Stephen's Magical Adventure by Holden Harrell

It was Tuesday afternoon, and Stephen decided that he should get a group together and hike instead of paddling to the big surf wave, Garborator. Looking at satellite images, it seemed much faster and more efficient to just walk compared to the almost one-mile paddle. So, with some other friends from Keeners, I decided to tag along for what seemed like a fun adventure. We started with about five of us and walked down the gravel road by White House and into the woods. The second I stepped off the gravel road, I knew this was going to be a long, hard walk. The forest was thick. We were hiking over fallen trees, around huge boulders, and through things that you definitely wouldn’t want to hike through. We finally reached an opening with water. Everyone was super excited and happy to be out there, and we all realized that we were actually having fun. Type 2 fun, as they say. We then all got into the water and paddled over to Garborator.

A Day for Improvement by John Wagner

I despise Mondays more than any other day, it’s the day where you have to get up in the morning. Even if that activity is kayaking that’s not a pleasant experience at all, but this Monday just felt different. I got up feeling good in a way I can’t describe, rested but not drowsy, like I had woken up before and was just waiting to get up, to get on the water. As soon as I did the improvements started coming. First I started bow stalling much longer than I had before and much more balanced. Which may have gotten in the way of more important skills but it felt good. Unfortunately trying to learn to loop in flat water didn’t work out so great, I just fell on my face a lot, but I did get much much closer to getting it on baby face later in the day. I just have to work on my loop stroke and I’ll have it. It would be too much to get it all in one day, but I’m going to keep working on it for the rest of the week and then if I still can’t. The rest of the session.

Stephen's Magical Adventure (Bushwhack) Through the Woods by Jackson Lilly

This Monday, after having lunch at Keenerville Stephen proposed the option to go with him and David on an adventure into the woods to find a shortcut getting to the Lorne. This shortcut would include cutting through a larger sort of peninsula of forest to get to the other side, where it would be a more straight shot to the lorn. Seven of us decided to go on the hike with Stephen and David and as soon as it started we knew we'd be in for something very fun or pretty terrible. The first part of the hike included lots of poison ivy, one thorn bush, and a couple downed trees from a tornado that we had to climb over. We would then continue en route until we ran into a wall of bushes or trees. We had to turn back slightly and find another route. We would then go by a tree and by a stump where, unbeknownst to me, there was a hole but it was covered up by leaves and debris and stuff, which I fell into, which was not pleasant. Then after going through a swamp and more poison ivy and more down logs, we would make it out the other side into a bog, where we were able to paddle out and reconnect with the rest of the group. Overall it was a lot of type two fun. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I suppose Stephen will do it again in five years with the next Keeners.

The New Ted Lasso Season by Jack Flemming

The new Ted Lasso Season came out this week while I am at Keeners. Even worse, Rowan and some other people started watching it on his relative’s Apple TV account. I really wanted to watch it, but I didn’t. This was because I had watched all of the other episodes with my family two years ago when the first three seasons came out. When I thought back to the many hours we had dedicated to watching all three seasons of the show, I couldn’t bring myself to continue on without them. Later that night, when I called my parents, we chatted about our mutual desire to finish the show, prompting us to agree to wait until we were back together to do so. Now, as I finish my last half of Keeners, it is my mission, as Stephen would say, to uphold our agreement so that I can enjoy the satisfaction of watching it at home.

Pro Tip - Always Check your Gear Before Surfing Garb by Saul Glick

Usually at Keeners, your first few days are full of settling in, getting to know people, and getting gear ready for the weeks ahead. However, I missed most of my first week, meaning that my first day would be, “Funky Fresh Freestyle Friday!!” in Stephen’s words. In other words, I was jumping right into a lot of paddling on my very first day. My day started very well, I landed some roundhouses and a blunt! But, I had made one fatal flaw that would cost me a lot of swimming that afternoon; not checking my gear with the coaches that morning. My skirt ended up imploding twice in a row, causing my entire group to spend their afternoon chasing me, my gear, and my boat around the Lorne. And wow did I swim a lot that afternoon. In the end, I did my two runs on push button and definitely snit a bit out of disappointment that I couldn’t surf garb.

Beatdown Thursday by Will Schwarzschild

Beat down Thursday is a very special day for all keeners. Beat down Thursday is where everyone goes into big holes and try’s to surf them. It’s really fun because it’s a great bonding experience for all of the keeners. Most surfs are recorded and we watch them later. The video are really fun to watch and everyone enjoys these videos watching moments. Some times peoples skirts implode and they swim. When people swim we have to save them and their gear such as boats and paddles.

Keener Scrolling Addiction by Kam Weiss

Even though I have only been attending keeners for less than a week, it has already been made clear to me that there is a major epidemic in a popular modern teenage pastime - “scrolling.” Even though it seems to be a harmless activity, similar to the effects of watching TV, scrolling’s short-form based content has insidious consequences effects, especially in the realm of chores around the cabin. The hypnotic allure of scrolling makes keeners walk from their dish-washing duties to the comfortable leather couch, leaving other cabin mates to assume their abandoned responsibilities. Now that we understand the adverse effects of the epidemic, it is important (as scientists) to look into how scrolling happens: via tiktok and instagram. Users mainly use their thumbs in a down swiping motion in order to skip past a video that is undesirable or uninteresting. Normally, each video ranges from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, however, in my studies, i have seen videos that are less than 5 seconds. Another interesting difference in scrolling compared to watching normal television is its vertical format. Instead of a more default landscape type view, scrolling uses a vertical format so users are able to ergonomically hold their phone and still be able to consume entertainment. But what makes scrolling different from normal television? It’s ergonomic viewing style? Its ability to skip past undesirable content? It’s short form nature? As an esteemed researcher like myself, it is necessary to realize that all factors play apart in this epidemic, and even after this immense research, I still have not come to an appropriate conclusion on how to remove scrolling and make keeners do chores, I may be able to continue on this topic in a further article. I also wrote this article in half an hour and Will scrolled the entire time right next to me on full volume which was pretty ironic.

Raceday by Max Goldberg

We started off by doing a fun relay race the McCoys, we ran the whole rapid in sections with fun challenges along the way. Our second race was a time trial at Garb, we had to get into the main eddy from the top of the rapid and only a couple people ended up making it. After you had to touch a throw rope on the rock, then high five Stephen. Our second to last race was a rescue race where we split up into teams and one person swims while the two others rescue the paddle and the boat. My team ended up winning that one. Our final race was through one of the last rapid where we all had to have our legs out of the boat and first one at the end wins. I started out in front but as my boat started filling with water I quickly lost my position in the front and ended up flipping a few seconds later. Overall Race Day was a lot of fun and am looking forward to next weeks.

Why Popcorn is the Best Keener Snack by Jack Flemming

I am slightly biased toward popcorn. I think it is a legendary snack for many different reasons, which I will cover later, but I also think it is particularly legendary at Keeners. Before I tell you why, I think it is worth noting that my love of popcorn is hereditary. My dad is a notorious popcorn eater, as well as my older brother, who actually has a plate in the thunderdome that gives him the glorious title of “Mr. Popcorn.” So you ask, why is it so good? It seems so basic. How could a literal vegetable be a good snack? My answer: because it is like nothing else. Go ahead and try to think of a snack that shares the unique qualities of popcorn. It is hard, and if you can think of one, I would love to hear it. There is something immensely satisfying about the uniqueness of popcorn, especially when paired with the rest of its amazing elements. What does this have to do with Keeners, though? At Keeners, and more specifically in Robertson’s, we arrived and found an entire box of microwave popcorn that the last two sessions had left behind. This meant that we had been eating an ungodly amount of it for the past week. We eat it when we get off the water, with the movies we watch, and just for fun. The reason it is the best Keener's snack is how it is already amazing like I described above, but abundantly available and exceptional considering the schedule and life at Keenerville.

This Thursday by John Wagner

It was Thursday. I had predecided that my plan was to drop into left side Phil’s and that was it. I said that I might go into right side but I never actually thought I was going to, at least until I got flushed so fast even I couldn’t consider it a beatdown. So I tried again and flushed almost as fast, at that point it no longer held any thrill and so there was no point, I was going to just run thread the needle but Becca somehow convinced me to run right side. I have never in my life been as scared as I was then, in a seemingly shrinking eddy. I decided to get it over with, with a lot of encouragement from Becca and paddled out. As I went through the waves above with my heart pounding I almost chickened and ran the tongue, but after a mental debate ran into the side. I felt the boat flip over me and popped out the other side of the hole, Phil’s cheated me out of a good beatdown three times. In the eddy below I was quite disappointed and frustrated that I had wasted my runs flushing, then David asked me if I wanted another go, I had to resist the urge to jump out of my kayak as I scrambled up the shore for a real beatdown, or at least a more satisfying one.

Dude Food Deodorant by Tucker Troutman

When kayaking, especially in flat water, nothing is more convenient than a deodorant bar that tastes and smells like your favorite foods. I thought of this as a major solution to a big problem: being unable to smell like your favorite foods, which ultimately leads to underperforming while kayaking. My deodorant will double your athletic capabilities by being completely edible, packed with vitamins and protein, while the scent provides the same focus-boosting effects as spearmint gum. The deodorant will be delicious and taste exactly like real food because it actually contains the ingredients it is flavored after. My technique for making this involves creating an edible, tasty base bar, blending the specific food flavor, and mixing it right into the bar. The deodorant bar will be the size of a regular deodorant bar, spanning from your wrist to the beginning of your fingers, which is approximately 4 inches, This size provides plenty of deodorant to eat and smell both on and off the river. If I could choose a custom flavor for my edible deodorant bar, it would be ramen noodles. I would love to eat ramen noodles whenever I want while kayaking, and being able to smell like them would be a massive bonus. You cannot change my mind—this is the best idea of the millennium and it will be the next massive company.

