The Ninja Sport season generally kicks off in September.  Like just about every other sport, the end of the season is “Playoffs Time.”  Though the elite Pro Athletes ended the Ninja Sport Championship season in February, the rest of the sport is just getting heated up.

Local athletes in the Ninja Carolina League are getting ready for the NCL Season 4 Finals, which will be hosted this year at Rock Solid Warrior’s South Apex facility on April 27-28.  Local Carolina athletes have competed all season to qualify and prepare for the finals.  There are 30 divisions looking to crown champions: 7 age groups with beginners and advanced male and female in each, as well as male and female pro divisions.  If you qualified, or just want to come cheer the athletes on, you can purchase tickets through Ninja Master. Athletes will need to pay to register, but spectators are free.

NOTE: Those who qualified for Advanced and Pro Divisions are also qualified for the US Nationals in Anaheim as part of the annual Obstacle Sports Expo.  Learn more below.

The Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) has pretty much wrapped up its “Regular Season” known as “Area Qualifiers” and is moving into the “Regional Qualifiers” for those who want to compete beyond the Carolinas.  Although those who qualified in Area Qualifiers are free to compete at any Regional Qualifiers, the closest to the Carolinas are Warrior Tech OCR in Morrisville, NC, on June 1-2 and Rugged Obstacles in Williamsburg, VA the following weekend.

The World Ninja League (WNL – predominant in the north east) is hosting its Southeast Regionals at Motive School of Movement in Greenville, SC at the end of May and World Finals in Greensboro, NC in late June.

The Federation of International Ninja Athletes (predominant in the central and north) is hosting its Sectionals for this area at Rugged Obstacles in Williamsburg on June 15.

Other than the Ninja Sport Championship and the World Ninja League, all of the above is to get to one or more of the big “Finals” in the sport.

The Obstacle Sports Expo will be held this year at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland in California July 24-28, 2024..

This event is actually a combination of five exciting events including:

• Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) World Series Championship Finals
• World Ninja Athlete Games Championship Finals
• The US Nationals race (road to USA Ninja Team and future Olympics?)
• Federation of International Ninja Athletes (FINA) World Championships
• Ultimate OCR 3k – an optional fun 3k obstacle race.

Rock Solid Warrior will be well-represented with several athletes in many age groups (as well as our pros) who have already qualified for one or more of these events – with hopefully a few more qualifications coming soon.  We’ve also been honored – along with Warrior Tech OCR – to be asked back to design and host the 7U, 9U, 11U and 13U courses at the UNAA World Series Championship Finals after the rave reviews we received for our courses in those categories last year in Orlando.

If you are just getting started in the sport, this time of year is very exciting for the sport of ninja. Go cheer on accomplished athletes and be inspired to keep working hard to prepare for next season.

The American NInja Warrior “reality TV show” holds its finals in Las Vegas every season.

But, the show which inspired the sport, isn’t where all the best athletes in the sport can be found.

Clearly. the athletes that make it to the finals on American Ninja Warrior are amazing.  But for every one of those athletes that make it to Stage 2 in Las Vegas, there are 10 other athletes that are just as good – or better – competing in the sport of Ninja that didn’t make the producer’s cut in Hollywood.

A few years ago, Chris DiGangi and Ethan Swanson – two of the great athletes that started doing ninja warrior style obstacle course racing on the American Ninja Warrior show – recognized there was a need to move the sport to the professional level.  Both Ethan and Chris knew that the young athletes who have grown up with the sport had taken it to a new level.  As they compared the sport to other professional sports, they recognized that there really wasn’t an avenue to grow a following for these athletes.  A football fan of Patrick Mahomes or Christian McCaffrey can tune in every week for a season to see how they were doing against other top athletes in football. Golf fans of Scottie Sheffler or Rory McIlroy can watch them on the PGA tour.

The Ninja Sport is, in many ways, much like golf.  Athletes compete in a variety of facilities with each athlete individually taking on a course that varies.  Every golf course doesn’t attract the top golfers, and every golf tournament isn’t a Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournament.  Every ninja sport facility doesn’t attract the top ninja sport athletes.  And, although there have been a variety of independent and sanctioned competitions for athletes of all ages and skill levels, there was no equivalent to the PGA Tour where the best of the best were gathered and followed.

