During the American Ninja Warrior Philadelphia Qualifiers, McKinley Pierce put a good run to the Wingnuts. Her performance earned her a place in the top five women and another shot at the course in the City Finals.
When McKinley had her second chance, she wasn’t going to take a single moment of it for granted.
Starting with the Archer Steps, after each obstacle, McKinley gathered her thoughts and took in what was happening.
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She was exuberant after the Spinning Bowties.
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McKinley had great form on the Broken Bridge, never a sure thing for any competitor.
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So she breathed a well-deserved sigh of relief afterwards.
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Back at the Wingnuts once more, she put her all into the jumps. They’re weren’t super clean. McKinley had to pull off a couple one-handed saves that had her family gasping.
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But she was able to progress past the obstacle that had previously ended her run. Approaching the Lightning Bolts, McKinley looked a little trepidatious of the trampoline and made sure she lined up her jump.
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In the end thought, she ended up with a flat bounce from the tramp, which didn’t get her high enough to grab the bar.
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McKinley may be out for the season but she packed a lot of learning into her two runs. We hope to see her back next year!