How to rock the Walmart Trip By: West Burge

         Every session the Ottawa Kayak School Keeners go into the local town of Pembroke, Ontario for a trip to the grocery store, the movies, and the mall. In this blog I will be telling you how to make the most of your grocery store visit. The first thing you need to do is make a list of things you want. The Keeners packing list requires you to bring a journal that could be used to make your list. You can also use your phone.  Always make sure to wright down everything that you think of right away. The worst thing is having a great idea and then forgetting it right before Walmart. When adding things to your list make sure that the items you consider will benefit you and others. Buying senseless paraphernalia is a waste your money and your time. Also consider buying communal food or items. People will like you more if you offer something to the group. Once you are actually in Walmart try to minimize impulse buys so you can buy quality items on your list. I bought a very nice bottle of olive oil for cooking instead of buying a shirt. You only have a limited time in Walmart so make it quick when finding things. A really good way to maximize your time is to ask an employee, they know the store better than anyone else. The last thing I have to say is remember to buy things that will last through the session. Oh, one more thing, make it to the bus on time!

Van Life vs. Keener Life | Abby Holcombe

Unlike most of my fellow keeners I don’t live in the standard brick and mortar house. I actually live in a 175 square foot Winnebago motorhome with my parents and our enormous yellow lab. When most people go to summer camp they probably don't expect their cabin to be more spacious than their home but in my case, Yakistan (the girls cabin) feels especially roomy with Yakistan’s 3 bedrooms, a spacious common area, bathroom, and kitchen. For anyone who has lived in or visited Yakistan, the living room area alone is equivalent to my whole ‘house’. Yakistan is just one of the many creatively names cabins such as White House, Buseater, Istambul, Thunderdome, Roberstons, and the Foosball Room which all have varying purposes. My RV lifestyle might seem weird to most people but I have gotten used to van life in the last 4 years. However, there are still many differences in-between RV life and Yakistan living. The biggest difference in-between the Winnebago and Keenerville is that we don't have a shower in my rv so the daily cleansing is appreciated not only by me but by my friends and fellow keeners. Another major difference in between van life and keener life is that my RV does not have an oven. This is an unfortunate thing because who doesn't like cookies and not being able to cook them leaves the RV gloomy. However, last year at keeners I accidentally scorched Yakistan due to not checking the oven (where we were storing food) before I preheated the Yakistan oven. My parents are really grateful that the RV doesn’t leave me the opportunity to go up in flames. I am also an only child so living with 6 other girls and a roommate isn’t something I am accustomed to but I really appreciate the time with girls my age and love sharing clothes and the constant dance parties. Most people might think that I do more kayaking when I am at keeners than when I am in the RV but I try to kayak almost everyday so I don't have a huge adjustment when it comes to the time I spend on the water. Keener life is very similar to RV life but if I had to choose in between the two I’m not sure if I could pick one over the other but I love and appreciate all the educational opportunities for my kayaking and getting to spend time with old and new friends! 

Aidan's guide to shoulder-free kayaking

Whilst freestyle and river running kayaking, shoulder strength plays a crucial role in power, dexterity and coordination of paddling strokes and manoeuvres. Since the first day of my second year at Keeners, I have had to work around subluxation in my right shoulder. With the importance of my shoulder removed from my use, I was sure that my days at Keeners were limited. However, after completing the first week, I have found ways to enjoy the steeziest lines possible without risk of developing any further injuries. To avoid injuries, I adapted my roll, changed my lines, and took restorative action to heal and improve my shoulder's flexibility. As mentioned before, I subluxed my shoulder on the first day due to a roll with an overly wide brace. I knuckled through the pain of the first day and seemed to have avoided future damage by keeping my head back and my shoulders close when rolling back up. By not creating additional leverage which dislocates my shoulders, I edited my roll to keep myself from injuring myself and improved the speed and efficiency of my roll overall. Secondly, I changed my lines while running the main channel to avoid any further beatering. Holes are the main perpetrators for the munchiest, most chunkiest beatdowns which should indefinitely be avoided with shoulder damage. Had I been caught in a hole and attempted to roll up, the power of the water could easily wrench my shoulder out of place. For example, when running McCoy's chute, instead of taking a Keener favorite route such as the Triple Crown or the Right Side Phil's punch, I ran the right-side sneak, taking myself out of reach from Phil's and Satler's holes. The sneak offered a fast pace ride and an entertaining boof that is much easier than it appears.  This ride is perhaps the fastest line in the renowned Keener Race down McCoy's, with a stunning time of 43 seconds total from Max Ryan. There are many different lines down each rapid, even if it is a walk down the side. Lastly, I used sports tape and other methods of physiotherapy-like methods to support my already weakened shoulder. Sports tape was used to keep my shoulder stabilized and secure on and off water. I also learned that the tape can be used to create some wicked tan lines as well! Advil and ice in the evenings are temporary cures to reduce pain levels and inflammation before sleep or nighttime activities. It seems silly of me to think that I once thought an injured shoulder would end my kayaking days this summer since it clearly has not bothered me since and continues to strengthen and improve. To any kayakers worried about kayak inhibiting injuries, keep in mind that there are always around every problem, even if it means taking it "easy" for a couple days. I continue to challenge myself and have the time of my life here in Beachburg, despite any burn, cut or dislocation. Aidan out🤙

