Rockford Ninja Warrior Course FAQ

You asked, so we're going to answer!

1. What if it rains?
   A little rain never stopped a ninja! The event will go on as planned rain or shine. The only thing that could hamper the event is severe weather like lightning. In the case of a severe weather incident, we will make a determination of how we should proceed to keep everyone safe and will post updates to keep you informed of what's going on.
   
   
2. What is the cost of admission?
   The event is free to attend. There will be food and merchandise to buy to keep you fed and looking cool. The fee for running the junior course is $10 (ages 14 and younger) and the fee for running the professional course is $40 - both will depend on availability.
   
   
3. How much is parking?
   Parking is free! When you arrive, please follow the instructions of our helpful parking staff to ensure that we get people parked as quickly and efficiently as possible in each of the lots. If we work together, hopefully we'll be able to avoid traffic jams.
   
   
4. When will the American Ninja Warriors be there?
   You may see the American Ninja Warriors on Friday night, as many will be there checking out the course for the first time. Then, the American Ninja Warriors will be at the event all day on Saturday. They will be meeting fans and signing autographs throughout the day and Saturday evening at 6pm they will run the course to show off their skills in a grand finale of this awesome 2-day event.
   
   
5. How early should I get there before competing?
   After registration closes, we will send you information about when you will be running and when we will expect you to be there. This will have a lot of helpful and important information, so keep an eye out for that.
   
   
6. If I'm competing, what should I bring with me?
   You should plan to wear comfortable clothes and sneakers and depending on how confident you are, you may also want a towel and a change of clothes. Also, don't forget your ID and printed ticket.
   
   
7. What are the restrictions on the professional course?
   No one younger than 13 years of age will be allowed to compete on the professional course. You also should not attempt the professional course if you have a medical condition or injury that could put you in danger or if you are pregnant. If you are unsure as to whether you are medically able to compete, please consult with your physician before attempting the course.
   
   
8. Can I request a time to compete?
   Unfortunately, we will not be able to grant requests for specific competition times. Coordinating the schedules and preferences of 150 competitors is just too difficult to manage.
   
   
9. Will I be able to re-try the course if I fail?
   Yes, re-runs will be allowed as time permits. Based on availability, re-runs will be allowed at a price of $20 for the professional course and $10 for the junior course.
   
   
10. What's there going to be for my younger kids to do?
    Even little kids will have fun at the event because we will have plenty of family-friendly kids activities like inflatables, a rock wall, octoball and other games to encourage kids to get active. Kids can also meet the American Ninja Warriors they've seen on TV and watch people run the course.
    
    
11. Can I bring my dog?
    Unfortunately, no - we ask that you please leave all pets at home (dogs, cats, snakes, ferrets, chickens and the like). With everything that will be going on, we're just not going to have any extra room for pets.

Details About the Rockford Ninja Warrior Course

Anyone who has seen American Ninja Warrior knows that there are a lot of different ninja obstacles to choose from when designing a course. So what should you expect from the Rockford Ninja Warrior course?

Wooden Construction

The first thing you should be prepared for is all of the wood. On American Ninja Warrior they have to use metal supports, beams and obstacles because the course has to travel around the country - getting constructed again in every location and then torn down and moved on trucks to its next stop. With Rockford Ninja Warrior, we have the luxury of being able to keep our course in one place. For this reason, we can use quality materials like wood that would be difficult to move once in place and cart across the country. The wood is also a sort of homage to our location at the old Rockford Paper Mill surrounded on all sides by woods and river banks.

Obstacles

The Rockford Ninja Warrior course will feature these challenging obstacles:

• Quintuple Steps - a competitor favorite, these start the course off on a challenging foot
• Balance Beam - we're ninja-tizing your typical gymnastics balance beam
• Wide-Set Monkey Bars - these will force competitors into some high-flying acrobatics
• Rope Swing into Cargo Net - continuing the demands on the upper body, good timing combined with serious stamina will be needed to conquer this obstacle
• Tilting Ladders - these will require a lot of strength as well as the right technique to make the transition between ladders and get across
• Massive 14-Foot Warped Wall - taken from the personal training gym of an American Ninja Warrior, this warped wall is the real deal

This is a picture of the poles that will be supporting this mammoth obstacle course:

Not impressed yet? You will be when you get here, because those are actually telephone poles! You really can't appreciate just how high that is until you stand under one.

 

Registering for Rockford Ninja Warrior

We've had a lot of questions regarding registration, so we decided to answer them all here...

Professional (Adult) Course

If you are an adult looking to run the Rockford Ninja Warrior course, you can register online before the event. Initially we had said that there would be 180 available spots, but decided to reduce that to 150 after we discovered how much interest there was from the American Ninja Warriors. With ten American Ninjas flying in and taking part, we wanted to leave them enough time to showcase their skills, so we reduced the number of spots.

If you have already registered online, great! There will be further instruction regarding when you need to arrive and so forth - just sit tight for now. We cannot guarantee that you will receive a specific time slot, but you will be notified of your run schedule once pre-registration closes so that you have that information ahead of time.

If you have not yet registered, there are still some spots left. Go to www.RockfordNinjaWarrior.com and click on the registration link. Registration is $40 per person. Once those spots are filled, the event is capped. So, while you don't have to register ahead of time, registering right now while spots are still available will ensure you have a chance to run the course.

Onsite registration will be available on the day of event (Friday and Saturday) if we have any remaining spots. However, if you decide to wait until the event starts on Friday and come to register in person, we cannot guarantee that there will be any spots left.

