Stephen's Adventure by Will Schwarzschild

Steven’s amazing adventure was really hard and not amazing. We hiked through the woods with our kayaks on our backs. It was a very long hike and very hard. One of the things that made this hike hard was that we were bushwhacking and there was no trail so I got a lot of cuts. But after all of the pain and struggle it was very fun.

The Keener Time Capsule by Saul Glick

During my time playing cribbage with Becca, I sadly dropped one of the game pieces down under the thunder dome porch. This was very sad, but it got me thinking about just how much keener history there probably was under that one porch, kind of like a time capsule. So I decided that from that moment forward, every time somebody drops something under the thunder dome porch, it will be going to the keener time capsule, for future keeners to one day discover (and puppy whenever she wants to crawl under there). The keener time capsule should be opened every time something important is dropped under there. For example let’s say Ziggy (Becca’s cute old dog) got dropped under there, then the evening activity would become opening the keener time capsule!! To conclude, if you ever drop something under the thunder dome porch, know that it will stay in the keener time capsule for future keeners to one day open and discover.

Playing Basketball with a Canadian Guy After Dinner by Kam Weiss

Dinner is always an interesting time for the Keeners, especially when traveling down to WT. During the mealtime, the food ranges from two different things: a chicken kebab with a pita or BBQ chicken, and only those two meals. After eating, however, the time spent at WT gets much more interesting as we are allowed to play sports like basketball, hockey or volleyball. On this specific night, I decided to play basketball with a Canadian dude who was shooting around. Watching him play for around 30 seconds, I could see that he was making his shots, and his height was much greater than mine, and he was even taller than my partner, Will. After the guy, who I later learned was 15, asked us to run a 2v1 (which we agreed to), we got promptly destroyed at around 11-2 after he either hit a mid range shot or euro stepped both of us into an easy layup. At this point, we had been playing for only around 5 minutes, and I decided to step it up and try to actually win in a new game to 5, which we did. We easily ended up beating him after I did a spin move into a fadeaway and hit a couple jumpers. Even though I wrote this entire blog about basketball, I really want to talk about how interesting and fun it can be to do something with someone you have never met and can have a really fun time. And also Canadians are good at basketball.

Yakr by Max Goldberg

Tinder is an app for people to match with other people to go on dates. My idea for an app, Yakr, is similar to Tinder in the sense of matching with other people. But instead of for dates, it’s to find people to kayak with. The main reason I had this idea for an app is that back at home, the main reason I can’t kayak is because I don’t have anyone to go with, and I’m assuming other people might have that problem and this app would solve that. First step is to make an account. Instead of selecting gender like you would on Tinder (I’ve heard from a friend) you select what brand of kayak you use and what brand of kayak you’re interested in paddling with. Next you select your paddle length. Similar to how you could put your height, you have to put your paddle length because some people might only want to kayak with people whose paddles are 194 cm or longer. Then after you put in your location you can start swiping left or right, and after a match the two people will communicate and meet up to go and kayak. Similar to Tinder there will be very limited stuff you can do for free, it’s $39.99 a month for unlimited swipes. $49.99 a month to see who has swiped yes on you and $59.99 a month to have select customization such as choosing what tricks they can do or what boat size they are. In conclusion this app will help find people find others to kayak with and have more fun on the river.

The Mouse by Azalea Burnham

Yakistan is known to all to have animals of all shapes and sizes. One of the animals that is rarely seen but the worst is a mouse. Now it may seem like a mouse in your cabin is chill, or even cool, many people think that Yakistan can handle a small mouse because they have a chipmunk, but no. Last Sunday a mouse was spotted in the bathroom at around nine. I thought that this was our iconic chipmunk, Fien, but no this was way worse... This was a mouse, small, evil, creepy, and the keys to getting huantavirus or the plague. When I screamed the dreaded word, mouse, my cabinmate Sofia and I jumped up onto couches and we decided that we were not going to touch the ground for the rest of the night. We then decided we wanted to trap the mouse in a bucket to release it outside. We crept up into the bathroom and sat in the shower and on the counter. When Becca arrived we were still in our perches away from the mouse and she told us the best news ever, that we were going to get mouse traps. I learned that night that you should not panic about the smallest creatures because they are most likely or be scared of you and there is most likely always going to be something you can do about the problem.

Beatdown Thursday by Rowan Resch

My favorite part about keener so far has been beat down Thursday. So far I have only gone into left side fills with a paddle but this week I'm going to try right side. For those of you who don't know left side feels it's more flushy and is shaped more of a wave. Right side however is more sticky and can give you a better beat down. Although I think it will be scary I will be glad if I do it. Last time this gave me better resilience against big water so I could be less scared and learn more. For future keeners who might be reading this my advice is to try something that is out of your comfort zone.

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.