So, the Ninja Sport Network was born with their flagship attraction, the Ninja Sport Championship (NSC) series.  Each season, Chris and Ethan hand-pick the best facilities with the best course designers to host their regular season qualifiers. The athletes who perform the best at those qualifiers are invited to their season finals where the best of the best compete to become the coveted Ninja Sport Champion.  Much like the Super Bowl, the finals are held at a different venue each season.

This weekend, February 17-18, the top 32 male and top 32 female Ninja Sport athletes of the season will descend on Obstacla Academy in Minneapolis, MN to crown Season 3 champions.

Among those male athletes are four of Rock Solid Warrior’s coaches that are part of our elite team – Josh Auer, Sylas Snider, Michael Bellion, and Brett Strong.  Josh is one of only 18 male athletes that have qualified for all three season finals.

Lilah Nathison, who got her start and often trains at Rock Solid Warrior also qualified for the 3rd straight season as one of only 8 female athletes to do so. (Two qualified for all three but didn’t compete in one of those seasons due to injuries).

Only one other gym – Jungle Gym in Florida – has as many male athletes who have qualified for the finals.  And, only one other gym (Ninja Intensity in Colorado) has more than 5 athletes who have qualified for finals this season.

We hope you will tune in to the Ninja Sport Network’s You Tube channel to watch it via live stream and cheer not only our athletes, but also the other amazing ninja sport athletes who are the best of the best.  Saturday, all qualified athletes will compete on 3 courses: hybrid, speed, and burnout.  Those who make the cut based on their performance on those courses on Saturday, will move on to a final round on Sunday to determine this season’s champions.

The Ninja Sport is alive and well and there is no place in the world like the Carolinas to enjoy the sport.  The Ninja Carolina League kicked off its 4th season in September, and after the holiday season, there are plenty of opportunities to compete.

The NCL is currently unique in its offering of both beginner and advanced divisions at every age level so, if you are new to the sport, it’s an ideal place to start, and if you’ve been at it for a little while you’ll also be challenged without having to travel far.

Course designers at each gym provide unique challenges tailored to the appropriate level.  Beginners typically run before the advanced competitors on courses that will challeng but not overwhelm them as they compete against other beginners.  Extra, more difficult obstacles, are typically added to a beginner course for the advanced divisions to keep them challenged as they compete against other advanced athletes.

Also, we have more than a dozen athletes in the Carolinas competing at the pro level around the nation who can take on courses that mere mortals can’t.  Some of the larger gyms take on the challenge of offering pro level courses to really push these athletes and help keep them in top notch shape for the national competitions without having to travel so far.

In February, March, and April there will be a regular season qualifier at one of our locations:

• February 10 at our South Apex location – beginner and advanced in all age groups as well as the 14+pro division
• March 9at our Rock Solid Ninja Kids location inside Element Gymnastics and Sports Center in Clayton – beginner and advanced divisions for ages 6-13
• April 6-7 at our Fuquay Varina location – beginner and advanced in all age groups as well as the 14+pro division

But you don’t have to wait until February, as there are three regular season qualifiers at three other Carolina gyms:

• January 6-7 at WarriorTech Raleigh – beginner and advanced in all age groups as well as the 14+pro division
• January 13 at Beast Ninja in Myrtle Beach – beginner and advanced in all age groups
• January 27-28 at Warrior Zone in Winterville (near Greenville NC) – beginner and advanced in all age groups as well as the 14+pro division

We’re also excited to be hosting the Ninja Carolina League Finals the weekend of April 27-28 at our South Apex location.

How does an athlete qualify for the Finals?  Points are awarded at every NCL Competition based on where an athlete finishes in their division.  Their three highest point totals are added up and anyone with 160 or more points gets to compete at the finals.  (Two top finishes or 3 less than bottom finishes typically adds up to 160 or more points).  Run order at finals is determined by regular season point totals, so the last runners are the ones who scored highest in the regular season.

