Europe and America | by Nicolas Meire

A few days ago, I undertook a great trip from Spain, my native country to Canada. I have not been too long on North American soil, but I've noticed many changes regarding Spain. Since I was a kid I already knew that America was a completely different place from any European country, but this week I've been ditching that the change is bigger than I thought. Let's start with automobilism, a subject that I'm very passionate about. There is one thing that everyone knows, cars in America are bigger. I still do not know why this is, but I love them. Cars of American brands such as Chevrolet and Ford only in gigantic size. In Europe, few people have this kind of cars because they do not fit almost in any parking space and touch the roof of half of parking garages and garages. But it is not only with cars, in general it gives me the impression that everything in America is gigantic format. The cars here are spectacular. The bodywork, the engines and the size of the cars I love. It is awesome. Besides, I noticed that in America there are many cars of a brand that apparently is used a lot in America. GMC, a brand that in Europe is practically not known because it is not used for the reasons I said above. But it's not just cars, many other things change. As for example the houses. In Spain, the cities are not too big and they do not have very tall buildings. In America, on the other hand, the cities are much larger and have higher buildings such as New York, Toronto, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago or Vancuver. But it's not only in cities that we see changes. For example, in houses that are not in cities and are more in small towns, in Spain they are not usually the home of a family. They are usually floors of three or four floors in which several families live. On the other hand, in the towns of America, there are usually independent houses, separated from the others and a family, without being blocks of several. Also the food varies a lot, in Europe, for cooking olive oil is usually used, a product that is not too expensive. But in America it is barely cooked with oil, since it is excessively expensive since the oil is native of Europe. And what the Americans do is replace the oil with butter, which, as I have seen, is also great for cooking. Even though it seems silly, the media changes. In Spain, to send a message we use WhatsApp, but here in America, WhatsApp is rarely used, the Messages application is used, which comes by default with the mobile phone, an application that by the way in Europe is hardly uses. And of course something that changes and a lot are the Plugs. But for that it's always good to carry an adapter when you go on a trip.

Kayaking Before The Sun--Cameron OConnor

“Golden Hour” on the Ottawa River is truly a magical time of the day.  When the sun starts to peek through the clouds, over the trees, it aluminates the water creating a golden glow that attracts photographers and kayakers from around the world.  

My first-time experiencing “Golden Hour” was back in 2016 when I was at Keeners Whitewater Camp. There’s something special about seeing the sun rise over the trees while your out on the water, with a small group of friends.  Maybe it’s the feeling of freedom and peacefulness while surfing the perfect wave, or the amazing times you have experiencing life with others, maybe it’s a little bit of both.  This past weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing “Golden hour” once again. 

Usually I’m not much of an early riser, however lying in bed, remembering two years ago, gave me the motivation to get up.  Standing out on the river side in the exact same spots as two years ago really touched me in a special way.  Not only reminiscing on the last time I saw the Ottawa River at its best, it allowed me to see how much I have changed within the last two years of my life.  Looking back, I have progressed so much in my kayaking career, two years ago I could barley catch corner wave, this year throwing tricks like blunts seems so easy.   It’s a little scary to remember who I was and compare that person to who I am today.  Two years fly by so fast, I can’t even start to imagine who ill be or what my kayaking skills will be like in 10 years, more-or-less 20 years.  I look forward and embraces the adventures life will take me on in my future.

Hammock City by Sam Fleming

My favorite off water part about this session has been the creativity with lots of hammocks. As I am writing this, I am sitting in one of the nine hammocks hung within two trees. Not only does this massive stack of hammocks look really cool, it is also really fun. When all of them have people in them, everybody talks, jokes around, and listens to music, creating a good time to bond with other people you don’t know that well. Hammock City transformed from two hammocks in a tree to a whole network, and a prime spot for socializing. 

Another cool part about the city is that it is right by the bay that Keenerville is on, providing really great views, especially as the sun is setting.

Overall, just the sight of many colorful hammocks way up in the trees, right by the water, is amazing. My peers and I planned and used a lot of teamwork to get every single hammock into the trees. In my opinion, Hammock City is the best off water component of Keeners.

The joy of capturing beauty through photography- By Marcus Loving

At keeners, and in the surrounding area the landscape and the visuals that can be seen are breathtaking.  There is so much wonder packed into one place that it can be overwhelming at times. This presents me with the opportunity to save these wonderful moments and sights for myself and others to see and relive later on.  

Through photography I am able to preserve the visuals that surround me on the daily basis.  I am able to put my own spin and story into my surroundings through the pictures that I take.  This allows for me to show others my memories as I remember them in much more vivid detail than just telling them about it.  It allows them to immerse themselves in the wonderful environment that I am so grateful to be able to spend these three weeks in.  

There are many different cool places to take photos here at keeners that may not be of any exceptional beauty at first glance, but can be brought to life with a little work and creativity.  

