yahoo
Jul.
17In June, when Wasilla teen Talus Bunch made his debut on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" in a qualifier for a spot in the regional finals, he made more than his own dreams come true.
The 15-year-old competed with the person who inspired him to enter the competition, Nick Hanson of Unalakleet.
Hanson, an 11-year veteran of the show who is known as the "Eskimo Ninja," wants nothing more than to see more Alaskans join him in representing the state on the national stage.
"American Ninja Warrior" is a televised sports entertainment competition where athletes from all walks of life race through intensely challenging multi-stage obstacle courses that put their strength, agility and endurance to the test.
All regional contestants compete for a chance to make it to nationals and contend for a cash prize of $1 million.
"It was so much fun," Hanson said.
"I was super proud of what Talus has been able to accomplish.
The best part about Talus' story is that he did his whole submission video without anybody knowing, and then just threw it all together." The 38-year-old Hanson said the move displayed a willingness to show off his athleticism and put himself out there with confidence.
"That was something that really inspired me," Hanson said.
"If he can throw all that together and do it all on his own at 15, then what have I got to lose? This is my opportunity to show him, 'Hey, I still got it,' and do whatever I can to make sure that he can push himself to the next level." When "American Ninja Warrior" first aired in December 2009, Bunch hadn't even been born.
As long as he can remember, Hanson has been his "biggest idol," so getting to compete alongside him was an unforgettable experience.
"Having him on my sidelines during my run was amazing," he said.
"He's been a really good coach for me, and he's been someone I've looked up to my whole life.
So having him be there for me was just amazing." Trailblazing pays off in real time Hanson founded a program at Denali Fitness in Wasilla for aspiring Alaska athletes.
Talus and some of his friends regularly attend the courses.
"My thing was just to give back to the kids," Hanson said.
"But for him to come in and just be a part of the camp, and then to get inspired by my friends that inspired me from the show, and then to watch that flourish through him, it's just been really cool." He started training at 26 years old and made his debut on the show a year later.
Hanson knew his peak athletic years were going to be the ensuing half-decade.
The next generation has already begun taking over the athletic competition, fulfilling a long-held goal of the show's creators and producers.
"What the show really wanted to get out of it was something that the kids will have to do for the future and something that will live on forever and ever," Hanson said.
"To see the youth take over that, it really just ensures the future of what the sport has become." Hanson started ninja warrior training and competition after an eighth grade boy from Unalakleet told him he had the skills to excel and suggested that he go for it, during one of the darkest times in his life.
"I lost a lot of basketball teammates to alcohol-related deaths and suicides, and then I attempted to take my own life at the time," he said.
"It was that eighth grade boy who literally saved my life by giving me a chance at this, by putting all of his confidence in me." This sparked a desire to motivate more young people to participate in healthy activities.
Hanson hopes that he can help break the cycle of alcohol-related deaths and suicides that have plagued rural Alaska.
"It felt like an opportunity for me to kind of take that by the reins, and if it wasn't for that eighth grader saying 'You got this,' I wouldn't have had the confidence to even try out in the first place," Hanson said.
"I see that in every young person that joins a sport, like Talus and his teammates.
I see that in each and every one of them." Different backgrounds leading to the same destination Growing up, Hanson played every sport his village had to offer to keep himself busy, but he credits the skills he developed participating in the Native Youth Olympics as the tools that allow him to succeed at being a ninja warrior.
"The traditional games in Alaska are really something that you can't just go and try," he said.
"You can go and try it, but the odds of getting an injury are very high because it is a full-body workout with everything that you do.
I think that the traditional games were really what set me up well." Some of his accolades in the sport include winning gold in the two-foot high kick and bronze in the knuckle hop at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland, as well as being the previous world record holder in the scissor broad jump, with a mark of 36 feet, 7 inches.
"I think that basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cross-country running and all those team sports gave me the discipline that I needed to be a good athlete," Hanson said.
"But I think that the NYO games gave me the foundation that I needed to be strong enough to just be carefree on the course and to give it everything that I have." Before preparing to appear on the show, Bunch trained as a gymnast, and he's competed for Denali Gymnastics since he was 7.
He plans to continue competing in gymnastics during college and beyond.
"I started gymnastics at 3 years old and I've been doing it my whole entire life," he said.
"I've gone to Western Nationals around five times, and last year I got third overall.
So I've been really improving a lot, and I hope I can keep growing my gymnastics career." Reaping unexpected rewards and setting goals The benefits of competing on the show go beyond testing physical strength and agility by attempting athletic feats under a national spotlight.
"It's the community and the camaraderie that you see that really inspires me and really makes me motivated to continue to do it every single year," Hanson said.
Through "American Ninja Warrior," he has developed several lifelong friendships, such as with Grant McCartney, a German-born "American Ninja Warrior" champion who served as the best man at his wedding.
"If that doesn't show you what the community is like, then I don't know what does," Hanson said.
While he fell short of qualifying for regionals in his inaugural season, Bunch still accomplished what he set out to do and is hopeful for what's to come.
"My goal for next season is I really want to make it to the national finals for the first time," Bunch said.
"Going into last season, my main goal was to get a buzzer (at the end of the course) and I achieved that.
But now I'm ready.
I'm more experienced.
I'm ready to move on and hopefully grow my ninja warrior career." Hanson's goals have never been to be crowned champion at the end of the season, but rather to inspire and help more Alaskans reach the pinnacle of the competition.
"My goal is to continue to do what I've already done, and that's to bring as many Alaskan ninjas into the sport as I possibly can," he said.
"You'll see that coming up this next season.
Talus and his teammates are really stepping up and doing something awesome." Hanson has moved on to this season's finals, which will begin airing Aug 10.