Keeners on the Ottawa: Keen and Eager Kids: Kayaking Camp

July 13, 2005

The Keener Program rivals any program in history for
producing top
ranked kayakers from kids, with Ken Whiting, Tyler Curtis, Kevin Varette,
Sharky, James Rodick, Joel Kowalski, Nick Troutman, Emily, and Dane Jackson,
and more. The program is a summer camp with full time kayaking and
coaching. Joe Kowalski (founder of the program) and owner of Wilderness
Tours on the Ottawa (Biggest rafting company in Canada) says, "bring
work
gloves and boots, but no game boys or other toys allowed". The kids
are
coached full time by Stephen Wright (I would argue one of the top 10 best
freestyle boaters in the world, and an even better coach). Also guest
instructors, such as myself last week, Ken Whiting, Jimmy Blakeney, Clay
Wright and more round out their coaching.

They have four cabins to live in, 24 hour a day supervision,
hot lunches on the river, and help with a variety of work projects, have
to give one speech each week, and make a kayak video each week.

Here is my last day with them, which included
a freestyle competition, in which the kids had to train for, make a routine,
judge, scribe, time, and even chief judge for.

Contact: www.ottawakayak.com
or www.wildernesstours.com
for more info;

🙂 EJ