Crazy Keeners - Bennett Fleming

After my first week at keeners, it is apparent to me that the keeners are all crazy. Maybe it's how we seal launch down a 25 foot long rock-slide to paddle every morning. Or maybe it's big water beatdown bacon Thursdays, where we dive head first into surging holes and get trashed and destroyed for fun. For fun. Also, there's the skipping contests we have to see how many boyfriends we can drop. Though all of this may seem a little nuts or even insane, I am truly starting to enjoy it. Maybe it's not really that insane after all, or  I myself am starting to lose my sanity from being immersed by less than sane people for almost a week. This has lead me to realize that things that may seem like a bad idea may not be as crazy as thought, and if you can become crazy yourself, many more fun options will present themselves to you. Anyway, on bealf of all the nut jobs here, I strongly encourage anyone who reads this to try something new today. Maybe it will even be enjoyable.

- Bennett Fleming

The Keener Experience (David Koyrakh)

Three days into Keeners and the fun has already begun!

Hey there, my name is David Koyrakh. I am a beginner play-boater and this is my second year at Keeners. I chose to return for a second year because it is truly a great experience and I want to get better at kayaking.

We started off the day on the water by splitting into groups. My group was lead by Kalob (shout out to Team Alpha!). To kick things off we went to surf Babyface and then we paddled the Middle Channel. At Babyface I had my first real surf, which lasted about one minute! For readers that have never surfed a wave before, it felt a lot like wakeboarding or sketchy tubing. Needless to say it was one of the funnest minutes I have ever experienced. Catching your first wave is like a playboater`s first steps, and Babyface is perfect for that.

Throughout the day we surfed a couple holes and I worked on strengthening my whitewater roll. Here at Keeners we improve quickly because we kayak for three weeks straight with some of the best kayakers on Earth. But Keeners doesn`t just make you a better kayaker, it makes you a better person.

Here we learn independence, communication skills, proper etiquette (both on and off the river), and how to take care of our environment. Every morning we are expected to do the morning exercise, cook breakfast, and, most importantly, clean up after ourselves. On Mondays we have Speech Night, where we take turns giving `speeches` to the group. Yesterday was the first speech night and the topic was the Icebreaker Speech. Writing weekly blogs and giving speeches improves our people skills.

To wrap this up I would like to give a HUGE shout to our coaches, keener moms, Mr. Kowalski, and everyone who helps keep this program alive. Without Keeners there would be a couple extra hundred bored thrill-seeking teenagers (a dangerous combination) wasting their potential every summer. Thank you!!