Ninja Warrior Competitions
Compete in the Fastest Growing Sport in the Nation
The minute someone walks into the gym, we can see it: everyone wants to hit the buzzer.
And with a little training and practice, just about everyone can get started in competition. At Rock Solid Warrior we have beginner competitions, in house competitions, league sanctioned competitions, as well as independent professional competitions. There’s an age division for everyone, starting from 6under, all the way to 40+, and everything in between! Even better, you can do it without having to drive far and wide as there are 5 other ninja gyms all within a 1.5hr drive of Rock Solid Warrior!
With competition comes motivation, excitement and challenge—that’s why Rock Solid Warrior offers more competitions than your average Ninja Warrior gym.
Upcoming Competition Schedule
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.
