Yakistan is so lit, it is in flames - Abby Holcombe

Fire it is something that you typically don't have to deal with being a kayaker. However, there are some situations where you might be baking for your very much so loved keener mom, Anna, a birthday cake. I decided to go ahead and preheat the oven while making the batter one of my friends, Anne walked in and noticed this smoke. I turned around noticing a smell myself to see Anne opening the oven with flames. I started to scream fire fire fire! And then I ran out the door to go find Anna or another adult. 

So I was running to the common room, the Thunder Dome, screaming, “YAKISTAN IS ON FIRE YAKISTAN IS ON FIRE!!!!!” I come up to the Thunder Dome and start yelling at all the kids saying, “GO GET ANNA YAKISTAN IS ON FIRE HELP HELP HELP!!!” I was so concerned and luckily I found our coach TC and he ran back to Yakistan with me. As soon as I walked back in the door the fire was out and Anna and all the amazing people in Keenerville were surrounding the oven. Long story short we still made a cake but decided to use White House’s oven instead because ours was smoking hot since we decided to store our food in the oven. So if you ever go to Keeners make sure you stay in Yakistan because it is so lit it is in flames!

How to Stylishly Beater Garb by Katie Jackson

     When nailing the big tricks on Garb gets boring, trying to link those tricks with beatering can be an exciting challenge and a great way to switch up your normal training routine. I recently began delving into stylish beatering by attempting to link window shades at the NOC hole. This advanced move proved trickier than expected when I realized switching seamlessly from one side surf to another doesn’t always work when you’re disoriented from rolling. Never less, it was perfect training for the bigger, faster water at Garb. Having previously wave boated but never surfed Garb, I was in the perfect position to stylishly beater.

     One may not simply beater, one must do so stylishly. Some people began their sessions by flipping during the ferry out, then attempting to catch the wave. This is a great trick to add some anticipation for the crowd- they have no clue if you’ll catch the wave or not! I personally prefer to start my ride like I know what I’m doing by catching the wave first. Once on the wave, I spend some time floundering my way to a position of control so that I may beater properly. I take an acceleration stroke on the left then lean hard right. By-standers may think I am trying to blunt, but in fact I am going for the infamous half-cartwheel to face surf. In order for it to be stylish beatering, the crowd must be able to tell which trick you are starting with before the beatering commences. This trick takes little to no time to master if you know the basics of blunting. The hardest part is to hold the face surf. I made the horrible mistake of dropping edges so that I actually threw ends. I am jealous of those who can hold the face surf for a solid five seconds or more. I hope to increase my skills in this field. The blunt-face surf is only one example of the many options for stylish beatering. I implore you all to challenge yourselves to not only beater but to beater stylishly.