Each morning I look out over the river from the porch, and each day it is unique in slightly different ways.  These small differences are things that I like to preserve because they are the things that are easily forgotten, but still very beautiful.  The sight can change drastically in just a couple of hours from a misty and mysterious dimly lit outlook to a bright and happy paradise. These drastic changes are observable and can be extremely cool and intriguing

At night some of the most strange and alien sights can be seen in the sky.  In “Keenerville”, away from all of the light from the city, the stars are able to truly shine.  They are incredibly numerous and seem to go on forever in the vast expanse on sky that is visible to me. Sometimes sitting out under the stars is one of the best ways to decompress and relax after a long day of kayaking.  

These sights are some of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen, and I hope to be able to capture at least a fraction of the wondrous moments that I have experienced.  I hope to be able to share my experiences with my friends and family so that they too can enjoy the wonderful and beautiful things that I have seen.

Typical day of a keener by Skye Vivian

A typical day of a keener

My name is Skye Vivian and I am going to tell you about a typical day in the life of a keener. First off it starts by waking up, usually involves waking up your fellow cabin mates. After you get dressed and brush your teeth you’ll meet outside for some spectacular stretching which can really help you if you do them correctly or they can be utterly useless if you just goof off. After you have had a nice morning of stretching you go to your cabin kitchens and you cook breakfast. Everyone meets in the thunder dome and Steve-O gives us the schedule for the day. Once everyone has eaten and you’ve cleaned up you get in your kayaks and your amazing day begins.

A Sucessful Walmart Trip by Cannon Miller

        To make a Walmart trip successful you first have to storm your way in with 23 other friends and completely wreck the store. Well not actually wreck the store just make it seem like you are going to. Then you have to speed down the isle on your shopping cart and loose your phone. This also happens to me and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. 

       After making your dramatic entrance, you have to make it to the food section. This is the hardest part especially if you are in a new Walmart location. Once you find the food isles you then have to find the isle that has the stuff that you are looking for. Then you speed down the isle on the cart with someone in front of you running, grabbing the stuff and then throwing it into the cart. Or you can take the lame approach by just browsing the isles and picking out what you want. Oh and you repeat this step over and over again until you have what you need. 

        The final step is to go to checkout. Before you check out though you have to take out of your cart what you don’t want. This is a key step cause when you are running through the isles grabbing stuff you always grab things that are unnecessary. This includes anything that is healthy and anything that has to do with showers. After that you go and check out. Now that is how you have a successful Walmart trip. 

How to avoid getting sick by Wyatt Peek

How to avoid getting sick at keeners 

If you start to find yourself feeling sick a keeners you you can stop it a get better quick before it gets worse and you cant kayak which would really suck. A few simple things you can do to stop your self from getting really sick when you are starting to deal bad are. 1) drink A ton of water which will hydrate you give you more energy and make you feel better. 2) get as much sleep as you can get like going to bed right at 10 or maybe early to get more sleep to feel better. 3) eat healthy food only and don’t eat a lot of candy and soda it will make you feel a lot better. These are just a few ways to keep from getting sick at keeners.

How to avoid getting sick by Wyatt Peek

How to avoid getting sick at keeners 

If you start to find yourself feeling sick a keeners you you can stop it a get better quick before it gets worse and you cant kayak which would really suck. A few simple things you can do to stop your self from getting really sick when you are starting to deal bad are. 1) drink A ton of water which will hydrate you give you more energy and make you feel better. 2) get as much sleep as you can get like going to bed right at 10 or maybe early to get more sleep to feel better. 3) eat healthy food only and don’t eat a lot of candy and soda it will make you feel a lot better. These are just a few ways to keep from getting sick at keeners.

How to avoid getting sick by Wyatt Peek

How to avoid getting sick at keeners 

If you start to find yourself feeling sick a keeners you you can stop it a get better quick before it gets worse and you cant kayak which would really suck. A few simple things you can do to stop your self from getting really sick when you are starting to deal bad are. 1) drink A ton of water which will hydrate you give you more energy and make you feel better. 2) get as much sleep as you can get like going to bed right at 10 or maybe early to get more sleep to feel better. 3) eat healthy food only and don’t eat a lot of candy and soda it will make you feel a lot better. These are just a few ways to keep from getting sick at keeners.

How to avoid getting sick by Wyatt Peek

How to avoid getting sick at keeners 

If you start to find yourself feeling sick a keeners you you can stop it a get better quick before it gets worse and you cant kayak which would really suck. A few simple things you can do to stop your self from getting really sick when you are starting to deal bad are. 1) drink A ton of water which will hydrate you give you more energy and make you feel better. 2) get as much sleep as you can get like going to bed right at 10 or maybe early to get more sleep to feel better. 3) eat healthy food only and don’t eat a lot of candy and soda it will make you feel a lot better. These are just a few ways to keep from getting sick at keeners.