The People's River by Jackson Lilly

Today while kayaking David and I were having a conversation about Pushbutton, which he had called the people's wave, which then introduced the topic of how one would turn the Ottawa River or the section with all the fun rapids into a communist society. Step one: decide who the proletariat and the bourgeoisie are. We decided that the bourgeoisie, being the upper class and the wealthy, would be the rafts because they are always cutting lines for garb and push-button and baby face. Then it was decided that the proletariat would be the surfers. Step two. The proletariat will then seize the means of production from the bourgeoisie. We decided this would be done by disallowing the rafts to go into the surf waves and make them wait their turn like all others creating equality among river users. Step 3: Overthrow the bourgeoisie in a revolution. This can be done through: 1. A. Possibly destroying the rafts. 2. B. Boycotting the rafts and creating a new rafting system that is run by people who know how to enforce equality. In conclusion you now have a river for the people and run by the people. Everyone waits for their surf and now gets a surf by waiting in line.

Every Person is Unique by Connor Cole

Throughout these last 3 weeks I’ve gotten to know a little bit about each of my fellow keeners and leaders. Every one of them has some unique qualities and interests that they’re passionate about. To name a few, Becca enjoys crocheting and embroidery floss, which I’ve started trying. Aaron used to be in a UK band where he played bass before the 2020 pandemic shut them down, and also is in a dual kayaking YouTube channel called “Chasing The Flow”. David helped a lot in the designing process of the Jackson. Steven showed us the ins and outs of designing a carbon boat, which I found very interesting. Tyler, a barista, and skateboards. Jasper, going to a hockey school. Jackson, a wrestler. Cole, is training to be a nurse. Cooper, used to play a lot of guitar. All that to say it was so fun getting to know this group of people from around America,(and a little of Europe, don’t worry I didn’t forget Aaron and Wolfy innit) over these last 3 weeks. I am SURE I forgot many other things about yall as i kind of feel on the spot just doing one blog post. All that said all of yall are cool, and It was nice just getting to talk a little about your experiences and what yall enjoy doing with your free time. Thanks to all of Keeners session 2, love yall.

Last Day by Jasper Vollmerhaus

Approaching the last day on the water all as a group I am both excited and extremely sad that it is almost over. I had so many different days, sometimes the most fun day ever with very little struggle, and other days you’ll be so exhausted and tired that you cannot even roll properly. Every day was also different even though many had the same theme, everyday had its own set of events whether they are good or bad. The one thing you can always count on is your cabin mates to make you laugh. If you are exhausted and just want to go to bed after a shower, you can expect to see your boys wrestling on the floor with the furniture moved out of the way. Or the constant teasing about something you said, did, thought about saying, or thought about doing that seemed annoying in the moment, but looking back is just really funny. The truth I learned after Keeners is while I won’t remember every moment at keener, everything that happened, I will always remember how happy my cabin mates made me feel.

Milk by Tyler Jams

It is the last day of keeners and the Robertsons have way too much food. In particular, like the title suggests we have way too much milk. Today we have 8 litres of milk left and we could give that to the next keeners but they didn’t grind for that milk so I am gonna drink it all. I’ve finished 2 litres this morning and we are going to go out soon ,therefore this afternoon is gonna be rough but the grind doesn’t stop until either I: A. Finish the milk B. Throw up all the milk C. Become allergic to milk D . Gag at the sight of milk One of these things must have to happen before I quit drinking all the milk. (Access to said milk was removed before any of these things could happen)

Inflatables by Cole Kissner

Did you ever think about doing a gainer off of the inflatables? I also thought that too. Today I’ll be taking you step through step on how to under rotate your gainer and land on your face. First you get a good running start on the inflatable. Second run straight towards the edge and jump. Make sure to throw all of your weight backwards and keep looking back. The inflatable is not tall enough so you should expect to take the brute force of the water straight to the dome. Now you know how to botch a gainer on the inflatables.

Swiftwater Rescue Training by Wolfbert Everett

During swift water rescue training we learned proper throw line usage, and how to make a second throw after we fail a first. Also learned how to swim and kayak under and over logs in the safest possible way. But the highlight of SRT was live bait training and swimming in the poorover. This is applicable in normal rivers when rescuing paddlers.

Master the Roll: An 8-Step Guide to the White Water Kayak roll by Rowan Gartner

Step 1: The Setup The Tuck The moment you flip, stay calm. Lean forward and tuck your chest toward your front deck. This protects your face from rocks and centers your weight. Position your paddle parallel to the side of the kayak, with your dominant side blade near the surface of the water. Step 2: The Reach and Orientation With your body tucked, reach your arms and the paddle out to the side, perpendicular to the boat. Ensure your power face is facing the sky. Your blade should be resting just under the water's surface before you begin. Step 3: Set the Climbing AngleRotate your wrists slightly so the leading edge of the paddle blade is tilted upward. This creates a climbing angle. When you begin your sweep, this angle allows the blade to climb to the surface of the water, providing the lift necessary to pull the boat upright rather than diving deep. Step 4: hip snap, snap your hip so the boat not you but the boat is as upright as possible. Step 5: push on your blade thats in the water hard climb your way back then pull on your knees than you will be fully upright. Sweet you have done your first roll now go out and roll in moving and swirly water to challenge and grow your skills.

My Goals as a Kayaker by Zade Hatton

Kayaking has always seemed awesome. My whole life I have watched my family and friends kayak. There was a race on my local river called the Nordhighmer race. My dad would always participate while my mom would take me and my sister to watch from pullouts high above the rapids and it seemed like an impossible feat for me to one day run the same rapids. Both of my parents have always been very nervous to get me into kayaking. They had heard many stories of people passing away from the sport. One of their worst fears is me becoming an extreme kayaker. On the other hand we have always lived by the river and I always wanted to kayak. Finally last year I went to another camp and got my roll. Since then I haven’t done much but go to school and spend time on the river. My dream is to one day be able to run all of the bigger runs around my home alongside my dad.

Learning at Keeners by Sam Lazzaroni

My favorite thing about Keeners is that we get to learn important safety skills that will keep us safe while paddling outside of Keeners. Nowhere else can you practice going over or under logs in fast-moving water. I have gotten more confident in my throw bag accuracy and overall ability to assess the situation and know what I can safely do to help the person. Keeners is a really good camp to learn to kayak better, but I believe that the most important part are the safety skills such as throw rope, live bait, and swimming skills.

Last Week at Keeners by Dennis Coughlin

This is the last week at Keener‘s and there’s so much I wanna do I want to be able to get my consistent kick flip. I want to get my head above water back.deck I wanna get my loop and I wanna get my air screw. in order to accomplish all of these. Effort to talk And learn the best way to accomplish goals off the water from goals I have are to Engage more conversations. and learn more about each person.

How to Get Beatdown in Black's without a Paddle by Dennis Coughlin

step one be a small light person like Dennis in a rockstar extra small this way, the wave will catch you more easily step two hand paddle into the hole get into the biggest phone pile that way you will be able to stick in it for a longer period of time step three don’t give up if it flips you don’t try to handle just stick your hand out until you feel the current. It will roll you straight back up step four don’t be afraid to have it flip you multiple times do your best not to pull that way, you could be in it longer step five once you are getting tired and feel the need to get out of the hole start paddling towards the tongue this way else spit you out step six once catch an edge and have the wave spit you right out step seven make sure somebody got the video

First Week by Dennis Coughlin

This is my first week atkeaners early in the week we paddled the middle section to get familiar with the river and to get familiar with everyone around us. The following few days prior to Thursday we paddled the main section instead of the middle. It was fun. We learned many of the rapids. We’ve learned the ways to scout them in the ways to navigate them so we’re able to do them repeatedly on our own. On Thursday, we had a special day beat down Thursday where we went up to Phil’s hole swam it to get comfortable with it and then paddle it within an attempt to get beat down. I was looking forward to this day all week because I’ve heard about how fun it can be, but unfortunately that day I was sick so after the beat down which I forced myself to get through I sat out the rest of the day because I was feeling nauseous and finally today, Friday, July 17 we have the main one more time for freestyle Friday. I got a total of around 28 points for my freestyle competition and learned many new tricks

Baby Face by Will Burges

Babyface is one of the most wonderful features on the Ottawa river. Coming in during mid to late summer it appears when the river is at 2 to -2 feet. It sits at 5 feet tall and 15 feet long making up the entirety of the lower end of Mcoys. It is a beautifully forgiving wave with a large friendly foam pile while also having the speed of a larger feature like garb. For me as a keener it has been the perfect place to improve my surfing ability. It’s where I learned my flat spin and other tricks. For many others it’s been the site of progress aswell as many others have gotten tricks like blunts and roundhouses on it. All and all Babyface is in my opinion the best wave on the Ottawa river.

This Week (2) by Anna Monson

I had a lot of fun dropping into Phil’s last week. This week we did a fun thing. We ran Mcoys rapid backwards. Many people ended up going into Phil’s. This was however super fun and a good learning experience. This weekend I also had a lot of fun both on and off the water. Aaron and I played a ton of speed while I also got to do a lap with some friends.

This Week at Keeners by Anna Monson

I did a lot of super fun stuff this week some of it I had never done before. For example dropping into Phil’s. We also got to swim in the poor over at the Lorne. This was super fun especially because it has been a while since I have done this. I also really enjoyed the time we spent at Blacks. I got beat down in the boils and whirlpools and almost swam. The funniest part is I carped like 4 rolls before I came up. I realized later that I could have really freaked Aaron out and pretend to have swam. I wish I had done this.