For the full schedule of local competitions (and a view into where some of the pros will be competing), check out the Ninja Carolina calendar which we keep up to date as we learn about competitions being scheduled.

Many of the best young ninjas in the country rarely have the opportunity to do three things:

1. Participate in a highly competitive, multi-stage Ninja Competition
2. Participate with other top young ninjas as a team in an extremely challenging tag-team competition
3. Help other kids who do not have many of the privileges they have

Well, on Martin Luther King weekend, January 13-14, Rock Solid Warrior is hosting its 4th annual Ninja Kids for Safe Kids event, that gives these top young ninjas an opportunity to do all 3!  Previous years have seen stars from American Ninja Warrior Junior and UNAA and WNL Champions from their age divisions from all over the country.

If you think you are a top young ninja, it’s time to put yourself to the test and support kids who may not have the privilege to compete and whose families are struggling.

If you just want to watch the Ninja Sport’s stars of the future, you can come as a spectator and also support the same great cause.

This will be a limited capacity, multi-stage event with cash prizes and all registration proceeds going to Safe Families for Children.  There are also opportunities to sponsor this great event.

NOTE: Although this is event is open to all athletes 13&under, this is not a competition for those brand new to the sport.  The courses will be extremely advanced and challenging!

There will only be 48 slots available for athletes 11&under, and 48 slots available for athletes 13&under. Each athlete can have 1 spectator for free. Additional Spectator tickets must be purchased. Run order in stage 1 is determined by registration order (those who sign up first run last) so sign up early.
Participants age as of January 1, 2024 will be used to determine their class.

Saturday, January 13 (Live stream will be available on our Facebook And YOUTUBE page)

There will be 2 waves of the qualifying round (stage 1) held at our South Apex facility. Each athlete will be guaranteed:

Speed course – Two runs on a side by side speed course using NSC rules (retry what you miss)… best score/time will be used to determine your rank on the speed course.
Technical course… one run using NCL rules (progress points earned as you progress through each obstacle… one try on each obstacle).

Top 2/3 of male and female by combined rank from both courses move on to…

Stage 2 (longer, more technical course) at our Fuquay Varina facility, top 50% of male and female (rounded up) move on to…

Stage 3 (very challenging upper body and grip course) at our Fuquay Varina facility.  Stage 3 will be a blind course (after being shown the course, finalists will be isolated and not able to see the other runners in their age/gender) one fail and you’re done… farthest, fastest to determine the champion(s).

NOTE: We reserve the right to bump additional participants up to next stage

Sunday, January 14 afternoon (optional team comp, starting at 2 PM)

Two part team competition at our Fuquay Facility (teams will be assembled from all participants in an NFL style draft pick…)

First Round – Tag team competition on hybrid course from stages 2 and 3 (and possibly some other wrinkles)
Second Round – Tag team competition on same course (but no team member can repeat obstacles they tackled on the first round)

Winners will be determined by a combination of scores and times from both runs.

Follow this link to learn more, and register for the event as an athlete or spectator.
NOTE: Prices go up on November 30th, and signing up early will give a preferred run order for Stage 1, allowing athletes to watch other athletes compete before they run.

In 2021, two of the legendary athletes of the Ninja Sport, Chris DiGangi and Ethan Swanson, decided that it was time to raise the level and the access to the sport.  They created the Ninja Sport Network to show the best that the sport has to offer, and raise the level of broadcasting.

And, to set the bar high, they created the Ninja Sport Championship Series of events, hand-picking the best gyms with the best course designers to host these events.  In Season 1, Rock Solid Warrior’s Fuquay Varina facility was chosen to host a qualifier, with Caleb Auer as the main course designer.  They were so impressed with our crew – and having glimpses of our South Apex facility going up, they asked us to host the Season 2 Championship finals.

For Season 3, though they have chosen to move the finals from year to year, Rock Solid Warrior has been honored to be chosen once again to host one of their eight Open Qualifiers on December 2nd, and it quickly sold out.

