Why It Is Important To Make An Effort To Be Positive And Happy On The Water - Sophie Gilfillan

I believe that positivity on the water is vital because not only will it help you have a more fun time, but it will also show other kayakers who are new to the sport that kayaking is fun and is always a good time. When I am on the water, whether that be at a competition or just running the river with my friends, I always make an effort to smile and look happy with my rides even if they were bad or not what I wanted. This will show other kayakers two things. The first being that kayaking is fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Second, laughing at your mistakes is okay and makes learning a lot easier.

Another way that you can be positive on the water is by cheering on other people even if you don’t know them. When I am on the water and I see someone do a cool trick or get out of a sticky situation, I make sure to cheer for them because I know that if that were me in that situation I would want someone cheering me on. Finally, kayaking is a fun sport but can be easily ruined by a bad attitude or being too serious. On the river your attitude not only effects your fun but it can also heavily impact others fun or outlook on kayaking.

To summarize, try to always be the happiest most stoked version of you that you can be.

Highlight - Marshall

 My last week of keeners is starting and I’m sad to see my time as a keener coming to a close. In the last two years I have spent almost three months up here in Ottawa. But keeners always makes me want more of this beautiful river. Keeners has been the highlight of my year both times. Keeners will always be a highlight of my life as I am sure many other former and current keeners will agree. Even though I am probably not coming back as a keener next year or in the years later keeners will always be my foundation as a kayaker teaching me how to talk In front of people, how to freestyle and how to be a good person. Keeners is the best place for kayakers even if you only come once.

Learning to Have Fun Failing - Hannah West

I am a competitive person and don't like failing. In any other sport I have played it has been a team game and has been sorted into level and age but on the Ottawa River there are people of all levels all the time. This keener session I have tried to make an effort to focus on fun. For me it is easy to compare myself to other keeners or people on the river and get frustrated with my progress. I know that I have improved a lot in the two weeks but it is hard for me to see sometimes. Remembering why I kayak has helped me keep everything in perspective. If you are comparing yourself to others or frustrated because you can't achieve your goals, remembering the reason you love the sport and why you do it can be a great strategy. Even if I could never be as good as one of my peers or never achieve the freestyle trick it would not change the fact that I love kayaking, being on the river, and hanging out with good people. I also try to remind myself that me getting frustrated when something is coming hard to me is not only going to prevent me from improving but also stops me from having fun on the river. It remedies me that nothing comes from that frustration. The ability to remind myself to have fun and let loose has really helped me have all of the fun that I am having this year at keeners. 

Why you should go to keeners! Elijah

 Keeners was lots of fun this year!  I leaned a lot about kayaking like how to do a better forward stroke and cleaner tricks. I also learned how to do tricks like loops and air screws which I can’t do yet but I bet by next summer I will get.  The coaching sticks in your brain and you can accomplish a lot in the three weeks of keeners.  I will definitely want to come back next year so I can continue be guided to doing new tricks and river running skills.  The advice that the coaches will give you is not really advice but more what you should be doing to improve.  You also learn really good river safety skills like how to rescue swimmers safely and effectively.  As well as how to treat injuries on the river and in your daily lives.  I would recommend keeners to anyone with a whitewater roll and who wants to learn important life and kayaking skills

Keener Hygiene Sasha

At Keeners you are sharing a living space with your friends and it is important you take care of yourself. You are also on the river every day and you are working hard building up a sweat, so it is important to wash off all that dirty river water and all that sweat. You should shower every day at keeners because you don't want to be the smelly roommate. It is also important to brush your teeth and floss so that while you're talking with your friends your breath doesn't stink. Hygiene is not only important to keep yourself from smelling bad but it is also very important to keep yourself clean from bacteria. If you get a cut or poison ivy while you are on the river you should wash it off very thoroughly. Please keep good hygiene at keeners and shower more than 3 times a week.

The Best Day Of The Week! - Elijah

 Big Water Beat Down Thursday is the best day of the week!  Every Thursday you get to enjoy being beat down in Sattlers or Phil’s.  You don’t have to be nervous thought because almost everyone swims.  If your nervous start with left side Phil’s because all that will happen is it flips you over and surfs you upside down for a couple of seconds.  In your second week though I definitely recommend trying right side Phil’s.  When you find Narnia in right side Phil’s you will have a fun beat down but pull your skirt and it is all over.  Narnia when a while flips you repeatedly on your bow and stern.  Narnia is lots of fun so I always look forward to beat down Thursday.  

