The Mental Game - Charles Dockendorf

During keeners, one is more than certain to experience fear. From running a big rapid to being without the comforts of their home for three weeks, fear is something that is everywhere. In the keeners program, fear is what helps us get out of our comfort zones and push ourselves to become better and stronger people. Though it is crucial to developing as a person, it is not always easy to deal with.

Over the past week, I have frequently found myself scared either due to surfing mini bus at a hungry level or hitting colosseum on the main. One thing that has helped me deal with this fear is the stoke of my fellow keeners convincing me to do things as well as the reassurance of the instructors showing me that I am safe. One of my key mottos throughout this session has been “if you’re scared to do it, just do it scared”. This shows that we don’t always have to get away from our fear and we can learn that fear is an integral part is progressing to the next level and pushing yourself.

The Importance of Nutrition for Keeners - Cam Lenhart

Kayaking every day for three weeks for 6-7 hours is no normal task, and the athletes participating in Keeners are no normal people. During my stay here at the Ottawa River I have realized what it feels like to be truly physically exhausted, and how to deal with it. White House, the bunkhouse for 6 Keeners that ends up feeding 9, sees food come in through delivery and disappear immediately very frequently. The only way to keep hungry teenage boys running and performing at peak capacity is to eat more than average and supplement our bodies with calories. 

In White House, 3 eggs a morning per person is no surprise and over 20 eggs can be eaten in a day. This fuel is what allows our bodies to regenerate, our shoulders to repair their muscles and prepare for the next big day, and our minds to approach every day satisfied and ready to rock and roll. Food is power, and one's performance on the river can be solely dependent on their caloric intake and the quality of the food eaten. In order to style the river like a proper Keener, the first step is waking up to a hearty breakfast that is sure to rejuvenate and provide success on the water. 

Keener blog week one - Lyle Hering

I didn’t write my blog last night because it was speech night but I will still write about yesterday. Yesterday half of us went to the main and half of us went to the middle channel. Even though I was excited to paddle the big water like Colosseum, I went to the middle to work on my freestyle. I tried to loop all day. I got a close a couple times  but wasn’t sure I would succeed. It wasn’t till we were on our last hole of the day when I got my first loop on Warm Apple Pie. I was so exited. Now I can die a happy man. 

We had some swimmers today. One of them was David. He swam little trickle even though it’s just A class 2. Therefor, I must be a better paddler then David.