Beatdown Thursday by Lexi Reeder

Beatdown Thursday is one of the most iconic days of the week at Keener‘s. Everyone is trying to intentionally get the worst surf in the biggest holes on the river. However, last Thursday I was not having a very good beat down Thursday. On my first run I had to skip my beat down in Phils to go down and run safety, but I messed up the safety and went straight into horseshoe. I wasn’t paying attention and got worked and my worst beat down ever. After that, the rest of the day was one of my worst days at Keeners yet. The rest of the day I was missing my lines and my surfs but someone told me that if you don’t have bad days, how will you ever have good days? I learned from that that even though you’re having a bad day, you should still cherish and appreciate your time at Keener’s.

Thursday, a Day Early by Wolfbert Everett

I eddyed out below the hole blacks, specifically "evil Blacks". It is a retentive and trashy hole. I cast my paddle to someone else and hand paddled into the hole. inside the hole, I was tumbled by the green face and kept in by the foam pile. Hand paddling is relaxing in a way, instead of spending your energy going around the hole, you accept that the whole is more powerful than you and let yourself be thrown around more by the water. Hand rolling inside a hole is easy because you can combat roll with the green face. However, if you are on top of the foam pile, it can become more difficult. I was nearly out of the foam pile, but I could not roll up. I made a few roll attempts but I ended up swimming. My favourite day (big water beat down Thursday.) started a day early.

Cabin Responsibilities by Will Burges

Cabin responsibilities are hard some people don’t do their share and others have to compensate. There are many solutions such as only doing your share or creating a chore chart. For my cabin neither of those concepts worked so I had to implement something drastic. My solution to our cabins lack of organization was bribery. Every time someone did something good for the cabin they would get a can of pop. This system has proven to be affective creating an incentive for people to clean. So the real takeaway from this is if your cabin is to lazy to clean just bribe them so they do it.

Kayaking the Ottawa by Rowan Gartner

Kayaking at Keeners on the Ottawa River is truly an insane experience for any whitewater enthusiast. The world-class waves provide the perfect playground for honing freestyle skills and pushing what you can do. Every day on the water offers a new opportunity to learn from the legendary instructors David Silk and Stephen Wright who call this river home during the summer. The community atmosphere at Keeners makes every session feel like a shared adventure with lifelong friends sometimes. There is nothing quite like the rush of dropping into a massive feature while the sun sets over the rugged shoreline. Between the technical rapids and the flatwater drills, the variety of the Ottawa River keeps every kayaker happy and conten. Returning to camp after a long day on the water brings a sense of accomplishment that is hard to find anywhere else becauseyou know you got better and learnt more. It is a transformative journey that captures the true spirit of the kayaking lifestyle.

The Perfect Magical Wave by Sam Lazzaroni

Garb is a perfect magical wave. The first week it was in prime condition, but this second week it has not been as good because it is harder to catch. Garb is perfect for any tricks. Spins smooth and fast, and I learned to do an aircrew, which is made possible because of how big the bounces are. Seeing videos on garb online, I thought that it would be too difficult for me to do cool things on. I was wrong. The first time I surfed Garb, I flipped, but after probably around 10 tries, I figured out the best way to catch it and maintain control on such a powerful wave. If you see something and write it off or think you can’t do it, you will never get to experience something cool. And even if you fail lots of times before you can do it. It’s worth it because it’s a chance to learn that in life something may look like you can’t do it, but push past failure, and it will come, and you will have fun.

I Hate Planes by Zade Hatton

I don’t dislike that many things. The main ones are mushrooms,arugula, and airplanes. Just the thought of being in a metal tube that high in the air doesn’t sit right with me. This becomes a problem when I need to get to far away places. One of these places was Keeners. As I sit down in my seat for the flight I am always thinking this isn’t that bad. When takeoff comes around is when I start to regret my decision to fly. At the end of the flight I always think it was worth it but the next time I get on a plane I know I won’t like it.

Wild Wacky Wave Wednesday by Connor Cole

During our makeshift Wild Wacky Wave Wednesday in substitute for Freestyle Friday, Wolfy decided to start beatdown Thursday a little early. The last rapid of the section,”Black’s” has a very sticky hole on the river right side. I eddied out on river right as I wanted to surf it, so did one of my fellow keeners, Wolfy. I let him surf it first and he said,”Take my Paddle” and then he proceeded to approach the hole. Once he got in the surf he was stable for a while until, he got window shaded. Some would’ve thought this is the end but, Wolfy being Wolfy, he hand rolled back up and continued to be surfed by the hole. He continued being chundered, windowshaded, flipping end over end, and also continued hand rolling back up, It was EPIC. Eventually the hole got the best of him and he spilled out, rescued his boat with the help of Jackson and while Wolfy was floating down he screamed,”THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN MISSING WITH ENGLISH WHITEWATER”, Truly Epic.

The Art of Learning How to Kayak at Keeners by Jasper Vollmerhaus

At Keeners coaches and people often promote failure, because it is a key to success. And this is awesome! This means no matter what happens a day on the water you had a successful day. You go into garb upside down and swim? Great! you learned how to not catch Garb. You tried to go through pipeline on the Lorne and you immediately get rejected, and thrown into the rocks? Great! You learned to lift your right knee more. This makes everyday fun because if you swim, mess up a line, a trick you figure out exactly what to do next time. So often when I am paddling to the take out at wilderness tours and I feel I could’ve done better, I think about what all the coaches say about failure, and when I look back on the day, I realize I actually had a lot of fun, and took many integral steps.

Following Someone by Cole Kissner

Today, my blog shall be about following somebody into the most optimal line in the world on the Ottawa river. Firstly, you should completely not trust the person you are following. Now you should follow them into the biggest hole on the rapid. This is known as butcher’s knife. You will see your leader get completely obliterated by the hole and then disappear through the waves. Now it is your turn to get obliterated by the massive hole. Paddle straight into it and put your hand in the air. That is how you successfully follow someone into the most optimal line on the river.

How to Have Fun and Learn on Beatdown Day by Jasper Vollmerhaus

Step 1. Realize that you will not drown. Step 2. Realize you will not die. Step 3. spend an hour to an hour and a half talking your self up to surfing left Phil’s. Step 4. Decide to run thread the needle. Step 5. Try to run thread the needle and ending up surfing left Phil’s anyway. Step 6. Realize you did not drown or die. Step 7. Celebrate with Aaron. Step 8. Realize you’re still scared. Step 9. Go to The Lorne and talk yourself up to surfing Garburator. Step 10. Realize you don’t want to surf Garburator. Step 11. Tell David you don’t think you can surf garburator, to which he responds “its beat down day, you have to” followed by laughter. Step 12. Attempt to surf garburator and be shocked when you actually catch the wave. Step 13. Everyone supports you and says you did great. Step 14. Look back on the day as you paddle to the take out and realize that you have been having type two fun all day and you know how to surf garburator and left side Phil’s. Step 15. Put your gear on the trailer, sit on the bus, and be proud that you stepped out of your comfort zone, not anyone else’s comfort zone, yours.

BEATDOWN Thursday by Rowan Gartner

Beatdown Thursday is essentially where you go through features on the river that put you out of your comfort zone. For most people that entails sending right side left side Phil's or even for the more daring people's Satlers. Specifically our first Thursday we swam a rapid called McCoys on the Ottawa River border between Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Beat-down Thursdays are a part or day in the 3-week-long keneers kids program. I encourage many kids to learn and to push your comfort zone. Come to keeners have a great time. This was a promotional blog by Rowan Gartner of the keeners oks program presented by Wilderness tours.

Beatdown Thursday by Zade Hatton

The only thing that I knew about keeners when I came was you went kayaking and you got beat down on Thursdays. I had watched the videos and was very nervous. When Thursday finally came around I was not any less nervous. When I saw Phils for the first time in person, I thought there was no way I was surfing it. Then I swam it. That made me consider it. When I saw the first person drop in I decided to do it. It was no where near what I expected. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done.

Swimming by Lexi Reeder

Keeners was nervracing coming into knowing I was going to be one of the only girls and less experienced paddlers. Yet I made friends. Everyone is super fun to hang out with on the water and off especially from coliseum to wilderness tours when everyone is trying to flip each other and swim. On the second day I got flipped by Copper and Tyler because apparently I lost their trust at some point during the day. Everyday everyone targets different people to flip and make swim in a fun fashion. In short keeners has already been a great time and I had nothing to worry about!

Why No Coffee by Tyler Jams

Keeners is great, the coaches give good instruction, the river is amazing, and the cabins are… okay. It’s a nice place besides and sure there are some annoying rules but the bros and I can work with that. But we can’t work with the no caffeine rule. I can safely say that we are dying over here, not literally but we definitely feel the itch. For example when we were learning knots with Greg he was enjoying an iced coffee and my mouth started to water, I felt as though I was a prisoner behind bars looking out of a window into freedom. I’m praying that we get coffee soon, not cuz im addicted or anything tho… I js need it. But not cuz im addicted.

My First Week of Keeners by Cole Kissner

My first ever week at keeners was nothing short of awesome. I got to meet so many great paddlers as well as people who have been introduced into the sport very recently. I enjoy getting to hangout with all my bunkmates on and off the water. I was already able to progress in the first week like dialing in my right side blunt and stern squirts. All of the coaches are also very friendly and don’t rush progression. I can already see that the next two weeks are going to be amazingly awesome. This is my blog for the first of three amazing weeks.

