What you can do on your spare time - By: Andrew Burgoyne

If you have been following this blog then you know what Keeners is, if not then it is teen program for advanced kayakers. It is a three week coruse. So you are on the water all day and you and you have an hour until dinner. I usually don’t know what to do with this extra hour, but I made a list of things that you can do for that amount of time. So after a day of kayaking one thing you can do is  go back to kayak more. You can go on the flat water to ether practice your different types of rolls or flat water tricks like a bow stall, or practice a loop. Or you can go to baby face or corner wave, two features  on the McCoy’s chute with your friends. You can try to do tricks on baby face or corner wave. You can have a fuse ball completion or challenge everyone. you could do some dishes, have a shower, or call your parents a thank them for letting you come to this camp. 

Ninja skills Vs. Glamour skills-by Zac Cole

This year due to records rain we saw record levels on the ottawa as a result when I arrived for second session which began in mid july it had just fallen out of the normal spring flood levels which are normally in around early june due to heavy dam control we saw the water drop from that level to just a bit higher then average summer levels over our 3 weeks a total of 12 feet of water.
Throughout this session I felt like i stopped progressing and wasnt getting any better.  I couldnt really do any new tricks and i didnt feel like i could surf in any more control and my pre existing tricks generally stagnated.
However, now that levels are back to only a bit higher then normal and all the waves im used to are in, when I got back on the ottawa i remembered, I realized i got way better i was in so much more controls could do tricks way more comsistently and start cycling and gaining the abilities to start progressing into more advanced tricks.
I didnt realize i was getting better throughout second session, as i was improving what Stephen Wright (our head coach) calls ninja skills stuff that makes us better boaters such as surfing in control adapting to new features a quick roll a good loop stroke and so much more.  My glamour just wasnt really improving as fast as i would've liked it to as features where changing so quickly however what i lacked in glamour skills i more then made up for with my improvement in ninja skills.  Although glamour skills are cool they dont really make you a better boater which is why now 4 weeks later i am so happy that we had inconsistent levels because even though I felt like these levels wouldnt let me get better it actually made me a way better kayaker and now that i have them i can work on my glamour skills.

A Beginner's Guide to Being a Beginner - Anne Khazzam

           I did not like being a beginner. At anything, really. It's tiresome, frustrating, and can be very confusing. These three words can very well describe my first two/three days at Keeners.

I did not kayak often prior to Keeners. I had done two 5-day teen camp sessions and a little bit of flat water kayaking beforehand. I had no idea of the whole kayaking world I had been missing out on all my life. And then I came here. 

           A 6-hour day of hard-core kayaking on huge rapids, with some of the best kayakers in the world (who aren't only my coaches!), every day, for three weeks. Everyone around me could do all these fancy tricks and flips, while I couldn't even get my roll right. It was a little bit intimidating.

          When we were running rapids, everyone would go their own way and do all these cool tricks while going down, while I had to follow instructors down as to not get hurt (crashing against rocks and such). I would focus very hard beforehand to lean forward, paddle hard, always keep my paddle in the water, keep my body centered, and try not to flip. Then I actually went in, forgot everything, panicked, flipped, and sometimes swam. Every time! I was getting frustrated and angry at myself. Why am I the worst here? Why is everyone better than me? Why can't I do these things that are all so simple for everyone around me? And these thoughts did not make anything better. They made them worse, actually! On the third day,  we went on this big rapid, and I flipped, panicked, and swam. I was so embarrassed! Everyone came rushing to help, and was asking if I was alright. I was, of course, completely fine, just very upset at myself that I had panicked and swam. I complained, of course, to everyone, and tried to make excuses. Everyone was so reassuring, it was hard to still be frustrated! I still managed though. I then called my mom later that evening to rant all my frustrations to her. And you know what she said? "Who cares? It's normal. It's okay!" There were more reassuring words as well, but this post needs to end at some point! But I had realized something. It's okay! It's okay not to be as good as everyone else. Why should I be upset? How the heck did I let my frustration overcome my appreciation for all the incredibly kind, helpful, and encouraging coaches and keeners? They never did anything close to putting me down for swimming. not knowing as much or having less experience, so why should I be frustrated, or embarrassed? There was absolutely no reason! 