Chasing Glory by Bennett Fleming

Drop edge, paddle out, turn back into the curler, lean in and stroke. Surf.

Eyes upstream, carve out onto the shoulder, look into the foam and drive in. Cycle.

Drop down the wave, takeoff edge, lean back, look ahead of the rotation and bring it around. Air 

screw.

Surf, cycle, airscrew. Glory.

Now do it again.

This year being my third and last year at keeners, I have felt many things. Fear, pain, and regret, to name a few, but the one thing that keeps me coming back is the feeling of glory. Never mind the amazing coaches or the beautiful river, the feeling of pure joy and elation just gets me every time. I remember one of my first kayaking instructors, a former keener. I remember how amazing he was, cartwheeling and looping in the flat water, and I remember his ever so far away goal, to air screw. At the time, it seemed so impossible. To fly and contort in such a way just seemed so distant, but now I know that many things I deemed impossible are now within my reach. With a little coaching and a lot of effort I completed an airscrew, and it felt glorious. I felt it all throughout my body, and I was so shocked at what I had just done, I didn’t even try to stay on the wave. To me, glory is one of, if not the most enjoyable feelings in the world.

But the thing with glory is its fleeting nature. You can chase and nip at its heels, and sometimes take a bite larger than the last, but glory will still elude you. After doing a trick that you’ve perfected over and over, the glory starts to dull. It’s not glorious, it’s expected. So you find new ways of tasting glory, new tricks, new lines, but in the end, glory will still outrun you. 

So that’s it right? We’re doomed to chase a fleeting high, only to be disappointed over and over? Not quite. It may be fleeting, but it’s contagious. When I see someone more experienced or less experienced than me complete something that they’ve been working on, when I see their glory radiating throughout their body, I can’t help but to feel that glory too, and that’s what I love about keeners, and kayaking in general for that matter. I will always be surrounded by people radiating glory, be it big tricks, beatdowns, or big pancakes, and the ever present feeling of joy, no matter how strong, will keep me chasing glory forever. 

The Tournment to last the Ages by Ray Barbera

Competition, that one word sets keener adrenaline pumping and makes the fear palpable in the air. Every friday the keeners compete at a feature on the river (ex Pushbutton Garburator)

and one of us hopes to score the most points in one ride to win the golden ribbon of awesomeness. But this friday there was a backroom game going on….. Foosball. Today was the tournament to decide what pairs were the best at the game. Every participant was prepared for the best, but ready for the worst. 5 teams and only one can claim the glory of being the best. The tournament starts and in no time we are at the finals two teams in the red corner French Connection with Tom Dolle and Mathieu Dumoulin and in the blue corner The Dream Team starring Ray Barbera and Kaelin Fridenson. BAM BAM! The game starts and immediately the French Connection scores. Minutes go by and then The Dream Team makes a comeback and they score 5,6,7 goals. By this time the French Connection is getting desperate and BAM BAM the score is tied up at 7 goals. The players are perspiring with sweat from the nervousness the win is on the line either you win and are glorious forever or you lose and are shamed with embarrassment. The Dream team gets the ball and all of the sudden two goals are scored and one more the DREAM TEAM WINS what a miracle eternal glory for Ray and Kaelin.