Surfing Waves by Connor Cole

If you go to Keeners camp there’s a 100% chance you will encounter waves to surf. A good portion of the time these waves are pretty big and can be quite scary at first. Though if there’s a place to go outside your comfort zone it’s Keeners as you’re surrounded with many great kayakers that are there to support and uplift you. Also that wave that you’re scared of will most likely not be there all the time as the Ottowa Rivers level changes unpredictably. So go surf that wave, there’s almost no consequence and you’ll also leave no chance of regretting it later. What I will say is you’d rather leave Keenars thinking of all the things you failed at than regretting not even having tried. Also Puppy is your best friend love her up, she’s THE river dog cow.

Punishment by Cooper Hall

So this all started when a wonder called Tyler/ “50/50” decided to sneak out of his room after curfew. For all the places he went, he chose to go to mine and Cole’s room at 11:30. As he walked in Cole’s on the floor trying to hide from the heat and I’m on the bottom bunk trying to sleep. He walks in and to keep things short we mess around and talk. Once he was done he gets caught by the camp mom and goes back to bed. The next morning we get told we’re off the water but it’s Thursday and it’s beat down so we’re off Friday. Anyway Friday rolls around and we leave and get to WT and get told we gotta power wash and just help out and around which wasn’t bad besides the five hours of pressure washing. But all in all punishments off the water arn’t horrible and nowhere near sitting in a classroom but still, they are punishments.

Fear VS Fun by Jackson Masters

Whitewater can be terrifying. We all know that. But we also know it can be some of the most exhilarating fun out there — and the only way to find that out is by giving it a try. I can’t count how many times I’ve sat in the van afterward, replaying the moment in my head: the wave I chickened out of surfing, the eddy line I talked myself out of catching. Every one of those hesitations left a small, nagging what-if that stuck with me longer than any bruise or swim ever did. The truth is, the fear rarely goes away completely — you just learn to move through it instead of letting it make your decisions for you. So next time you’re staring down a move or a surf wave that has your stomach in knots, take a breath and go for it. Whatever happens, you’ll walk away with a story instead of a regret, and more often than not, you’ll be glad you did.

Committing to Surfing Minibus by Kai Stowers

Committing to surfing a mini bus wave in a whitewater kayak requires confidence, timing, and trust in yourself enough to paddle into that massive thing. As you approach the feature, hesitation can mean missing the wave or getting flushed right away. Instead, you must paddle decisively, keeping your eyes focused on the sweet spot where the water is smoothest and most powerful, and go farther into the middle then you think. Once you get on the wave, lean back a little to keep a stable front surf and making subtle paddle adjustments helps keep the kayak locked into the surf. any movement or trick could kick you off balance, even though the wave is huge, its hard to stay in because its shaped like an arrow and you have to surf the tip of it if yoh want to stay on. this wave is the perfect feature to try new tricks on because it wont hold you for very long if you get beat down. Fully committing to the tip of the wave allows you to experience the thrill of getting sucked into something huge and trying new things because it doesn’t matter if you flip. kayakers get better by learning from there mistakes. the reward of coming out of one of those huge waves with an epic surf to remember might be one of the best feelings you can have.

Fireflies at Keeners by Kai Stowers

This week on the Ottawa River has felt like summer at its best. We spent Thursday and Friday chasing waves, either getting destroyed in right side phil’s, or trying to stay on Corner Wave, working to land that last trick, cheering every ride, and laughing after every wipeout. Every session made us a little better and gave us another story to tell. When the sun went down, we traded our kayaks for fireflies, running through the grass, jumping around, and catching tiny lights that blinked in the dark. For a little while, it felt like being a kid again. The river, the games, the people, and the late-night laughs have made this trip unforgettable. It's hard to believe this has been real life. The whole trip has felt like a dream. I'm so grateful to be here—grateful for the Ottawa River, for the Keener program, for everyone I've met, and for memories I'll still be talking about years from now. Some weeks stay with you forever. I know Keeners will be one of them.

Kayak Polo by Will Gillespie

One of the other sports I play kayak polo. Disclaimer: This is how we play in Alexandra. There are some differences between this and the actual rules. Now on with the blog Our pool size for a kayak polo field is 25m by i think 15 m though it's supposed to be bigger. At each end of the field a goal is suspended 2m above the water. The front of the goal is the out line for each end of the field. There is a halfway line across the pool at the middle of the 25 m. 6m from the goal there is also another line. If you are in between this line and the goal you are allowed to push other people with your boat and hands. No paddles though. The ball that you play with is similar to a volleyball though more grippy. Each team has 4 players on the field at one time. There can be a couple sit ready to come onto the field. Each player wears a pfd and a helmet with a face guard to protect against actacdental paddle attacks. Thank you for reading.

Making Cake by Otto Koerber

I read the words on the back of the cake mix. I see that I need 3 eggs, ½ cup of vegetable, and ½ cup of milk. I take the 3 eggs and milk as part of my rations, and grab the vegetable oil I got from Walmart. The funny thing is I never even knew the cake recipe needed vegetable oil at Walmart. It was pure luck that I just so happened to grab it durning the 20 minutes we had in the store. After mixing all the wet ingredients, I remembered that oil does not mix with water as it kept separating when I looked away from the mixture. I decided to move on from mixing the impossible, and added the dry cake mix to the pot. After vigorously beating for 3 minutes, the cake mix seemed ready to put in the oven. I then decided to preheat the oven to 350 and grease a pan while I wait. I soon realized that there was no pan, or cake pan for that matter. There was however, a baking sheet that would normally be used to make cookies, so I decided to improvise. The problem with making cookies from cake mix is that cake takes a lot longer to cook then cookies, and also it’s not cookie batter. I decided to play it safe and made 6 cake-cookies using the baking sheet. I checked on them every 2 minutes in the oven using a fork as I didn’t have a toothpick. When I pulled the sheet out, and taste tested, they surprisingly turned out great. The chocolate flavor was faint, but I think that was more of a cake mix problem, then a baking problem. I decided to cook 12 more and share the results with some people in my cabin. I also added a handful of chocolate chips to the mix, which I definitely could’ve added more as they were hardly noticeable. The second batch was also less crispy then the first, which was sad to say the least. To make up for the lack of texture, I but two cookies together with nutella in the middle, which tasted much better, but used a lot of it up for only adding a little bit to the flavor. In the future I plan to use MnMs with the mix to add more flavor. I also plan to make frosting somehow, but we’ll see if it’s possible first. Once I was done, I cleaned up everything, but left some unused batter in the fridge for future experiments.

Adaptation of a LiquidLogic Stinger for Crewed Short-Duration Spaceflight by Holden Constantino

As a logical extension of the KATV programme, we will analyze the modifications required for the LiquidLogic Stinger to carry out short-duration crewed spaceflights. The Stinger must carry one passenger with a minimum 100 hours endurance, while costing less than $10,000 USD. In general, the Stinger will provide life-support, propulsion, power, and avionics with one crew member. Propulsion is to be provided by a Hall-Effect Thruster (HET) mounted aft through the -Z axis. Two solar panels are to protrude out of the upper hull aft of the cockpit. They will not be retractable. Additional static panels may line the underside. Batteries are to be placed directly aft of the cockpit seat for endurance of 2 hours of full utilization, or 16 hours life-support as contingency. Avionics will be mounted directly before the cockpit, in the central column. Only a general-purpose display, primary flight display, navigation display, and flight controls are necessary for pilot use. Communication is through satellites linkage using internal antennae. A 4 liter vessel of hydrazine is to be placed in the very stern for attitude control. RCS modules may be placed in the bow and stern. Two oxygen tanks are mounted in the bow, as well as the heating unit and carbon scrubbers. For cooling, the aft section is covered in radiators. The Stinger provides only basic life support functions (air, water, temperature control) to the pilot. The inside of the Stinger is not pressurized, so the pilot must wear a spacesuit at all times

Why Facing your Fears at Keeners is Important by Sila Griffin

While facing your fears in general is an important thing to practice, at Keeners is it crucial. It is so crucial because to progress in this program I had to push my self out of my comfort zone every single day in order to both get better at kayaking and grow as a person. Our first day on the water this session seemed incredibly huge and scary to me and the rapids were a lot bigger than anything I had ever run before so I was really nervous. However, I convinced myself to not walk anything and I am forever grateful that I made that choice. By pushing myself out of my comfort zone and running scary, but safe rapids in a safe, controlled environment, I progressed a lot in both skill and confidence. What seemed huge and scary the first day gets less and less terrifying every single time I run it, my whole perspective on what is “sketchy” has changed dramatically. Keeners builds a perfect environment of both support if you choose not to run a rapid but also encouragement if you choose to run it, letting Keeners do challenge by choice. While it is a choice whether to push out of yourself out of your comfort zone, it is important to choose to do so. Over the last two weeks that I have gotten the privilege to spend at the Keener program, I realized that you get out of it what you put in. The more a Keener pushes themselves throughout the three weeks the more they progress as both a kayaker and a young adult.

A Lazy Weekend by Evan Cassidy

After a bunch of busy days paddling and running rapids, it was nice to finally have a chill weekend at kayaking camp. Instead of waking up early and heading straight to the river, everyone got a chance to relax and take it easy for a bit. Most people spent the weekend hanging out around the cabins,listening to music,watching movies or just talking with friends. It was a nice break from our normal schedule and gave everyone a chance to catch up on some rest. A few people even took naps, which is a rare thing to happen at camp. One of the best parts of the weekend was having more time to spend in the cabin. We joked around, told stories, and talked about some of the funniest moments from our trip so far. It was a good chance to get to know each other better without being tired from a long day on the water. Even though kayaking is the main reason we’re here, having a weekend to relax was awesome. It gave everyone a chance to recharge before getting back to paddling. By the end of the weekend, everyone was feeling rested and stoked to get back on the river the next day.

