass the frisbee to your teammates and one of them has to coach the frisbee inside the end zone to score.
• After a team scores you change end zones so that now you are guarding the end zone that you scored in (losers walk).

 Rules:

• You can not run with the frisbee. 
• You can not hold the frisbee for more then 5 seconds. 
• You can not touch the frisbee if when somebody is holding but you can intercept throws.
• If somebody drops the frisbee then it goes to the other team.
• You can’t touch anyone.

 Tournament style:

To play Keener tournament style you make 4 teams that play simultaneously on two separate fields. After the first game, the winners of each round play each other and the losers play each other in chance of redemption. 

I like playing ultimate frisbee because you play in teams and because it is fun.

How to Not Get Destroyed, A Quick Guide To Not Getting Beatdown in Boater X | Liev Mitchell

      Race runs are usually just about hitting the fasted line the smoothest, but when throwing 3+ other paddlers into the mix things can get real rowdy real quick,

      The main things that can go wrong in boater X are tight lines getting clogged up by people or someone deciding to push you off line, and collisions.

      To avoid colliding into people and getting pushed off line because your line gets clogged is by keeping a flexible in your line or being first. being first is ideal, however if there is no large gap in front of you or you're not first then try to find a spot where you can hit all your predetermined lines, that why if eight people are caught on an eddyline that's in your line you won't get flushed into a large hole or wave.

      If someone want's to tussle with you on the way down and tries to push you somewhere you don't want to be there are two main options you can take; let them push you and try to find a new line from that position, or fight back, in this position you want to make a choice that will lead to the fastest line because we all want to win.

      Using these tips and your own knowledge about the rapid your racing on can lead to having a faster race, and a safer time!

The Best Day Ever- By Katie Fankhouser

Today was the best day ever. Today was big water beatdown Thursday, and it was epic! For those of you who don't know what this is, it's basically where all the keener's do something that scares them. For many of us that was getting owned by the Phil's hole, and for others it was just running some more technical lines. As a first time Keener I had heard about Beatdown Thursdays and I could not wait! I had the option to go into left side Phil's but that really wasn't much out of my comfort zone. Instead, I opted to go with something that had me shaking in my booties a little. Because that's what Thursdays in Keenerville are all about; going out of your comfort zone and breaking through mental boundries. I chose to go full send on the first try, so I went in to the right side of Phil's hole. When I dropped in, the foam pile hit me with a 'breath taking' amount of force. I was surfing pretty well until things went South and so did I. I window shaded and unintentionally cartwheeled just long engugh for me to miss oxygen. My paddle got ripped out of one hand. And my back twisted and my spine cracked like it was it's job. Luckily, I managed to snatch a solid breath of air in the midst of my tumblung, I got ahold of my paddle again and I guess that was just what my back needed because now it feels even better than before! Today I learned alot about my own paddling skills and personal boundries as well as how to have the best day ever getting the begeebees pumbled out of you by whitwater.

Keeners-- The Return

Being at Keeners never gets old, no matter how many times you have been there. It is impossible to get bored, whether it be learning new things on the water, or telling dirty jokes in the cabins. However, there are a few tips that I would give to maximize your level of stoke on and off the water:

• Always film every day

Filming every day can help you get every moment. Do not wait until the last minute to scramble to get footy— everyone has already had their great moments by then.

• Be friendly to everyone

If you are nice to people, people will be nice to you, which will make your Keener session much better. Also avoid gathering into isolated groups and include everyone.

• Take advantage of your amazing coaches

At Keeners, some of the best paddlers from around the world come to coach you, so get involved and ask them for tips and tricks on whatever you might be learning. You must do your part, too.

Have a good session and hopefully these tips help you get the most of your session!!!!!

Trek Through the Wilderness! 

By Patrick Kenny

First Tuesday off session three 2018 and we are thrown in at the deep end! To divide and conquer was our mission, we split into groups according to what trick we wanted to work on that day. My group’s coach being Stevo! 

After surfing at Garb with some EPIC Pistol Flips from Ethan, also some great faceplates from myself and Panda. Then we dropped down to Push Button, where I looped big and practiced some blunts and back blunts. 

Then Steven decides to take up back upstream to Baby Face at MaCoys. As we are paddling back up Stevo says “Guys take out here, I know a shortcut!” I just about manage to catch a glimpse of Steven and his yellow Rockstar 4.0 before he disappears into the trees.

We try to follow his path through the undergrowth but still find ourselves waist high in plants, to make things worse that very morning Anna (Mom) given a presentation warning us of the dangers off ticks, poison ivy and foot-rot. Despite Anna’s wise words we venture on, following Steven’s voice as our guide.

We emerge from the forest and see ‘Steven opposite us on a different island, we jump into the water with our kayaks and swim across to try and rid our skin of any poisson ivy oils. Eventually we reach there other side of the island and scamper up the back with our boats to behold MaCoys Chute about 500m upstream!

Even though Steven insists our expedition through the wilderness was a quicker route, we are still hesitant to agree as scrambling oven rocks and through bushes with a kayak on your shoulder, conscious that poisson ivy and ticks are lurking  around you, can make time pass VERY slowly! However it was all worth it for Baby Face! And fortunately no one in the group has found a tick nestling on them…..yet.

Big Water Beatdowns!!!

     This week was my first time coming to keeners. Like many keeners early on I was aware of beatdown Thursdays, a day dedicated entirely to being scared and getting beatdown.

     This day started much like any other, we started with a morning activity and then meet in the thunder dome. Instead of talking about race courses or surf waves like any normal day, this time we discussed how we would get beatdown. As you can probably imagine I was quite nervous at this point because I knew I would in some way or another going to receive a beatdown later in the day.

     As we made the walk up the bank of McCoy’s I rehearsed In my head what I would do during my run. Originally I had planned on only surfing left side Phil’s, which is the more tame option. This plan seemed great but it wasn’t nearly as sticky as I thought it would be.

     As I walked up the bank again I still wanted to go for a left side surf but when I arrived into the eddy my friend Panda and my coach James convinced me that a right side surf (the stickier side of Phil’s) would be worth my while. It wasn’t long till they convinced me that going into right side was the move for me. This sudden change of mind made me even more nervous but I could not be happier with my decision.

      As I rolled towards Phil’s adrenaline surged through my body and then just like that I was in Phil’s hole getting cooked.  It didn’t take long for me to figure out how to surf out but when I did the feeling of fear turned into the feeling of happiness and relief. I think pushing past your comfort level in a safe environment like keeners is very important because it can boost your confidence not only In kayaking but your ability to manage fear in everyday life.

To Send Or Not To Send - Owen Rafey

Send or no send. This question comes to every boaters mind before they go over the lip. To the ignorant eye kayakers look like crazy people. But what they don’t know is how much thought and training goes into making each decision on the water For example when pro boaters run larger drops they consider every variable, such as what angler their boat should land in order to have a good line, not piton/ get stuck behind a curtain, and most importantly not to land too flat and get spinal injury. But in my and many of the other keeners cases the decision to send or not to send comes at McCoys rapid, not a hundred-footer, on the best day of the week, “big water bacon beatdown Thursday”. On Thursday all of the keeners get the ultimate opportunity to challenge themselves by getting beat down in many of the Ottawa’s finest whitewater features. The most prominent being Phil’s hole. Located on the upper section of McCoys is the behemoth of Phil’s hole. Phil’s hole is split by a green tongue with the right side being the most infamous for dishing out exceptional beat downs. This is where many keeners were this morning asking themselves weather to send or no send. But all in all none of the keeners regret deciding to live life full send.