Why Did I Compete on American Ninja Warrior?

I’ve been asked so many times what made you want to do American Ninja Warrior? The short answer is I love that kind of stuff.

The longer answer is this:

I was a competitive gymnast and cheerleader — I’ve been swinging and flipping all my life, so when I started watching ANW years ago, it was something I was dying to try for myself. Right about that same time, I got the news from my obstetrician-gynecologist that some tests came back positive for cervical cancer. They had me in for surgery the very next morning.

PSA: get your annual check-ups! My doctor caught it in the very early stages because of something he found during my annual visit.

I was told that cervical cancer has a high chance of reoccurrence and removing the cervix was recommended — if I wanted children, I needed to act now. So, we did and I’m now a mom to the most amazing little girl.

When she was about a year old, I made the decision with my husband to go ahead and get a hysterectomy in order to prevent the cancer from returning.

On our ten-year wedding anniversary, we went to a ninja gym to play around — we were both former gymnasts and cheerleaders and big fans of ANW. The past few years had put a toll on us both, and we needed to get back into shape and I thought this would be a fun way to do it.

Fast forward, six months later he wanted a divorce. Needless to say, I wasn’t really focused on training for American Ninja Warrior anymore. My complete focus was now on my daughter and moving forward.

Just two days before the deadline to submit for season 11, a friend texted me a little motivational message. The gist of it was, go kick ass and show your daughter just how strong you are.

So, why did I compete on American Ninja Warrior?

To show my daughter how strong I am.

To prove to myself I could do it.

To keep a promise to myself.

To keep moving forward.

To challenge myself.

To get back to my roots.

To have fun.

To be me!