American Ninja Warrior

A few months ago, I got the opportunity to compete on the ultimate obstacle course: NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. The episode aired this week, but since I was out in the middle of nowhere, without any cell reception – let alone an internet connection or a tv – I have not been able to see it yet. Now that I have internet, I can assume from the complete lack of comments from all my friends, that my run did not actually make it onto the show. But at least I can talk about it now.

I know that I should just be grateful to have had the opportunity. I met and bonded with a number of other competitors, and although they fell at the same place I did, I continually see updates about how they are excited for the show to air. My dirty little secret? I didn’t tell anyone the airdate, because I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. Even months later, I have occasional dreams where I fix my mistake and obtain glory by making it far. Why can’t I just be content to have had a wonderful opportunity? Only a small fraction of applicants actually get chosen to compete; I met one guy who took weeks off work and flew to Texas to stand in line a week in advance for just the possibility of getting to try the course. The course is designed for people to fail, because although they have a pool of some of the best athletes in the country, only a handful are supposed to get through the first round. So why am I dissatisfied?

But let’s back up little…

As a child, I was always climbing on everything I could find: trees, couches, statues, you name it. There was a period in my life where I wanted to join the army just so I could do their obstacle courses. Instead, I settled for obstacle races like the Spartan Race, the Warrior Dash, and the Tough Mudder. However, I was always disappointed in the lack of skill required for the obstacles themselves. I realize that they have to cater to the masses, but still, I expected more.

So this spring, on a whim and with a gentle nudge from a co-worker, I applied to be on American Ninja Warrior. For some reason, I didn’t want anyone to know that I was applying, so I propped up my phone and recorded a mediocre submission video. Shockingly, though, I got chosen from over ten thousand applicants. It was my opportunity to get to play on the ultimate obstacle course.

Once I heard that I had been chosen (they only give you a few weeks of notice), I hurried down to Power Park Fitness, an obstacle course gym designed specifically for Ninja Warrior training. They have to-scale versions of the warped wall, the cliff-hanger, the quint steps, and more. And let me tell you, standing at the base of the warped wall looks soooo much taller in person than it does on TV. Even the quint steps – which look super easy on TV – are spaced much farther apart with a much steeper angle than you realize. It took me a few tries before I was able to get across them.

Practicing the Quad Steps

Practicing the spider climb

Practicing the cliffhanger

Practicing poles

The regionals I competed in were filmed in Houston, with the competition lasting throughout the night. This unfortunately meant that I had to be around the entire time, but I didn’t get to go until 6am. It was a looong night and I was seriously sleep-deprived by the time it was finally my turn. I think it’s probably just an added test they give you; see how well you perform when stressed out and tired.

When I first looked at the course, I decided there was probably no way I was going to get across the 5th obstacle. The 5th obstacle is always the upper-body strength one and usually the hardest for the women in the competition. As a climber, I hoped my upper-body and grip strength would help. However, this time, the obstacle consisted of hanging nunchuck-type holds that you had to traverse across, with the added challenge of different spacing, heights, and the fact that some were attached by bungees. I can hold onto a horizontal bar all day, but the vertical ones are not my strong suit.

However, I got taken down by an obstacle that I thought I had in the bag. On it, you use your body to create momentum to slide yourself across a rail on hand-holds that you are hanging from. At the end you have to swing from the hand-holds to a pole and then over to the mat on the other side. As a gymnast, that motion of swinging and propelling myself forward was completely familiar. I watched about 60% of competitors fall at this spot, usually not getting the right swing going. I decided that I was going to get a huge swing and grab as high on the pole as possible, where it was the driest (the combination of sweat, humidity, and water splashed up from below made the lower part pretty wet).

My new friend Jasmine on the obstacle that took me down

Once my turn started, I was in the zone. All my nervousness faded away and I didn’t even notice the crowd or the cameras. When I got to the pole, I swung and grabbed exactly where I meant to. Unfortunately, the part I hadn’t factored in was the fact that a high trajectory meant that I lost my forward momentum and instead had nowhere to go but down. I tried so hard to hold that pole as I slid down it that I tore skin off both my thumbs. But alas, it was to no avail and I splashed into the water at the bottom.

I got to meet Kacy Catanzaro at the competition

Dana and I made posters in advance, and I had some amazing friends come out and stay up all night to cheer me on.

Even months later, I still feel frustration over my run. If I had been taken down by an obstacle that was just too tough for me (such as the 5th obstacle), I would have been fine with that. However, I fell at a point where I was completely in control and it was my decision to go for the highest possible spot on the pole that did me in. I would love to see the footage of my fall because there was probably a distinct moment of surprise when I went from feeling totally in control to suddenly realizing that I was falling. The night was so long, stressful, and anti-climactic that I swore I would never do it again. However, I am too damn competitive for my own good and I have trouble letting it go when I know I can do so much better. I guess we’ll just have to see…