The best ninja athletes from the country – as well as a few from around the world – have recognized this as the top of the sport.  Chris and Ethan have not compromised on quality of these competitions and the results have been that most of this season’s events sold out within days of being announced.  Though you won’t see the lighted pools and all the production of American Ninja Warrior, you won’t see a higher level of talent anywhere else in the world.  The qualifiers are “open” to anyone, though a certain number of spots are reserved for the highest ranked athletes.  But by the time it gets to the finals, there will only be around 32 men and 32 women who’ve qualified for those finals.  The only thing that gets you there is finishing at the top of the qualifiers against the best ninja athletes.

Although there is currently a significant waitlist to compete, you can buy a ticket to be a spectator and see some of the best talent from around the world.  We’ll be selling a limited number of tickets starting in November for $10/spectator or $25/family of 3 or more.  Stay tuned.

One of the original Ninja Leagues – the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) – is starting its 9th season.  And we’ll be hosting an Area Qualifier at our Rock Solid Warrior Fuquay Varina location on December 16-17.

The UNAA has divisions for athletes from ages 6 to 40+.  The season begins in September with Area Qualifiers around the country (as well as International qualifiers in other countries).  Those whose top 3 scores in Area Qualifiers (think of it as “the regular season) rank them at the top 10 of their standings in their division get first choice of what wave they want to compete in at the finals.  The top 50% of finishers (or top 3, whichever is higher) that have not already qualified at an Area qualifier in every division is eligible to move on to Regional qualifiers which typically start around May or June.

This year the North Carolina Regional Qualifier will be right here in Wake County at Warrior Tech (date still to be determined).  The top 20% of finishers (or top 3, whichever is higher) qualify for World Finals, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California in late July (23-27).

For kids and adults who would like to compete with others across the nation – as well as other nations – this is a great way to start.  As is our general policy, the earlier you sign up, the better run order you’ll have.  First to sign up will run last after getting an opportunity to see what all the other athletes do.  Prices go up after December 3, so put it on your calendar and sign up now.

Every year for the past several years, we’ve had a variety of athletes qualify for World Finals, and at least one athlete from Rock Solid Warrior make it to the top 10 in their division.  And in 2021, we actually had three of our male athletes finish in the top 10 in the pro division.

This year at Rock Solid, we’re offering three different levels of competition training for youth:

• Competition Training Clinic (a ten-plus week introduction to the more advanced techniques and conditioning that it takes to be competitive in the sport)
• Competition Team Jr. – for those who have proven they will work hard in the younger ages
• Competition Team – for the most advanced youth athletes.

We’re also in the process of turning our Adult Elite Team into an offering for those who would like to compete at the pro level.

If you’d like to know more about the sport, the UNAA, or our Competitive Teams, reach out to one of our coaches.

There are ninja warrior competitions all around the country.  From a small beginning in 2014 with a handful of gyms, more and more people have been getting into the sport.

In 2018, the Athlete Warrior Games (AWG) league was formed with a focus on being both friendly to beginners and challenging to the most advanced.  It wasn’t perfect, but it had a good thing going.  The Southeast region was picking up more and more momentum and then… COVID.  It took out the AWG and a bunch of gyms throughout the country, including a few great gyms in the southeast.  There was a lot of people wondering what would happen to the sport of Ninja as the momentum it had enjoyed was dealt a huge blow.

Near the end of 2020, a few leaders from Warrior Tech and Rock Solid Warrior met to get that momentum back in hopes of building on the concept of being both beginner friendly while still challenging to the more advanced without having to travel all around the country to do it.  And the Ninja Carolina League was born. Several other gyms joined us that first year and a few more have joined us for Season 4.

We’re excited to announce that this year, we will be hosting at least 15 regular season competitions around the Carolinas, and we’re delighted to host the first two in Fuquay Varina (all divisions) and Clayton (6-13 year olds).  Each age group has beginners and advanced divisions, and courses will be appropriate to skill level.  This year, we’ve divided adults into three divisions: Beginner, Advanced, and Pro as we know have more than a dozen athletes in the Carolinas competing at the pro level who are part of the great community and can take on courses that mere mortals can’t.

