Month: October 2017

Daniel Gil

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Daniel Gil

 

Not many athletes are able to reach the national finals in their rookie year. Daniel Gil, however, is not like many other athletes. In his rookie season, he reached the second stage in the national finals, and since that time, he has not looked back, reaching the third stage in ANW8 and the second stage in ANW9.

Daniel Gil, 23 and already a top Ninja Warrior

One of the most standout aspects of Gil is his ability to make obstacles look easy. Few can match his apparent athleticism and intrinsic skill at obstacles. When he leaps or swings to an obstacle eight or ten feet away, no one wonders whether he can make it the distance, but rather whether he is able to manage his explosiveness and maintain his grip strength to safely land.

Daniel Gil navigating an obstacle with his trademark athleticism

Like all athletes, Daniel Gil had to begin somewhere. In 2013, Daniel Gil began working with ninja legend Sam Sann. Sam Sann, originally from Cambodia, quickly became a fan favorite. He is a father-figure to many competitors, and his gym is consistently considered one of the best in the nation. Despite the fact that he is far older than most other competitors at the ripe age of fifty, Sam Sann consistently competes at an extraordinarily high level.

Sam Sann, 50, easily making all of us feel bad about our bodies

For all of the success that Gil has encountered on American Ninja Warrior, Daniel is more than just an athlete. Daniel Gil is a man of faith, and he lives through his faith every run that he makes. Daniel Gil even earned a degree in Applied Ministerial Studies from All Nations School of Ministry(the site makes me kinda uncomfortable, but it is an interesting read).

Richelle Helper, Daniel Gil, and Sam Sann competing as Team Iron Grip on Team Ninja Warrior

Daniel Gil is a man of faith, an American Ninja Warrior, and an all-around extraordinary person. With his youth and excellence, Gil has the chance to become the face of ANW for years to come.

 

<https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2016/8/1/12344886/american-ninja-warrior-daniel-gil>

<http://danielgil.ninja/about/>

<http://sasukepedia.wikia.com/wiki/Daniel_Gil>

<http://sasukepedia.wikia.com/wiki/Sam_Sann>

Grip Strength

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Grip Strength

 

Get a grip!

 

Most times, this phrase has a negative connotation. Having a grip, however, is one of the most important skills for a ninja to have. A strong grip is the difference between finishing the course and falling into the water.

 

While grip strength seems like something that wouldn’t matter that much, it is an extremely important skill. There is a reason that most serious ninjas have a grip strength area in their home or yard.

An excellent example of a home-built gym that ninjas use to train

Grip strength is a constant necessity – even on the front half of courses, which tend to focus on mobility. Obstacles like the Giant Log Grip attempt to jolt the ninja off of the obstacle with sudden, seemingly random falls. With obstacles like these, ninjas utilize their entire body to supplement their finger strength.

Jamie Rahn, also known as Captain NBC, hanging on for dear life on the Giant Log Grip

The real test of finger strength begins in the back of the course on obstacles like Cannonball Run. From personal experience, hand grips like these are considerably harder than they look. Some ninjas, like Kevin Bull, have found creative ways around these obstacles.

 

Kevin Bull versus Cannonball Alley (2:35 for the fun part)

The ultimate challenge of grip strength on American Ninja Warrior is the Ultimate Cliffhanger. Trying to explain the obstacle will not do it justice. Instead, watch Drew Dreschel, probably the most naturally skilled athlete currently in ANW.

An early version of the Ultimate Cliffhanger from an ANW5 competition pitting America against Japan

If all of this sounds crazy, that is because it is. What is really crazy, however, is the toughest obstacle in the ninja universe, SASUKE or ANW, the Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger. The Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger, which was introduced in SASUKE 32, removes the second swing from the Ultimate Cliffhanger. Don’t mistake this as the creators of the obstacle going soft. Instead, the designers made the first ledge, again six feet behind the competitor, inverted. You may ask, could this get any harder? Well, I have a surprise for you. The third and final ledge that the athletes must swing is constantly moving. Yes, the obstacles moves up and down, just in case the entire obstacle was not hard enough. Only Drew Drechsel (SASUKE 32) and Morimoto Yusuke (SASUKE 34) have completed this obstacle successfully.

 

Drew Dreschel defeating the Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger (Start at 0:45)

American Ninja Warrior creates obstacles that push athletes to their physical and mental limits. Though it may be forgotten by some, grip strength is one of these limits that athletes must work to push past. With obstacles like the Giant Log Grip, Cannonball Run, and variations of the Cliffhanger, ninjas must train their grip strength extensively.

Rock Climbing versus Gymnastics

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Rock Climbing versus Gymnastics

 

Part of what I love about American Ninja Warrior is that the sport is extremely accessible. Almost anyone can learn how to climb around and complete obstacles. That being said, there are two sports that lend themselves toward success on Mount Midoriyama: rock climbing and gymnastics. Most of the athletes who have had success on the show have some background within these two sports. When the show began, the two most common types of athletes were originally rock climbers and free runners (those who do parkour). As the course has evolved and become more difficult, however, there have been fewer free runners and more gymnasts. Rock climbers and gymnasts are common, because the skill set required for these sports are the same as those required for American Ninja Warrior.

Meagan Martin, a rock climber, navigating an obstacle requiring great grip strength and climbing ability

Rock climbers excel at American Ninja Warrior because of their climbing ability, problem solving skills, and their overall strength. If rock climbers have a weakness, it would have to be balance or movement obstacles. The transition from rock climbing to ANW is natural: all the athletes have to do is change where they are climbing. They tend to excel on the back half of courses and in the second and third stages of the finals, where the course tends to focus on upper body strength.