P.S Happy BirthDay Mathieu

The Wilderness Tours Lunch Spot

There it is, The Wilderness Tours lunch spot. Refuge!

After a long morning of throwing air screws on Corner Wave or massive air blunts on Baby Face, it's only natural to be famished and in need of sustenance. Though the lunch spot is a good 20-25 minute paddle away, the gold at the end of the lake is totally worth it. After running the Shia LaBoof or perhaps shredding Garb, features just above the lunch spot, burgers, sausages, soup, and hot chocolate are very near in your future. Just behind some rocks and a few trees lies a giant fire pit, fellow Keeners ready to serve you delicious vegetable and rice soup, and a giant pavilion atop a hill filled with burgers and sausages for the taking. After receiving a fresh off the grill burger or sausage (or both) you move on to the condiments: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc. These materials give you all the tools necessary for realizing the full potential of the Keener lunch. Once this beautiful work of art has been created and deliciously devoured it's time for trash pick up. Following Stephen Wright's enthusiastic exclamation, "Trash pick up time!!!" all the Keeners must find at least ten pieces of trash scattered around the lunch spot. Finally after all this is done, you're free to go shred.

Is this it.

Thump….Thump Thump…..Thump..THUMP THUMP. The sound of my heart overpowers the thunderous rage of the river. As I look over the horizon line of dragons tongue my throat dries up and my breath quickens. And I think is this it, is this it, is this…..

The day started out as a normal big water beat down day we (the keeners) ate bacon and pancakes to get ready for one of the three scariest days of our keener session. Everyone has to run a line or surf a hole that scares them, everyone. At first I thought I was going to just surf right side phils for the first time but after this day my kayaking career and my whole life is about to be changed.

After all of the carnage in Mccoy's Stephen Wright then asked who would want to run the main channel and get beat down hard, so I tentatively raised my hand but that hand quickly shot up when he asked who would want to run the middle channel and also garvin's chute.

Thinking back that little motion of raising my hand would alter the course of my destiny. We pulled up on shore to get out and scout this monster of a rapid, we went through all the possibilities, the good, the bad and the fatal. After looking at this for about and hour, seven of us decided to run this, this rapid. And of course after one of the instructors ran it I was up. My blood pumps faster and faster, my hands start shaking from pure terror. And I think is this it. As I approach the horizon line, I also approach the reckoning of my paddling career. Will I burn bright and fast like a firework or will I succeed and stay a constant flame. Over the edge I go, no time for any thoughts other than me succeeding in my line. One stroke two, now I am past the danger and BOOF! My boat hits the whitewater and I paddle hard to the sneak on the left of a sticky hole. I get through that and I flip and roll up. The exhilaration is pure and unhindered by defeat, but instead it is lifted high by success.

Ray Barbera   

Trial and Error

 Perfection is a lot harder than expected. starting off with a foam block, knife, and a dream of carving a mini kayak.
i found that choosing the right density foam is key, too soft and it is impossible to cut, too hard and it cracks.
  The knife selection is key you need a very sharp one, as i have found out and the knfies availble around here aren't exactly good for this.
  Then the carving begins, slowly shaving away the chunks of foam not needed and shapping it until the right amount of rocker is achieved and
  the chines are outlined. After the hull is complete i moved to the top trying to shapen the deck (which i found out was very hard) and cut out the cockpit.
  All and all i found that Carving foam kayaks is like 1,000,000 times harder than i had initially thought and was quite disappointed in mine. though i will
definitely try again before i leave!

As you can see i am very far away from the skills of Stephen Wright, a god of both carving kayaking and actually paddling kayaks.

-Aidan Sweeney

How To Make The Perfect Pancake - Willem von Schilling

How to make the perfect pancake!

 This guide is to make the perfect pancake at Keenerville on the weekend. No matter what skill you have it is possible to make the perfect pancake so long as you have the materials and this guide. Now let’s begin.

Step 1:

Find some pancake mix. This powdery substance can usually be found somewhere in your kitchen. If you can't find it, ask nicely (or steal) some from another house.

Step 2: 

Find a nice, non-stick pan that would be the perfect size for you pancake. A 7.75 inch diameter pan is ideal for the perfect pancake size.

