How to master your roll at keeners - Matt Brotton

Now there is definitely the main ways to learn your rolls, which do work great but they sometimes just don’t cut it. If you wanna give yourself a decent challenge follow these couple steps and you’ll be learning your flat water roll whilst practicing your whitewater roll at the same time! So theres obviously a huge difference between flat water rolls and whitewater cause in flat you setup but in the rapids you can flip at any time on any side. So first try your rolls the regular way. Once you’ve done that a couple times and you feel comfortable start trying to challenge yourself. Instead, put your paddle above your head and try that,another way is hold the paddle behind your back and try your roll, this will help you improve on where you need to put your paddle when your not in a setup position. You can get creative yourself and hold your paddle in different ways to give yourself more of a challenge. One thing you gotta remember is that EVERYONE learns at different paces some people will get there roll in 20 minutes some will in a couple weeks, either or it doesn’t matter everybody in this world is different and thats more then fine so if your having trouble with your roll just like i do just don’t get mad and frustrated cause that will make everything harder, just stay calm and practice practice and practice nobody becomes the best over night, Everything takes time, I really hope these tips helped you like it helped me. Have fun paddling and be safe!!

The keener experience - by savannah westeinde

KEENERS!!! I've been looking forward to these 3 weeks of Summer all year now, but I've also been dreading them. It's the fear and excitement off the unknown that really makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I was excited to improve my paddling, and to meet all the new people hoping I would be able to forge strong bonds with (if not everyone) most of the people at keenerville. I was dreading some of the more dangerous activities that I had heard would be part of the course, and I was also dreading meeting all the new people. But now that I'm here, looking back I wish that I hadn't spent so much time worrying about things that will happen in the future and spent more time living life in the present. Because as soon as I got here I knew that these would be some of the best three weeks of my life, all of the kids, coaches and paddlers were amazing and so nice. I hit it of with my fellow cabin mates right away and have had so much fun with them and it's only the second day! I've also discovered a change in my outlook on life, the first day when we got on the water I was terrified! ( yes I am pretty much terrified of any rapid where there is anything that could possibly go wrong) but as soon as we went down our first rapid, I had discovered a new found confidence. I wasn't afraid anymore and I was ready for any challenges that the next three weeks had in store for me. I even found myself swimming in the whirlpools at the bottom of Normans (which is not something I'd normally do at all). It's just all such an amazing experience and you meet so many new people from all around the world. I've realized why this is such an amazing sport, not only are there tons of amazing beautiful rivers to explore, but the environment and the people are both so amazing and unique. It's a sport like no other and I am so excited to see what these next three weeks have in store for me.

How to dispose of a nocturnal giant zombie moth-fly-mosquito (By Sabina Sander)

First, you actually have to encounter one of these perilous creatures of the night. Wich really isn't very difficult (especially in yakistan). You may find one under your pillow, or maybe in your sleeping bag, or perhaps you'll simply wake up to one gnawing on and loudly buzzing about your forehead as I did.

Then, you may procede to panic and flail around, maybe urgently try and swish it towards the top bunk and toward your unlucky roomate's head. Don't forget to scream a little.

Now, you may take a deep breath. It's time to dig out your headlamp. At this point, you will most likely have woken up the rest of your cabin with all the shouting and stomping around, so don't worry about the noise from this next step.

Grab a shoe, preferably not your shiny new paddling ones, and start pounding the heck out of that thing. Imagine the bug is someone you hate, envision them eating the very last gummy bear from your stash without even asking you... Trust me, it's not going to die any time soon (hence the zombie) so be prepared mentally to -gasp!- pick it up yourself and take it outside. Job done.

So This Is What Goodbye Feels Like - Charlie Barbera

This the last day of Keeners. It's been 19 days so far. 456 hours. Countless memories. As I stare at the words on my laptop I feel pensive- melancholy- almost sad. The 21 friends I have made in this incredible experience will scatter to the winds by tomorrow- to Alabama and Germany- British Columbia and Connecticut. The world. My heart starts to race as I realize today will be my last day on the water with some of these fantastic people. Moments throughout these three weeks flash through my mind. Moments of David's attempt at a Back Panam. Moments of Carl leaving a case of Nutella open and provoking the wrath of Brooks. Moments of Clay and Steve-O and Nick and Kaleb and Joel and Bren and Anna and Sandra- teaching us. Showing us the beauty of whitewater- the passion they have turned to one of the greatest sports of all time. I have met people that were giants in the kayaking world, role models and idols to me. I have never been at such a loss for emotion. I have been excited all session. The adrenaline, the rush the joy of kayaking one of the greatest rivers with some of the greatest current paddlers and some of the greatest future champions- and now it's over. So this is what good-bye is. How do you say goodbye to such a group of people that have changed your life forever?  How do say thank you for making my world so much brighter? How can you ever find words for this moment? You can't. This is one of those goodbyes that burns in the heart, a fire that words won't quench. This is a goodbye that lingers on the mind, right in the corner, always watching. This is a goodbye to all of the friends I have made, all of the teachers I have gained, all of the family I have found. To David and David. To Jake and Jake. To Bennett and Hunter and James and Holly and Bella and Caroline and William and Brooks and Kyle and Garrett and Parke and Katie and Kate and Cat and Ray and Caelan and Carl. This is NOT goodbye- this is see you on the river.