For the full schedule of local competitions (and a view into where some of the pros will be competing, check out the Ninja Carolina calendar which we keep up to date as we learn about competitions being scheduled.

Three Ninja Warrior Events in One plus All Sorts of Fun

Come experience the sport that American Ninja Warrior inspired.  Ninja Sport continues to grow.  This Labor Day weekend, Rock Solid Warrior will be running a unique combination of events highlighting many variations of the sport!

All entry fees will go towards Prize Money and will be matched by sponsors with donations to The Wounded Warrior Project.

We will be limiting this event to 150 athletes!

Rock Solid will be using both of its southern Wake County locations to put on the following:

1. Multi-course, Multi-stage Ninja Warrior Competition (Saturday)
2. Long-course Tag Team Competition (Sunday afternoon )
3. All-Star Skills Competition (Sunday evening)

All events will be live-streamed on either the Ninja Sport Network or Facebook.

These are pro level courses built for adult-sized ninjas (13+), but accomplished younger (e.g. 10-12) and older ninjas are welcome to try it out. (Age groups based on age as of September 1, 2023).

Multi-course, Multi-stage Ninja Warrior Competition (Saturday)

There will be 2 waves of the qualifying round held at our South Apex location.  Each athlete will be guaranteed:

• Speed course – Two runs on a side by side speed course using NSC rules (retry what you miss)… best score/time will be used to determine your rank on the speed course.
• Technical course… one run using NCL rules (progress points earned as you progress through each obstacle… one try on each obstacle).

Top 20% of combined rankings for each gender (plus top 12&under and top 40+ if they aren’t already in the top 20%) will advance to the Final round.
We reserve the right to change these percentages or defaults

The Final round will be held at our Fuquay location and use the Ninja Sport Championship (NSC) ranked scoring system to determine the male and female champions in each category.

However each qualified runner will attempt 3 courses run sequentially (30 second break in between):

• A short speed course (< 1 minute), whose final landing platform is the starting platform of…
• A short technical course (< 2.5 minutes), whose final landing platform is the starting platform of…
• A short burn out course (< 3 minutes)

These will be “blind” courses… athletes will get to see the courses demoed and rules discussed, but will then be sequestered until it is time for them to run.

Long-course Tag Team Competition (Sunday afternoon )

On Sunday afternoon, teams of 3-4 will run a long tag team course which combines many of the obstacles from the finals round plus a few more.  Team will be generated on Sunday with an NFL-style draft with captains chosen from those who did NOT make it to the final round.  Each team will have to figure out their strategy to tackle the obstacles with each team member taking on the same number of obstacles in whatever order they choose.  Top 5 teams will run the same course twice, but no athlete can tackle the same obstacle twice.  Total points plus time of both rounds will determine the podium.

All-Star Skills Competition (Sunday Evening)

We can’t wait for our 5th annual Labor Day All-Star Skills competition!  There will be five individual skills and each athlete can choose any two:

• Armed and Dangerous (grip strength and endurance as ninjas tackle a challenging upper body course)
• Speed and Agility (getting across a series of lower body obstacles as fast as possible without falling)
• Extreme Salmon Ladder (the salmon ladder with some extra challenges)
• Warped Wall Challenge (we’ve got lots of warped walls, and ways of making them more challenging)
• Crazy Laches (There’s lots of stuff we can put on our flexible rigs for you to swing on… and we will)

Prizes

Rock Solid Warrior has agreed to put all entry fees dollar for dollar into a prize pool.  (E.g. if entry fees total $10K, there will be $10K in prize money spread across genders in proportion to the number of contestants in each).  Prize pool or donations to the Wounded Warrior Project could go up even higher with additional sponsors.

For more information about sponsoring this event, along with Ninja Master, please contact Ken Auer <ken.auer@rocksolidwarrior.com>.

Places to stay & Places to Eat

To use the “Corporate Special Rate” for Rock Solid Warrior for Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites in Apex, NC (which might be slightly better than other rates you may find) go to http://www.ihg.com and choose “Corporate Special Rate” in the “Rate Preference” field and type in the code: 787081760.

We are still trying to confirm discounts at the other recommended hotels, but have not been successful to date.