Step 3: 

Add just enough water to your pancake mix to make it a smooth pourable substance. If your pancake batter is too dry, it will taste like cement. If your pancake mix is too watery, it wont cook properly.

Step 4: Heat up your pan and lather it in a generous coating of butter. This will provide the nice golden crisp to the outside of your pancake. Too much butter and the pancake will be greasy. Too little and you risk not being able to flip it.

Step 5: 

Drop the batter onto the pan and spread it evenly throughout. You don't want a lopsided pancake now would you?

Step 6: 

Sift through a hard-drive to find a movie to watch while eating your pancake. This usually takes the amount of time the pancake needs to cook on one side. As soon as you find a movie of your liking, you are ready to flip the pancake.

Step 7:

THE FLIP. To complete the perfect flip, all previous steps must be done to near perfection. First you will have to loosen the pancake from the bottom of the pan. Once the pancake can slide around smoothly on the pan, it is time to pul it off the stove. Now you can practice the motion of the flip. NOW, you are ready! First toss the delicious treat up in the air using the pan and only the pan, only allowing just enough rotation for half a spin. If you are feeling good about your skill, a double flip might suit you better. When the pancake is on the way down, you have to cradle the pancake with the pan so that it does not splat and flatten out, as we do want the fluffiest pancake we can get. If you miss the pan, you will have to clean up and return to step one. If you successfully complete a single flip or greater, you can replace the pan on the stove and allow for the goldeying of the other side.

Step 8:

You now must set up your movie on the computer so that it is ready to watch as soon as your breakfast hits your plate. This also usually takes the amount of time that is needed for the pancake to turn a beautiful golden brown colour and perfect texture.

Step 9: 

THE TRANSFER. There is a variety of ways the transfer can be made, my personal favourite is the double flip onto the plate, however you can just simply slide it onto the plate. You have successfully completed the transfer, congratulations on making it this far!

Step 10:

DRESS IT. You cant have a naked pancake, there must be some dressing wether it be fresh fruit, chocolate chips or simply pancake syrup. This will showcase your artistic skills and make it ready for a picture if needed.

Step 11: 

DIG IN! You have a movie set up and you have your breakfast. You can now relax and watch your movie. Congratulations, you have just made the perfect pancake. Now you can relax away your weekend in hopes to be rejuvenated by Monday!

Always finding ways to make things more delicious,

Willem von Schilling

Baby Steps are Key by Katie Jackson

     Writing goal sheets is one of the first things we do at keeners. They are important to let the coaches know what we want to work on, and to give ourselves something to work towards. They need to be attainable goals- for example perhaps don't list the "flatwater phonics" when you still find it difficult to get more than three ends cartwheeling as I did. Stephen and Clay also pointed out the making it your goal to win something is not a great idea since you have no control over how the other competitors will compete. You could have the best ride of your life, but perhaps someone else has the best ride of their life and it's better than yours. Should you be disappointed that you lost? Definitely not. You should be thrilled on hitting your best ride yet! 

     One of my goals was to be able to back paddle longer. I'm still glad I made this a goal (especially since my posture has now improved), but I realize a flaw in it. I never specified how long I want to be able to back paddle. I've now made it from the sneak all the way to the Lorne backwards three times. I'm thrilled I've made it that far, but now I'm not sure if I've finished my goal or not. Yet, this question made me realize something else crucial about goals. They can evolve and be never ending. Perhaps there can be multiple levels of achievement within each goal, which is why I really liked Claire's skill wheel. In this wheel, each goal has different levels so that the goal may be accomplished in pieces. It's much more gratifying to be able to mark off bits of progress rather than waiting for the final check mark of completion. It's also much more realistic. Back to the back paddling example: the first stage could be to make it from the sneak to the main current; second stage to make it to the Lorne; and third to make it to the Lorne and back. This gives more gratification throughout the process instead of frustration that I haven't yet accomplished the final goal. Baby steps are key. They can make any goal feel within reach and ensure you have a process to reach the final check mark. 

Otis - week 2

On my second week of keeners the mighty river gods smiled upon us and lowered the water level, this meant that the waves Baby Face and Garberator where in.