How to avoid getting sick by Wyatt Peek

How to avoid getting sick at keeners 

If you start to find yourself feeling sick a keeners you you can stop it a get better quick before it gets worse and you cant kayak which would really suck. A few simple things you can do to stop your self from getting really sick when you are starting to deal bad are. 1) drink A ton of water which will hydrate you give you more energy and make you feel better. 2) get as much sleep as you can get like going to bed right at 10 or maybe early to get more sleep to feel better. 3) eat healthy food only and don’t eat a lot of candy and soda it will make you feel a lot better. These are just a few ways to keep from getting sick at keeners.

Backroom Foosball by Ray Barbera

Winning, that word starts the tensions at keeners to rise. Every friday the keeners compete at a feature on the river (ex Pushbutton Garburator) and one of us hopes to score the most points in one ride to win the golden ribbon of awesomeness. But this friday there was a backroom game going on….. Foosball. Today was the a game to last the ages to decide what keener or coach were the best at the game. James was prepared for the best, but ready for the worst. Only one can claim the glory of being the best. The game starts and in no time James scores 1,3,5 goals leaving me in the dust. But I do not give up I score three goals starting to catch up, but James increases his lead to 7-3. It seems hopeless but I still do not give up. With this determination I catch again not only to tie the game at 7-7 but to win the game at 10-9. This foosball game is a great example of why you shouldn't give up. No matter how dire the odds are you will always have a chance so when you're down 7-3 always try. The best that can happen is you succeed. 

How to do a Walmart raid-Liam Baartman

How to do a Walmart raid-Liam Baartman
1. you need to TRY and make a list of the things you need and things you want.
2.you need to write this list on your phone if you have one if u don't then just use a piece of paper.
3. you need to have money, lots of it because if you come to the check out and you don't have enough money you will look like an idiot because you are broke.
4.before you go to Walmart you go to the pen brook mall to eat and watch a movie.
I really like pizza so I went to Dino's pizza it was ok pizza but it was big a expensive and very greasy pizza. But if you want something different there are other options for food.
5. When you go and watch your movie make sure to buy a large popcorn because its really big and you wont go threw it for the whole movie so its pretty chill.
6.when you get out of the movies you kind of have to get pumped up for the mad rush of doing the Walmart raid.
7. As soon as you get to Walmart you run off the bus and its a mad rush towards every thing. You need a shopping cart and then technically you run around the place and anything you see that you want you through it in and you keep going.

Getting Out in Hard Places by Davis Sineath

At Keeners we are sometimes challenged to get out in some of the hardest places we can safely go, failures at getting out produce carnage. As of last Thursday I learned I am really bad at this challenge. The Keeners were given three options and our job was to complete two of those choices. 

Option 1: Get out directly above the pour over at Garb. 

What I did: First I pulled into the eddy decently high up as to give myself more of a chance. I grabbed the crack in the rock, popped my skirt, and pulled my legs out. Next I attempted to stand up, then I fell. As I was falling out of my boat I managed to continue clinging to the rock but not my boat. So, my boat fell off the pour over as I clung to a rock. Then I slipped, consequentially myself and my boat were stuck in the pour over. 

Option 2: Get out on river left directly below (or during) the pipeline in the Lorne. 

What I did: Very similarly to what happened the first time, I grabbed the rock and fell in. This time I swam a long way. After being recirculated in an eddy with Teo and my boat we realized it was fruitless so we moved on. I got out of the river in an attempt to catch my boat but in reality it flushed down Waikiki. So, I jumped back in the river. Swam down the rest of the rapid chased Teo down to the beach at the lunch site. 

Option 3: Gangster Paradise (Island on top right of Waikiki). 

What I did: Swam past without a boat as Stevo laughed at my predicament. 

The Best Race Day Yet by Ava Christensen

During the Monday and Tuesday of the second week of keeners a lot of the kids are were in swift water rescue. This means there was a smaller group of kids who sere returning keeners that did race day. This is the day where we do different types of races on multiple rapids. This past race day was my favorite so far out of all the sessions I have been to. In the morning our group went up to McCoys where we had a race from the top, touch the right shore,  head to the island at the top of the football eddy where we would then get out of our boats and high five Clay Wright. We had the option of doing two runs which was beneficial because we could now improve on the things that might have slowed us down in our previous runs. The next race began in the middle of the island with the added challenge of running to our boats and bringing it to the water and paddling it to the right shore through horseshoe. After this we went down to grab for another race. This one was a mas start where we had to go around the Moby Dick rock and touch the right shore. As we went through the rapid many keeners flipped over, got paddled over, but rolled up and sprinted to the other side of the river. Later in the day we had a keener classic, the beachball races. These are where we paddle through rapids such as norman's and coliseum hitting beach balls with our paddle as a mass start. Some times during the races beach balls will get stuck in eddies, boils, and possibly surf.