Less than 2.5 miles north of our South Apex location in Apex off of Marco Dr.

• Springhill Suites
• Candlewood Suites
• Holiday Inn Express

4-5 miles to the south in Holly Springs:

• Hampton Inn & Suites
• Holiday Inn Express – Holly Springs (opening in 2023… no official date yet)

If you want to RV or camp out, we can arrange that, too.  But we’d prefer you’d let us know ahead of time so we can plan accordingly.

Here’s a list of places to eat

Prices (before convenience fees)

Sign up now to reserve your spot. All participants and spectators must sign our waiver.

All participant and spectator pricing includes access to all appropriate non-competition activities like open gyms.

NOTE: Run Order for the Qualifying Round will be determined by when you sign up… 1st to sign up will run last in your wave

Before June 20, 2023: Early Bird Pricing… SIGN UP NOW

• $80 Multi-Course, Multi-Stage Competition,
• $110 to include Long-course Tag Team Competition,
• $130 to include all 3 competitions
• Spectators:
  • $5 (1-day pass)
  • $10 (full-event pass)
  • $20 (family full-event pass)

Between June 21 and August 15, 2023

• $90 Multi-Course, Multi-Stage Competition,
• $120 to include Long-course Tag Team Competition,
• $145 to include all 3 competitions
• Spectators:
  • $10 (1-day pass)
  • $20 (full-event pass)
  • $30 (family full-event pass)

After August 15, 2023

• $100 Multi-Course, Multi-Stage Competition,
• $140 to include Long-course Tag Team Competition,
• $175 to include all 3 competitions
• Spectators:
  • $15 (1-day pass)
  • $25 (full-event pass)
  • $40 (family full-event pass)

Schedule of Events

Note, some adjustments are still being made as we work with potential partners.

Friday, September 1

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Indoor Pickle Ball & Basketball at Hope Community Church (free)

South Apex Location – Open Gym
Noon – 1:00 PM – Open Gym for all competitors/spectators (included in participation and spectator price)

Fuquay Location – Open Gym
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Open Gym for all competitors/spectators (included in participation and spectator price)

Saturday, September 2

South Apex Location – Qualifying Round
9:00 AM – Checkin begins
9:30 AM – SpeedFirst wave Speed Course rules
9:45 AM – TechFirst wave Technical Course rules
10:00 AM – SpeedFirst wave Speed Course (run twice) – redemption time until 12:30 PM and after 4:00 PM
10:15 AM – TechFirst wave Technical Course – redemption time until 12:30 PM and after 4:00 PM
1:00 PM – SpeedFirst wave Technical Course rules
1:15 PM – TechFirst wave Speed Course rules
1:30 PM – SpeedFirst wave Technical Course – redemption time until 4:00 PM
1:45 PM – TechFirst wave Speed Course – redemption time until 4:00 PM
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Open Gym for all participants
5:30 PM – Closed for Skills Competition preparation

Fuquay Location – Final Round
closed until 5:15 PM – Closed for Final Round preparation
5:15 PM – Checkin begins for Final Round
5:45 PM – Course rules
6:30 PM – Final Round begins

10:00 PM – Closed for Team Competition preparation

Sunday, September 3

Fuquay Location – Ninja Church & Long Course Team Competition
10:00 AM – Open – Pre-Ninja Church
10:30 AM – Ninja Church (worship and guest speaker place and speaker TBD)
Noon – Break for Lunch
12:30 PM – Checkin for Team Competition
1:00 PM – Team Draft
1:20 PM – Team Competition Rules
1:45 PM – Team Competition – First Round
3:30 PM – Team Competition – Finals
4:00 PM – Optional Open Gym
5:00 PM – Gym closed

South Apex Location – All-Star Skills Competition

Gym closed until 5 PM

5:30 PM – Armed & Dangerous (Head-to-Head Gauntlet)
6:30 PM – Speed & Agility (Best of 2 runs)
7:15 PM – Extreme Salmon Ladder (Best of 2 tries)
8:00 PM – Warped Wall Challenge
9:00 PM – Crazy Laches
10:00 PM – Gym Closed

Monday, September 4

South Apex Location – Open Gym

Come experience the sport that American Ninja Warrior inspired with a twist!