Baby face is a great wave because its slow, great for blunts and spins and it is right next to keenerville this means in the afternoon or weekend us keeners can have a 2 minute paddle to a great wave. Garberator however is down by the lunch spot and takes at least 15 minuets to paddle there, but is an extremely fun wave, its big, its hella fast and is great for pulling tricks like aerial blunts or airscrews.

Surfing Garb

In Keenerville I am staying in the prestigious white house cabin, where are many community bonding activities that take place in the white house this includes- Bacon rationing, to keep our supply of bacon high and to teach self discipline. Nightly foosball matches, to have a bit of competitive spirit into the group and to bond the whole cabin as a team. Also this week the keener program did the 'Wall mart trip' where everything is super cheap, for example 8 litres of bagged milk costs only 7$. On the trip I also purchased a tub of protein shake powder and a box of 10 grape flavored cool aid drinks.

Beatdowns By Jack Carroll

          Hey readers it's Jack blogging to you from Keenerville. Unfortunately this is my last blog of this year, but hopefully it will not be my last keener blog. Since Keeners is coming to a close I would like to share one of my favourite part of Keeners which is Bigwater Beatdown Bacon Thursday (BWBBT). As many of you may already know from reading previous keener blogs BWBBT is a day where all of the keeners push there comfort levels. This can be in the form of running new lines, or one of my favourite, getting BEATDOWN!

          Getting beatdown is one of the things most kayakers avoid like the plague. For those of you who are not familiar with the term it means going into a spot on the river, loosing control and getting tumbled around. Here at keeners beatdowns are one of the best parts of the week, which is why I would like to share with you my technique for getting the best beatdown in Rightside Phills (a hole on the Ottawa River).

          To do this technique you must:

Step 1- Make sure you have friends willing to set safety for you in the case of a swim.

Step 2- Leave your paddle with your safety buddies, as you will not be needing it.

Step 3- Walk up to the top of the rapid and get in your boat.

Step 4- Catch Rightside Phills, this is best done by paddling into the centre of it. This method immediately sets you up in an out of control position.

Step 5- Tumble, this is usually done with little effort.

Step 6- Wait to regain control. If this doesn't happen right away try to roll. If this doesn't work hold in for as long as you can before deciding to swim. (If you have chosen to swim skip to step 10)

Step 7- Side surf to your left and then spin left. Keep your eyes upstream and dive over your left shoulder back into the foam.

Step 8- Repeat steps 5 through 7 until you have had your fill. You can then surf out to either the left or the right. This usually requires some speed.

Step 9- Once you reach the edge you can try to flip over and grab as much water exiting downstream. Looking downstream and digging you downstream edge in can also help if you do not wish to flip over.

Step 10- Once you are out claim it and paddle or swim to the appropriate eddy.

          This technique has been thoroughly tested and has been successful at giving out the best beatdowns. including the one I was gifted today. Unfortunately this is my last BWBBT and blog of the year, which is why I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone. I'd like to thank my Parents, my Grandma, Kem, my Aunts and Uncles, as well as Anna, Stephen, Clay, Claire, Juan, Devyn, Nick, Joel, Kalob, James, Joe, the Keeners, and everyone else who's name I didn't mention for making this amazing program possible. Thankyou!

          Enjoy the water, until next time,
                                                            Jack Carroll

Aidan Uens: Week One

Hey readers, coming to you after finishing my first week of kayaking with the rest OKS Keeners of  session 3 2014 .

 

       After four one week sessions of teen camp (also a very great program the OKS offers and I would  highly recommend for beginners), spread out over three summers my teen camp coaches finally pushed me enough to pull the trigger on Keeners. Luckily throughout those four sessions of teen camp I progressed faster than the average paddler, running the main channel (is considered the high adventure channel compared to the middle channel/family trip by rafting companies)  in my first week of teen camp. During the fourth session of teen camp, although I was enjoying myself and was feeling challenged by my instructors, I was feeling held back by the other teen campers considering most of them were beginners and have never kayaked before. This definitely played apart in pushing towards Keeners.

       My issue with feeling challenged and being held back was surely took care of when on the first day  I ran the main channel. Unluckily the first rapid after lunch has the infamous name "Butchers Knife", there is one spot on this whole rapid that needs to be avoided, ya you guessed it I hit that one spot, after getting pinned on a/the rock I shredded my forearm and tweaked my shoulder, forcing me to take a day off. Even though I took a day off I spent the day on the river taking photos of the Keeners running rapids and surfing waves.

