Sophomore, Jeff Baumgarten is a Ninja. Not in a literal sense, but Baumgarten competes in the Ninja Warrior sport. “Ninja Warrior is a new high-intensity obstacle sport. Seen on American Ninja Warrior is based around technical and challenging courses to push athletes,” Baumgarten said. Just like any sport, Ninja competitions have a distinct set of rules. “The competition is broken down into three sections, Speed, Skill, and Grip.  You then select one athlete to compete in each division in a relay-style run. The speed course is a point-based system where each obstacle is worth a point. The skill course (which is highly technical) has each obstacle worth a point as well, but you can retry obstacles if you fail them to get the points,” Baumgarten said.

Another similarity to other sports is Ninja Warrior’s mental aspect: “We have to make fast decisions, and the pressure can build. Traveling across the country in some months every weekend can add a lot, and I try to keep a positive and realistic mindset.  I believe that bringing realistic and understanding you have to put in the work but also trusting in your abilities is the best way to grow as an athlete,” Baumgarten said. Baumgarten’s mindset isn’t the only thing that contributes to his success. Baumgarten also puts a lot of hard work into his training. “Training for competitions is a huge part of our sport.  I typically run courses 2-3 days a week, train individual tech obstacles and others 1-2 days a week, as well as do general workouts to stay in peak athletic shape like running. Another specific workout we have is grip-focused, as some obstacles have us swinging from less than 10mm ledges. I do some cross-training with rock climbing for this and use a hangboard at home,” Baumgarten said. Baumgarten also attributes his Ninja career to the people around him, namely his family.  “My family has been the biggest influence on me throughout my ninja career. This overwhelming support and positivity have motivated me to continue to improve and become the athlete I am today. Without them, I would not be able to be here, and I can’t thank them enough for all they have done,” Baumgarten said. Family and Ninja Warrior competitions also intersect with Baumgartens’ interest in business: “Just over a year ago, I started my own obstacle company with my Dad (JM Obstacles) where my Dad(Mark) and I can build and design obstacles for different gyms and athletes around the country. This has been a great opportunity to learn about running a business as I hope to run my Dad’s company (Mack’s Auto Parts.),” Baumgarten said. As a 10-year veteran of the sport, Baumgarten has had memorable moments competing, including participating on one of the Ninja Warrior’s biggest stages. “My most memorable moment was probably in 2019 when I flew out to LA to compete in American Ninja Warrior JR.  I got into the Semi-Finals, and it was just an incredible experience,” Baumgarten said. Baumgarten also has recent memorable experiences competing. “Another memorable experience had happened within the past year, and it was competing in a new professional ninja league. This new league (Team Ninja Association) is the most competitive league in our sport. I was selected by a team (myself, Nam Phan from KC, and Kenzie Hughes from Chicago) to compete as one of the best 24 teams in the nation.  I was selected to compete in Boston a month ago and a couple of weeks ago in Houston. In Boston, we were able to take home third place, as that was pretty cool,” Baumgarten said. As a seasoned Ninja pro, Baumgarten has also experienced his setbacks in the sport. “The disappointing moment for me was at the North Carolina World Ninja League finals this past year. I failed out on this agility-based obstacle, a type of move I had trained a lot for and something I felt I was very capable of. This was also very disappointing because once I fell there, my run was over, and I felt I had a good chance to compete with the best,” Baumgarten said. Despite this setback, Baumgarten maintains his positive mindset and is set on improving. “One thing I would want to tell myself would be to focus on the good moments.  Our lives go so fast, and if you want to be a better person in general, you need to focus on the positives and take the negatives as learning moments to improve,” Baumgarten said.