          On the second day, one of our coaches talked to us about patterns, brain patterns, and how positive/negative thinking habits can affect the way you think. If you have negative thoughts about an experience in the moment, then the memory associated with that experience will be a negative one. Same goes for positive! If you think positive, everything will be positive! And it's not even that hard.
          That made me think. Why don't I do this on the river? When I flip or swim, instead of getting frustrated, I could tell my brain that it's okay, and move on! And guess what? It works!
         It may come naturally, depending the circumstance and the person, but if it doesn't, you simply must tell your brain to think happy thoughts, and voilà! A simple, yet effective guide to a happier life!

         All this to say that now, I'm perfectly happy with being a beginner. However, this does not mean I will never get frustrated again! It's normal, but now I know how to not get frustrated as easily as before.
        To all the beginners out there, which is every person on this earth (beginners aren't only in kayaking!), remember that frustration doesn't help, and it's easy to get out of it! 

Positivity and How it Affects your Athletic Performance By Maddie Kimmel

     When you focus on the positive sides to paddling, your performance improves because you focus on improving not your mistakes. You should still pay attention and learn from your mistakes. However, you shouldn't focus on the fact that you missed your trick or that you should have done something. Focus on what you can do to improve. 

     You must stay positive no matter what. It doesn't matter how badly you fall on your face, or how badly you screw up you still have to make an effort to be positive. Positivity also gives you confidence to achieve your goals. If you stay positive when you fail, it makes the fail note as bad. The fail becomes fun. Honestly, you only truly learn from failure. Also, when you think about doing something, the more likely you are to do it. 

     We promote postivity at Keeners. For instance, during our weekly rodeo you get a 3 point bonus for claiming your ride. Ways to claim your ride include, giving a fist pump, cheering, throwing your arms up in the air etc. As long as you reflect that you are having fun, you receive the bonus. If you do the opposite and are a "snit" and show actions of negativity, you will loose 10-30 points. Some actions include throwing/slamming your paddle, frowning, booing etc. When we are rewarded with the point bonus for being positive, we get in the habit of being positive 27/7. In reality, people want to be around other positive people. It helps us get invited to hang out and paddle with other people. 

     Being on the water is a gift because you escape all the stress from life. It is a fantastic opportunity to focus on one thing, kayaking. Take advantage of it and enjoy it. If you stay positive on the water it will help you improve. It gives you confidence, and helps you stay focused on your goals. Thus, helping you achieve them. 

How Flatwater Can Help with Whitewater and Why You Should do it! - Ethan Frangenberg

   



     Have you have ever had those moments when you try to learn a move in whitewater, but you cannot seem to get the basics down? Have you ever been throwing moves on a feature and found that you tire quickly and maybe tumble? Enter flatwater, your new friend. Flatwater, unlike whitewater, does not help you through moves, or make them easier and therefore mask imperfections. In other words, practicing flatwater will make you a kayaking BEAST. However, despite this, there are people who abstain completely from practicing flatwater, and when confronted, they come up with the ingenious and creative excuse of saying (whining) "It's too haaard!"Consequently, their boating reflects their decision quite sorely. So, if you want to be a kayak beast, the simple equation of BEAST=time kayaking+(flatwater)^10 will get you started.

       Ways that flatwater will improve your boating include:


     1) Core strength- Because flatwater has no current or aeration, throwing the boat around at your own will (unless you sink your boat or are a zombie) will be harder and will tax your muscles more. This, combined with bacon and having a Narguana (Narwhal+Iguana) as your spirit animal, will strengthen your core. However, be sure to do core stretches, such as the upward dog yoga pose, to keep your core flexible and intact, and not painful every time you lean back.

     2) Endurance- When your core gets stronger, it has to do relatively less work than it did before, and therefore you can throw longer. Another thing that will help with this in flatwater is doing at the least lean cleans in both directions for 30-120 seconds each, and if you can, do flatwater cartwheels, single and double pumps, and 3 to 5+ move combos for more experienced kayak beasts.

