How to be a Successful Beater-Aidan

Why is this a useful article? The art of being a beater is an admired and respected form of kayaking within the water sports world. Many will tune into an intense or “drawlin” clip of a person getting beat up within the mighty rapids. Pages such as “Jerry of the day” and “Beater of the day” have achieved fame due to the high demand an audience wants for viewing beater footage. Therefore, I have provided 10 useful ways to be a successful and legendary beater in the world of paddling. Such steps can be taken with great risk and measure due to the fact that the art of being a beater is not a path which one choses...it is a dangerous, sketchy path that one most be chosen to be placed on.

1. Find a feature way to big and way to challenging for your ability.
2. Just Send it. Beaters do not need scouting or choose to scout a challenging rapid.
3. Wear a non practical paddling wear, ex: football jersey, cotton shirt, floral/hawaiian shirts are perfect.
4. Get footage with a gopro! It didn’t happen if it’s not on video! The more gopros the better.
5. Use music nobody likes for your edit, makes it more unbearable to watch.
6. Wear goggles while paddling. Do any of the coaches wear goggles? no. Do beaters? Probably.
7. Brag about how much you are beaten up, the more people that know about it, the bigger beater you can be.
8. Paddle with people that are much better than you. If you are the best paddler there, you are not a beater.
9. Create/use unique terms for the way you were beaten up: Churned, beatersoup, mashed, zoinked, etc
10. Write a blog about how to be a beater

With these steps taken...it’ll be quite easy to become a fantastic beater. Remember, it is much easier to be a great beater than it is to become a great paddler, but all great paddlers  know how to be a great beaters. Once you’re ready, come down to beatdown thursday!

The Rewards Of Swimming- By: Stephanie Gloutney

For many kayaker's, especially beginners, swimming is not always seen as a good thing. For many, swimming can be embarrassing and a confidence breaker, however swimming can have many positive outcomes if taken the right way. For starters, swimming means that you were more than likely pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you were trying something new, and that is what will make you a better kayaker in the long run. Having a zero swim record means that you never push yourself and therefore never allow yourself any chance to improve.

We all learn from our mistakes, this means that when we swim we should not get upset but instead reflect on why we swam and hike back up and challenge the rapid again when we are ready. It may take a few tries to successfully run a particular rapid without swimming, however, keep in mind that with each swim will come a positive insight on how to run the rapid better the next time. It is very important to note that swims only become negative when you let them meaning that we have direct and conscious control over how we chose to let our swims affect us.  To sum all this up, the sooner a kayaker learns to take swims as a form of constructive criticism the sooner he or she will begin to correct their mistakes and advance their skills and confidence.

Keeners lifestyle by Noah Harley

The keeners lifestyle

Hi I’m Noah Harley a keener first session 2018, I wanted to talk to you about the sweet keener lifestyle.

You wake up 7:45 in the morning to do a warmup activity or a stretching activity like yoga.(which is super helpful warm up for the day). Afterwords it’s time to eat breakfast where there is a massive team effort to get some food out like eggs and pancakes. The people who can’t really cook will do dishes or clean the house for morning inspection to allow you to kayak.

When your done with morning inspection your brought to a coaches briefing explaining what the plan is for the day. For example there is beat down Thursday and race day Wednesday. After briefing your all set for your day on the water.

Once you reach the lunch spot you are given one of 3 jobs, either you’ll be cooking burgers, serving soup or you’ll be cleaning up the area of all its trash and just helping anyone that needs help.

At the takeout everyone gets out of there boat and loads there kayaks on the trailer and gets in the bus back to keenerville where we have an hour usually before dinner when people just grab snacks as they wait or does there blog.

When you here the bus horn go off that’s when you bored it to go to dinner and eat at rafters restaurant. Some days we will have speech night where you make a speech in front of everybody, or rope and knot class. 

Later when you return to your cabins you watch a movie or just talk to your friends. By then you should be exhausted and you will go to sleep.

Thanks for reading and stay awesome!!!

How NOT to Run a Rapid - By Charles Brooks

This is a guide to how NOT to run a rapid. This will help you to go down the wrong side of a rapid and get completely trashed.

Step 1: Start off with no speed
This step will allow for minimum speed while going down the rapid.
You will get trashed in every hole with this simple trick.