The adults running on the pro level course will be competing against each other in their skill class and age group to get the fastest time. The results of the competition will be revealed Saturday after all competitors have run the course.

If you can't snag one of the remaining spots this year, we'd still love to have you come to check out the course and meet the American Ninja Warriors.

Junior (Kids) Course

Kids (girls and boys) under the age of 14 can run the junior course. There is no pre-registration for the junior course like there is for the adult pro course. If your child wants to run the course, you will need to show up on Friday (5-8pm) or Saturday (8am-8pm) to get him/her registered onsite. Registration for the junior course is $10 per person (pay on the spot) first-come, first-serve. We will have credit card readers so that you can pay in cash or with a credit card.

Unlike the professional course, the junior course will not rank children by time. Instead, it will challenge kids to do their best and offer them a reward at the end. Kids that are able to complete the junior course without falling will be given a free event t-shirt to show off their achievement. Kids that are not able to complete the course will be given a $5 off coupon for a shirt for their hard work.

If the junior course fills up and your ninja-in-training can't get a spot to run the course, there will be plenty to do to keep them occupied. Besides the thrill of getting to watch other kids and top athletes run their respective courses, there will be lots of family fun. We will have inflatables, sponsors doing giveaways and food/merchandise for purchase.

On Saturday, the American Ninja Warriors will be interacting with fans, signing autographs and running the course that evening at 6pm. This is a great chance for your children (and you!) to meet the people you've seen on TV over the last few seasons in-person. Come out with your whole family and make a day of it!

Press Release - American Ninja Warriors to Appear at Rockford Ninja Warrior Event

Contact Brian Pankratz                                                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September, 23 2014
Phone 616-581-3078
Email Info@RockfordNinjaWarrior.com
Website www.RockfordNinjaWarrior.com

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIORS TO APPEAR AT ROCKFORD NINJA WARRIOR EVENT

Ten Popular Contestants from the Hit NBC Television Show “American Ninja Warrior” will be Featured at the Rockford Ninja Warrior Community Event

Rockford, MI: Contestants from the “American Ninja Warrior” television show will be appearing at the Rockford Ninja Warrior event on October 10 & 11. The list of names that will be in attendance includes, Elet Hall, Drew Drechsel, Ryan Stratis, Kevin Bull, James McGrath, Mia Lazarewicz, Andrew Karsen, David Schwartz, Eric Sietsema and Robin Pietschmann. These men and women represent some of the show’s top talent, as well as some of America’s favorite competitors. The American Ninja Warriors will be signing autographs and meeting fans throughout the day on Saturday. Then, they will compete live on Rockford’s own course Saturday evening at 6pm to showcase their skills for attendees as the grand finale to the event.

The ninja warrior phenomenon has been sweeping the country both on national television and in gyms across America. A blend of parkour, crossfit and gymnastics, ninja warrior obstacle courses offer fitness buffs extreme obstacles to conquer in a timed setting. Earlier this month, BridgeWay Community Church announced that it would be bringing this intense style of physical competition to Rockford, Michigan. With both a professional course and junior level course, Rockford Ninja Warrior will offer a unique adventure for competitors of all ages. If the professional course looks familiar, it is because the obstacles being used mimic the American Ninja Warrior course in both size and difficulty.

Brian Pankratz, from BridgeWay Community Church, explained, “We wanted to create a really exciting event that would engage our community and inspire kids to be healthy and active. Our philosophy has always been ‘Go big, or go home’ and we are really going big with this event! We have amazing corporate sponsors that understand our vision for this event and are willing to give of their time and resources to make it a huge success. The response so far has been overwhelming, which really showcases what a supportive and engaged community we have around us.”

The family-friendly event is free to the community. Food and merchandise will be available for purchase. Adult athletes can register online to run the professional course for $40 per person. Children must be registered to run the junior course onsite ($10 per person). The proceeds from Rockford Ninja Warrior will go toward building a youth center as well as 10% will be donated to the Rockford Public School system’s “Developing Healthy Kids” program.

Rockford Ninja Warrior is being brought to the community with sponsorship from BridgeWay Community Church as well as Lowes, MVP Athletic Club, Pools Plus, Rogue River Crossfit, LionShark Digital Marketing, Rockford Ambulance, Adtegrity, Speed Merchants, Ace Hardware, i-chiro, Dads Tents, Cran-Hill Ranch, Grapids Irrigation, INMR – Dr. Dew, Dr. Heather Cadorette DDS, American Autocoat, Jade, CE Holt & Associates, Pathway Financial, Rising Star Fitness, Signarama, Herrington’s Waste Services, Inc., Courtland Tree Service, and Flo’s Pizzeria Ristorante & Sports Bar.

For more information, please visit www.RockfordNinjaWarrior.com

WHAT: Rockford Ninja Warrior
WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 5pm-8pm & Saturday, October 11, 2014 8am-8pm
WHERE: 7734 Childsdale Avenue NE, Rockford MI
Media are invited to attend

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Registration is Tomorrow

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Rockford Ninja Warrior blog!

Set an alarm for tomorrow because registration opens at 12pm and we're expecting the spots to fill up quickly. Once you've finished registering, don't forget to tell your friends about it on social media so that they can put it on their calendars to come and cheer you on.

Remember parents, you do not have to register kids for the junior course - that will be first come first serve availability on Friday and Saturday.