Kyle Stradtman overcame the obstacles to hit the buzzer

American Ninja Warrior isn’t always about the obstacles on the course. Sometimes the toughest battles we fight are away from it. Ninja Rookie Kyle Stradtman struggled with alcoholism before his partner in crime, Blazzo, entered the picture. Kyle showed real strength in his personal life and has now been sober for four years. But Ninja fans also got a front row seat to his strength on the course. See for yourself in the video below.

Kyle showed some serious grip strength on the night’s first big test. As Akbar said on the broadcast, the best training he had for this obstacle may have been holding on to up to 10 dog leashes at a time.

Kyle’s dog Blazzo had front seats for the Fly Wheels. This obstacle could have been “ruff” considering Kyle’s only 5’5”, but he cruised through this obstacle like it was a walk in the park.

Kyle was the first Ninja of the night to conquer the Spin Hopper, paving the wave for others to follow in his footsteps and hit the buzzer. In total, 10 Ninjas finished the Indianapolis course.

After conquering the Warped Wall, all that was left was the celebration. Stradtman’s time of 3:14.46 was 6th fastest among the competitors in Indianapolis. If he can duplicate that feat in the City Finals, he and Blazzo will have to book tickets to Las Vegas!