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.