My Favorite Wave on the Ottawa- Olivia Norman

The Ottawa River is full of amazing world class playspots, and has hosted a fair share of international competitions. Instead of the play holes that dominate most competitions, on the Ottawa there are mostly big waves. Waves provide a whole new batch of available tricks and opportunities. Waves are what I have grown up surfing and what I will always love. My favorite wave on the Ottawa River is Babyface, at the bottom of MCcoys rapid. It is my favorite because of its bouncy, safe, and forgiving nature. You are unlikely to find a wave as large and foamy, and as gentle as Babyface. As someone who is not always psyched about sufing larger stickier features, Babyface, true to its name is gentle as a baby and always fun. With a lake right behind it, safety is almost guaranteed, and the water is deep. 

Babyface is also very close to my cottage on the river, and most importantly, Keenerville. It’s proximity makes it acessable and easy to go for a surf at any time of day for any period of time. As for the wave itself, it is bouncy, and you can throw tricks from a flat spin to an airscrew with ease. Different parts of the wave offer different steepness and level of retentiveness. Overall, this wave is as fun and safe as it gets, and in my opinion, couldn’t be better. 

Balancing fitness and recovery at Keeners By Owen Koppe

Most Keeners participate in another sport besides kayaking. I came into Keeners after completing a 17.5 hour hill climb on my bike. Naturally I didn't want to lose all my fitness that I had gained over the past few months.
         As you probably know kayaking uses your upper body and my primary sport is Mountain Biking which stresses you legs. With The Shanandoah 100 and potential a 24 hour race in the near future mantaning fitness was something I wanted to do. So me and Davis decided to run in the mornings. The first run was hard I hadn't ran scense I broke my arm last year.
         I ran the day before I came to Keeners and the seven mile route took me 40 minutes longer then I thought it would. Sorry Mom. It was not an encouraging experiance. Davis actully runs so I figured it would be fun to chase Davis for a few weeks. The first run was hard. After a few miles I had a side stich I was concerned about recovering from kayaking and running so we took it easy for the first week. After a few runs I started to find a rythem. It is still hard to wake up at 6:30 in the morning but it is becoming more enjoyable. I am looking forward to continuing to run over the next week of Keeners.

Why you should get beatdown- By Magnus Kron

Beatdowns are some of the most memorable parts of Keeners. The best beatdowns get talked about for the entire session, but beatdowns serve a much bigger purpose than cool videos and red ribbons. Beatdowns can teach some of the best lessons at keeners and can help you become a much better paddler. Getting beatdown teaches you how to deal with getting worked and how to get out of big, sticky holes. It also helps teach you to deal with stress and being scared. Getting beatdown gives you a way to push yourself past your limits in a good environment that doesn’t carry that many consequences. All of these things are super important to becoming a better paddler. The skills learned surfing phil’s and the other features on the river can be used on any river and are just good skills to have as a paddler. Scaring yourself is the best way to get better and if you scare yourself in a big hole like phil’s, other features on rivers probably won’t seem as scary or big. All of these things are great reasons to get beatdown, but in the end, the best reason to get beat down is because it’s probably the funnest thing you’ll do at keeners.

My first beatdown Thursday by Aaron Fay 

Hi my name is Aaron and this is the story of my first beatdown Thursday. Since this was my first beatdown Thursday I was quite scared of Phils hole because of the size of it. When I saw it, I thought to myself, “what the heck am I doing, this is suicide”. One of the many urges i felt was the urge to take frequent leaks in the eddy do to my nervousness, this was horrible because I was really dehydrated and peeing didn’t help that at all. I think one of the other emotions I felt was the zombie factor made famous a kayak book by William Neely. The zombie factor is when you are so scared that you can’t spit and that is what I was thinking. I think it was important that I did it because if I didn’t I would not have gained any confidence in my ability to escape a death grip hole. One other thing that helped me was to be able to shut down my thoughts and just think about what I was doing in the moment and not what was about to happen. When you are faced with a challenge you need to go head on into it and realize that you will come out on top most of the time unless you have negative thoughts in which case you might not. I liked beatdown Thursday not only cause I got beat down but also I liked watching the other Keeners get beat down also. 

What is a c1 by Landon Miller

What is a c1 you might be asking yourself.  A lot of people who haven’t been kayaking for a while have no idea what it is, but it’s really basic . C1ing is where you are in a kayak, but your not sitting down you are in fact on your knees.  All kayaking company’s don’t make c1s because there is a really small market for them and are out fitted to your body type and the way you fit in your c1, there for you rarely see them.  Also a c1 is using a one bladed paddle instead of a two bladed paddle.  There are a lot of different  concepts on why this is but personally I have no idea.  So basically all that a c1 is that you are kneeling in a kayak using a one bladed paddle. Some of the advantages of being a c1er is that you have a lot more leverage and for some people more comfort.

Learning on the Ottawa River. By Nate O’Connor

Since the beginning of this Keener session, I have struggled to acclimate to the size of the Ottawa River.  In Nevada, I have never faced higher volume rivers.  I usually paddle the American River, where the water gets to about 3000 cfs.  This has made it fairly difficult for me to adjust my boating style to the larger rapids.  I feel that every activity that we have done at Keeners has helped me become a better kayaker and understand how to manage the enormous force of the Ottawa River.