These special competitions hosted by Rock Solid Warrior’s own amazing ninja coaches will have special courses built for speed.  This is our 4th annual version of this type of competition and one of our absolute favorites.

Athletes will run on a side-by-side course.  So athletes will have the extra push of competition as two of them are running on mirrored courses at the same time… a la Ninja vs. Ninja or American Ninja Warrior Junior.

UNLIKE MOST NINJA WARRIOR COMPETITIONS YOU WILL GET AT LEAST 4 ATTEMPTS TO MASTER THE COURSE AND RECORD YOUR BEST TIME.

There will be two “qualifying rounds” to record your best time and identify your seeding in a double elimination tournament.  And whether you run first or last in the qualifying round, you will get to watch others run (round robin).  You will have a Rock Solid coach available between runs to ask any advice, so you’ll get all kinds of opportunities to improve your time and push yourself to your limits.

Each of these competitions will include two age groups on age appropriate intermediate level courses (e.g. Rock Solid Warrior class students in Level 2 or above, or anyone able to do at least a 4 foot lache for those 11&under, 5 foot lache for those 12 and up).  These courses will be designed for speed.

Spots will be limited to make sure everyone gets at least 4 runs.

Prices (before convenience fees)

Sign up now to reserve your spot. All participants must sign our waiver.

• Participant: $40 (includes one free spectator)
• Spectators: $5/person, or $15/family

Prizes

1st through 3rd place medals for each category and each gender

Schedule

Please be there no later than 10 minutes before the start time for your age group (based on age as of January 1, 2024).

During the “off season” of the Ninja Sport, we are excited to host a series of competitions for athletes who have never been in a Ninja Warrior style competition before (or it’s been a long while and you haven’t been in competition shape)

If you’ve been taking classes at Rock Solid Warrior, that would probably mean you are in Level 1 or Level 2 classes, but even if you haven’t taken classes, but you’ve come to a ninja gym and wonder what a competition is like, this is for you.

We’ll be following the beginner-friendly rules of the Ninja Carolina League (NCL), and will run it similarly to an NCL Competition, with just a little more instruction.  The Ninja Carolina League, Season 4 will be starting up in September, so if you’ve been thinking about competing in the beginner division of that league, this will be a great way to see what it’s like with even less pressure.

Check out this video to help understand what your first competition will be like.

Prices are only $25 per participant and spectators are free.  See dates, times, locations, and links to register based on your age on January 1, 2024 (the standard for the Ninja Carolina League season 4.  NOTE: 7U means athlete must be 7 or under on January 1, 2024… so 9U would be 8&9 year olds, etc.)

Many are familiar with the reality TV show, “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW).  But they may not know that the show inspired a sport that has a life of its own.  For every athlete that is featured on ANW, there are a dozen or more other athletes that compete in the sport and are as competitive as anyone you may have seen on the show.

There are multiple regional and national leagues, but the Ninja Sport Championship series is the highest level of the sport.  Only 4 female and 4 male athletes qualified for the finals at each of a series of 8 qualifying competitions at hand-selected ninja warrior gyms across the nation.

Those 32 female and 32 male elite athletes will be descending on Apex, North Carolina to compete for the highest honor in the sport at Rock Solid Warrior on February 18th and 19th.

Rock Solid Warrior’s newest location in Apex, was selected due to the unique innovation of its facility as well as the reputation for obstacle course design of its Ninja Experience Director, Caleb Auer.  Caleb first began competing in the sport in 2017, and made it to the Las Vegas finals of ANW in 2019, the same year Rock Solid Warrior opened its first location.  While Caleb’s design and building skills have earned him the reputation to land the honor of hosting the finals, Caleb’s younger brother, Joshua, is attained greater heights in the sport.  He’s one of the athletes qualified to compete for the championship and has been completely kept in the dark as to what his brother Caleb has planned for the finals.  The Auer Family – including the two brothers and Caleb’s wife Hannah – won the American Ninja Warrior Family Championship last year.  But only Josh will be competing in the finals against ANW Champion Kaden Lebsack several other stars of the show that have come out of the sport and many who have never been on the show.  Another ANW star Jesse “Flex” Labreck as well as Australian Ninja Warrior star Olivia Vivian will be highlighting the women’s group of competitors.  They’ll all be competing to unseat last year’s champions: Taylor Greene and Nacssa Garemore who will be returning.

