Decisions... - Holly Wilson

     So these past few days have been a tiny bit of a struggle... Actually that's a lie. These last few days, although they may have their highlights, have sucked for the most part. I was off the water for 3 days in a row, not for being a naughty child but due to sickness and injury. Day one was due to stomach problems and looking back now I wish that was the worst I had it. The rest were due to a fantastically horrid injury....

     While playing Ultimate Frisbee Tuesday morning I managed to run straight into the cap of the septic tank for our cabins. The tank already sticks out in a very inconvenient manner at the end of our field used for most Keener morning activities. I know for a fact I am not the first one to run into this hazard, many people before me have managed to. I am, however, the first to my knowledge to run at and manage a sprain like this. I ran to knock a Frisbee out of someones hand and my ankle slammed sideways into the electrical box of the cap and then slide underneath it and me.

     Of course it hurt at first, I was running full speed and slammed right into. That alone would hurt, but to also have my ankle roll underneath me like that... Well it was really painful. At first I couldn't put any weight on it and the swelling started immediately. We iced it and gave me some medication but it still hurt like crazy. So, Keener Mom Anna decided it was time for our first trip to the ER this summer, and I was just lucky enough to be the first victim.

My ankle immediately after the incident

     The ER trip was long and boring, but not one I'll soon forget. Although it lasted a about 4 hour and I had to be wheeled around because I couldn't actually walk, it was not as horrible as I thought it would be. The company , Anna Bruno and Matheiu Dumoulin, actually made the trip rather entertaining. The two of them could not sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time, so after being banned from another Tim Horton's trip by the lovely ladies at the front desk they took it upon themselves to learn how to become doctors with all the lovely equipment in my new room. The two of them can now thoroughly tell you if your ears are clean and if your reflexes are working. We can tell you the Anna's reflexes are useless. 

     After receiving the news that my X-Rays came back negative for any fractures (or so they think) we were released with the information that it is just a really awful sprain. Now I was faced with a hard decision, what to do now... Although Keeners is all about making decisions, which line is quickest, which will get me a good beat down, should I take a rest day or not, and many more that impact the experience you have here, this decision was much bigger than the rest. I had to decide everyday if I wanted to go out or not, and in the end, if I was staying for the next session. Of course everyday I wanted to go out, I came here to kayak. There was still a fear though that I would make my ankle worse by going out and cause permanent damage. Although I don't think I made the wrong choice over the past few days, it may not have been the best...

Co-ordinator Report Session 3!

It is hard to believe that we are already into Session three, our last session of Keeners for the summer.

Last session ended with a huge increase in confidence and skill level for the majority of the group. A few highlights for me were seeing the group come together as a team to lead some of our lesser experienced Keeners through McCoys.  Here, Charlie, who came into the start of session one without a reliable roll, runs the Phils tounge.

Charlie Dupuis runs the Phils Tongue

Another highlight of Session 2 was the Keener trip. Lower water levels on the Ottawa meant great play, but not as much variety as we had in Session one. To change things up, we took the Keeners on the road to the Gatineau. A mere two hour drive away into Quebec, there is a land of poutine of whitewater. 

The Gatineau is similar to the Ottawa in that it is large volume, pool drop, with large pools below big rapids. Despite Low levels on the Gat, everyone had a ton of fun seeing new lines and new features. Keeners surfed at Lucifers, and take-out waves, and worked on their boat scouting skills.  The highlight of the trip though was the Poutine- a special Quebec concoction of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. Delicious. 

Enjoying Poutine... easily the highlight of a trip to Quebec

Surfing on the Gatineau

While we were sad to say goodbye to session two just as things were getting good, I am stoked to welcome Session Three. 

We have a lot of returning Keeners this session, and 8 girls out of 18 total Keeners. The skill level is high, even if the water is low, and if the first week is any indication, the next two weeks should be even more awesome. 

Session 3 keeners scouting McCoys

Nicole Dannecker Week 6 Blog

Playing the game of "war" as part of a morning activity.