     Flat water warm up drills really benefit me in getting ready for the day and preparing me for any physically strenuous activities.  Although they are effective for this, they also improve technique.  Learning the proper and powerful forward stroke enables you to travel through the water effectively and have the ability to move out of the way if a dangerous situation arises.  This is extremely important on the Ottawa because of its size.  Without the proper stroke it can be very difficult to navigate through this river and may even result in injury. Flat water warm ups may seem like a boring waste of time, but they are very important for every kayaker.

     Although Big Water Bacon Beat Down Thursday may seem like an excuse for coaches to punish the keeners by sending them into big holes, it is not what it seems.  Beat Down Thursday is actually created to allow keeners to be ready for big water.  Dropping into a very large hole is not only very scary and can help with desensitizing to big water.  Believe it or not, after surfing every hole in McCoy’s rapid, it’s a lot less scary to look at the rest of the Ottawa.  This is essential to learning on this river since it can be challenging to learn while fighting fear.  Big water beat down Thursday is one of the most important leaning opportunities at keeners, plus it’s super fun.

    Race day is a very beneficial activity, because it trains you to look for the fastest way down rapids.  But race day allows you to think about the safest line compared to the fastest line.  With this in mind it enables you to pick apart a rapid and find the best line through.  With this skill it makes it exponentially easier to navigate the Ottawa River.  Race day also teaches us to deal with the nervous feelings that races give.  At the beginning of a race it can be crucial to keep cool.  Allowing yourself to say, this is only a competition, nothing will happen if I can’t win, can mean the difference between winning and losing.

    The Keener program equips it’s students with skills that will help in future kayaking, along with specific skills to use on the Ottawa.  Although the methods of teaching may seem strange, these methods are the best and most fun way of learning these essential skills.

Why is keeners the best? - by Guillermo Meire

One of the best advantages of coming to keeners, is that you can go every day during the three weeks to one of the best rivers to learn how to kayak.The Ottawa River is one of the best rivers to learn how to kayak, because there is a lot of variety. For example, there is quite a flat aqua, where you practice your flat water tricks. I have learned many things in flat water, I have improved me cartwheel, I have learned to do the loop and the space godzila and I am close to the blunt to Mcnasty.For tricks in white water, there are also great waves like Garb, one of the best waves where the world cups have been celebrated three times. In this wave you can practice your wave tricks, but to practice your hole tricks you have push botton, which is a small hole, but very good to learn tricks.Apart from to improve in freestyle, in this river they teach us how to swim in white water. They show us the lines that you have to follow in each section avoiding obstacles, like rocks, holes, shallow areas or other types of things that could hurt you. They also teach us the position we have to be in order not to hurt ourselves.Another thing we learn in keeners is to do security. How not to hurt your shoulder when you are having a beat down, how to rescue someone who is swimming, how to empty a kayak full of water when you are in the middle of the river, and many more things like these are what we learn here in keeners.Apart from all this, the best thing is that you spend a great three weeks with your friends and the best teachers in the world doing what we like most, kayaking.

How to get beat down in phills

How to get beat down in phills

      First off phills is a giant beat down hole in the middle right section of mecoys rapid.  There are two parts of phills, there is left and right side.  Left side is a flushy hole but will beat you down if you hit it right.  Right side is a nasty hole that will keep you for a fun ride.   

     To be able to take your fame as the winner of beat down Thursday, you need a huge breakfast and a lot of milk.  This will help you sink your boat and hold you in the hole better.  

     Now for the biggest beat down you will ever get you will want to go into right-side a little right of center.  Hit it sideways and hold your breath, make sure you have a solid role cause the point is not to swim. 

     This event happens every Thursday, and the goal is to get a better beat down than every one els.  The prize for this a red ribbon, and the champion of the week.  

     Now that you are the champion you can share your plan with every one els.  Good luck and don’t give up. 

Istan”BROS” Skye Vivian

It seems that the Istanbul crew is always chill and wack. There’re five of us. Ray(the wackiest) Cian( the irishman) Cameron(Camera man) Logan(the kid that falls asleep at 9) and myself (Skye Vivian) the chillest. The point is, is that this cabin we bonded first day bringing our paddling and our friendships to bigger and better things.
One might ask on the Bro scale on how legit we are. Well we punched through that roof a long time ago. I owe my life to my bro Ray (the wackiest) for saving my life through brain douche (if you’re reading this Bro, thanks Bro), I was just minding my own business paddling around and BOOM! Whirlpool caught me! Bought to flip and my main bro Ray swooped in right in time. I’m about to flip over and all I can see is this shining Massachusetts hand just reach over my cockpit and save me from destruction.

Don’t throw your paddle! - Cian Butterly

Throwing your paddle is rarely a good idea, and most situations where we tend to throw our paddles are easily avoidable. Our paddle is an incredibly important tool and throwing it can have some not-so-great consequences. 

