What the River Taught Me this Week by Jack Flemming

This week has been one of the most educational experiences of my life. The coaches here at Keeners are some of the best paddlers I have met, and overall, amazing people. While they have been able to teach me new tricks and improve my skills, only the river has been able to teach me some key lessons. Here is one of them: Water is stronger than you. When we were cliff jumping and swimming at Norm’s (AKA the Kickflip of Destiny), Tyce and I were trying to see how far underwater we could go by jumping on seams created by the rapid. On one particular attempt, I made my jump in a mediocre place. I swam back to the surface, and just as I was able to breathe in some air, I was sucked back down by a much larger whirlpool. At this point, I am borderline panicking. I did not get a good breath of air, and when I open my eyes, there is no light. As I try to swim to the surface, I make no progress and only go deeper. In the past, when I have swam in whirlpools, I have been able to swim to the surface against the force of the current. Not this time. I finally succumbed to the force of the river and let it decide when to let me return to the air. I finally arrived at the surface, where I took a huge breath of air and cheered with Tyce. I can not wait to see what amazing experiences I have next week!