Baby Blog by Keener Baby

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River Trip by Otto Koerber

Becca came in to wake us up in the morning. It was so early that I found myself stumbling to the bus. The bus took us to breakfast at WT which was really good and definitely the biggest breakfast I’ve had in years. It is a shame that we don’t get breakfast at WT normally. After breakfast we got back on the bus for about 1 minute as we quickly split into two mini vans that we used to drive on the hilly gravel roads with the trailer full of kayaks. We drove for well over 2 hours which was dreadful as my phone died 15 minutes in. The vans were also hot as the engine heat radiated into the cabin area. After the long drive, we jumped out of the mini vans, and started unloading the kayaks. As we unloaded the final few, we realized that our journey to the river was far from over. As the depressing ran started to pick up, we slowly moved ourselves to the put in. The misquotes swarmed us despite us putting on bug spray. Every step was more painful than the last. Once our eyes saw the appearance of what looked like the put in, the irritating hike quickly faded away.

How to Get to Keeners from Alexandra, New Zealand by Will Gillespie

Step 1. Drive 1 hrs and 10 mins from Alexandra to Queenstown Airport. Step 2. Get on a plane and fly 2hrs to Auckland Airport. Step 3. Wait in Auckland Airport for 2hr and 10mins. Step 4. Get on a plane and fly for 13 hrs and 50 min to Vancouver Airport. Step 5. Wait in Vancouver Airport for 11 hrs and 40 mins Step 6. Fly 15 hrs and 19 mins to Ottawa Airport. Step 7. Drive 1 hrs and 30 mins to Wilderness Tours. Step 8. Get on a bus at Wilderness Tours and drive 15 mins to Keenervile. Step 9. Have a great time at Keeners

How to Clean your Water Bottle by Evan Cassidy

This weekend I found something I grabbed my reusable water bottle that had been sitting in my room for a while, opened it up, and saw little spots of mold inside. It was pretty gross, and I knew I wasn’t drinking out of it until it was completely clean. First, I dumped out the old water and rinsed the bottle with hot water. Then I filled it with warm water and dish soap and used a sponge and a butter knife to scrub the inside. I made sure to get all the way to the bottom and around the sides where the mold was. After scrubbing, with warm water for about 10 minutes to help kill any leftover mold. When it was done soaking, I rinsed everything really well with hot water and let all the pieces air dry before putting the bottle back in my boat . The whole process didn’t take very long, but it reminded me that it’s important to wash reusable water bottles regularly instead of letting them sit. But at least now I have a clean bottle that’s safe to use again.

How to Get More Comfortable During Beatdowns by Kyan Vigoda

Last session and at the beginning of this session I was really afraid of beatdowns and running big rapids like coliseum with no easy sneak lines, but eventually I learned to have fun and forget about my fear using the following tricks I learned. 1: Downtime. On one of the days when returning keeners were not doing srt, David and Aaron took us to brain doosh at the bottom of butchers knife to practice getting downtime. Jumping into the pour over knowing we would go underwater for a long time helped me stay comfortable when running out of breath or having no control of when you come out of the water. This really helped me with beatdowns. 2: Nose plugs. This does not have to be specifically nose plugs, it can be anything that helps you feel more secure and safe. For example, when I play rugby I bite my mouth guard really hard as it helps me feel safer and gives me more power. When I kayak, I squeeze my nose plugs really tight and am constantly adjusting them before entering rapids. All the videos of myself you can always see me holding and fidgeting with my nose plugs. This might not make sense but they help me feel stronger and safer. You could use anything like sunglasses for example. 3: Smile. When underwater in Phil’s, I try to smile. This has many purposes; it’s really helpful. First, it helps me remember to have fun and enjoy myself, which really helps me stay calm. Second, it reminds me that there are plenty of safety kayakers below and that the Ottawa is a really fun and safe river and Stevo and the other coaches would not let us in if it was dangerous. Third, I remember to hold my paddle in the auto roll position Stevo taught us and how to control my boat. This works because when I smile it reduces my fear and lets me concentrate on kayaking. All these are my ways of staying calm and always being stoked on the river. I hope they help you as well.

Adaptation of a WaveHopper for Subsurface Use by Holden Constantino

One major problem with kayaks is that they float. It is very difficult to go deep underwater in a kayak. Fortunately, however, it is fairly easy to adapt a kayak to underwater use. We will use a WaveHopper, because they are large, look cool, and are especially hydrodynamic. For those sadly unfamiliar, WaveHoppers are the greatest boats ever. They are long, with a keel and two wings behind the cockpit. Because of this, they are very fast. The first step in our adaptation is to place two large bladders in the extreme fore and aft. These will be ballast tanks, and can fill with water. We will also place two bladders in the wings, for stability control. Having done this, we place batteries in the stern, and air tanks in the bow. The bow air tanks provide oxygen for the pilot, and also expel water from the ballast tanks. The bow and stern sections are also sealed off from the water. A respirator and hose is placed in the cockpit for the pilot. The cockpit is not enclosed. Also found in the cockpit are the controls. Finally, two vectored, ducted propellers are placed at the stern for propulsion, and eight smaller thrusters are mounted at the fore and aft for attitude control. These improvements will make it far easier to explore the bottom of the Ottawa, and indeed, will make submarining even more fun.

Gavin's by Nora Crabb

“Elevator shaft” is the far river right line down the big scary rapid “Garvins”. My first day here at keeners, we walked around garvins and looked at both “elevator shaft” and “dragons tongue”. The first day, I looked at the rapid and my first thought was that there was no way ever I was going to run that rapid. I kept that mindset for the whole next week, until we were given the choice to run dragons tongue. Right off the bat I knew there was no way I was going to run it and I was 100% set on that. As people went, I watched everyone and saw how they and started to think I would maybe run it. After everyone had gone, Becca talked me into it and told me I would be okay. I decided to run it and I had such a clean and perfect line, and it was amazing. The way I felt after was such an amazing feeling of relief and joy. Elevator shaft, was a little bit of a different experience. I was less nervous going into it and watched everyone else go before me with pretty clean lines and casually flipping at the bottom. When it came time for my turn, I went down the top part almost flipping, but not, thankfully. And rode down the rest fine until the end where everyone else flipped. I flipped as well landing right onto a rock shelf and scraping up my shoulder while upside down. I missed a roll up and Eli hand of God rescued me at the bottom. Even though I bloodied up my shoulder, I still had that sense of relief and excitement that I’d run the rapid, even if I didn’t do it extremely cleanly.

The Best Keener Day Ever by Callan Fox

Every day at Keeners is amazing in its own way. Whether it’s surfing Angel’s Kiss, running Garvin’s, or just swimming in a giant inflatable pool with your friends on the weekend, there is so much fun to be have all around the Ottawa and beyond. However, I think for me yesterday was the best Keener day ever because I was so stoked the entire day. We began by hyping ourselves up with music before the river and surfing Odyssey, which didn’t go particularly well but was still super fun. We ended up goofing around on the flatwater paddle, which is always a good time. Then, we split up into two groups for the Lorne. That was when I knew something was going to be up, and it was going to be big and fun. I did not know quite what it was until we were standing up on the island staring at some of the biggest holes I’d ever seen: Minibus and Big Bus. There was no doubt that I was nervous, but after watching Stephen flawlessly through a blunt on the shoulder I knew it was a must. I was going to surf Minibus. Soon, I was in the eddy, paddle in hand, watching as Stephen gave the “go” signal as he eagerly cheered with his camera. I was so stoked once again, with a huge smile plastered on my face as I caught the big wave-hole and surfed around for a while. Although I did roll up missing a piece of my beloved Pit Vipers, all I could think was how that was the best time of my life. Naturally, I proceeded to do it two more times and have even more fun. The rest of the day was no let down. We surfed Waikiki for a while and I got a few new tricks along with other fun ones I already knew. My boof finally felt solid as I launched off of high-water Anvil Falls, and, to top it all off, I got to surf the Big Kahuna for the first time. Evening came, and I baked cookies for Yakistan and friends who asked and finished with diaper water polo, courtesy of Becca of course. My team won, but I think everyone had an equally amazing time hanging out and lunging balls into playboats. All in all, I think yesterday couldn’t have gone any better and that it was the perfect Keener day, all because I just had a big smile on my face the whole time.

How to Surf Minibus by Jacob Zivony

If you were ever wondering how to surf minibus when it wasn’t in I can help you. Yesterday we surfed minibus when it was a big foamy mess and it was sick! Step 1: stare at minibus from river left side of the lorn and question your life decisions. Step 2: walk your boat to the put in Eddie and question why you are about to huck yourself in to a big foamy hole 3 times the size of Phil’s. Step 3: ferry out and keep ferrying right even though it feels like you are about to go straight in to bus eater. Step 4: ferry right a little more and then turn around backwards and face slightly left. Step 5: fall back in to the black hole of foam that mini bus is and enjoy the second or two when you are completely engulfed in foam but still somehow completely upright. Step 6: be completely shocked that you are actually surfing minibus right now but don’t let your body completely tense up and let it surf you out even though it’s really easy to let it do that. Congratulations you have just surfed minibus or rather minibus surfed you. Do with this information as you will, just always remember to have two keeners in the bottom left Eddy that are rescue ready if something goes wrong. Triple yay!

