Nick Hanson made his town proud by qualifying for Vegas twice in a row

Nick Hanson proves that American Ninja Warriors come from every corner of the country and that they don’t need fancy gyms to be tough competitors. Nick hails from a town of 750 people in Alaska. He’s built a homemade course in a pretty stunning setting!

Nick has also become a role model for his community, earning the Alaskan First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year award for his work with kids.

All that AND he’s a great Ninja! In season nine, he hit the buzzer on the Los Angeles Qualifying course. On the City Finals course, he tangled with the Swinging Pegboard but would still head to Vegas for the second year in a row!

The Battering Ram was a tricky, awkward obstacle, but Nick handled each of the transitions.

After he cleared the Warped Wall, he shrugged his shoulders like, “Hey, pretty good so far, right?”

His L’s were strong on the Salmon Ladder.

Then it was the Swinging Pegboard. This was a twist on a classic Ninja obstacle.

On the transition to the next board, Nick missed the peg. As he swung back down, he grabbed the edge of the first pegboard, which didn’t help his grip. He slipped right off the obstacle.

But his time to the obstacle landed him in the 14th spot for the night, sending him back to the National Finals.