Hey everyone its Nicole again here with my sixth week keener blog! Its hard to believe that it is already the beginning on the last week of second session I guess its true when they say time flies when you’re having fun, especially since our amazing keener mom Anna Bruno helps us make the most of our keener experience both on and off the water by giving us solid advice and planning extra activities for us to do such as our Wal-Mart/Movies trip or taking us to the Beachburg fair this past Friday. Keeners would truly not be the same without her in the family. Then there are our amazing keener coaches Clay Wright, Tyler Curtis, Devyn Scott, Claire O’Hara and Stephen Wright, unfortunately Stephen and Claire will be leaving us this week. I for one have learned so much from them and I hope to paddle with them again one day! The coaches are one of the reasons that this program is so truly unique, they are some of the best paddlers in the world and they are able to relate to us when teaching us tricks whether it be getting a loop, or trying to get onto a wave that you can't seem to catch. They push us to strive to do our best and I have never achieved more in my kayaking career than I have this summer under their guidance and assistance.

          Though there are many challenges while in this program from the physical challenges such as paddling every day for three weeks to the mental challenges such as the Monday night speeches I could not think of a better way to spend my summer! The encouraging environment that surrounds all of us while we are here makes it easy to try new things or get up and speak in front of all of the keeners that you have only known for a couple weeks and feel comfortable and confident. The keener program is truly the experience of a life time and I am truly grateful to all of the people who made it possible for not only me but the other keeners to come and have this experience. 

Keeners is Hard: Keener Co-ordinator Report

Welcome Back to Session Two of Keeners!

As  sit in the thunderdome, our common area, listening to the sounds of Keeners playing in the water behind me, I am struck by something we sometimes neglect to mention: Keeners is hard!

For all the fun of this program, I think many of the kids are surprised by the challenges they encounter on and off the water. From my perspective, I think the challenges and the very reasons this program can be hard for kids is what makes it so successful, and such an influential program on kids lives. I thought rather than chronicaling the first week of session two (how did we get here already?!) I thought I would take the time to list out what I see as being some of the challenges for Keeners.

Reason Number One Keeners is Hard:

1. Physically- Keeners is a lot of work! These kids paddle all day, everyday, pushing themselves to try new things, using muscles often neglected during the rest of the year, and it makes sense that at the end of the day, or the week, they are sore! We try and stretch everyday, and do yoga at least 1-2 times a week to try and help our bodies heal. Ice and rest are encouraged for those more than just a little sore- but Keeners and the Ottawa are so much fun, it can be hard to take time off the water!

2. Living Space: Not many kids are accustomed to living with 20 other teenagers , who all love kayaking. This can lead to some rowdy moments, and it can be hard to find some alone time or downtime. Each of the Keener Cabins has a common area, in addition to one big hang out space called the Thunderdome. This does help give options, and allow for some time in smaller groups, but it can be overwhelming to spend 3 weeks with someone non-stop. The upside to this is that living, eating, sleeping and kayaking together for three weeks is what contributes to the friendships that come out of the Keener program.

3. Sleep: The days are long, and having lights out at 10:30 initially sounds way to early to go sleep- yet by the end of the first week, Keeners are asking me to remind them to go to bed even earlier. No matter how tired you get from long days on the water, sharing a room or a set of bunk beds with someone can be a new experience for some, and can have moments of frustration: Turning the lights off, keeping your space clean, accommodating someone elses needs... so hard! Learning to live with others... Keener life skill.. Check!

4. Food: At Keeners, the kids make their own breakfast, typically eggs, cereal, bagels, oatmeal, and then receive dinner and lunch at Wilderness Tours. Lunch is Hamburgers, and dinner is on a rotating schedule. For Breakfast, kids receive food 2-3x weekly from the WT kitchens, and have to ration out their portions amongst 6-8 people per kitchen. People can become territorial about milk, Vector, and Bacon, but learning to work together to cook and eat and survive goes a long way.

