Week 2 Blog - Andrew

I got into kayaking not that long ago compared to some other Keeners that are in this program. My family bought a raft about eight years ago when my dad turned forty which we did day trips for a couple months and did some overnight trips but nothing major. As the years went on we did cooler and cooler trips that were bigger whitewater and more fun. Eventually me and my brother got tired of just sitting in the raft, just casual observers, and wanted to really be in control of what we hit and didn’t hit, what lines we took, and overall what happened. We asked our parents for something to do and they thought of the plan to get us two duckies also known as inflatable kayaks in 2020. These duckies were amazing I got that control that I wanted and my parents no longer had to deal with a bored me and my brother. As we continued going on trips me and my brother were simultaneously making the realization that cool people didn’t ducky they hard shell kayaked. 

This observation led my brother to start going to kayaking lessons and pool sessions while my parents thought I was too young and I sat at home jealously. My brother bought a boat and began running things while I still sat in my ducky sad that I wasn’t cool enough. The next winter my parents yielded and let me start to learn to roll in a pool although my parents still made me ducky our longer trips. I was pretty slow to take to rolling but by winter of last year I had it confidently in the flat water but in actual current I would usually swim or just miss it and need a rescue. 

I didn’t let that make me stop kayaking though and I kept going to pool sessions and to the play park and that was working to make me better at my roll and give me surfing experience.