Ninja Warrior - Clash of the Americas... It Could Be Great!

American Ninja Warrior was developed in the US as a spinoff of the Japanese sports show competition, Sasuke. Once ANW became a hit, NBC decided to rollout a special "USA versus Japan" edition to pit America's best athletes versus Japan's best athletes in homage to the show's roots.

American Ninja Warrior: USA vs Japan was such a hit that last year NBC débuted a new competition - "USA versus The World." In this competition, teams from the US, Japan and a special new team from Europe competed for the title. It was a drama-filled epic battle that brought American competitors to the final stage of Mt. Midoriyama. With the incredible excitement that USA vs The World brought to viewers, that left us wondering... what's next?

We have a great idea - "Ninja Warrior - Clash of the Americas." In this special ANW edition, the best athletes from the US would go against South and Central American athletes. Here's why it could be great:

• Soccer Stars
  South America is world-renown for having some of the world's top soccer stars. With soccer being so central to the culture in South America, you can bet that there would be crowds of top-flight amateur and pro athletes lining up to run the course. The whole-body physical demands of soccer will likely produce highly competitive contestants.
  
• Expert Hikers and Climbers
  South America has some incredibly tall mountains and challenging terrain to challenge expert hikers and climbers. Between towering peaks in The Andes and the steep cliffs of Machu Picchu, South American outdoor enthusiasts have a world-class natural playground to hone their skills. This makes them very dangerous competitors because of how important grip strength and endurance are to the American Ninja Warrior course.
  
• Extreme Water Enthusiasts
  Almost all of the Central and South American countries have coastlines, but it's not all sandy beaches. In fact, some of the South American coastline has famously treacherous areas wrought with undertow, rocks and aggressive sharks. This makes water sports like scuba diving, swimming, water skiing and diving even more extreme. The athletes that compete in these sports have to be fearless, which may give them an edge in the competition.
  
• Niche Sports
  In South America, there are some popular sports that we really don't have in the US - things like polo. Without having competitors in the US who have a background with these types of sports, we don't yet know whether that may give them an advantage. It's quite possible that the training and competition involved in a sport like polo might produce greater balance or core strength than some of the popular sports here.
  

What do you think? Is this a good idea, or what?!

How to Get on American Ninja Warrior

If you are an aspiring American Ninja Warrior, you can get on the show in one of two ways:

1. Submitting an application to be chosen to appear on the show
2. Participating as a walk-on in one of the cities where qualifying takes place

Applications are now open, so you can go directly to the American Ninja Warrior casting site to apply. You will have to submit a picture of yourself and a video explaining why you think you deserve a shot. Contestants are urged to be memorable and show off their skills to impress the producers and win them over. Then, wait for a response.

If you don't get chosen, you still have a shot to compete as a walk-on. When ANW holds qualifying in cities across the US, you can get in line to compete. Just know that you will likely have to get there a few days early and camp out in a vehicle or outdoors and wait for a chance to compete. The schedule for 2015 hasn't been released yet, but last year they were in Dallas, Denver, Miami, St. Louis and Venice Beach.

Good luck! And remember, if you want to compete on a ninja warrior-style course a little closer to home, Rockford Ninja Warrior is an annual event! Come out and show your support for a great cause!

The 8 Most Extreme Athletic Competitions in America

Rockford Ninja Warrior is a competition that's not for the faint of heart, which led us to wonder "What are the absolute craziest, most intense athletic competitions in the US?" We did our homework and we've compiled a list:

1. IRONMAN World Championship
   
   
   The IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii is the world's premier sports competition. The most renown triathletes, Olympians, professional cyclists and runners take part to see if they can finish within the stringent time constraints. Participants must swim 2.4 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes, bike 112 miles in 10 hours 30 minutes and run 26.2 miles in 4 hours 10 minutes. The course runs through the black lava fields of Hawaii, which typically generate 45 mph crosswinds and temperatures around 95 degrees.
   
   
   
2. The Race Across America
   
   
   Going from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast, The Race Across America covers 3,000 miles in just 12 days. Participants can race it as a 1-person, 2-person, 4-person or 8-person team. To finish, solo riders must be on their bikes for more than 20 hours a day and can end up sleeping for as little as an hour and a half each day. Severe sleep deprivation threatens riders with hallucinations and injury, resulting in the need for 24-hour monitoring during the race.
   
   
   
3. The Badwater Ultramarathon
   
   
   The 135 mile course for The Badwater Ultramarathon takes runners from 280 feet below sea level in Death Valley to 3,800 feet above sea level at the Mount Whitney trailhead. The competition is held in the middle of the summer, which usually results in temperatures around 130 degrees. These extreme air temperatures hot enough for the asphalt road to reach a surface temperature of 200 degrees, which will melt the runners' shoes if they stray from the painted white road lines. In fact, it's so hot that the support staff have to douse each competitor in ice water every 15 minutes to keep them from overheating.
   
   
   
4. Iditarod
   
   
   The Iditarod takes place in Alaska in February and requires that participants find their way across 1,000 miles of snowy terrain in 30 days or less. Racers must carry their own supplies for the trip on dog sleds and take serious precautions to avoid frostbite in temperatures that can drop as low as 50 degrees below zero.
   
   
   
5. American Ninja Warrior - Mount Midoriyama
   
   
   In a competition that challenges upper body strength and grip strength like nothing else on TV, American Ninja Warrior requires the perfect combination of explosive speed, precise technique, balance and focus to dominate the course. However, while the American Ninja Warrior competition has seen thousands of hopefuls in its 6 seasons, there has never been a victor. Our American Ninja Warrior friends will vouch for the fact that although the level of talent continues to rise substantially every year, unfortunately no one has ever finished all 4 stages of Mount Midoriyama on US soil. That fact is what landed it on our most extreme list.
   
   
   
6. Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational
   
   
   This competition is totally unique in that there is not a set date for it and each year there is no guarantee that it will actually happen. From December to February experts monitor the conditions on the North Shore of Oahu and the world's best surfers await a call to let them know if the competition will even occur. The reason for this is that the competition will not take place unless the face height of the waves is measured at over 40 feet. Since 1984 the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational has only happened 8 times.
   
   
   
7. Lumberjack World Championships
   
   
   The Lumberjack World Championships feature 21 competitions that test burly feats of strength like the springboard chop and a 90 ft timed tree climb. Dubbed "The Olympics of the Forest" competitors come from all over the world to show off their upper body strength and pay homage to a centuries old form of competition and way of life.
   
   
   
8. Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
   
   
   The Escape from Alcatraz is a triathlon, which makes it pale in comparison to the length of some of the other competitions on this list. However, Escape from Alcatraz is no ordinary triathlon. The 1.5 miles from the island to the shore is in frigid waters (which requires that swimmers wear heavy wetsuits to stave off hypothermia) with incredibly strong current. In fact, the current is so strong that participants often end up swimming around twice that length so that as they swim the waves won't drag them past the beach where they need to start the next leg of the race. The swimmers often attract sea lions and, subsequently, the sharks preying on them that are looking for a nice meal. Once on shore, there's an 18 mile bicycle ride on hilly terrain and an 8 mile run on sand and up steep sand-filled steps dubbed "the sand ladder", which have claimed many competitors over the years.
   

If you've ever competed in any of these, we want to take the time to say... "You've got to be crazy!" Okay, just kidding. We want to congratulate you.

If you've ever been a spectator at one of these, let us know what you enjoyed most about the event in the comments below!