#JAPON STARTNINJA PROFESSIONAL#

We want to create a professional environment where parents feel safe bringing their kids.” It’s grown into having multiple leagues, multiple tours.

“We’re just trying to expand access to this growing sport. “Our goal is to build 100 gyms,” Britten said. Working with current and former ninjas, Britten helped start Ninja Nation, a company dedicated to building gyms for ninja hopefuls of all ages. Now, Britten is expanding his knowledge of the sport while also making it more accessible. I think I was a huge asset for them that year.” “I got to work with the producers on obstacle difficulty, trying to make the courses doable for a certain amount of people. “That was a whole other world to me, and I really enjoyed it,” Britten said. His background in television and obstacle courses created a good fit. While Britten announced he was taking time off from competing after Season 8, he wasn’t completely done with “Ninja Warrior.” Shortly after his announcement, ATS, the company that builds the obstacle courses seen on the show for NBC, reached out to Britten wanting him to be a tester. But it’s not something I seek out actively.” “I’m not someone who ever wanted to be famous or be in the spotlight.

“It’s very hard to be that person,” Britten said.

Eventually, it escalated to the point where being out in public became a hindrance. He had to deal with consistent recognition from fans of the show congratulating him and wanting to talk. Some of the more popular ninjas who regularly return to compete make it an integral part of their lives.įor Britten, being the center of attention was an adjustment. Many of the contestants who make one or two appearances on the show return home to a few claps on the back and conversations with friends. The competitors who make the cut advance to the city finals and then the national finals in Las Vegas. Ninja hopefuls send in submission videos and line up for weeks to participate in the show’s city qualifiers. “Ninja Warrior” athletes, also known as ninjas, experience the success and attention from appearing on the American version of the show in different ways, and the way they handle it varies. Midoriyama, the weeks and months after Britten’s achievement were unfamiliar territory. Still, it was a unique accomplishment for Britten, a former cameraman. I almost had a feeling I was going to do it.”īritten was denied winning the $1 million prize when Isaac Caldiero, the only other competitor to reach Stage Four in Season 7, reached the buzzer faster. “It was definitely something that was very important to me,” Britten, who completed Stage Four in his second season, told Capital News Service. The instructions were simple: climb the rope to the top of the mountain and Britten, of Olney, Maryland, would be the first American to complete all four stages on NBC’s American version of the popular Japanese obstacle course, “Ninja Warrior.” The only problem was that he had to climb the 75-foot long rope in just 30 seconds.īritten, then 36, hit the buzzer at the top of the mountain with less than a second left on the clock. He had been competing all evening, and the night had finally reached its climax. Midoriyama, his eyes looking skyward at the prize. when Geoff Britten grabbed the thick red rope that hung from the top of the metal structure that was Mt.

Japon startninja