Kate's Final Post: (Swift Water Rescue Training)

Last post for MAX!

So the session is ending off and this will be my last blog. Today we went to the gatineau river as the river trip. The whitewater there was a lot more shallow and the waves where significantly harder to catch. I managed to pull of a lopsided loop and several pirouettes. The rest of week before today was a bit more boring and therefore this blog will be shorter. If your're wondering why it was boring, we simply did SRT (swiftwater rescue training) where we basically swam a lot of rapids/threw throw ropes/ walk across the river currents and get out of foot/gear entrapments. Other than this the only thing else that stood out this week was the friday competition in which I failed at because I was going for a bunch of moves (which I did in trails) but got washed out on the simpler ones. I was at garb and going for
( R-spin / L-spin / L-shuvit / R-shuvit / R-Roundhouse / L-Roundhouse / L-Blunt / R-Blunt / Airscrew ) If I reached to the airscrew during the competition I would be really happy. Luckily I managed this during the trails on my free time during weekends. Thats all. TOMORROW IS BEATDOWN!

Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?

Hey guys! It's Julie again. Unfortunatly, this will be my last keener blog of the year. Recently, we've been getting in plenty of swiftwater rescue training. Even if I don't feel like I can get to safety on my own, I have loads of faith in the other keeners that they will assist. I'm really excited for tomorrow because we have a day trip to go paddling at the Gatineau river. Also, there will be poutine, which is awesome! However, something I'm not looking forward to is saying goodbye to all of the great friends I've made during my time here. We only have a few days left, which is crazy because the past week and a half just flew by. It almost feels unreal that after getting into the routine of paddling everyday and having such strong relationships with other people, that I will have to go back to my normal life. I have such an amazing experience that reality hasn't kicked in yet that my time here won't last forever, and I'm dreading the time where I'll have to pack up my things and say farewell to everyone and everything I've experienced until next year when I return. On a positive note, I'll keep striving to get the most out of my time here in these last few precious days. I've had an awesome time telling you guys about my life at Keeners. For now, it's all said and done, it's been real, and it's been fun!

-Julie

The End to a Great Summer

Hey guys it's Jack here with my final blog for this session. Today was one of the greatest days on the river I got a ton of huge vertical air blunts on Garb and a few lefty blunts, which are my offside blunts. Hopefully I can get my backblunts down so that I may come closer to completing my goals.

I am super excited because tomorrow we are taking a road trip to the Gatineau River, one of my favourite rivers an one I have paddled frequently. Unfortunately this year I did not get to paddle there due to my new puppy and the fact that the takeout campsite doesn't allow dogs.

I want to thank everyone who gave me this wonderful opportunity to come to this amazing camp so thank you Mom, Dad, Grandma, Kem, all my aunts and uncles and everyone else.

Jack :)

Ben's Final Week as a Keener

Hey guys, it's Ben White, back for my Week 6 post on the Keener blog. Sadly, this will be my final post on the blog as a Keener, as I'll be too old to come back next summer. Nevertheless, these past 6 weeks have been some of the best days of my life. Coming into the program, I had a fairly limited skill set when it came to playboating and big water kayaking. I've since learned how to bow stall, stern stall, right blunt, left/right roundhouse, back deck roll, basics for an airscrew, clean spin, and air loop. I am also much more confident running challenging lines, like punching right side Phil's or doing the Hero ferry on McCoy's. Since I arrived 37 days ago, the water level has gone from 14 feet to -1.5, providing me and the group with a myriad of playspots and fun lines, from Minibus to Garburetor. These past couple weeks, I've been devoting the majority of my time to cycling on waves in order to learn and perfect the blunt. Today on Garb, I cycled to the top of the foam pile and threw my first air blunt. It was an awesome feeling, as I could finally see all of my hard work pay off. For those who don't know, a trick with "air" is when you and your boat are completely aerial at some point during the trick. I've been having an amazing time on the Ottawa, and I think it's safe to say that I've fallen in love with the river's warm, deep water and world-class whitewater. When I go back to my local (very small) playspot in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, I'll probably drop to my knees and cry, wishing I was back on the Ottawa. First world problems, I know, but it's true. I'd like to say thank you to all of the awesome coaches, friends, and paddlers I've met through the Keener program for making my stay on the Ottawa an unforgettably amazing experience, and especially my parents for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Keeners has been super solid!

Popcorn time, Ben

Tuesday, Week 3 by Chris

Sadly this is going to my final week at Keeners. I had a great time here, nothings better than getting to kayak everyday for 3 weeks. Although I probably should have taken a day off this weekend, as I am very tired and sore this week, who could pass up the opportunity to kayak when you are literally right at the base of McCoys. I also unfortunately have an ear infection, so if you come to Keeners make sure to use the ear disinfectant everyday after paddling. I got lazy and stopped using it and look what happened. Keeners has been an absolutely amazing experience, getting to run the river everyday, meeting teenagers who like kayaking as much as you do, get to paddle with world renowned instructors, and just learning a ton of new stuff. My favourite day of the week was by far, Big Water Beatdown Bacon Thursday, is was just so much fun pushing yourself to run lines and do stuff your normally wouldn't. If you told me I'd be hand surfing Right Side Phil's at the beginning of the session, I would not have believed you. I was a little hesitant about coming to Keeners at first, but I am so happy I did. So any of you guys thinking about coming to Keeners but aren't quite sure, just do it, you'll love it, guaranteed.
-Chris

Sarah Week 3

Hey guys its sarah here for my last blog post of session 2! Im really sad that this session is almost over but so much has been happening that i keep forgetting its almost over. Last thursday it was big water beat down thursday and i got beatdown of the week! I got beatdown twice in right side phils. Once was by accident because i was trying to hit the tongue and the second was on purpose. The first one was quite short but i got thrown around alot and then flushed out. the second one was really long and felt like i was in a washing machine. On friday during the competition i got some spins on push button and started to learn how to roundhouse. Im also working on my double pump to get into a bow stall. Unfortunately ravenclaw came last in harry potter week but it was still really fun! Friday night we went to the fair which was awesome and we got to go on a bunch of rides. Ive now started my SRT and its actually kinda fun (surprisingly). Yesterday we did throwbagging and wading and i learnt alot! Im excited to go to the gatineau tomorrow because i like running new rivers. bye for now!
-Sarah