Dominik-swift water rescue training

Hi there this is Dominik. Today we had swift water resque traning. We started the day off with learning how to use our throw bags. i thought throwing the ropes would be easy until I tried it; I kept missing my partner.I later learned that you also need a backup person to hold you down and very good foot placement so you don't fall in when your swimmer grabs the rope. We then went to the death slot  to practice getting over a strainer.

Practicing Boofing over strainer

To get over a strainer in the river such as a fallen tree then you want to slow your self down a little bit and then put your arms in front of you , push up onto the log and simply climb over. We then practiced a rescue for if someone was stuck on a log. The way we did this was we had a total of five people helping. There was one person strapped onto a rope being lowered down the river. two people were holding onto the rope. One person was yelling commands and one helped the person get out of the water onto shore. The person on the rope grabbed the person stuck on the rope and brought him towards shore and then the one person on shore helped them get out. then we practiced foot entrapments and equipment entrapments. Those were much harder to do. We practiced this by being tied onto a rope on a peace of equipment and take it off. this took me many tries to do. the foot entrapment drill we did was you were tied by your foot in the water and you had to find a way to take the pressure off your foot. You do this by swimming to the bottom pushing off the rocks. This one i got first try.

See you next week! Dominik

My first keeners- Max Haworth

Hello my name is Max. This is my first keeners. I am looking forward to all the things that we are going to be doing this month. Like SRT and first aid training. In the picture below I am swimming at SRT training but it's ok because it's super safe and controlled. In this drill I have to get over the log by swimming head first and garbing the log and pushing with my hands to get my body over the log. We are practicing swimming over the log so we don't get pinned, or stuck on or under the log, or drown. When I first saw it, I thought it would be easier than it was. When I hit the log, the pressure of the water was immediate. Whenever I tried to pull over the log, it would slip and turn. The water hit me directly on my back, and forced my legs underneath the log downstream. The hardest part was getting my lower body back upstream to get it over the log. I could breathe the whole time, and managed to keep my head up for the majority of the time, until I  was forced to let go and flush under the log. One thing I will take away from this exercise is to try and avoid logs at all cost, because there is a really good chance you will be forced under them, and sometimes you may not come out. I think this was a super important part of SRT training because it is a real danger on the river, and is something that can happen commonly if you aren't careful. 
It was hard to say the least, but in the end it was a really fun session and I learned a lot about the power of the river and how to stay safe. 

Failing at Log Swims during SRT

                                                    
Max Haworth  

Keeners second week

Me playing the Log Game while Clay Wright instructs us on what to do. 

Yesterday at keeners we played the "log game." The log game is a great learning experience. Logs are a very dangerous threat on the river. You can get trapped or impaled by them and they don't look very harmful. In the log game you have to get over or under a log that is held a certain height over the river. It is really fun and very enlightening. Tonight we went to see Batman. It was awesome. Keeners is the best.

Week 2 of Keeners Begins

The fun never ends at the Keener program! Week 2 began with a Manic Monday the highlight of which was playing in the death slot. The death slot games involve two coaches moving a log around in a narrow slot while the Keeners practice boofing over or sliding under the log. This comical endeavour is a fabulous opportunity for the Keeners. We have the opportunity to deal with what would normally be very dangerous situations in a completley safe environment (the death slot is not at all scary) with supportive coaches. As we attempt to get over/under the log the coaches can give us tips and even lift the log if we get stuck. All in all, the log games in the death slot are very fun and hugely beneficial to any kayaker who seeks to pursue a future in creeking.

Log Games are fun! Photo by Rafa Ortiz

Today we woke up to a nice cool, cloudy morning. Most of the Keeners went for a refreshing run and then all of us completed some dynamic stretches. We will go down the main and probably surf some garb or push button this morning/afternoon. I will be focusing on sticking a blunt. This evening all the Keeners will go to the movies and we will see Batman!

Week 2 By Nicole Diviney

Good morning/afternoon/night readers!

Week 2 has begun and today the sky is looking surprisingly grey. Nonetheless, everyone is really excited about their tremendous progress and about today's trip to Walmart and the cinema! (or movie theater, as they constantly correct me here). Yesterday was Monday and so we simply ran the main channel, surfed, and received a scary but necessary "lightning talk" from Stephen Wright. The lightning decorating the afternoon clouds was sublime above our colourful heads.

As far as on-river skills, I am very happy to have managed my first spin on Sunday. I may have credited myself for managing one before, but I do believe that I was merely shuv-it-ing my way through the wave. I am also rolling much more consistently, as I only swam three times yesterday (four if you include the intense log session). Ah, yes! The log thing was super fun. We got to paddle through a narrow channel, which at first intimidated me, but ended up being fine. We had to kayak under a log, which got closer to the water as every person completed level 1. I was told off for "loving" the log too much, as I was hanging onto it for dear life. It was a fun and different experience though, and so I'm happy we did it. It was good preparation for potential stumblings into unforeseen obstacles on the river!

All the keener girls, and keeners in general, are still getting along. We spent a nice weekend (if we were not enjoying the exciting course that is First Aid). We went swimming, paddling (baby face spin, oh yeah), watched movies, ate, and in general always had something to do as we are all great company and the Ottawa river is a delightful place to be! Well, I shall tune in next week for more news!

Peace

Playing Log Games in the Death Slot. Photo by Rafa Ortiz. 

ND