On the Eloquence of Words by Jackson Gratz

Words are the basic structure of most human languages and a simple way to enhance comprehension of the communication of complex concepts. Used indifferently throughout our everyday experiences, words allow us to complete many daily tasks. With simple suffixes attached to a multitude of sentences, humans can effectively articulate their ideas without excessive effort. Furthermore, the ubiquity of words extends beyond mere utilitarian function, they serve as the conduit through which abstract thought is transmuted into tangible, shareable meaning. Without this lexical infrastructure, the intricate cognitive processes occurring within the human mind would remain perpetually inaccessible to others, trapped in a state of abject unexpressed potentials. Words facilitate not only the transmission of information but also the nuanced conveyance of emotion, intention, and experience. Therefore enabling interpersonal connection on a profound level. Moreover, the versatility of vocabulary allows for remarkable precision when precision is warranted, while simultaneously accommodating ambiguity when circumstances necessitate a more flexible or diplomatic approach. This adaptability shows the sophistication inherent in linguistic language, which have evolved to accommodate the multiple requirements of human communication across countless contexts and cultures. In conclusion, words are virtually ubiquitous with everyday existence and are used often, permeating every aspect of human interaction. Their presence is not coincidental but rather a testament to their indispensable role in constructing the shared reality that binds communities and civilizations coherently.

How to Run the Main Channel by Ben Hartley

1. leave keener village 2. Do flat water moves 3. Do more flat water 4. Do more flat water 5. Run the Lorne 6. Surf at waikiki 7. Do cool stuff at waikiki 8. Do a kick flip in the next wave train 9. Do a loop in that one eddy 10. Go into the world pools 11. Do more kick flips on the next rapids 12. Go down coliseum 13. Go down flat water till you get to WT

Taking a Break by Cian Bergin

The most important thing about keeners is having fun in order to do that though. Sometimes you have to take a break this week. My shoulders really hurt me. I didn’t want to take a break. I didn’t wanna stop doing what I was doing and stop trying to improve my kick flips and stuff like that however continuing to do so would just continue to make my shoulder worse, so I’m here to talk about how to take a break. Taking a break doesn’t mean you have to stop kayaking. It just means that you should take it easy for a couple days maybe stop doing stuff that could hurt you like kick flips getting beat down and any stuff like that. This proved to be pretty challenging for me because I wanted to keep improving and make the most out of my time at keeners, however I realized that in order to do that I needed to be the best possible me that I could be

The Odyssey by Charlie Woodward

Like the name suggests, initiation was the very first rapid we got to play in during keeners session 1 2026. We got to run down it and play in the features at the bottom of the rapid. One of those features named Odyssey gave us fresh keeners a glimpse into the many violent beatdowns they had in store. Odyssey isn’t an incredibly violent feature, it’s great for all types of tricks like cartwheels and spins but will retain you for one or two tumbles. I personally have face surfed this feature a number of times. When the water level goes down initiation gets really shallow and kind of scary. Of you don’t eddy out before odyssey you will be getting back endered and beat. If this happens to you expect a headshot to come along with it. We’ve also done races down initiation which always turn out to be a ton of fun.

Jacob vs. Ramen by Owen Hartley

Jacob’s first encounter with semi-spicy ramen went very differently from most people’s. Instead of enjoying the nice, subtle tang of spice, Jacob had to chug milk and give the rest of his ramen away. After that, Silky decided that Jacob should try some of his extra-spicy ramen, which still wasn’t all that spicy. Silky prepared the ramen, and Jacob hesitantly ate a single noodle. As soon as he swallowed it, Jacob immediately started yelling and ran to Robertson’s trash can to throw up. Afterward, he sprinted to Yakistan to beg for cake and milk. They gave him some milk, which he promptly chugged on their porch. In summary, Silky says that Jacob’s complete lack of spice tolerance is a sign that he simply hasn’t been through enough trauma in his life.

Youtube Videos by Eric Jackson's Son by Tyler Goldstein

I thought when I arrived at keeners I would watch a lot of kayaking on the thunder dome television. But I did not imagine that I could get sick of looking at the bright pink bow of the Jackson kayak famously paddled by Eric Jackson’s son. The first time we watched anything on the tv it was kayaking. I was stoked because I love watching kayaking. Videos of the stikene, the Rio Claro, play boating, creek boating, or really anything that has to do with kayaking. But as the days went on, I only saw that pink bow. His gnar, his clutch, his carbon dreamboat made by this sick super tall guy named Stephen Wright. My eyes began to burn. I simply could not look at another pink Jackson kayaks again. AND THEN I REMEMBERED - I HAVE A PINK JACKSON GNARVANA AT HOME

Ranking the Top Five Waves in My First Session on the Ottawa by Zander Capozzi

Ranking the Top Five Waves from My First Session on the Ottawa 5th Place: Right Side Horseshoe You can loop it, throw some pretty fun tricks, and it's a really good wave. It's a great place to warm up and have fun. 4th Place: Butcher's Knife An incredible wave, although it's really annoying to catch and usually requires you to hike back up afterward. That said, it's super bouncy, has great loops, and you could probably even throw an air screw on it. 3rd Place: Waikiki (not sure if that's the correct spelling) Bouncy, fast, and everything you could possibly want in a wave. It's just an all-around blast to paddle. 2nd Place: Three-and-a-Half-Foot Corner Wave An incredible wave, and the only one I've landed an air screw on so far, so it's absolutely legendary in my books. It's great for blunts, back loops, loops, and almost any other trick you can imagine. The only downside is the eddy access. Other than that, it's an awesome wave, although it's a little smaller than my first-place pick. 1st Place: Big Kahuna The one. The only. Big Kahuna. The bounciest wave on the river, the fastest, and the closest thing you'll get to riding a stakeout wave. It's incredible—very scary, very fast, and very, very big. Its biggest flaw is that there's no easy way to catch the eddy after riding it, so you'll most likely have to hike back up for another lap. But other than that, it's beyond superlative. One of the most awesome, awesome-sauce waves imaginable.

Why Facing Your Fears at Keeners is Important by Sila Griffin

While facing your fears in general is an important thing to practice, at Keeners is it crucial. It is so crucial because to progress in this program I had to push my self out of my comfort zone every single day in order to both get better at kayaking and grow as a person. Our first day on the water this session seemed incredibly huge and scary to me and the rapids were a lot bigger than anything I had ever run before so I was really nervous. However, I convinced myself to not walk anything and I am forever grateful that I made that choice. By pushing myself out of my comfort zone and running scary, but safe rapids in a safe, controlled environment, I progressed a lot in both skill and confidence. What seemed huge and scary the first day gets less and less terrifying every single time I run it, my whole perspective on what is “sketchy” has changed dramatically. Keeners builds a perfect environment of both support if you choose not to run a rapid but also encouragement if you choose to run it, letting Keeners do challenge by choice. While it is a choice whether to push out of yourself out of your comfort zone, it is important to choose to do so. Over the last two weeks that I have gotten the privilege to spend at the Keener program, I realized that you get out of it what you put in. The more a Keener pushes themselves throughout the three weeks the more they progress as both a kayaker and a young adult.

Corner Wave by Zander Capozzi

Corner wave is one of the most interesting waves of the river. It’s bouncy it’s fun, but it’s also extremely diagonal which leads to constant issues of staying on it retaining tricks. One moment is this the best way on the river easy to catch easy to ride and you can land every trick, the next nothing. Making one of the most dynamic and interesting waves on the river and one of the most fun. With waves ranging from easy to incredibly difficult to catch and from easy to throw to easily one of the hardest to throw on. Corner wave sit squarely in the middle a middle ground of fun and awesomeness at about 4 foot.

New Line on the Block by Jackson Gratz

As many a keener knows, Garvens is one of the more technical and challenging rapids on the Ottowa. With lots of line choices across various difficulties, theres no wonder why it’s become a fan favorite. Many have tried to come up with new lines in the past, but one recent take on Dragons Tongue has all the keeners talking. The newly dubbed “Frenchie Line” named by Lucas Rodrig, is not one for the faint of heart. By being inside the curler and going exactly where Stephen Wright said not to go, you too can run this line. Unfortunately, this curler leads the non-boofing intrepid paddler into a plug that can make a boat disappear for a few seconds, and could potentially push you into the cave under Dragons Tongue. This probably won’t happen so you should run it with Stephen’s ok. P.S. don’t run this line on your head, it would probably hurt.

The Dangers of Walmart by Jacob Zivony

When I came to keeners, I was expecting to be underfed because I’m kayaking all the time and I would have an insatiable appetite, and I was… until I went to Walmart. When we first went to Walmart I was certainly not expecting to spend much. Becca gave us 20 minutes inside the store so we were rushing. When we first went in it was like on of those videos of shoppers in Black Friday in like 2005. We were rushing to put everything we could in our cart. I did not think that the total would add up to 92 CAD. After I checked out we had to take our stuff back in the bus and that thing was NOT equipped to handle all our precious cargo. After we got back while keeping all our food under our feet and in our laps we sorted it out and completely filled all our food storage and even had it overflow in to Istanbul. The next day I had a BIG breakfast, and I mean BIG. I had so many eggos and muffins I was going to throw up. I ended up being not hungry for like 3 days after Walmart because I ate so much food. If you’re an incoming keener beware of the Walmart deception because you might just end up unable to eat anything after.

How to Have a Perfect Walmart Run by Bennett Whalen

To have a successful Walmart run you will need to think ahead. There is twenty minutes were you need to find everything you will need for the next two weeks. After you know what you want when arriving you need to go to the most important thing on your list of items, then go down to the least important. Now that you have everything go to the self checkout to avoid the lines. Scan your items and make sure your card doesn’t decline. Now get back to the front door with with one minute to spare. That is how you do a successful Walmart run.

