MSD teacher competes tonight on ‘American Ninja Warrior.’
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher Gabe Stewart wants to show that there is life after a tragedy.
The Parkland history teacher and coach will do just that when he competes on NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” reality show in an episode that airs tonight at 8 p.m. The episode, filmed in Miami, will pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Feb. 14 school shooting.
Stewart, 23, was one of 100 contestants who brought their A-game to the show’s qualifier event April 13 at Bayfront Park. He said he wanted to take part to represent the school and his students.
“To give them something to be happy about and give them something to look forward to,” said Stewart, a Maryland native who just finished his first year teaching 10th-grade world history at the school. “Any opportunity to have positive things or spread love and happiness for Stoneman Douglas.”
Wearing a #MSDStrong T-shirt, Stewart participated in the 10-part obstacle course where aspiring ninja warriors swung, leaped, sprinted and climbed to test their strength, endurance and speed. Contestants who complete the course press a buzzer that shows their time.
A former college football player, Stewart said he had some training sessions to prepare for the qualifier. He said it wasn’t easy.
Of his first session, “I had big old blisters bleeding out of my hand that day,” said Stewart, who is 5 feet 11 and weighs 200 pounds. He had also never done parkour, which contestants use on the show to make it through the course.
“It’s not about muscling your way through,” he said. “It’s a whole different type of work out. It’s using kinetic energy. It’s using your momentum. It’s using your whole body.”
The Jacksonville University graduate became Stoneman Douglas’ track and field coach in January, and he’s also served as an assistant coach for the school’s football and basketball teams. He told the student paper The Eagle Eye earlier this year that he lives by the phrase “intentionally using sports to significantly impact and transform lives.”
The Miami episode of “American Ninja Warrior” is one of several stops for the reality series, which launched its 10th season May 30. This season, the show also visited Dallas, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Minneapolis looking for contestants. The athletes with the best times go on to compete for the $1 million top prize in Las Vegas.
So how well did Stewart do on his episode? He didn’t want to reveal any spoilers.
“Every day, I had students coming up to me, [asking] how far I made it. Did I win? I can’t say,’’ he said. “I just appreciate the opportunity. … I want to see my students smile again.”