The Importance of Good Leadership Hannah West

 To be a good leader is very hard to achieve but is very important in and out of the sport of kayaking. In the sport of kayaking, some situations could be very dangerous, and having the ability to be a strong leader to help guide a group of less experienced kayakers down a rapid safely is a very important skill to have. The first key to being a good leader is good communication. This is often said but it is important to talk about especially on the river in a kayaking situation. The ability to communicate what is going on to the group and how to get to safety in an emergency is key so that everyone has a good time. Some important things for good communication especially on the river is to speak clearly and loudly without yelling because yelling can in some situations cause panic. Another thing that makes a good leader is being able to listen to your group, be approachable, and earn their respect. You want the people you paddle with to feel comfortable to approach you if they are worried about anything because if they do something they are not comfortable with, it could put them in danger. Therefore it is very important to make it clear that people should feel comfortable talking to you and that you listen to their worry and what they have to say. Another important quality of a leader is being able to make the final decision. If you know what people are capable of doing and they want to do more than what they are capable of doing you are in charge of their safety so you need to be able to make the final decision to keep them safe whether that is telling them that they must walk a rapid. However, to the contrary, you also want to push the people you paddle with to achieve their full potential. Finally, leadership has nothing to do with age. To be a good leader you need to be responsible and have the appropriate ability to keep people safe but just because you are the oldest or the most experience does not mean that you are the fittest to lead a group of people down the river. The people most fit to be leaders are the ones who can command the respect of the group and be able to help everyone keep everyone safe and help everyone achieve the best of their potential. This knowledge can help you not only develop as a kayaker but to help me help others get into the sport I love so much.

My experience with anxiety and the sport of kayaking Hannah West

This is my first time as a keener and I was nervous to come here, however, this is not out of the ordinary for me. I am a person who suffers from anxiety. Sometimes I wonder what drew me to the sport that makes me so nervous every time I go out. Maybe I like it for the feeling of completing something you were intimidated to do or exposure therapy but, my anxiety has still stopped me from doing a lot of things in my life and within the sport of kayaking. One of my biggest goals these three weeks is to push myself to overcome my anxiety on and off the river but I  did not expect to learn so much in the first couple of days. One thing I am doing every day to help achieve these goals is to try to do things that scare me and that put me in uncomfortable situations. For example, trying new lines at McCoy's or new rapids like Iron Ring. I have tried more new things that scare me this week than I have in a long time. Another way my anxiety holds me back is that it makes me less confident in myself. Confidence in yourself is vital when kayaking because if you are not confident and aggressive with your paddle strokes before and in a rapid you will be unable to make your desired line. I have always struggled with being aggressive because I often don't have confidence that I can crush the line even when I have all of the skills and abilities needed. Forcing myself even when I am nervous to paddle aggressively and take the rapid head-on has helped me a lot with my kayaking but has also taught me a lot about how to deal with my anxiety. It has taught me that if you face it head-on, do your best, and are confident you are more likely to succeed. I came here to learn about kayaking but I did not expect to learn so much about myself in the first week. This just makes me so excited for what's to come.

Sasha's First Blog

I joined Keeners this session because my sister used to do it so I  thought I would try it out. On Monday we swam McCoys and then ran the river. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we also ran the middle. On Wednesday we went down Little Trickle and Angel's Kiss instead of Iron Ring, S Bend, and Butterfly. On Wednesday we surfed a lot at Angel's Kiss, it was a really nice wave to surf on, by far my favorite one this week. I’m currently working on my double pump and back deck roll. I can't figure out the ending of a back deck roll and I always end up rolling up as if I was doing my regular roll. For my double pump, I just don't have enough strength to kick my feet under me. It’s hard to find your balance so I end up flipping over a lot. I’m determined to try to get it before the session ends. Overall, I’m having a really nice time here and I’m excited for the next two weeks.

Everyone needs to go to keeners! - Elijah

Keeners is the best place to improve your whitewater kayaking!  With the pandemic we had Kalob as our coach on the river and he is awesome!  He has us all offside rolling and hand rolling on the first day.  We all learned how to flat spin on angels kiss the third day.  When Kalob mentions something to improve on he actually means for you to do it.  When you are on the river with Kalob you are safe and should totally try everything he suggests. Kalob is also super cool with wet exiting because he says “when you swim you were trying something new and that is good.”You are also in good hands off the river with the best keener mom ever who is lots of fun!  Another fun keener activity is Knots for Gnar with Greg!  He teaches different knots and rules for repelling, swift water rescue and different ways to stay safe on the river with your ropes.  Between Kalob, Sydney, Greg, and all the other coaches, Keeners is the best place to improve your whitewater kayaking.  

Being a new versus returning keener - Marshall

Keeners is an amazing experience in 2019 I did my first session, it was extremely low water which led to garburator and pushbutton. But this year something else happened I became a returning keener. It is a completely different dynamic with the other keeners. The new keeners often ask questions about race days or big water bacon beat down Thursday. The keeners look to you as a source of wisdom about things they are worried about. Another new thing is revisiting all the things you used to enjoy like making breakfast in White House or the entire Ottawa river. Being a new keener brings challenges of the mind, being a returning keener is a strange feeling especially when compared to a first time keener. I’m not sure which is more fun or beneficial for kayaking but, I am excited to find out.