The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
N. Ridgeville native among contestants
He is one of the headliners coming to Public Square for tapings of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.”
They jump, they climb. They pretty much make it look easy on TV.
It’s anything but, said Joe Moravsky.
“I remember watching (‘American Ninja Warrior’) early on, and seeing guys fall on the course, and thinking, ‘Dude, that looks so easy.’ ” said Moravsky in a phone interview.
“I think that’s what attracts so many people to the show. It looks easy, but it’s not.”
Moravsky is one of the headliners coming to Public Square May 8 and 9 for Season 9 tapings of NBC’s hit reality show “American Ninja Warrior.”
Tickets to be in the stands during the taping of the show are no longer available, said an NBC spokesperson, but fans are welcome to watch from the surrounding areas.
An “NBC Fanfest” is 2 to 8 p.m. each day, with the tapings beginning at dusk.
That will be the main attraction as the Cleveland qualifier is the first step for 100 competitors hoping to advance to the Ninja Warriors finals. The show debuts this summer on June 12 on NBC.
Logan Broadbent is one of four Clevelanders set to appear at the tapings.
Broadbent, a 29-year-old native of North Ridgeville, said about 70,000 apply to be selected on American Ninja Warrior every year, with about 500 getting the call to appear.
The resident of Old Brooklyn got the call for Season 8, and just missed advancing from the Philadelphia qualifier. He had to re-apply for Season 9 and
made it again.
What likely sets him apart from others is another ability — he’s a boomerang thrower.
Nicknamed “The Boomerang Ninja,” Broadbent said he’s currently ranked No. 2 in the world.
“My dad was obsessed with boomerangs, and it carried on to me,” said Broadbent, who works for General Electric as a global strategic deal manager. “I think the thing they saw in me is I’m an all-around athlete.”
Throwing a boomerang from an early age means Broadbent has been a tree climber, an ability that serves him well as a ninja warrior.
“Boomerangs always
get stuck in trees, so I was the one who had to go up there to get it,” said Broadbent, who’s also an accomplished runner.
He recently ran the Boston Marathon in personal-record time of 2 hours, 38 minutes.
Moravsky, a 29-year-old weatherman from Connecticut, is one to watch. He’s become one of the faces of “American Ninja Warrior.”
As a rookie in Season 5, he advanced to the Las Vegas finals, where he finished second.
Since then, he’s qualified every year to the finals, but last season was the first time he didn’t make it past stage 2. There are three stages of the finals
obstacle course.
Moravsky is excited about his trip to Cleveland. He’s making the trek from Connecticut by car, with a stop along the way in Erie, Pa., for a promotional appearance to help the opening of a ninja warrior gym in that area.
He enjoys making time for anyone interested in the sport. And make no mistake, Moravsky insists Ninja Warrior is a sport.
It’s difficult to argue. The show has grown since NBC took it over for Season 2. The network has built its success on presenting human interest stories while showcasing the competitors.
That’s the hook to pull in viewers, and TV ratings for the show have been solid.
Once the competitors are on display performing a wide array of highflying acts on a obstacle course every kid in American likely wishes they had in their backyard — that’s when the show really starts, said Moravsky.
It’s also when the competitive juices begin to flow. Moravsky has been close the past four seasons, and is hoping this is the year he claims the title, and the big prize of a million dollars.
“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t want the title,” said Moravsky. “That competitive nature is in the Moravsky family blood. I remember losing PingPong games to my cousin, and I would just freak out.”
Like many ninja warriors, Moravsky isn’t imposing physically, and that’s a key to success on the course. Too much bulk and weight isn’t ideal when maneuvering through the various obstacles.
Athletes from other sports have given the show a try. Seahawks punter Jon Ryan was a competitor in 2015, and texted Moravsky throughout the process asking for advice.
The final verdict from Ryan didn’t surprise Moravsky.
“He said he thought playing the Super Bowl would never be topped, but he said being on Ninja Warrior did,” said Moravsky. “It’s a different game. The lights, the cameras, they’re all on you.”
The show has also been buoyed by the emergence of its women competitors.
Kacy Catanzaro was the show’s first big female star. She’s since been supplanted by its most current female star, Jessie Graff.
The female headliners set to appear at Public Square include Allyssa Beird, Rachael Goldstein, Michele Warnky and Jesse “Flex” Labreck.