     3)Snappiness and crispness- If you choose the path of the flatwater, which I promote, (translation: if you don't choose this path you will suffer a "painful and horrible death," as Anna says it) then you will find your moves to be snappier, as your body has more strength to throw hard. For Example, by practicing flatwater cartwheels, when you go back to whitewater they will be crisper, because you are not relying on the water much, therefore the water gives you the whitewater equivalent of a nitro boost, making it snappy and very attractive to judges and/or future partners (unless they already hate you).


      4) Forgiveness- Unlike keener coaches whenever you have dropped f-bombs, s-bombs, or aerosol bombs (YAKISTAN!!!!!!!!), flatwater is very forgiving. For Example, if your cartwheels are not straight, they will go through on flatwater, but not in a hole. This opens up the opportunity to get a third end, instead of crashing and most likely swimming (#beater4eternity). However, it also works the other way. Flatwater unmasks errors that are super tiny but critical. This is important, and also the reason flatwater is no longer a viral sensation. In other words, it makes your loops that only work in a hole look like a drunk person who fell asleep while standing, then fell over. To be completely honest, there really is no difference. At most it is subtle. But, when you get your little mistakes out, everything will be so much easier and smoother.

Goodbye. Go do flatwater.

How to Have a Sick Summer at Keeners Even if You Aren't a Great Playboater-- Jonah Bussgang

The Keeners program is an amazing opportunity that sculpts teenagers into insane kayakers and good people. But some kids at Keeners are not kayaking gods to begin with like others, but are still capable of having a super fun summer. Here are a few steps to ensure your perfect summer at Keeners even if you are not a white water ninja.


1. Make the most out of the small things

You don't have to run the massive features like right side Phil's to have an amazing time (even though they are great). If you appreciate the little things you do like catching mustache wave or nailing a peel out, you can still have a great time.

2. Use up all of the resources around you

It is such an amazing gift to have some of the world's best kayakers available to help you as a coach or one of your paddling peers. Ask every question about kayaking that comes to your head. You don't have to be learning flat water loops to enjoy yourself. Even learning to simply nail your roll using instruction from one of these top notch coaches is extremely rewarding experience that will for sure make you a better kayaker by the end of the session. Additionally, by asking for advice and constantly talking to the coaches, you create close relationships with them that could last a lifetime.]

3. Push yourself past your comfort zone

On the Ottawa River especially, you cannot learn or accomplish much with doing only what you are comfortable with. You have to push your limits even when you think you can't or are afraid, because when you come out of the experience, you will be so glad you did not skip out on a great opportunity.

4. HAVE FUN!!!!

Make the most out of every part of Keeners on and off the water. Make good friends, eat great food, and enjoy yourself :))

If I Do It, You Probably Shouldn't - EJ Rimerman

I'm really good at getting beat down in whitewater rapids. Like, REALLY good. It takes skill. Or being a magnet; I'm not sure which. Running the Center Slot rapid earlier today, I managed to flip and hit EVERY. SINGLE. ROCK. Here's what my shoulder looked like after I had my fist fight with the granite:

This isn't to say that I always make poor decisions; ofttimes I choose a more conservative line in an effort to maintain my body and paddling ability. I simply recognize that a few bumps, scrapes, and bruises are part of the game. To be sure, I love the idea of running big-water features that scare others, but my fear motivator is essentially nonexistent. I wouldn't fault you for saying I have too much confidence in my ability to walk away from an epic beating.

In all honesty, this is exactly what attracted me to the Keeners program at the Ottawa Kayak School. Even just this first week, I have gained tremendous experience. I have perfected my roll; learned to hand roll and back-deck roll (and the "dry head" variation thereof); fine-tuned my edge control and surfing skills; and run rapids, holes, and waves that would send my rivers at home away screaming. All of this has been in an incredibly safe and fun environment, under the expert instruction of professional teachers and coaches, two of whom each have won more gold medals in competition than any other kayaker ever.

I can now hold my own running and surfing the McCoy's rapid and Garburator wave and have shot awesome video on each, both on Big Water Beat Down Thursday and regular play days. Over these next two weeks, I plan to keep learning and improving, to get the best from the creeks I paddle at home. That being said, if you don't want to get trashed, DO NOT FOLLOW MY LINE.