When we’re getting out of our boat in a more difficult place it’s tempting to throw our paddle away so that it doesn’t get in the way as we climb out. But what if we slip? What if we end up going downstream in our boat? A paddle is pretty useful in this situation. The best bet is to place the paddle on the shore within easy reach in case we end up going somewhere we don’t want to. 

Your paddle is your friend and if you abuse it then it won’t be there forever. The more rocks you hit with your paddle, the more times you chuck it onto shore or slam it on your boat. The more likely it is that one day, when you really need it, it will break. 

Basically look after your paddle and it will last much longer. And it will be there when you need it. 

Swift Water Rescue by Carly Koppe 

One reason why keeners is a great program is they make everyone take swift water rescue. Taking swift water rescue is not only helpful for your time at keeners but also helpful for when I go back home. I’ll am a better paddler for having these skills and I will be able to teach others. Also, having this skill will make you more appealing to others because to run harder rivers you will have to know how to save someone if something bad were to happen. 

My experience with Swift Water Rescue was fun and helpful. Before coming to keeners I think I might have only thrown a throw rope once and it was just for practice and it wasn’t at someone. Swift water rescue helped me throw the rope farther and more accurate. It was fun being able to “save” your friends on the river. Doing all the saving exercises made me feel more confident on the water because I now know if I had to I could save someone on the water. One thing that I think that I could improve on was being live bate and flipping an unconscious kayaker over. I’m not the biggest person but that shouldn’t be an excuse for why i couldn’t flip the kayak over. When I get home I will practice that skill back home to become better at it. Even though, not being able to do that is okay because if something like that were to happen on the river then I could be an anchor or another position to help. Overall Swift Water Rescue is a really important and useful skill for any kayaker.  

Freestyle Friday by Ava Christensen

Every friday at keeners is also known as funky, fresh, french toast, freestyle friday. This is where we practice rides and learn tricks all morning. After lunch we do two competition rides. After this we paddle down the rest of the river run then head back to keenerville where the keeners and coaches do video review and score our rides. Video review is good because it allows us to see what our kayaking really looks from a third person view, this allows us to critique our tricks so we can improve on them.  We also learn from watching the everyone else's rides. Lots of keeners are working on similar tricks so by slowing down a video and watching a trick in slow motion can help everyone see what makes the trick go bigger and what doesn't. This day teaches us many skills. One of them includes kayaking under pressure. Lots of people in the group don't do as well in the competition as they do in there practice rides.  The more we practice under pressure the better we do in further circumastances. This doesn't always have to relate to freestyle. For example, if you are on a creek run and see a log coming up and need to get to an eddy quickly or if a friend is in danger you have to help them as soon as possible. It would come in handy to not be affect as much by the pressure of the situation.

How to beater down each and every Ottawa main channel rapid - Olivia Summerfield

How to beater down each and every Ottawa main channel rapid 

By Olivia Summerfield 

This is my third session at keeners and over the years I’ve ran many different lines in all the rapids.  More often than now the first time I run a new line I’ll beater my way down it.  These are my favorite beater lines (all of which have been completed by me) on all the Ottawa main channel rapids.  

How to beater down each and every Ottawa main channel rapid 

By Olivia Summerfield 

This is my third session at keeners and over the years I’ve ran many different lines in all the rapids.  More often than now the sfirst time I run a new line I’ll beater my way down it.  These are my favorite beater lines (all of which have been completed by me) on all the Ottawa main channel rapids.  

-McCoys Chute 

My favorite line down this rapid is the backwards boof next to right side Phil’s.

-Lorne 

The best beater line down this rapid is the upside down pipeline.  This line is perfect because it enables you to get violently slammed against the right bank.

-Push Button 

To beater down push button is hard but can be completed but attempting to surf the top wave, failing and then taking out the person who was actually surfing push.

-Butchers Knife

This rapid holds a lot of potential for beatering but the best line is to try to plug Chopping Block fail and get violently beatdown and surfed.

-Norman’s 

Norman’s is the rapid with the infamous Kick Flip of Destiny.  To complete this beater line you must try the kick flip, fail and get beatdown against the rock wall and trashed in the boils.  

-Coliseum 

Coli has the best beater potential.  The best line is the Meltdown.  You have to get completely submerged by this but when you come up you have to be totally discombobulated and flail around and then get beatdown in the two following holes.

-Center Slot

The best beater line here is to try the scary ferry from the eddy on the right.  You must get flipped half way across though and then get trashed in the pour over below.

-Blacks

It may seem like an easy rapid but there is tons of beater potential.  The best way to do this is to try to splat the rock on the right, fail and then get beatdown in the hole.

Next time you are on the Ottawa I highly suggest running each and everyone of these beater lines.  

