Ninja Girl Warrior

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                 “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; 

it’s who is going to stop me.”                    

~ Ayn Rand

Ninja Girl Warrior

Good things come in small packages. So meet our favorite small package, 24 year old Kacy Catanzaro, a female dynamo who has set records and broken down barriers for women on NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior”. If you’ve not seen the show, it’s a real hoot, as well as being inspirational in the physical and mental obstacles that the contestants need to overcome both in their training back stories, and while competing on the course itself.

American Ninja Warrior’s viewing allure is best described by Executive Producer Kent Weed: "It's the stories of our contestants that separate us [from other reality shows]," Weed says. "How people overcome adversity to achieve their goals, whether they're doing it for a friend who's ill, a mother that had breast cancer or whether it's a personal achievement they're trying to overcome like weight loss, beating drugs or alcohol. Its personal human achievement and it's something that audiences can identify with." 

Now, let’s get back to our girl, the physically diminutive Kacy Catanzaro, who measures in at 5 feet even and 100 pounds dripping wet. Granted, Kacy was both a Division I NCAA gymnast and Gymnast of the Year at Towson University, but on a show with obstacles that humble the fittest, strongest and most nimble males on earth, she is at an extreme size or ‘wingspan’ disadvantage from the word “go”.

Prior to her first run on the qualifying course in Dallas, consisting of six obstacles in all and testing every bit of one’s stamina, strength, balance, heart and guts, no woman had ever completed the course (and MANY super fit men had failed!). Ironically, the Warped Wall, a rounded-at-the- bottom 14 foot wall that contestants have to scale with a short run and jump, was the final obstacle. No woman had EVER made it up the wall. As you might imagine by now, our mini-might Kacy slayed that dragon as the first woman ever to complete a qualifying run and scale the Warped Wall!

The Beat Goes On and On...and On
What may even be more inspirational, with Kacy knocking down those previously unimaginable barriers, her conquests allowed 2 other women, on subsequent qualifying runs in different cities, to also complete their courses, including scaling the once unconquerable Warped Wall!

So next up was the Dallas finals course, where the top 30 from each qualifying city took on a 10 obstacle course (the original 6, plus 4 new challenges). Keep in mind, no woman had ever qualified to try the finals course prior to this. Of the 30, Kacy, represented as the only female, became 1 of only 7 to complete the course. Mind you, these are the cream of the crop, and 23 of these superstar men couldn’t finish the course!! Watching her absolutely smash this course is one of the most inspiring things ever. Click here to view her 10 obstacle finals thrill ride:                     

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

It has yet to be decided what happens to the other 2 qualifying women in their finals runs, or even what will happen to Kacy when she takes on Mt. Midoriyama, but what she has accomplished and the ‘can do’ attitude Kacy has infused into the collective female psyche’ is crystal clear for all to see.

       “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Our playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

                                                ~Marianne Williamson

PS: How did watching that video make you feel? WOW! She’s AMAZING!!