American Ninja Warrior

                Several months ago I came across the show American Ninja Warrior during a marathon on one of the cable channels.  I did not know what the show was and I thought I would only watch for a few minutes in order to figure out what exactly I was watching.  In the end I watched the rest of the marathon, which was on for several more hours.  Maybe it is because I liked American Gladiators, but I found this show to be absolutely fascinating.  When the marathon ended, I eagerly awaited the start of the new season.              

                American Ninja Warrior is, for a lack of a better way to describe it, a competition consisting of obstacle courses.  Really challenging obstacle courses.  I cannot believe some of the things people are able to make it through.  Most involve performing acts while hanging in the air.  All of this is in an effort to reach and beat the ultimate challenge, Mount Midoriyama.  This is something no American has ever done.  In fact, only a few, if even that many, have ever completed all the challenges and this was with the original show in Japan.  That is how difficult it is win this competition.  Many of the contestants train all year.  They build courses in their backyards and in their houses.  Some even quit their jobs in order to train. 

                During each round of courses, the obstacles the competitors go through vary in difficulty.  In the regional/qualifying rounds, which we are in now, the first couple obstacles are the easiest.  They involve jumping from one slanted platform to another and sliding down a line of some sort.  Then the contestant moves on to a balance challenge.  After this comes the two hardest obstacles.  A couple of the ones I have seen involve getting from one platform to another using rings and another had the contestant move pegs as they move across.  All this is done using only the strength of their arms and hands.

                As hard as the fourth and fifth obstacles are, the one that trips people up the most is the final one before hitting the completion button.  The Warped Wall trips people up all the time.  So often they are just too exhausted or do not know how to run up the wall.  No matter what the case, it is devastating to see the competitors get so close and not make it to the top.  Thankfully, at least in the initial round, the people who do not complete the course have the possibility to still move on to the next round.  There are thirty slots for each region.  Those who complete the course automatically go through to the regional finals.  If thirty people do not accomplish this feat, those who went the farthest the fastest fill the other spots.

                With the season only being in the starting rounds, there is so much more to come. Each round gets harder and I get more amazed at what people are able to accomplish. As challenging as they are, the obstacles look like a lot of fun. I would love to give them a try. Not as a competition, but to play on. I will leave the competing to the people on the show. I wonder if this year someone will finally beat Mount Midoriyama. It would be really exciting if they did.