5. Public Speaking: Listed as a fear worse than death for many... The Keeners get to confront this one head on every monday night when we do Keener Speech night. I give out topics ranging from information from FA lessons, the importance of scouting, recognizing Poison Ivy, and topics such as "giving more than you take" and what makes you a better person. The take away from the Keener program, for me, is helping kids to realize that at the end of the day, it isn't only about how you preform on the water that counts, but who you are off the water.

6. Chores: Every morning, before you are allowed on the water.. Chores have to be done! Kitchen and common space clean up, picking up trash, sweeping out the bus, making beds.. all part of the daily routine. It helps to realize that even at Keeners, you have to earn your play!

Expect to be pushed in this program- both off the water and on, so that you grow not only as a boater, but as a person.

Sydney smiles in the canola fields. showing that is well
worth all the hard work to be a keener!  

Nicole Week 5

       Hey everyone its Nicole again with my weekly keener post. Its been a great week getting to know all of the new keeners who came for second session. Even though it was hard to say goodbye to the keeners from first session, I feel like this session is gonna be great and we will love it! I was really happy this week because I finally got the hang of getting my bow stall and surfing on push button!

Next week I hope to get surfs on Garb and maybe I could even get closer to getting a cartwheel on Push Button. I am really excited to meet the keeners who are arriving this weekend and I am sure that they will fit right in to our Keener family. I would like to thank all of our coaches, Anna, the WT staff, and all of the keeners who have made this possible and my parents for putting up with my endless rants on how excited i am to be here and of course giving me this amazing opportunity!

Jahn Pearson week 1

Hey guys its Jahn with the weekly post on Wednesdays. I thought instead of talking all about the paddling, I would talk about keener living. Keener living is truly amazing because you are right next to MCoy's and even better, baby face a really great wave. When you first get to keeners you will meet Anna your keener mom. Anna is a really good boater and a nice person in general.

Anna working in the Thunderdome. 

The accommodations at Keenerville are great ! You will be assigned a cabin which has 3 rooms with two beds a piece and a common area with a kitchen, couch and tv,  a bathroom and a kitchen table. I am living in Whitehouse, Yakistan belongs to the girls, and then there is Robertson's and Istanbul. Once you are here you will paddle with some of the greatest paddlers in the world. I must say that it is very humbling to paddle with such great paddlers. A side note is that no matter what, you will have an extremely hard time sleeping the first 2 nights.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my parents for allowing me to come here: dad I appreciate you.

David Aka muzzy thanks for the yo-yo and the stuff i really appreciate it.

Till next Wednesday- Jahn.

Co-ordinators Report, July 16th

Hello there!

It has been a quiet weekend at Keenerville, after a busy last week of session one. The highlight for the last week of session would have to be the Rouge trip- no surprise there if you have been following the previous blog posts! The Rouge River is a mere 3 hour drive from Keeners' Ottawa base, and is a great river to give the Keeners an introduction to creeking, and other styles of river than our big friendly Ottawa.

Otis Runs the "3rd Sister " while Anna and Tyler set Safety. 

Connor styling the Fourth sister

Coach Ben Marr gives the go sign as Joey Brown lines up the "6th" sister. 

The section of the Rouge we ran is known as "The Seven Sisters", named for a series of drops, or waterfalls. For the majority of the Keeners, this was there first waterfall, and there is hardly a better place to try one! The drops are all varied in style, with some good boof lines and a small slide. Everything was a little intimidating at first, especially to be using play boats! There were a few swims, and lots of chances to practice safety. All in all, everyone had a great day. The highlights of the day were definitely watching coach Rafa Ortiz get a beatdown in the 3rd sister, Archie's beatdown at the 6th sister, and going for a Quebec classic- Poutine!- post river.

We were all sad to see the first session Keeners go on Saturday, as well as say goodbye to Coaches Tyler Curtis and Ben Marr.

Session 2 Keeners put on the Water for the first day of warmups! 