Step 2: Flip upside down before you go into the rapid
This will allow for you to not go the right way and completely fail.
This will also hinder your sight so that you have no chance of finding the best line.

Step 3: After a few minutes, roll up and turn sideways
Turning sideways will allow for as little speed as possible so that you can get trashed as easily as possible.

Step 4: Find the biggest hole on the rapid and drop into it.
This will allow for maximum time in the hole.
Dropping in sideways will allow for the best beatdown you will ever have.

Step 5: Realizing that you can't get out of the hole and swim
After getting trashed in the hole for a while, you will start to panic and realize you can't get out.
Then, you must perform the most graceful move in kayaking, the wet exit.

Step 6: Float helplessly and expect your friends to save you and your gear
After performing the wet exit, you will realize that you are out of your kayak.
Flail around helplessly and wait for your friends to save you.
This step ensures that your friends will never want to go paddling with you again.

Now, you have successfully ran a rapid the wrong way. Remember, do not try this at home, and always stay safe while in whitewater.

The Code by Max Feild

For the past nine years, I attended a traditional summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina called Falling Creek. There, for a month every summer, I developed a large network of friends from all over the southeast and more... most with a pretty big interest in whitewater kayaking. While we were there, the Falling Creek Code was encouraged in everyday behavior, consisting of 4 main parts: Warrior Spirit, Positive Attitude, Moral Compass, and Servant’s Heart. I am a firm believer in the fact that these values can be used to improve your life, and the lives of those around you. When in the Keener program, living with 6-8 other kids in a cabin, spending the day absolutely crushing some whitewater in a kayak, and in the evenings working on valuable skills like public speaking, following the code will get you through it all. 

             The first one is easy: Warrior Spirit. If you’re a Keener, you already have it. Flying or driving to Ottawa, Canada, to live with strangers for 3 weeks and kayak a world class river takes courage. I kind of cheated on this one. I was lucky enough to have 6 buddies from camp come to Keeners with me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep working on my Warrior Spirit. Something that keeps coming up here is the term “Eddy Flower.” An eddy flower is someone who likes to sit back in the eddy and let others go take risks in the wave or hole. It’s ok to be scared, but in order to become better, you have to rise above that fear and seize the moment. Warrior Spirit can be applied to many different things, especially off the river. On Monday’s speech night, there’s no way anyone could walk up to the front of the room and practice their public speaking without a Warrior’s Spirit. It’s nerve wracking. Warrior Spirit is commonly misjudged as something you can only prove athletically, but in reality, it is used anytime someone is out of their comfort zone. 

          Secondly, a Positive Attitude is key to making anything in life better. Keeners is no exception. It’s pretty hard to have a bad attitude here, but occasionally, someone might feel a little down. Maybe they got a bit homesick, maybe they had an injury, or perhaps they just had to do a bunch of push-ups for leaving the cabin messy. All the same, a bad outlook can ruin your day, no matter how great. The trick is to find something in everyday that makes you really happy, and focus on that. I promise there is usually something there. Be that cheesy person who refers to themselves as a “glass half full kind of guy.” You will thank yourself for it. A positive attitude not only makes your own life better, but it positively affects all those around you. Happiness and positivity are infectious, remember that.

           A moral compass is a bit hard to define. It can be different for a lot of people and a lot of situations. Simply, a moral compass is just something that tells you whether something is right or wrong. If you see someone being bullied, a moral compass will guide you to step in and put a stop to it. If there is a piece of litter in the water or on the ground, a moral compass should compel you to pick that up. A moral compass is essential for every part about Keeners because you have so much freedom. You have to learn how to be your own advocate and one for those around you. 

           A servant’s heart is fairly self-explanatory. When there is so much to be done and not many people are willing to help, you should step up and be that helping hand that is needed. Here at Keeners, there is always, always, always something to be done, and there are so many opportunities to help out. Having this servant’s heart will you and others get on the water faster. Not to mention it will make the coaches like you a lot more. 

           Even though I am a world away from my former home at Falling Creek Camp, I will never forget about the code and it’s value. Following these 4 simple values should help guide you both hrough Keeners and life.