Add caption

Crystal like structure in the rock give the rock a sand paper type grip.         

       

 Over the first week I have had the chance to paddle with five different world class coaches. These five include: Clay Wright, Stephen Wright, Claire O'hara, Devyn Scott, and Nick Troutman. All five of them are worth a google, all except for Devyn (founder of Airborn Athletics was held back by shoulder injuries) have been world champions at least once or  multiple times.

See ya next week, Aidan Uens          

           

PetaWawa WeeWaa

Yo!
and welcome to David's last blog post!

So far the last week at Keeners has been great. Monday and Tuesday revolved around practicing freestyle. In the morning we practiced in flat-water and surfed Push Button, and in the afternoon we paddled back up to surf at McCoy's. I've been getting more spins and a couple roundhouses. Yesterday I decided to give right-side Horseshoe a try, where I successfully spun and somehow managed not to flip (it's one of the more powerful holes).

Today was our road trip to the Upper Petawawa! It was an awesome experience and I took a lot out of it for sure. For example there were a a lot of boofs including 5 foot and 8 foot drops. A few of us even jumped off a ~35 foot bridge. Needless to say today a lot of us experienced our biggest drops, both in and out of our kayaks.

Scouting on the Petawawa on one of the biggest drops. 

Anyways... there's only two days left of Keeners and I can't imagine going back home. My parents arrived at WT today (they are also on a vacation). When I saw them it hit me that Keeners is really ending.

Peace. Keep your eyes out for my blog posts next year.
-David Koyrakh.


Big water beat downs, high water Colosseum, surfing rad waves, world's best kayak instructors, awesome people...
I don't want to leave

The Saddest Day of Keeners

Hello Readers,

This is Isaiah Galbraith. I am a 3^rd year, 4^th session keener. I know the in's and out's of keeners and feel like it's my second home. Although all of this is great, this year has been better! This is my first year I get to stay for TWO sessions! Yes, that's right! I said TWO sessions!! A full 6 weeks of paddling on the worlds best river, being instructed by the worlds best instructors, with kids my own age that are just as excited about the sport I have come to be very passionate about. Although all of this is fantastic and all! 

But, that's not what I came here to talk about on this wonderful night. 

I am actually here to talk about the days where things are not so happy. This beautiful Keenerville is not full of ecstatic paddling teenagers that just want to push each other on the water. NO! I am here to talk about that one day where Keenerville feels empty. The terrible day where the happy kids that are gathered together to do the one thing they all have in common; paddle.

This if of course the dreaded Saturday of the 3^rd week of every session. This year, I actually had the dreadful opportunity to experience what happens after they leave. The aftermath of the excitement, and the joy. I can honestly say, it was more then depressing! I felt terrible seeing the people I have grown very close to simply leaving. Not seeing them smile and laugh, and not seeing them in their boats in pure joy. 

Session One Keeners on the Upper Pet. I Miss These Guys Already! 

Even while writing this I get tears in my eyes. I know they are once again happy, with their family's back at home. But I hope somewhere, deep down in their hearts, a part of them is still here. Paddling the worlds best river, with the worlds best instructors, with that one of a kind family they have grown to love and embrace. I can only hope that this second session can be half as amazing as the last one. 

Until next time!

Keener road trips

Being at Keeners, we are on the Ottawa river every day, and we get to know the river pretty well, and are fore the most part, quite comfortable on it. We understand how safe the river is, so it is harder for us to understand other dangerous aspects on a river. Going on a road trip to a different river changes all of this. Different rivers have different hazards, different water levels, and different features that we have to spend more time scouting, which helps improve our judgement as kayakers. This year, we went to the Upper Petawawa for the first time. While it might not be as high volume as some of the other Keener road trip rivers, i felt like i learned a lot from it.