A Keener's Daily Routine by Owen Hartley

First, wake up at 7:45. Second, do a fun morning activity. Third, return to your cabin and make breakfast. Fourth, clean the dishes, bathrooms, bedrooms, and common areas. Fifth, go to the Thunderdome for a briefing on the day's activities. Sixth, get dressed and ready for kayaking. Seventh, slide down the hill into the lake with your kayak. Eighth, do a quick warm-up and skill session on the lake. Ninth, start paddling down the river. Tenth, stop for lunch at a nice rocky beach. Eleventh, devour your lunch and drink plenty of water. Twelfth, continue paddling down the river and have a great time. Thirteenth, take out at the bottom of the river and load the trailer. Fourteenth, drive to Keenerville and get dressed for dinner. Fifteenth, go to dinner and enjoy your meal. Sixteenth, play volleyball, then head back to Keenerville. Seventeenth, participate in a fun evening activity. Finally, get a nice, long night's rest

Keenervision by Charlie Woodward

The thunderdome tv is one of the most divisive objects in all of keenerville, some might say in Ontario as a whole. Keeners spend quite a bit of time in the thunderdome after their long days of paddling on the Ottawa and often use the tv as a way to wind down. The problem is, there are 20 keeners in 2026 session 1 and only one tv, now I’m sure you can see how this could be a problem. Some keeners want to watch kayaking movies and clips while others want to watch a movie or show during that time and often little conflicts arise because of the disagreement. The ironic bit about it is that when something to watch is put on 90% of the group ends up scrolling on their phones through the whole thing anyways. Makes it seem a little bit pointless but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter.

White House by Kyan Vigoda

I have been in White House for two years in the top bunk of the first room. There are three rooms down the hallway, the first being on the left, the second on the right, and the third on the left. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway. When you enter through the main doorway, there are 3 couches on the left facing the tv, and a kitchen on the far war next to the fridge on the right. The other door exits into the storage room, which is off limits, that has a convenient exit to the field in front of White House for morning activity or to make it on time to the bus. Last year our hot water smelled like sulfur but this has been fixed this year. A lot of people like to hang their hammocks in front of the porch as well, and they usually let me use them.

Trip to Town by Tyler Goldstein

On the second Tuesday of keeners we took a big trip to Renfrew. All twenty keeners plus Sofia, stevo’s nanny, Becca, Aaron, David, and Chantelle packed into the kayaking bus and drove to town. Once we arrived in the small Canadian town of Renfrew we split into to groups: one went to Walmart and one went to A and W. I was in the Walmart group. Charlie and I got a bunch of chips, ramen, and other snacks for the last week and a half at Keenerville. After we swapped and got food at the restaurant. Our next stop was the movie theater. We watched a movie called disclosure day. It is a speilburg movie about aliens 👽 which was odd to say the least. There was a tornado and the power turned off in the middle. On the way back to keenerville, we ran over a tree and it was a pretty good night.

Why Yakistan Always has the Best Breakfast by Callan Fox

Being a girl at Keeners is definitely a slightly different experience than being a boy. This session, I am one of only two official female Keeners, plus we have Sofia (who is nannying for Baby but living with us in Yakistan). Although we are the overwhelming minority, we have the advantage of a calm kitchen with an abundance of food. We have certainly utilized this privilege. We collectively decided that we need to make the most gourmet and original foods possible. This started with delicious chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and bacon, but quickly progressed into extremely thin brownies due the lack of baking pans in our small kitchen and a veggie and chicken scramble. Soon, everyone realized how much we were excelling in our kitchen and started contacting us privately to devour some of our creations. Whether it was eggs, crepes adorned with berries, or freshly made pasta, we began pawning off some of our sacred creations for new ingredients. The other day, we went to Walmart to up our cooking game. So, we bought an abundance of food (and even more Red Bull) to make new creations like my chocolate covered cake balls and ramen with eggs. All in all, Yakistan had and will always have the best food because it has the most care with the least chaos.

How to Make the Best Keener Breakfast by Nora Crabb

Yakistan does very very good at breakfast time. Callan and I work very well at collaborating in the kitchen and coming up with new ideas for fantastic breakfasts. My favorite breakfast yet, has been when we make our signature Reese’s peanut butter cup, chocolate chip pancakes. I’ll do a quick step by step on how to make them. #1 put pancake mix into a bowl #2 add water as needed #3 add the chocolate chips (preferably a lot) #4 cook 4 plain chocolate chip pancakes for Sofia cause she doesn’t like peanut butter…. (Somehow) #5 add a ton of mini peanut butter cups to the remaining pancake mix #6 cook 4 more BIG pancakes with the better batter (During all this, callan is cooking an amazing egg scramble) #7 put your pancakes on the plate and spread Nutella on them #8 ENJOY THE BEST BREAKFAST EVER!

Days at Wilderness Tours by Cian Bergin

The day starts at 7:30 in the morning when Aaron wakes me up. I sit up and get ready for my day. I eat eggs and toast while thinking about what i could be doing today. I am going to be shadowing a raft guide for the first time and i am excited to see what it is like to work for Wilderness Tours. At 8:30 joe pulls in to the driveway i hope in the car and we are off. He drops me off at the put in for the day. I hoped on a raft with a guide named Jackson. We paddled down the middle channel I learned a lot about rafting and how to guide rafting is very team oriented. I finished off my day working at the put in loading and unloading boats along with doing boat repairs. I am very grateful to have had this experience and had a wonderful time.

Breakfast by Lucas Rodrigue

I think the best way to make breakfast if you only have 2 eggs and 2 toast is to first put the toast in the toaster. Then you crack the eggs in a pan and cook them. I like scrambled eggs because there easy to make and they taste good. While the eggs are cooking the toast will probably be done. Then you can put some butter on the toast if you have any. After that you put the eggs on the toast or eat them on the side. It dont take very long and its really easy. Even if you dont have alot of food its still a good breakfast because eggs got protein and toast gives you energy. I would eat this before school because it fills you up and its better then skipping breakfast. I think this is the best breakfast you can make with only 2 eggs and 2 toast because it’s simple, tastes good, and anybody can make it without needing lots of stuff. Also Jackson is my hero and he is a super awesome genius kayaker.

The Most Vital Resource by Owen Hartley

Nutella is one of the most important resources at Keeners. Some would even argue that it is more important than a helmet, PFD, spray skirt, or paddle. To understand the importance of Nutella, you have to take a step back and use your imagination. Imagine eating either eggs or plain toast every day for three weeks. Your only hope of spicing up your breakfast is jelly—which Zander already ate all of—or Nutella. Now you can see why Nutella is so important. However, some people take it for granted and spread inch-thick layers onto a single piece of toast. In summary, if you come to Keeners, don't eat all the Nutella unless you want to be hated.

My Home River by Will Gillespie

My home river is called the Clutha. Its a wide flat river. The part that I paddle on is a slalom course because I paddle slalom. The nearest big water river that I paddle is called the the Roaring Meg. It is part of the Kawarau Gorge near Queenstown. It is definitely not as big as the Ottawa but it still has a few big rapids. There is one part that sticks in my mind is a rapid where that water comes around a corner, across a bit the smashes in the a flat rock wall. There a big hole that you don't want to get stuck in and then a few big rapids as well. There is a beginner tradition where you have to jump off a 15ish meter tall rock. I really enjoy these rivers and love NZ.

How to Make a Whitehouse Breakfast by Sila Griffin

Step 1: Cook two Eggos in the toaster. Step 2: Cook some juicy bacon up in a pan. Step 3: Offer someone bacon and in return they have to do the dishes to minimize your work. Step 4: Cook two sunny-side up eggs with salt and pepper on them. Step 5: Take your food off of the pan and out of the toaster before it starts smoking and the fire alarm goes off. Step 6: Put an Eggo on a plate and lay your eggs and bacon on top of that Eggo before closing off your breakfast sandwich with your second Eggo. Step 7: Enjoy your food and protect it from your greedy cabin mates around you.

Beatdown Thursday by Zander Capozzi

Thursdays might be the most iconic day at Keener’s. It’s beat down Thursday. A day where we purposely find big water and big holes to desensitize ourselves to big water and go straight into them. Leading to some of the most legendary moments of our keener experience. This first Thursday was one to remember with several legendary beat downs and some equally legendary photos. See below. Then later, we came back with a floaty and went straight into the hole. Getting an absolutely worked.

I Promise I did not Eat your Protein Bars by Kai Stowers

I promise I did not eat your protein bars. If I did, I would've eaten the whole thing, not just taken tiny little bites out of it. I'm honestly surprised it took you this long to realize that we're not actually alone in Istanbul. There's definitely something else living below us or maybe inside with us. You should probably start watching your back... and your food. Every time we leave for even a few minutes or look away, these 2 little squirrels show up running around helping themselves to whatever snacks they can find. usually the chocolate protein bars. It doesn't even have the decency to steal the whole thing. It just takes one or two bites and leaves the evidence behind, making it look like one of us did it. It's honestly kind of smart, which is almost impressive if it wasn't so annoying. The squirrels aren’t the only things living with us. once lights out hits we have a zoo of bugs flying all around. i made friends with a little deer tick. he liked me so much he tried to live inside me. Thats when i had to cut the line. He’s gone now, along with my Lyme disease cause i took some pills that costed too much cause i’m in canada. not complaining because i’m in Canada! Keeners is a dream come true and i love everything about it. 