A whole new group of Keeners arrived on Sunday to kick off Session 2. We have boaters from Scotland, Costa Rica, Canada, and the US: This session even has a record 3 Keeners from  New Mexico, and 8 female Keeners! It is great to see returning faces, as well as all the first time Keeners.  Sunday morning also brought back Keener Head Coach Stephen Wright for the remainder of the summer, as well as Keener Coach and Kayaking Legend Clay Wright. We are super excited to have them back on the water with us. 

Tonight will be speech night, I know I am looking forward to learning a little bit about each Keener, as well as hearing one of Stephen Wrights famous speeches. 

Stephen Wright gets ready to get on the Water

 Coaches for the week are Rafa Ortiz, Joel Kowalski, Stephen Wright, Clay Wright, and Tino Specht.

It should be an awesome week to start off session 2. The water levels are low, and Garb is green, but Corner Wave is still awesome, and Push Button just keeps getting better. It is hot out here, and lucky for us, there is no better time to be on the water! 

Rafa Ortiz brings the excitement! 

Hope to see you out there- check back for more updates soon! - And be sure to check the Facebook page for more photos and daily updates!!

Co-ordinators Report Week 2!

Rush Sturges and Ben Marr show Keeners how
it is done at Garb. Photos Galen
Volckhausen. 

It has been a fun-filled second week here at Keenerville. Our usual coaching staff of Tyler Curtis,  Joel Kowalski, and Tino Specht was supplemented by guest coaches Ben Marr and Rush Sturges.

Monday dawned sweltering hot- temperatures have been in the 40s all week- (That is around 95 degrees to those of us on the Fahrenheit plan) leading to loads of sunscreen and, lucky for us, inspiration to spend lots of time on the water.

Tuesday was a movie trip to Pembroke, where all the Keeners discovered the joys of Wal-Mart- especially the candy section! New friends were made- notably the chipmunks that have discovered all the treats Keeners brought home with them. This has led to a new off river activity of chasing chipmunks out of the cabins. I'm not sure who is more scared- the Keeners, or the chipmunks!

Race Day wednesday saw a several different styles of races- a boater cross down the Lorne rapid with 2 slalom gates, as well as a regular boater cross on Normans, and a time trial on Coliseum. Joey won 1st place for the boatercross, and Patrick dominated the time trial.

Race Day Wednesday saw tight competition. Here is a still from the boater cross at the Lorne. 

Levels are dropping quickly, but Corner Wave is still green, glassy and gorgeous. Babyface and Push Button have been great tools for Keeners trying out some of their first blunts, while Garb has been challenging some of the more advanced members of our group.

Keener Coach and Video Teacher Tino Specht gets huge air

on Garb. 

For Competition Friday, there were two comps: One at Garb- won with a 200 point ride by Joey. Quinton was close behind in second with a score of 155.  The competition was tight at Pushbutton, with Greyson, Otis and David tied for 1st.

The Keener Ramp: Ready and Waiting

One on river highlight for the week was Thys getting his first ever surfs on Babyface and Pushbutton- no small feat! Off-river highlights would be a morning warm-up game of Ultimate Frisbee, where we learned that Greyson has serious frisbee skills, as well as playing "Samurai", a game where one person is blindfolded, covered in clothespins, and given a pool noodle. The object of the game is for the other players to remove the clothespins without getting thwacked by the pool noodle. The Keeners got well into the game- with excellent Samurai performances by Otis, Joey, Hannah, Archie, Canon and Matt.

The upcoming week looks to be the best yet- Former Keener Rafa Ortiz will be joining the coaching staff for the week, the infamous Keener Ramp has been revamped and re-installed, and we are planning a trip to the Rouge river. I think everyone is hoping to make the most of their last week here.

That is all for now! For more updates and photos, check the Keener Facebook page: 


Anna

Today, Sunday July 8th was Hannah's 16th Birthday. Thanks Ruth for the delicious cake!