On this trip, i ran my first ever boof, which was a big deal for me, as it made me much more confident. After about a fifty minute portage to the put-in we came to the first rapid, which was a boof. We got out to scout, and i stayed to watch the first runs down. When i finally got into my boat above the boot, I was incredibly nervous, almost to the point of walking it. I told myself that i had to run it because I had to start somewhere, and that this was the perfect place to do so. After I had a very nerve-racking float towards the boot, anticipating what could go wrong, I came to the edge of the pour-over. I took my boof stroke, and went over. I landed pretty well (I think) and furiously paddled just in case i hadn't. I could have ended there, and said that I had done the boof, but my confidence was soaring by that point, so I went back up to run it again. Once more, I went over it just fine, and felt a lot better than before my first run. The rest of the river had some more boofs and drops, which I was excited, instead of nervous to run.

Running my first ever boof

When we got to the last rapid, we didn't scout because there wasn't really a great place to get out. This meant that i was about to run two drops blind. There was a bend in the river before the first drop, (which i think was about 10 feet) so i couldn't see it until i was about to go over it. The previous drops on the river had prepared me, so by this point i knew what to do. I took a boot stroke as i was going over the drop, and was able to land it with ease. What I didn't know was that there was another smaller drop a few feet below, but once again, I ran it just fine. By the end of the river i was feeling super confident about things that I would have been super nervous about before the trip. While it wasn't as intense as running something like the seven sisters on the Rouge, I felt like I still got a lot out of the Upper Petawawa, and also enjoyed it a lot.

Corner Wave with Max Rayner

Hello internet! Welcome back to my blog. Has anyone ever wondered where the word blog comes from? Say "web-log" a couple times and you'll work it out.

Corner wave is feature on the Ottawa river located at the top of the bottom half of McCoys chute. It is fast, diagonal, green, hard to surf and difficult to get back into the eddy after you fall off the wave.

Reasons I like Corner Wave:

1. Always short lines

Is it because people are intimated of the Horse Shoe feature below, is it because it's hard to stay on for long periods of time, or maybe it's because the easier to surf Baby Face wave is just downstream. There are short lines because of all of these reasons. Corner Wave is just above where the river makes a 90° turn to the right, after this turn is the shallow and powerful Horseshoe hole where there is a small tongue in the centre. This hole has been the reason for many injuries and damaged egos. Corner Wave surfs are generally short and sweet which isn't appealing for beginner boaters.

2. It makes you strong

Corner Wave is always a workout. Once you arrive at Corner Wave you will quickly find yourself out of breath. Generally a Corner Wave surf will last around 30 seconds. As soon you fall off the the wave you have to start sprinting to make it back into the eddy. Sometimes it only takes a few strokes but other times when you flush off the far side you need to go into "Usain Bolt" to make the eddy. Effort is ALWAYS required to catch the Corner Wave eddy. There's a rule that if you miss the eddy and walk back up you must do 15 push-ups. Push-ups are done to make build strength so you don't miss the eddy in the future.

3. It makes you focus in your technique.

Corner Wave is very flushy (hard to stay on) this means that when you throw tricks you need no make sure they are done perfectly in order to stay on the wave. Theres a saying on the Ottawa river that if you can do a trick on Corner Wave you can do it anywhere. Moves such as a spin must be done with the correct technique i.e. Weight and paddle blades in the right positions and shifted at the correct times.

4. It's where all the good kayakers hang out.

Two years ago myself and my friend Quinton went for a surf at Corner Wave after dinner one night. In the eddy was Ben Marr, Joel Kowalski, Rush Sturges and Pat Camblin. These kayakers are some of the best wave boaters in the world. My point though is not to go to Corner Wave and get star-struck from the gods of kayaking, it's to learn from them. Every time I'm in the Corner Wave eddy I'm constantly watching the good kayakers surfing. I take notes on where they place their paddle, move their weight and dig in edges. I try to do tricks the same way they do and build my skills off this.

Corner Wave is a great wave to improve skills, build strength and make friends with awesome people. I highly recommend it to everyone. Have a nice day! 

Trying to get the proper technique of a blunt

Paddling hard to catch the eddy.

Tom Schwartz first week back at Keeners

Hello everybody, I am Tom Shwartz and I am from Massachusetts. This is my second year at keeners and I am pumped to be back. The first week here was fresh because of so many awesome thingsv like getting knew tricks, running new lines and just other random things. Also the river feels brand new every few days since the water level is dropping so fast. When I first got here two Sundays ago the water level was around ten and three-quarters and now it’s already down to around three and a half which is crazy since it has only been around a week. 