One of the unique features of the Ninja Sport Championship series is that the athletes have to be prepared for anything, not knowing what the course design looks like before the day of the competition.  The finals will consist of two rounds.  In the preliminary round on Saturday, qualified athletes will be competing on three separate courses built to emphasize either speed, technical challenge, and endurance.  Only the top 10 female and 10 female athletes will advance to the final round on Sunday based on their combined finished on those three courses.  For the final round, these athletes will face modified versions of each of those courses to determine who is this year’s champions.

The Ninja Sport Championship series was the brainchild of legendary Ninja Warrior Athletes, Chris DiGangi and Ethan Swanson who founded the Ninja Sport Network in 2021.

There will be limited number of spectators at this event, but an unlimited amount of displays of athletic prowess.

For more information, contact Ken Auer, CEO and Marketing Director of Rock Solid Warrior at ken.auer@rocksolidwarrior.com

Ninja Warrior Competition
The Ninja Carolina League (NCL) is a league for Beginner and Advanced Ninja Warrior athletes of all ages in the Carolinas. The season will run from September to mid-April with finals in the first three weeks of May to determine its champions. We’re excited to be hosting a Season 3 Regular Season Qualifier at Rock Solid Warrior in Fuquay.

There are beginner and advanced divisions for children starting at age 6 through the masters division (40+) and every age in between. All divisions will be included in this event.

Come and see how well you can do on our courses. Courses will be age appropriate. Adjustments and additional challenging obstacles will be added for advanced divisions.

Our competition will follow NCL rules and age/categories based on your age as of January 1, 2023.

Prices (before convenience fees)
Sign up now to reserve your spot. All participants must sign our waiver.

$40 until October 1, $45 after October 1
Spectators are free (with limited capacity, priority given to family members of athletes)

Learn More & Sign Up Here: https://ninjacarolina.com/events/

Ninja Warrior Competition
The Ninja Carolina League (NCL) is a league for Beginner and Advanced Ninja Warrior athletes of all ages in the Carolinas. The season will run from September to mid-April with finals in the first three weeks of May to determine its champions. We’re excited to be hosting a Season 3 Regular Season Qualifier at Rock Solid Warrior in South Apex.

There are beginner and advanced divisions for children starting at age 6 through the masters division (40+) and every age in between. All divisions will be included in this event.

Come and see how well you can do on our courses. Courses will be age appropriate. Adjustments and additional challenging obstacles will be added for advanced divisions.

Our competition will follow NCL rules and age/categories based on your age as of January 1, 2023.

Prices (before convenience fees)
Sign up now to reserve your spot. All participants must sign our waiver.

$40 until October 31, $45 after October 31
Spectators are free

Learn More & Sign Up: https://ninjamastersoftware.com/events/3661-ninja-carolina-league-ncl-all-levels-rock-solid-warrior-south-apex

UNAA Ninja Warrior Competition
The Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) is one of the largest and most established ninja warrior style obstacle course racing leagues in the world. We’re excited to be hosting a Season 8 Area Qualifier at Rock Solid Warrior in Fuquay Varina, NC.

There are divisions for children starting at age 6 through masters division (40+) and every age in between. All divisions will be included in this event.

Come and see how well you can do on our courses.

Our competition will follow UNAA rules and age/categories based on your age as of January 1, 2023.

Prices (before convenience fees)
Sign up now to reserve your spot. All participants must sign our waiver.

$60 on or before December 1, $75 after December 1
Spectators are free (with limited capacity)

Learn More & Sign Up: https://ninjamastersoftware.com/events/3662-ultimate-ninja-athlete-association-unaa-all-ages-winter-area-qualifier-at-rock-solid-warrior-fuquay