Ian Dory on the Flying Bars, the final obstacle on Stage 3

The Wolfpack, a group of ninjas from Colorado, are rock climbers who have transitioned to ANW. This team includes Brian Arnold, Ian Dory, Meagan Martin, and Dr. Noah T. Kaufman. Two of these four athletes have been on the national team, and Meagan Martin is one of the top female competitors in the history of American Ninja Warrior. The Wolfpack is a perfect example of successfully transitioning from rock climbing to ANW.

The Wolfpack, listed from left to right: Ian Dory, Dr. Noah T. Kaufman, Meagan Martin, and Brian Arnold

Gymnasts excel at American Ninja Warrior because of their superior body control, impressive strength, and balance. Gymnasts tend to get tired more quickly than rock climbers on courses that focus on the upper body. The obstacle course aspect of ANW and its focus on high flying acrobatics make gymnasts feel at home on the course. Gymnasts tend to excel at the beginning of courses and stage one of the finals, where the course focuses on balance, mobility, and acrobatics.

Jessie Graff on the Wingnuts, an obstacle requiring acrobatic abilities in addition to strength and body control

Johnathan Horton, an Olympic medalist in men’s gymnastics, has competed on three seasons of American Ninja Warrior. While he has never had overwhelming success, Horton has made very respectable runs during each of his appearances. Jessie Graff has a history of gymnastics (in addition to acrobatics and track and field) that is apparent as she flies from obstacle to obstacle.

Olympic medalist Johnathan Horton navigating a deceptively difficult obstacle

An interesting outlier is the 21 year-old Tyler Gillett, an ANW mega-fan. At 21, he just passed the age requirement for American Ninja Warrior. He has trained since fourteen years old solely for ANW, which bred results as he reached Stage Two in his first year. This trend, younger and younger athletes training specifically for ANW, will continue as different ninjas open gyms for the sole purpose of training young ninjas.

The 21-year old Tyler Gillett, an inspiration to a new generation of ninjas who are training solely for American Ninja Warrior

The two strongest divisions of American Ninja Warrior are gymnasts and rock climbers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but an intriguing new development is the growth of competitors who have trained to be ninjas for their entire lives.

Joe Moravsky, one of the most consistent ninjas and the last ninja standing in ANW9, working on obstacles with young children

http://wolfpackninjas.com/our-team/

Jessie Graff

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Jessie Graff

With how physical American Ninja Warrior can be, some might assume that all of the competitors are male. This assumption could not be further from the truth, in large part due to Jessie Graff.

Jessie in the pole vault as a sophomore at Nebraska University

Like many other athletes on ANW, Jessie has a background in gymnastics. In fact, Jessie took part in competitive gymnastics for a considerable part of her life. In school, she transitioned into the pole vault, competing at the NCAA level. She currently holds the pole vault record at Georgia Tech and Nebraska University. In addition to gymnastics and pole vaulting, Jessie took circus classes at an extremely young age and has multiple black belts. All of these experiences have created the dynamic athlete required to succeed in American Ninja Warrior. Jessie is not all brawn, however. She intended to major in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, continuing from her success as a member of the National Honor Society in high school.

Jessie Graff doing a back handspring in a dress at the 2016 Emmy’s

After graduating from college, she became a professional stuntwoman. She has acted as a stuntwoman in films such as X-Men: First Class, Live Free or Die Hard, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and in television shows such as Agents of Shield, NCIS, and, most recently and famously, Supergirl. Jessie’s athletic accolades are stellar, and her body of work as a stuntwoman speaks for itself. Graff had even competed on a different obstacle course show, Wipeout. She has truly earned her fame, however, through American Ninja Warrior.

Jessie in a chicken suit on ANW5

In ANW5, Jessie hit the ground running. She became the first woman to qualify for a City Finals course, wearing a chicken costume no less. Before she could follow up that success, Jessie unfortunately tore her ACL, TCL, and meniscus. While Jessie was away, Kacy Catanzaro became the first woman to climb the famed Warped Wall. When Jessie returned, however, she came back with a vengeance. Graff reached the national finals in Las Vegas, but the dreaded warped wall prevented her from going any further.

Jessie Graff in her Superwoman outfit on ANW8

Entering ANW8, Jessie faced an even taller challenge: the Warped Wall grew to fourteen and a half feet after the success of Ninja champions Caldiero and Britten. In the qualifying round, Jessie had to face the Warped Wall. Unlike her previous attempts, Graff overcame the obstacle. She became the first woman to climb the new, taller Warped Wall. During her Stage 1 run at the National Finals, Jessie successfully climbed the Warped Wall with an ever shorter run-up. Graff proceeded to complete Stage 1, the first woman to ever do so.

Jessie Graff as the Green Lantern at the National Finals of ANW8

As a member of the USA team in the special USA vs the World competition, Jessie completed Stage 2. Though this run was not during season competition, this run immortalized Graff as the first woman to compete for the USA team and as the first woman to complete Stage 2.

Jessie in the Team USA uniform, the first woman to ever receive the honor

Jessie Graff is a trailblazer, disproving any misconceptions about female competitors not being good enough to compete, while acting as a wonderful role model. Jessie Graff is an exceptional athlete and an integral part of the American Ninja Warrior past, present, and future.

Sources

<https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/jessica-graff-192957>

<https://www.martialartsentertainment.com/jessie-graff/>

<http://m.imdb.com/name/nm2421085/>

<https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/08/29/american-ninja-warrior-jessie-graff/89563008/>