           

Keener Recipes- Anya Sachs

Keeners can be a magical place. You kayak all day, you're in a beautiful place, and the food is amazing. However, at Keeners, you are expected to make your own breakfast. But let's face it, a few teens living in the wilderness with access to a kitchen that has limited ingredients and knowledge aren't about to whip up some amazing MasterChef meal. In fact, sometimes trying to cook ends up in disaster. Last year my cabin mates decided to make brownies. They turned the oven on, however, it turned out that there were a few things being stored inside the oven that they failed to notice. In short, there was a fire, however, they did finish making their brownies. Or when I tried to make a grilled cheese in a microwave just a few days ago. I propped it up on a cup so the bread underneath didn't get soggy. It didn't end very well. So yesterday I took it upon myself to make a successful grilled cheese. In a pan. With only a little bit of help from 3 girls, I was able to make an actually tasty grilled cheese for breakfast. Some of my other favorite keener recipes include microwavable bacon. It's quick and easy and doesn't require a lot of smarts to make. Bacon is and forever will be a keener classic. Another keener favourite is Nutella. Nutella is a magical ingredient that has the power to substitute a whole meal, strawberries become ten times better when dipped in it, the possibilities are endless. I am currently eating an absolutely amazing breakfast burrito made by the amazing Cat Hardman. All in all, coming to Keeners will help you become a better kayaker, more responsible, and independent. It will also teach you some of the basics of cooking. Who knows? Maybe next year I'll be able to make breakfast burritos. 

Why days off are a good thing

Taking a day off can make or break your keeners session. Taking time to just chill and hang out. This can give your body an opportunity to rest and regain a lot of sleep, strength, and dehydration. Having a day of rest can get you a lot farther than you would normally by going kayaking everyday. Me personally did not take a rest day this past weekend. This wasn’t the worst idea that I have had all keener session. (I’m not going to say the worst decision I’ve had because my mother may or may not be reading this. Love you mom. I’m having a great time.) this caused me to take a day off the water during instructional time. This time off the water wasn’t as bad as you would think it would be. I was not the only one to take a day off of the water yesterday. 2 of my other fellow keeners took days off the water as well. Anna, AKA “mom”, drove us to the lunch site on the main channel of the Ottawa River. We hung out for a bit, chopped onions, cooked some burgers and all that Jazz. But as of the time I am writing this blog, my body feels way better and I can now go kayaking again! Yay!! Always remember, taking days off can be a great thing. The terms, “no pain, no gain” and “no days off”, are complete rubbish. If something doesn’t feel right, take a day off and get better instead of making things a lot worse. 

Dealing with nerves - By Maddie Norman

Kayaking is a unique sport. It's the only time that I watch my friends get trashed and I cheer, mostly because I know that's exactly where they want to be, or, at the very least, that's what they're prepared to deal with. It's an amazing high, an adrenaline sport, but for those of us that are like me and are prone to nerves, it can also be a massive source of stress. Here I'm going to talk about paddling fear, how to handle it, and why it can sometimes even be beneficial to success and a good time on the river.

I begin many a rapid afraid; thinking about how many people out there don't freak themselves out on the daily, take an easier way out. I would almost give in, walk a rapid I could probably paddle, but a pep talk from a teammate or coach will usually get my uncertain self down the river. I have never regretted running a rapid, which is important to remember for the next time. I also try to remember that the worst that can usually happen is a swim, at which point I can count on the other Keeners to give me any help or support I should need. It's a good group of boaters.

I actually feel that some of these nerves can help you enjoy your time on the river, and become a better paddler. They keep you careful, not taking any unnecessary risks (but hopefully taking just enough). They also help you to appreciate when things go well, and you find yourself less nervous the next day. Even if things go badly, a nervous boater will work hard to learn from their mistakes, and improve.

I've recently been told to smile before a rapid, to loosen up tight muscles and reduce stress. I'm going to set myself a goal to smile before and after every rapid I run during my time at Keeners, and I encourage any other nervous paddlers out there to do the same. 

