Reaching new heights With American Ninja Warrior-style obstacles, Orlando gym lets kids climb to confidence
The warped wall at NinjaFit Gym stands 12-feet tall, towering over 8-year-old Aidyn Reese and the other kids in her class. But Aidyn isn’t intimidated. With her eyes set on the top, Aidyn sprints toward the base in an attempt to reach a nylon rope hanging 10 inches from the top to help kids work on climbing strength.
With a mixture of determination and relentless effort, Aidyn successfully made it to the top.
Inspired by the television series “American Ninja Warrior,” kids are swinging, climbing and jumping their way into a love for obstacle course racing.
“I like meeting new people here and I like challenging myself,” said Addison Reese, Aidyn’s 11-year-old sister. “I like everything. It takes determination. You have to work your hardest and I like it a lot.”
The NinjaFit Gym has evolved and strives to help train athletes who want to compete on the show while also introducing kids to fitness through obstacle courses.
“The goals of the gym used to be a training facility for adults, but that’s changed,” co-owner of NinjaFit Gym Chad Young said. “Now we have seen such a highdemand with ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and people like the Family Ninja who have kids. The kids just absolutely love this.”
American Ninja Warrior competitor Faris Xero, 28, believes the reason kids love it is because it’s different.
“It is very unconventional and I feel like humans were born to be different,” Xero said. “They were born to climb for things and to swing for things. I think kids can connect to that more than any sport. It’s going to revolutionize how kids play.”
The kids are able to train without having developed their upper body strength.
“I’ve seen improvement in kids,” kids’ summer camp teacher Jason Kotzin said. “For the kids it is more technique. They don’t really have the strength to build yet so the more they come the more they learn the technique and the better ninjas they become.”
The gym is open to children ages 5 and up. With kids starting at such a young age, the future of the sport has been a hot topic.
While many believe obstacle racing could find itself in the Olympics as soon as 2020 in Toyko, the Umpqua Community College (UCC) Department of Athletics had two athletes sign letters of intent for UCC’s Obstacle Course Racing in April.
They are the first scholarship athletes of their kind in the country.
“It’s definitely going to go far,” American Ninja Warrior competitor Elizer John Llanera said. “These kids are going to have these skills young. A girl wanted to take a picture with me and do a handstand. I didn’t even learn how to do a handstand until I was in high school, and she’s 8 years old.”
Rachel Phillips, the wife of American Ninja Warrior Josh Phillips and mother of three, said one reason the sport is becoming so popular is that it opens the doors for anybody.
“My middle daughter is very artsy and she is not necessarily coordinated for team sports,” Phillips said. “She said, ‘Mommy, I finally found what I’m good at.’ I think the future of this is building confidence in kids that wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to be a part of a team because they are not naturally athletic. This isn’t about that. It’s about overcoming obstacles yourself.”
Not having to be a stereotypical athlete isn’t the only difference obstacle racing has over other sports.
“A lot of kids are born with that natural competitive edge and I think they are seeing that this sport you are not competing against people, you are competing against obstacles,” Phillips said. “It’s not about beating a person, it’s about beating your best. It’s about being an overall better person than you were yesterday.”
Competing against obstacles instead of one another brings a family atmosphere to the sport that is unique.
“The gym is the same as the whole ninja community,” Xero said. “When you go on the course it’s you and a whole bunch of people trying to figure out how to beat each obstacle. We replicate and rebuild obstacles and play on it until we get it. It’s just very family-based. It’s not like any other sport because you’re not against the other person. It’s just you and the course.”
With the family atmosphere the sport has, it gives families an opportunity to participate together.
American Ninja Warrior competitor Josh Phillips brings his kids, nieces and nephews so they have a chance to enjoy the obstacles with him.
“This is something I can do with my family,” Phillips said. “Ninja Warrior is an opportunity for me to be a kid. It’s a lot of fun. They have been a huge motivation for me.”
As the popularity of the sport and the show rise, there are new opportunities for Ninja enthusiasts.
There is now an American Ninja Warrior experience, allowing kids and adults to play on a professional Ninja Warrior course.
“It’s every kid’s dream to be a superhero,” Llanera said. “Now it seems possible.”