The Apple Juice Mystery by Evan Cassidy

Life at whitewater kayaking camp has been full of excitement, adventure. However, one event has managed to capture everyone’s attention more than any rapid we’ve paddled so far the disappearance of our cabin’s apple juice. It all started when we returned from a long day on the river. Everyone was tired, and looking forward to a drink since we just got our food stocked . When someone opened the refrigerator ,we discovered a shocking sight. The apple juice was completely gone we suspect that somebody chugged it . At first, nobody knew what had happened. Theories spread quickly throughout the cabin. Others suggested that perhaps it was accidentally thrown out. Or just eaten by the White House’s refrigerator, although on the end, it was all blamed on one person, but we will never know for sure unless the evidence is found Of course, the most likely explanation is that someone in our cabin enjoyed a little more apple juice than the rest of us. Despite several investigations and many accusations made, the identity of the apple juice chugger remains a mystery. While the missing juice may never be recovered, The residence of White House will remember the apple juice incident for at least a week and then probably forget, the end.

To Catch a Firefly by Charlie Woodward

Picture this, a group of keeners are sitting in the thunderdome watching the World Cup. It’s getting darker, the sun begins to set on the Ottawa river turning the dark brown to black. This means two things: curfew is soon and we would have to return to our cabins, and the fireflies begin to come out. Our attention was ripped from the TV when we noticed small flashes of light at the base of the trees on the edge of keenerville. We jumped up out of our seats and grabbed a Nalgene which would become a fireflies prison soon enough. We headed to the field near White House and carefully scanned the grass for the fleeting bursts of light we were searching for. We spied one and attempted to scoop it into the water bottle. It took a few attempts but we finally had the little orb of brilliance trapped. We gazed into the bottle while it flitted around before we opened the lid and let it float back into the wild.

How to Win Best Beatdown When it’s not Beatdown Day by Callan Fox

Step 1: Go on the Middle channel on day 2. Step 2: Get out to scout Iron Ring and realize that it looks very swirly. Step 3: Decide that you need redemption from when you ran it at a high level last year, where you got stuck in the Room of Doom and had to get help getting out of your boat. Step 4: Volunteer to run the rapid second and walk up. You are going to face your fears. Step 5: Run the rapid with a little less momentum than you meant to get. Flip after you hit the foam pile and get sent into the room of doom. Roll up in your second try, only to be sent way up into the eddy. Step 6: back ender in the eddy and get pinned upside down on the rocks. Realize you won’t really be able to roll, so pull your skirt. Step 7: Immediately get sent down into the depths of the Iron Ring boils. Keep hold of your paddle because that would be tragic to lose. Step 8: Hit the bottom of the river, something you did not know was possible. Start to panic because you can’t hold your breath any longer. Step 9: Finally resurface, way far downstream. Gasp for air and swim as hard as you can. Step 10: Profusely thank everyone who helped with you and all of your gear. Step 11: Never forget this experience. Everyone will remind you.

Analysis of Keener Airborne Transport Vehicle by Holden Constantino

Previous commentary by Isaac Sinton-Remes proposed, and ultimately rejected, a Keenerpult capable of launching a 75kg mass approximately 250m. This paper reevaluates that task and proposes a solution. The Keenerpult model ignored air resistance. Though this eases the calculations required for a trebuchet as proposed by Isaac, it fails to consider the benefits of a gliding vehicle. Even a vehicle with a 1.5:1 glide ratio, with initial altitude of 25m, and initial distance of 50m (to account for launch; which will be explained later) can glide 37.5m on descent, compared to <= 25m on a typical ballistic trajectory. Therefore, a glide vehicle alleviates some of the problems with a trebuchet. The KATV program operates on a tight budget, so the design of the glide vehicle is simple. We may simply take a half-slice (being reasonably light and aerodynamic), add a pair of fixed wings for lift, with elevons and rudder on the rear. One notes that roll is controlled entirely by the tailplane. A canopy is to be erected over the cockpit. The pilot will not therefore need a PFD, skirt, or helmet. If the pilot is 60kg, the boat is 20kg, and the modifications are 30kg, this comes to 110kg. Self-propulsion is discussed later, but even then this glider is not able to take off unassisted. A jet sled seems most practical. The Keener bus can be dismantled (if it has not already been unintentionally), the engine removed to the rear, and connected to a large fan. The cabin will be removed entirely, and the remaining chassis can be placed on rails. A hollow drum, terminating in a frustum or cone, can be placed behind the propeller. The kayak is mounted forwards of the engine for launch. During launch, the engine is started and spun up. Once reaching full power, the drum of kerosene fuel conveniently placed above the engine is vented into the cylinder by the propellor and ignited. This creates a primitive jet engine. After this engine reaches full power, the cart is released up the inclined track and the kayak released. If the cart at release weighs 1500kg, burns through 150kg of fuel, and accelerates exhaust at 1000m/s, the cart can accelerate up to 140 m/s or so. 100m/s seems a likely target, considering drag and friction. This mechanism could probably launch the kayak, but it would not get far. The final element of this system is to attach a motor and propeller to the stern of the kayak. This is to be used to allow the kayak to maintain flight and climb. After consideration of a KATV system, this is found to be practicable. I propose the immediate construction of this system.

How to Run McCoys Rapid by Kyan Vigoda

There are 5 main lines on Mccoys rapid: left sneak, right sneak, right boof, Saettlers, and Phil’s tongue. Left sneak is on the far left shore and goes around a secluded corner. It is an extremely easy line but does become very rocky or unrunnable at lower water. Right sneak and right boof are on the right shore with sneak directly along the shore and boof a foot or two out. These lines are fairly easy and are good for kayakers less comfortable with the rapid. To run Saettlers paddle hard over or through Saettlers hole and try to end up towards football eddy and away from Phil’s. Phil’s tongue is between both sides of Phil’s hole and will push you straight through if lined up correctly.

Don't be the Ghost of Robertsons by Tyler Goldstein

This is a message to any future keeners. It will take you through the steps of how to wash your own dishes. This session in Robertson there seems to be a ghost putting dirty Nutella bowls and other uncleaned dishes in the sink. So to step any future keeners from becoming the ghost of Robertson in years to come. I will make this simple. Step 1: You walk into the kitchen and grab your snack of choice. Let’s say a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Step 2: You make and eat your pb and j and make a mess all over your plate. Step 3: Two years living with other teenagers at at a boarding school has taught me this is where people fall to the darkside. Instead of putting it in the fridge for a fellow cabin mate to clean, you grab a sponge, put some soap on it, and scrub the dish until it is clean. Step 4: You dry the dish and place it back where it came from. Sent from my iPhone

The Rich Get Richer by Jackson Gratz

We all know the struggles of Keenerville, limited food, shared rooms, and so much more. One cabin however is exempt from our hardships, Yakistan. Yakistan, the only cabin where everyone gets their own room, Yakistan, who gets 1kg of Nutella for 3 people when we feed 10, Yakistan, who is late to every activity, and still has no push-ups. It’s hard not to grasp the disparities, and it gets worse. Last night, we discovered the incredible abundance of eating utensils contained in the cabinets of their cabin. While we in Robertsons only had three forks and were forced to eat with our hands, Yakistan had TWENTY SEVEN! While the rest of us are living in abject squalor, Yakistan is enjoying their abundant resources. We need to defund Yakistan and appropriate utensils fairly.

Paradise by Bennett Whalen

Keeners is a kayakers paradise. It is three weeks of big white water and some of the best coaches you can get. It is vary including to everyone know mater how skillful you are. Everyone will help each other do their best and help if you swim. There are also so many amazing surf waves, and me coming from Alberta, I don’t usually get to go on such powerful waves. When you are off the wave the coaches will also be there to help you with things they think you should try and also will tell you what you can improve on from the last run. So with all that I think I have explained why keeners is a kayakers paradise.

Animal House by Eli Knights

Don't leave your protein bars lying out in the open. This is a lesson we learnt very quickly living in Istambul or should I say the animal house. On the very first day of Keeners we left our cabin for less than an hour and came back to find that something had nibbled away at Jacob's protein bar. This continued with the creature even eating through a plastic bag and a wrapper to get at the bars. We found out who the food thief was when one day we came back and saw two squirrels that quickly ran under our beds. After the squirrels had left the cabin we searched the cabin for where they were getting in and found a sizable gap under the logs next to the door. To stop any squirrels from returning for a midnight snack a spare sheet was shoved into the gap and taped in there. However, squirrels aren't the only problem we face in Istambul. With a gappy door mosquitos love finding their way into our room to eat us when we try to sleep. We've resorted to putting bug spray in our hair or just covering ourselves in it to avoid being devoured. All in all I've learnt that staying in Istambul is a challenge of its own and you're sharing your room with a myriad of other critters.

Beatdown of the Century by Jacob Zivony

I was expecting a lot to happen when I came to keeners but one thing that wasn’t in the cards for me was a beatdown so bad that the beat downee was under water for more then 25 seconds. When we first set up to run iron ring I was expecting maybe a swim but what I wasn’t expecting was someone to go in the curtain of green water and get plunged 50 feet deep below the turbulent whirlpools and touch the bottom. When Callan first did her run I was super hyped at first because she was getting beatdown in the more traditional sense and she was fighting it, which was sick. When the room of doom decided to push her in to the curtain things took a very different turn. I was setting safety and I had my rope but she wasn’t looking so I didn’t throw it. Little did I know neither of us were gonna see each other for a while 25 seconds while she was under the water getting sucked down. When she popped up more then 100 feet down from iron ring all of us were shocked. She popped up holding her paddle and started swimming like nothing happened. That beatdown definitely takes the cake for the biggest beatdown I have ever seen in person or on video. If you ever plan on running iron ring at 11 and 1/2 on the gauge then you should be prepared to take a VERY VERY deep and long swim.