How to get stick in a hole - Graham Carroll

Graham Keener blog
blog 1:  tips on how to get stuck in holes, and or windowshaded

Getting stuck in a hole may seem like a very simple task, but it is quite the contrary. Getting worked in a hole is an art form that must be mastered to become the ultimate kayaker. The average kayaker is attracted to big tricks and completely forgets about big beat downs. Here are three tips I can share with you to help you get stuck in a hole, or window shade like a pro.
    Tip number 1: A tip I personally recommend to perfect the windowshade is edging into the hole. This allows for the water to flip you extremely fast. If you want to get fancy with it, you can add a trick to it. My favorite is the Harry Potter. To do this trick you must wave the paddle over your head like a wizard. Then smack the paddle upstream of yourself and simultaneously edge into the wave. This will add a disappearing effect to the window shade. This is a difficult trick, so don't be disappointed if you don’t get it on your first try.
    Tip number 2: actively paddle towards the hole. This helps the hole retain you in itself. This is a basic maneuver that most people forget to do. The average kayaker tries to paddle out of the hole. This is the most counterproductive thing possible. Dropping in sideways doesn’t hurt either.
    That's a couple tip that will help you get worked in a hole. Of course, this is not a smart idea if the hole is not safe. I hope this helps you get stuck in a hole.

Ballin on a budget(nutritional edition) by Ben Giersch

Ballin on a budget(nutritional edition)

If you are the average kayaker, you are always looking for an easy way to save a penny or two. Even if you are interested in ballin off the river, then you have clicked on the right link. Food is an essential part of basic human life. Maintaining the consistent use of each food group can be a challenge if shredding is the only thing on your mind. Luckily for you, the thinking has already been done for you. My name is Ben and I’m here to introduce you to my list of easy but “nutritional”, that allow you to BALL ON A BUDGET!!!
Remember, the cook must always eat last.

Pluggers
-1)So for this fantastic meal, you will need a few ingredients. You will need a sleeve of salami, some bagels, and a steady bucket of cream cheese depending on the family of paddlers you will be providing for.
-2) you are gonna start by taking a nice stout bagel and splitting it in two. You are then going to want to take a river knife or other utensil to scoop up a glob of the cream.
-3) then in a circular counter-clockwise motion, you are going to want to spread your cream cheese evenly throughout the entirety of one side of the bagel.
-4) next you will want to unsheathe your salami from its sleeve, however, you may keep the sleeve on for no added nutritional value. You will then want to make nice even thick slices of salami. You will place exactly three and only three slices on the bagel as to preserve the rest of the arm for others. Each slice should be equally distanced from one another and from the center of the bagel.
-5) finally you will want to place the naked half of your bagel on the lathered end and provide equal pressure on all sections of the bagel.
-6) you will then hand it to your best mate and start on the next plugger.

This particular meal excelled in many categories of efficiency. It is a fast meal to prepare, it takes minimal effort, and also allows the cook to distribute serving sizes as he or she pleases. While providing a fantastic source of protein, grains, and dairy, it also does exactly what it is named after. Pluggers are designed by fine engineers to allow a paddler to go long distances while being able to maintain calm and semi-steady bowels. Pretty much every component is genetically modified to expand and create a challenge for your digestive system. This food also provides a lot of calories as well as stored energy.

Breakfast burritos (protein in a sock)
-1) for this meal you will need a larger assortment of foods. You will need shredded beef (sausage), eggs, tortillas, rice, shredded cheese and finally a big old bag of tortillas for your exterior. You may also use vegetables, however, it is not often encouraged.
-2) you are then going to grab a large cup or container for beating your eggs, however, you may also use carton egg (pre-beat eggs). You will then beat your eggs in your container and then pour into your preheated pan. Then place your burner on a medium flame, for an even cook. One may also mix milk into your eggs, however, if almond milk is added to the mix then you have ruined your meal. Scientific studies show that you are not human if you put almond milk in your eggs.
-4) next you are going to heat up your sausage in a separate pan while also placing the stove on a medium flame setting. You may also slice up a sausage if it is not already ground up. Get that going on the pan and go back to your eggs.
-5) you are going to want to cook your eggs until it is no longer runny or of a liquid state. You are then going to want to scramble your eggs by taking a spatula and just mashing it up. Then cook your sausage until it begins to defrost or just become warm and sizzle. You want a nice crispy texture, but not too crispy.
-6) you are then going to get a large boiling pot to get your rice going. Fill the pot up with water and place the rice in. For this pot however you are encouraged to set the flame up a little higher. Again this is all depending on how much time you have and how many people you must serve.
-7) once your rice is soft and ready to go remove the pot from the stove. Wait for the water to cool down for as long as you prefer before draining the water for maximum safety. It is encouraged to use some caliber of strainer weather it is a metal mesh material or just a plain shirt.
-8) grab a limp tortilla, you do not want a stale tortilla. First, take your eggs and spread it in a line across the center of the tortilla. Then place some shredded cheese over the eggs. Then place your sausage on top of the cheese as to sandwich the cheese nicely between the eggs and sausage creating a melting sensation. Then place some more shredded cheese on top and let it melt. Finally pack it all together and enjoy.