First of all I won big water beat down Thursday because I got whooped in right side Phils while having the selfie cam, which unfortunately was not on. So I could not the get footage of it, but I still enjoyed getting tumbled there. 

Also I had a fresh swim with Jordan to the gauge on Saturday after a day of paddling. Where we discover that with my lifeproof case we could listen to music underwater as long as our ears were also underwater. Which made the fact that my arms were so tired and I had to basically kick the whole way much better. After the swim we chilled on the rocks till pizza came for dinner. 

Later me, Hamish, Jeremy, and Maurissio went out to paddle Corner Wave because we it had just become good to surf. There was some good spins and blunts being thrown from every one. I brought my speakers along so we jam while surfing. Also got some pretty fresh pictures while we were out there. 

Mauricio Jamming out at Corner Wave

In addition to all of these fresh things happening this weekend my lifejacket tan is at its initial stages which consists of sun burns on my shoulders, arms, and anywhere else my pfd doesn’t cover. All of this should eventually turn into a nice lifejacket tan. So all in all I had a pretty sweet first week back at keeners and am amped for the next two weeks. 

The River is Changing - Sarah Sandeman

Hi! My name is Sarah Sandeman, I'm 17 years old and I live in Ottawa. This is my second year at Keeners but last year I was in sessions 2 and 3. This session has been very different than my sessions last year. Firstly because I have improved a lot in my kayaking and secondly because the river is very different. When I was here last year the water was at a steady level of about minus 2. When I arrived here last Sunday, the river was at 10 and 3/4! That is so much higher than last year! This means that the first day we ran the middle channel, a channel I had only run once, at minus 2. The level stayed at 10 and 3/4 on Tuesday and Wednesday but then it started dropping fast. Over night it dropped about a foot to 9 and 3/4. Thursday was the first time I ran the main channel this year and boy was it different than what I remembered, probably because the water was so much higher. Friday was our competition day and we saw the river change so much that day. When we got on the water the level was 9 and 1/4 so we headed over to McCoy's to play in 7/8 hole. The hole was getting progressively stickier and stickier and downstream a wave started to form. This was because the water was dropping quickly. When we started paddling downstream we found out that the level was at 6 and 1/4. The water had dropped about 3 feet in 4 hours! This meant that the rapids on the main channel had changed quite a bit, especially the waves on Coliseum. They had massive foam piles that would flip you and surf you for a few seconds, even though you could have punched through them just fine the day before. Yesterday and today I really saw how much the water had dropped because I was safety boating on the middle channel, which I hadn't run since Wednesday. I noticed that rocks that were underwater last time I had been there were about 2 feet out of the water now! Personally, I hope the water keeps dropping to about minus 1 or minus 2 because then Garb, Pushbutton, Baby Face and Cornerwave will be in and we will have some more awesome play spots!

Beat downs and big water by Jeremy Wood

Watching Mauricio run the race line on Initiation. 

My name is Jeremy Wood, and the biggest rapids I have run back at home were at most, class 3. Here on the Ottawa river however, we have run high volume class 4 rapids with 15-20 foot tall waves and sticky holes, which are perfect for beat downs. For me, this meant I had to push myself beyond what i was used to, which ended pretty well, most of the time. I had my biggest beat down in a hole called Odyssey, in a rapid called Initiation. It was on race day, and it was finally my turn for a timed run down the rapid. I had done two practice runs before hand, and I thought that it would go pretty well. I started paddling down, and headed left towards the eddy, but i messed up my line, and wound up in Odyssey. Almost immediately I was flipped over, and proceeded to roll up as i usually would. As soon as i came up, I flipped right back over. I felt myself being violently pulled by the water, but i managed to roll up again. When i flipped over and was violently pulled by the water again, I knew that i had gotten stuck in Odyssey. It was pretty nerve-racking but I calmed myself down, and kept rolling back up each time that i was flipped, until I finally made it out. The beat down probably only lasted about 15 seconds, and i had sufficient air the whole time, but since it was my first beat down, I was pretty shocked and exhausted by the end of it. While I was terrified while it was happening, it was probably good that I got beat down, because it helped me get over my fear of running bigger water than I was used to.