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American Ninja Warrior returned with its first night of the new Qualifying format. The course introduced a few new obstacles that proved to be tricky, delaying the arrival of the season’s first buzzer. It wasn’t until rookie Nate Hansen took the course that we saw our first finisher.
Nate, who goes by Gnarly Ninja Nate, was part of Tyler Gillett’s group of competitors. When we asked Tyler about the group, including Nate, this is what he had to say
“They are some young kids that the world’s not ready for yet. They might blow me out of the water.”
That statement was backed up by Nate’s powerful performance. Nate trains five to six days a week while also being a full time student. He makes up his own courses, takes part in strength training, and works in some yoga. But Nate’s not here to just try to take down courses (that’s important though), he wants to inspire others with his journey to overcome the obstacles life handed him. Nate has a growth hormone deficiency that impeded his height over the years. After years of shots, he topped out at 5’2” tall and experienced a lot of bullying. But none of that prevented him from becoming “Gnarly Nate.” Read on for his thoughts.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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Why he’s here
“The whole reason behind it (American Ninja Warrior) is to motivate other people who may struggle with the same thing I do, the growth hormone deficiency. I’m shorter than the average person. A lot of people could see that as not normal, or weird, but I see it as an advantage.
I’m here to hit buzzers and motivate people around the world who may be struggling with self-confidence and mental thinking about themselves. Who are maybe thinking they’re not enough based on the opinions of other people. I’m living proof that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible.”
On Qualifiers
“I hit my first buzzer, which is really awesome. I exceeded my own standards. I was glad that, not only was I able to hit that buzzer, but I was able to stay at the top with everyone else. The obstacles felt great and I felt great both physically and mentally. I came prepared.”
On training during a pandemic
“I stayed prepared and stayed fit doing running and Cross Fit. I actually built some obstacles in my mom’s house. I had to persuade her a little bit but we built some obstacles in her hallway. She must have loved it. I’m sure she’s patching the holes already.”
On what’s next this season
“I’m feeling great. I have lots of confidence that I can be very successful and just as successful today as I was in Qualifying. I think I can hit another buzzer. Now that I know what the nerves feel like and how to handle them, I can repeat the series of events.
I think my greatest strength is controlling my pace. When I’m on a course, it settles itself and I can control my breathing and pace. I don’t know if many others are very good at that.”
Nate will return to our TV screens in a few weeks when American Ninja Warrior moves into the Semi-Finals.