You are left with a steady meal packed with loads of protein and calories, good essentials for on water energy. This meal, however, is not to be consumed at enormous rates every day as to avoid packing in that cholesterol. Now you can wake up in the morning to a mix of different textures and protein.

HOW TO LEARN NEW TRICKS

By: Ben Atherton 

Learning new tricks can seem like a daunting task. Between finding practice time and getting instruction it may take much longer and be much harder than expected. But, with a few simple tips and tricks it’s very easy. Here’s a few simple steps for improving current and learning new tricks.

Step 1- Make a Plan

• Always plan out what you want to accomplish and when. This will help you stay on track for your goal. 
• Decide when you will practice and for how long. 

Step 2- Learn the basics

• Obviously learning a trick is near impossible without instruction, so get help from a professional. 
• Figure out the movements and initiations for the trick. 
• Watch others perform the move
• Never be afraid to ask for help!

Step 3- Practice, Practice, Practice 

• Set aside time and practice every time   without exceptions
• Try to actively work on skills even when it’s easier to just go paddle
• It may be more fun to just use the skills you know but keep at it and you should reach your goal. 

Step 4- Perfect your skills

• With practice you should be able to dial in your newly learned trick and show it off to your friends!

In conclusion, learning new tricks can be frustrating, boring, repetitive, and painful, but when following a strict regiment and keeping track of your goals, it’s a smooth and rewarding process. 

Should you be scared of holes on the river? Sam Sharp

BLOG~~~~~Should you be scared of holes in the river? It depends on the hole some holes are chill and some can be deadly. But in the end you should not be scared of every single hole on the river. The main reason why people are scared of holes is because they had one nasty beat down but you should not stop that from letting you from getting some awesome tricks or getting the best side serf.  And it is really good to get comfortable in holes and put your self in a hole and learn how to control it. Just Incase you happen to be looking at a pretty bird when you are in a rapid and you get in to a bad hole. You need to know how to get out of the hole and how to control it. The best way to not get hurt in a hole, is to always be relaxed in the hole and never be loose and have your arms every where you want to keep them tight you want to do this so you can prevent dislocated shoulders and other shoulder injuries and you will also have better control in the hole. But in the end holes are one of the best features on the river and you should go for those sick holes and always be safe.

And for anything you always want to be comfortable in punching through holes even creeks can have some pretty nasty holes so you want to get comfortable with that. But in the end you should always be safe and nervous not scared. 

How to make it seem like you know more than a roll. - Tanner Tito

Hi my name is Tanner Tito and I am going to a white water camp for play boating and know absolutely nothing about play boating! Everyone at camp already knew a whole bunch of awesome tricks that I had no idea how to do. At this moment I knew I had to make it seem as if I knew more than a roll. 

Steps of what to do and not to do when pretending like you know more than you really do:

1. Have a great poker face! 
2. If you accidentally do something that looks cool act like you did it on purpose! 
3. Don’t tell anyone that you only have a roll. 
4. Low key on the side ask the coaches for help to learn some tricks.
5. The fifth and final rule don’t put on a piece of paper that you low key don’t know how to roll cause everyone there already know you don’t.

In conclusion you’re best bet embrace your fate that you can only roll and learn everything you can in three weeks! But whether or not you know more than or if you just have have a roll you will have so much fun at Keeners camp!! 

How/Why you should learn the flat water blunt by TJ(Thomas Jenkins)

First, why should you learn how to move one on flat water? Well, a lot of play boating is muscle memory and you get muscle memory from repetition. Like you always hear “the more you do it, the better you get”. With that in mind, if you only practiced a move in a surf you wouldn’t get as many reps as one who practices on flat water. Another thing is on flat water you have more control and less to think about on than on the wave so you can focus on the move and not when and where you should hit the move. That’s why you should learn to do a flat water blunt. Now, let's get to the how’s to.

