On Monday night, June 26, at 8pm, tune in to American Ninja Warrior 2017 on NBC to see some of our very own East Cobbers and others in the area as they compete in a series of challenging obstacle courses. A team of six athletes from Ninja Quest Fitness, which is a training facility that’s located at 3910 Canton Road in East Cobb, traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida for the competition in April. (This event is the one to be aired on June 26th.) The Daytona Beach competition is one of six qualifying regional city events around the country that leads to a national final in Las Vegas, which will be televised later in the summer. The winner of it all takes home $1 million.

Ninja Quest Fitness Co-owner Glenn Davis, who has competed on the show in past seasons and now tests obstacles for the show, joined the competitors in Daytona Beach. According to Davis, the TV producers typically receive around 70,000 video submissions. These videos demonstrate an athlete’s ability to tackle strenuous obstacle courses in a given amount of time. These obstacles test skills such as balance, side-to-side movement and wall climbing endurance. Each of the six qualifying city events accepts 100 competitors, and then fifteen from each city continue on to the finals.

How did Ninja Warriors make it to East Cobb? It all started with Davis. After competing in the show several years ago, Davis, who was a gymnastics instructor, saw a real need for a local gym that could offer obstacle training skills.

“Ninja Warrior competition started as a television show in Japan in the late ‘90s and then caught on in the U.S.,” explains Davis. “The American Ninja Warrior show is starting its ninth season, but our gym offers more than training for the show. Ninja Warrior is a new means of fitness and has become a sport in its own right. It’s about overcoming obstacles for both adults and children and doesn’t depend on ability, age, weight or height.”

With the help of co-owner Cristine Henderson, who runs the facility’s operations, Ninja Quest Fitness has been open for about two years, with 200-300 individuals training at the facility each week. According to Henderson and Davis, it’s the biggest training facility of its type in Georgia and one of the best in the country for Ninja Warrior training. Four of the six athletes who you will see compete on TV are full-time trainers at Ninja Quest Fitness, while the other two teach classes as well. They are: Kara Birch, Kevin Carvone, Amy McCall, Nick Patel, Michael Poston and Ryan Stratis. Out of these competitors, Stratis made it to the finals in 2016. Because the show has not aired yet, this year’s regional results can’t be revealed.

Be sure to watch NBC on June 26th to support our local athletes as they strive to be the next winner on American Ninja Warrior.

 

This article originally appeared in the June/July issue of the EAST COBBER magazine, on page 16. Click HERE to access the digital edition.