Why to go into right side Phil’s by: Connor Gagliano

On Thursday in the keener program we do big water beatdown Thursday. Big water day is when you can push your ability to do bigger lines than you’re accustomed to. There are many lines such as thread the needle, hero ferry or you can go into three different holes. One of the holes is the right side of Phil’s. The right side of Phil’s is a really fun hole that has a really big foam pile. It trashes you in a really fun way that is scary but not too big. When you are in the eddy above it, it is really scary because for most people it is the biggest thing they’ve ever been in, in a kayak. You peel out of the eddy when it is your turn to go and you get on line that will put you in the hole. There are many ways to go into Phil’s. You can tuck, boof or just go into the hole. You will most likely flip and get tumbled while you are in it but you have to remember not to fight it and just let it tumble you until you can roll up. If you can roll up try to get into the side surf position without window shading. You can surf out really easy or you can go back in the hole for more. If you go back for more then you try not to get tumbled again unless you want to. If you choose to get out get into the eddy where you will set safety for the next people to go. If you end up swimming you will swim into the football eddy which is the big eddy on the left before the lower half of McCoy’s chute. After your run you will most likely want to go up and do it again. And just remember, the worst that can happen is you swim.

Matteo williams 

On Thursday we do this thing called Big Water Bacon Beat Down Thursday. We woke up and made bacon. Then we got into our gear and walked up to the top of McCoy’s. The first thing I did was the hero fairy into left side Fills. Then I watched some people go down. Out of all the people I watched Rays was the best best down. Then I walked back up and sat in the eddy for 30 minuets and then I decided to drop into right side Phillis what is the bigger one out of the two sides. I peeled out of the eddy one dropped into the middle of right side Phillis. I side surfed for a wile then got widow shaded and then got mystery moved out of the hole. Then we paddled the rest of the river and went back to Kenerville. At Keenerville we watched the some of the beat downs. Rays was the best.

What is a c1? by Landon Miller

What is a c1 you might be asking yourself.  A lot of people who haven’t been kayaking for a while have no idea what it is but it’s really basic about what it is. C1ing is where u our in a kayak, but ur not sitting down you are in fact on your knees.  All kayaking company’s don’t make c1s because they are custom to your body type.  It also takes a lot of time and especially experience and patience.   Because you are kneeling instead of sitting and you only use one blade instead of two which makes everything harder overall.

How to do a spin by Wyatt Peek

How to do a spin                 By Wyatt Peek

First to do a spin you need to get a kayak and then find a wave or hole that is big enough to a spin on. Then you want to check up stream to se if there is any other rafters or kayakers. Then once you catch the wave you need to get positioned in a good place on the wave or whole for a spin. Then you want to take a back sweep stroke to put your spin in motion once your    spinning you want to keep your eyes up stream all the way from font to back then switch as look over the other shoulder then either spin back around with out a paddle stroke or take another stroke to bring your self back around. Then you have completed your spin.

Big Water Bacon Beatdown Thursday By Ray Barbera

 Bubbles, foam, lack of air. My lungs are burning, and I think should I swim. Everyone that hears these words thinks that big water beat down is just for fun and glory, while that is very true, big water beat down has other purposes. One being big water desensitization. If you have only surfed garb then garb will be the biggest and baddest wave to you. You will have trouble staying in control and throwing tricks. But if you surf something bigger like phils, garb won't seem that scary. So while everyone does big water beat down Thursday for the eternal glory of the red ribbon we all learn from it and become better boaters. But the main lesson to be learned from this monumental day is a lesson in fear. Day in and day out people let fear control their lives. They don't talk to that girl in their school. They don't try to get into that college. And they don't surf phil's. They live lives of quite desperation wanting a life of adventure waiting for their chance to come. But when it does they are to afraid to grab onto it and live the life they always wanted. Fear is but the beginning to a new great journey, one that will challenge you and beat you down. But you will always roll up or always swim and always survive. Because without fear to challenge us we are nothing. So next time you have that knot in your stomach because you want to talk to that girl in school, or try to get into that college, or try to surf phil's. Do it. The worst thing that can happen is you can swim or fail. Every time you fail you learn from it. So don't let fear stop you from succeeding and live the life you dream, of.

Keeners Race Day By Marcus Loving

Throughout the keener program we do many different activities in order to help us grow as both kayakers and people.  Different activities are assigned to different days of the week. Mondays are generally used to get everyone warmed back up and ready to kayak for the week.  Tuesdays are used improve upon general skills on the water. Wednesdays are used for racing and generally help with performing under pressure. Thursdays are used to help with comfortability under water, and being in situations that make people uncomfortable.  Fridays are used for freestyle competitions in order to help people perform under pressure and also have fun while improving their skills.

One of my personal favorite days is Wednesday.  On Wednesdays we compete in several races on the water throughout the day.  The first race that we competed in on the past Wednesday, was a time trial race through the mccoys section of the Ottawa river.  Before we began the race each competitor was given the task of scouting the section of river in order to find the fastest line through it.  After scouting out a line, the race begins. Each person starts in the top eddy of the river section and one at a time makes their way down when the coaches tell them to.  Many people take their own unique and different lines down the section of river. These different lines generally end with varying success with some being very fast and others resulting in severe slow downs.  

