Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2013 6:00 pm
by Heather Clark, Courier staff
Shows that become wildly popular overseas have an uncanny knack for making their way across the pond and into the living rooms of avid American fans. One such series is “Sasuke,” a Japanese sports entertainment show that has been broadcast in several other countries under the title “Ninja Warrior.”
In 2009, the United States began filming a Sasuke spin-off series, “American Ninja Warrior,” where regional competitors throughout the country pit their skills against a large and daunting obstacle
course
for the chance to compete in the Las Vegas finals.
Marc Namie, a former 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Soldier and current contractor at Fort Campbell, has always been a big fan of the show.
“I’ve been watching the show for years and years, even when it was on G4 in Japan and when it transitioned,” he said.
Watching the show, Namie often thought about how fun it would be to try his hand at the four-stage obstacle course.
“My wife’s always saying ‘You should do it [audition],’ but logistically I didn’t even know how to go about doing something like that,” said Namie. “One day I happened to be online and saw part of the
application process and looked further into it.”
After filling out an in-depth application where he provided “everything from broken bones to what was my major in college,” Namie put together a submission
video.
“I emphasized that I am not a 22-year-old
college parkour athlete,” he said. “I’m a 34-year-old dad of two. I’m an Army vet and I work on helicopters. I don’t usually do anything like this.”
To showcase his abilities, Namie included a variety of clips from various places with activities ranging from traversing rafters to running up skateboarding half-pipes.
“I’d been working on my back tuck for a while, so I threw a couple of those in there,” he said. “I was just trying to show some different aspects of what I can do. Nothing super crazy.”
Though he’s not a regular in the obstacle course circuit, the casting officials were impressed enough by what they saw in Namie’s video to contact him in April, telling him that he’d been selected to compete in the northeast qualifier in Baltimore.
“It actually worked out pretty good because I grew up in the Baltimore area, so a lot of my Family is still up there – brothers and sisters, mom and
dad,” said Namie. “They were able to come and watch the run itself, so that was a lot of fun.”
Namie was one of more than 110 potential contestants chosen to compete in the Baltimore qualifier. Each ran the obstacle course in hopes of making it to the top 30 – the group that would advance to the next round of competition.
“I guess about a fifth of us made it,” said Namie. “A fair amount fell. There is no rhyme or reason to it. Some of the top competitors fell on some of the obstacles that you wouldn’t expect, whereas some no-name guy was the fastest running the course. That’s the joy of ‘American Ninja Warrior’ – it’s not a set thing. You have to be ready for whatever they throw at you.”
Not only did Namie make it to the top 30, his story was documented in a profile piece on the show.
“Being a former Soldier, I think it gave me an edge for getting some air-time,” he laughed.
“They liked the story of me and my Family. They came down here to Fort Campbell, came to my church, my house [in Hopkinsville], so that was pretty cool. Then they showed my whole run.”
The outcome of his second run has yet to be revealed. The next qualifying episode of “American Ninja Warrior” is scheduled to air Aug. 4 and 5.
In the meantime, Namie has been enjoying the life of a “local quasi-celebrity person.”
“My son was taking swim lessons and this lady was like, ‘You did that ninja thing, right?’ Suddenly the kids came in wanting my autograph. She said ‘You just made their day.’ What are you talking about? They made mine,” said Fort Campbell’s own American Ninja Warrior.
The experience has also led Namie and his wife, who owns a cheerleading gym in Hopkinsville, to consider a special fitness program for boys.
“Tumbling, fitness and overall strength,” said Namie. “People are asking how I trained for this, so we’re talking about how to help these boys live healthy lives. It’s good skills, be it tumbling or
learning how to fall.”
It’s all part of continuing the good vibe that comes from competing in a show of which Namie is a longtime fan. From competing in Baltimore to having his Family, including his wife and children, there to cheer him on each step of the way, he says the ride has been a great one.
“I had a lot of fun doing this,” he said. “It’s something I’ve watched for years, and I just enjoyed the whole experience.”
http://www.fortcampbellcourier.com/news/article_2c853784-f55e-11e2-914c-0019bb2963f4.html
