Team JK Spotted at the Mighty LACHINE Waves!

By Stephen Wright

Yesterday started just like any other Tuesday morning at Keener World
Domination Headquarters….except that it was 6:20 AM and I’m awake…and
that Ruth Gordon is our guest instructor…and that we have 23 kids and 5
instructors’ boats and gear packed into 2 vans and 1 huge trailer…and that
we’re about to head to Montreal for a Keener Roadtrip to big wave action!
What would drive us to want to leave the paradise of the Ottawa for a
4-hour-each-way trip, which will only allow us 4 hours of paddling??? The
answer is simple: The waves of the Lachine rapids are incredible and make
for the perfect learning ground for paddlers of almost all skill levels
(rolling is mandatory). Between Big Joe (the wave that made Lachines
famous), and Pyramid Wave, we had ample time to catch air and spin ourselves
silly. Our students had a blast learning to spin, air blunt, air screw, and
throw every other trick imaginable.

Team JK paddlers Ruth Gordon, Joel Kowalski, Tiffany Manchester, and I
took some time to get a few quality photos of the new All Stars in action.
I can’t think of a better boat to paddle in Montreal right now than a Star
series playboat…Pyramid wave was SICK! Almost all the photos are from
Pyramid wave, which is the smaller, greener brother of Big Joe. It’s
kind-of like Corner Wave on the Ottawa, but about twice as tall, slower,
even smoother, and a bit flatter–the perfect wave for Flashbacks, clean
blunts, helixes, mcnastys, pan ams, super-duper clean spins…me likey.
After an impressive surf, Irish Instructor Moe Kelleher was heard to
proclaim loudly, "That Pyramid Wave was SAVAGE….AAAWWWRR, BEAST!!!" Which
I think would directly translate to North American as follows: "Pyramid
Wave was turbo awesome….sweet!". But I could be wrong…Hopefully we’ll
get back to Montreal this weekend, or as soon as possible!

Enjoy the photos shot by Moe Kelleher, Ruth Gordon, and some jerk.

Live from Keener World Domination Headquarters,
Stephen Wright