I took one of the more unique lines through this section of river.  This was the first time that anyone had attempted this line during a race run.  This made me very skeptical as to whether I should attempt this line. When the my time trial began I immediately paddled as hard as a I could toward the right side of the river. I did this in order to reach the checkpoint on the right bank of the river.  The issue that most people had with this line is that if you mess up, you end up in a large rapid called “Phil’s Hole” which is just beneath where I would reach the checkpoint. After getting to the checkpoint I paddled as hard as I could around the right side of “Phil’s Hole”.  After getting around the right side of “Phil’s Hole” I then sprinted for the finish line where i completed the race with a time of 53 seconds. This time won me first place in the race, and was my first win of the day.

I was the last competitor to compete in this race, and this worked to my advantage.  While I was waiting for my turn i watched all of the other competitors in order to see how there lines were and how I could improve upon my own line based off of where the others were going and how they were doing.  This allowed me to perfect my line into one that I was able to win with due to a lack of places to mess up.

After lunch the coaches put together another race course for us to compete in.  This race was a boater-cross. This means that groups of competitors will be sent down in head to head heats with the top two competitors in each group progressing on to the next round.  The first heat took place on a section of river called “Norman’s”. We started with five groups with about five competitors in each group. There are two checkpoints on each bank that the competitors need to reach before they can go to the finish line.  

At the beginning of my heat we all sprinted for the the right bank of the river where we each reached the checkpoint at varying times.  After that we all sprinted for the left bank of the river with Cameron and I out in front of the group. On the final sprint of the race I managed to pull ahead of Cameron and won my heat.  This allowed me to move on to the finals along with Cameron, and was my second win of the day.

After all of the groups had finished competing, the top two competitors in each heat had to race in a finals heat on a section of river called “Coliseum”  The finals heat consisted of about ten people, and had one checkpoint one the left bank of the river that the competitors had to reach before they went to the finish line.  

At the beginning of the race we all sprinted downstream for the checkpoint with Logan in the lead.  As we approached the checkpoint, Logan got stuck on one of the rocks. This slowed him down by a lot and allowed me to pass him.  After reaching the checkpoint I was able to hold the lead throughout the entire final sprint. I was able to take first place, making this my third win of the day.

The different races throughout the day were very enjoyable, and helped to make my skills at scouting better.  My endurance and general physical fitness was also improved through the sprinting and physical exertion portion of these races.  Along with improving my skills and providing the much needed exercise the races were very fun and created a interesting and enjoyable way to improve upon myself on and off the water.

How to take care of your brother in Canada - By Guillermo Meire

In my first year in keeners, I was the youngest. Now, two years later, I'm back, but this time with my little brother, and it's not the same.
At the airport, for example, I was the one who had to guide my brother, when it was usually someone else who guided me and explained to me what I had to do. I had to translate everything, help him, wait for him, ...
In addition to all that, my brother, Nicolas, is intolerant to gluten. That means he can not take anything that carries wheat. That makes things difficult for me, because I have to make sure that everything it takes is gluten-free, although that already does it pretty well. Luckily, in Canada gluten-free food is better than in Spain and my brother has enough for himself, but he does not know how to cook very well, so sometimes I have to cook his breakfast.
Leaving the subject of food, another thing in which I have to help Nicolas is in the river. Sometimes, when we are going to do something in the river and the teachers are explaining to us, what is to be done and how, he does not understand it and I have to expel him. Other times I have to mark the line to him or things like that.
All this is usually quite boring, but it can be quite fun, I am also very happy that my brother is with me here in Canada, because I think he is having a great time and is learning a lot, both in kayak and in English or As in anything else, I am also glad that Nicolas is here, because I have a great time with him.

Cleaning Whitehouse by Davis Sineath

Step 1: Cook a super gnarly breakfast but in the process blow up the kitchen. 

-This should entail spilt uncooked scrambled eggs, loads of scattered pancake batter, Nutella splotches, bread crumbs, and a nice side of spilled milk.

Step 2: Find a place to begin. 

-The challenge of this step stems from the time pressure mixed with the insane mess described above. 

Step 3: Begin cleaning. 

-There’s so many choices, generally it’s as easy as scrubbing some dishes, maybe the sink, sweeping, wiping the counter, the bathroom, or there’s always a unique task to be performed that is a direct result of the mess. 

Step 4: Witness the best shouting match of your life. 

-Usually at this stage in your morning someone looks at a watch and realizes there is 15 minutes until morning meeting. Consequently, everyone gets mad at people not cleaning by this point. The problem from there is some of these people have already cleaned or are off the hook for one reason or another. The shouting match that ensues is epic. It is super awesome. So many insults are thrown and the best part is no one seems fazed. Eventually tempers flare but at this point it is time to kayak. 

Step 5: Kayak!

Yay kayak! No more yelling!