How to Stay Awake at Keeners - Hunter Gibson

Keeners is an amazing program where you are on the water almost 5 hours every day for three weeks. This is amazing, you get so much better and gain so much confidence in your kayak. As a relative beginner last year and coming back this year I am confident to class four rapids and can, and have run some class fives with no paddling outside of keeners. I am always amazed at what I can do in a playboat. But there is a downside. You have these amazing coaches that paddle everyday year round or at least if the snow/ice permits. Well, they never get tired. But you will. You may not admit it to yourself until you are off the water but then you realise, wow I'm falling asleep during speech night, or, I can't focus on the rappelling because I'm so sleepy and this harness is so comfortable. Well do I have the answer for you! It's called sleep. You need to catch up on it. Go to bed early, no one is going to judge you. It's not like you are going to miss much, and others may follow suit saying things like "sounds like a plan". Really it's worth doing you will love it in the morning. When Anna comes around to wake you you will be thankful as you pop up long before your roommate and feel twice as good. There is only one problem with this plan, Keeners is a loud place, unless your roommates go play monopoly or watch a movie in the thunderdome it could be quite difficult to fall asleep. The easiest way to solve this is by putting a good movie on in the thunderdome. If you went to sleep early and you still don't feel like the god of thunder ready to take on the mighty ottawa. Well that means you are muscle tired. The easy fix for this is lots of stretching and a rest day. You are encouraged to take a rest day once every weekend, But im saying take two. If you really hurt, and if you do you will know what I mean, then take two rest days. Even Anna who lives here throughout the summer takes a rest day every weekend (from us, and the river). If that doesn't convince you then your screaming body halfway through your second week will. Take a rest day, sleep, surely there couldn't be anymore I can do, and I still feel terrible. Well now we get technical. What hurts? Is it your legs? then you should take a look at your outfitting. Is it your hands? Look at your paddle. Your back? You should actually do more backstrokes and try to stretch it out on the ground. If all else fails ask Anna, she is a professionally trained yoga instructor and is happy to help with anything, except boat related things, for that goto Stevo or Clay Wright. If none of that works still go to Anna and say hey anna I hurt and nothing makes me feel better not the stretches you gave me and I have changed everything about my boat I think I'm broken. She will tell you either to tough it out or if she thinks you are actually broken she will take you to the doctor. That is all you can do. thanks for reading!

The keys to a successful keener session!- Jacob Walker

The keys to a successful keener session!

1. To have a successful session you must have a expectation of goals or ideas of the things you want to complete. With out goals you aren't going to learn anything because you won't expect anything of your self. The best way to make myself grow is to choose goals that make me really uncomfortable, or even choose a  “unreachable” goal. Then I break down this unreachable goal into smaller more manageable goals. One of my goals this session was to do a Bread and Butter combo on the wave. A Bread and Butter is a forward blunt linked to a opposite reverse blunt. It is a super fun combo, but definitely a hard one to learn. I knew that if I didn't break my goal down, it would be impossible to reach quickly and efficiently. I broke my goal down into 5 smaller goals. In doing this I was able to learn how to do this combo move in only 2 weeks! 
2. You must prepare physically before you come to keeners, otherwise your body will not be able to stand up to the rigors of the keener program. If you aren't in good shape, you will not be able to paddle hard all day and be successful. When you can’t paddle hard all day then it makes it difficult to achieve those goals that you outline. If you are in shape, the keener program will help you to get into even better shape!
3. More important than these other points, you must have a desire to learn. Without a desire to learn you might as well not even come. The keener program is a unique opportunity that most kayakers only dream about. Do not squander this chance. One way you can show your desire to learn is by asking questions that relate to your goals. This will be a huge asset to you. 

If you do all these things you will have a awesome time, you will learn tons, and you will be able to reach at least one or more of your goals! Even if you don’t completely reach one of your “unreachable” goals, you will absolutely have a solid foundation on which to keep working.

See you on the water!

Jacob Walker

Baby Steps are Key by Katie Jackson

     Writing goal sheets is one of the first things we do at keeners. They are important to let the coaches know what we want to work on, and to give ourselves something to work towards. They need to be attainable goals- for example perhaps don't list the "flatwater phonics" when you still find it difficult to get more than three ends cartwheeling as I did. Stephen and Clay also pointed out the making it your goal to win something is not a great idea since you have no control over how the other competitors will compete. You could have the best ride of your life, but perhaps someone else has the best ride of their life and it's better than yours. Should you be disappointed that you lost? Definitely not. You should be thrilled on hitting your best ride yet! 

     One of my goals was to be able to back paddle longer. I'm still glad I made this a goal (especially since my posture has now improved), but I realize a flaw in it. I never specified how long I want to be able to back paddle. I've now made it from the sneak all the way to the Lorne backwards three times. I'm thrilled I've made it that far, but now I'm not sure if I've finished my goal or not. Yet, this question made me realize something else crucial about goals. They can evolve and be never ending. Perhaps there can be multiple levels of achievement within each goal, which is why I really liked Claire's skill wheel. In this wheel, each goal has different levels so that the goal may be accomplished in pieces. It's much more gratifying to be able to mark off bits of progress rather than waiting for the final check mark of completion. It's also much more realistic. Back to the back paddling example: the first stage could be to make it from the sneak to the main current; second stage to make it to the Lorne; and third to make it to the Lorne and back. This gives more gratification throughout the process instead of frustration that I haven't yet accomplished the final goal. Baby steps are key. They can make any goal feel within reach and ensure you have a process to reach the final check mark.