Step one: Get some speed. Speed is your friend; it helps give you the feel of being on a wave. Step two: edge left or right depend on which way you are trying to blunt but for sake of explanation we are hitting a right blunt. So get some speed and edge to the left. Step three: do your initiation stroke (forward stroke on the side you are edging). Step four: do a quick edge transfer from your left edge to your right edge. Note when you hit a blunt you always want to be looking upstream, look where you want to go and on a wave, you want to go upstream. 

**After you get some speed you edge to your left you do your initiation stroke do a quick edge transfer the **

 Step five: do a backstroke to help pull you around and stick the blunt. Congrats! If you have successfully followed these five step you should have done a flat water blunt. With your new flat water blunt, you can really get your form down and know the motion so when your on a wave trying to hit a blunt the movement feels natural. 

-thank you for reading I hope this was helpful and you are on your way to super sick air blunts

Making the Perfect Pancake | Cat Hardman

There are probably a million types of pancakes in the world, but one is always a favorite; the chocolate chip pancake. For many years, people have made chocolate chip pancakes, therefore one would think it would be as simple as it sounds. Well, that’s where you are wrong, but that is okay because I am going to teach you how to make perfect chocolate chip pancakes. Enjoy! 

Step 1:

Gather the special ingredients. Please get pancake mix, chocolate chips, you can either use milk or water; but I will be using milk.  After that, you need some butter, peanut butter, a bowl, and a pan. Then last, but not least “Some sugar and spice and everything nice” (The Powerpuff girls 1998). 

Step 2:

Grab the bowl and pour pancake mix into it. Then take your milk and pour some in, you can add a little more milk than you think because the powder will soak up most of the milk. After you add both ingredients to the bowl, start to stir until you get the consistency of yogurt. If you don’t have this consistency, you either added to much milk or not enough, if that is the case you can add more powder or milk. Once you get the consistency of yogurt, pour chocolate chips into the substance. You can add as many as you want, it is all personal preference, but when I cook them, a boatload of chocolate chips is added. Last part of this step is to stir the chocolate chips. 

Step 3:

Now you want to grab a pan and put it on the burner on the stove.  Next, you want to turn on the stove to between level 3 and 6.  Then take some butter and slice of a piece into the pan and let it slide around. Once the butter is melted, it is your time to shine. Take your bowl of pancake mix and pour about a cup and a half to a cup into your pan. After this, get a spatula and wait for about a minute depending on what level the stove is on. Now, you may be asking, how do I know when I should flip the pancake? Well, that’s a great question, so read step 4. 

Step 4:

Now you have put your pancake in the pan and you wondering when it is the right time to flip it. Well, my friends, let me tell you. After it has been about a minute or so, check to see if the sides of the pancake are starting to flare up and look a little more 3-D, that is a perfect time. You want to take your spatula and slowly slide it under the pancake, and then if you can fit your spatula under the pancake, it is good to send on the flip. Note though, if you slide your spatula under the pancake and it's gooey, remove the spatula slowly and wait a little longer. 

Step 5:

Congrats, you are almost done with your perfect pancake. Step 5 is one of the more crucial steps because you have flipped over your pancake and you are waiting for it to cook on the other side. Again, you should wait about a minute or so before checking if it is fully cooked. Once you think it is fully cooked, repeat step 4 by sliding your spatula under the pancake. After you do this, and you know it is fully cooked on both sides, flip it over a couple times to add some color to the front and back.

Step 6:

Now that your pancake is cooked, take it out of the pan and onto a plate. After this, turn off the stove and move the pan to a different burner. Next what you want to grab your jar of peanut butter and smother your pancake in it. Once this is completed, you need to get a knife and fork. Next, move to step 7. 

Step 7:

I will be honest with you, step 7 is the hardest! Though it is simple, all you must do is sit down and enjoy the bomb pancake you just made. Yes, I know, very difficult, but I have faith in you to do it and complete your task of making a bomb chocolate chip pancake. 

Thank you and enjoy,

Cat H.