Georgia Magazine - July 2022 - 18

Want to try ninja training?
Here are a few gyms where you can take classes or join a league.
* Adventure Air Sports, Kennesaw; (678) 384-2020;
kennesaw.adventureairsports.com
* Exhilarate, Savannah; (912) 299-3900; exhilaratesav.com
* Leap Parkour Gym, Suwanee; (678) 650-9763; leapparkour.com
* NinjaKour, Lilburn; (678) 671-3539; ninjakour.com
* Ninjafit Obstacle Training Facility, Dallas; ninjafitatl.com
* Nitrozone, Peachtree Corners; (470) 636-3230; bit.ly/nitroninja
* Oconee Ninja World, Watkinsville; (706) 769-1239;
bit.ly/oconeeninja
without even realizing it, " she says. " They have to ask themselves
questions like 'How can I get from this ledge to that one
or roll down this obstacle and catch this bar, then know when to
leap to catch the next one?' "
Above: Aidan Toolan navigates the Shaky
Ladder obstacle at Ninjafi t. Right: Sarah and
Emily Fisher are all smiles at the gym.
being diagnosed with attention
deficit disorder. As part of his
treatment, doctors recommended
sports or activities that challenge
both sides of the brain. His mother,
Heather, remembered how much
fun he'd had at a ninja-themed
birthday party and signed him up
for lessons. By the end of the first
class, Ethan was hooked.
" It was like this was made for
him, " Heather Grindle says. " He said, 'I've found my
people.' "
Under Harris' tutelage, Ethan Grindle has been
to dozens of competitions across the Southeast. His
favorite memory is making it to the NNL World
Championships in Greensboro, N.C., in 2018, even if
the competition didn't end exactly how he wanted.
" I fell on the second obstacle, but it was still fun, "
he says.
More than just athletics
Heather Grindle says that to young ninjas like
Ethan, the sport just seems like a way to have fun.
" It lets kids today do the things that we used to
do-run through the woods, climb trees, cross a creek
on a shaky log, " she says.
They don't realize that at the same time they're
honing their hand-eye coordination and building
spatial awareness.
" They're also using math, geometry and physics
18 Georgia Magazine July 2022
For Ethan Grindle, the discipline
forged in hours of practice has made
a huge difference. Most notably, his
mother says, is the confidence that
comes from mastering a tough obstacle
and knowing that he can do things
many of his peers can't do.
many of his peers can't do.
" They tell them in the gym, 'You
can't take your eye off anything for a
second, or you'll fall,' " she says.
" We've seen that in his control and
staying focused in school. He's made
so many friends; he's more social
and not afraid to talk to people.
I just can't express how much it's
helped him. "
Harris says that over the years,
he and Ethan have developed a " big
brother-little brother " relationship,
which they maintained when the coronavirus pandemic shut
down gyms. Because ninja is not a contact sport, ninja gyms
were among the first athletic facilities to reopen with special
sanitizing protocols and limits on spectators. When travel teams
and competitions resumed, they brought a sense of relief and
normalcy to ninjas like Ethan Grindle and Emily Fisher.
" It is so good for Ethan to be back with all his buddies, "
Heather Grindle says. " It was a lifesaver. "
That sense of camaraderie is common among ninja
athletes. Harris says competitors want to see teammates do
well on a course so they can learn how to successfully navigate
obstacles. And everyone celebrates when an athlete finally
conquers an obstacle for the first time.
" Your teammates will be cheering for you, even if you might
knock them out of competition, " Emily Fisher says. " Everyone
wants everyone else to win. "
Rosalyn Dunn is a freelance writer living in Atlanta.
For more information
* National Ninja League, nationalninja.com
* Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association, ultimateninja.net
SARAH FISHER
COURTESY NINJAFIT
http://kennesaw.adventureairsports.com http://www.exhilaratesav.com http://www.leapparkour.com http://www.ninjakour.com http://www.ninjafitatl.com http://www.bit.ly/nitroninja http://www.bit.ly/oconeeninja http://www.nationalninja.com http://www.ultimateninja.net
Georgia Magazine - July 2022

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