This was one of the most exciting cities because it had some great names. The biggest surprise was Allyssa Beird. She may have been one of the Fantastic Four, but I wasn't so sure how well she would do. She didn't strike me as exceptionally strong, but, clearly, I was wrong. She was the first woman all season to hit a buzzer, and that includes Jessie Graff. I feel like last year she barely made it into the Top 30 based on time and speed, so that's why she didn't stick out too much. This year, though, she definitely made a mark, and no one is going to forget her. I really thought that her accomplishment was overlooked a little toward the end because of Jesse Labreck. Jesse earned the POM Run of the Night, and she is pretty amazing, but after Beird ran, and a couple other people finished, she was just another finisher. Maybe that's good because she is being treated like any other athlete and not getting special attention just because she is a woman. Beird is dating and training with James "The Beast" McGrath, so maybe that is what she needed. It also could be the actual course, too. Maybe the Rolling Thunder was too much last year, and in some way the I-beam Gap was easier? That's something else I have with ANW is that the City course are different from each other. I know they have to be to keep it interesting because we don't want to see the same obstacles for 6+ weeks, and the National Finals are the same which is what really matters. However, I can't help but think that maybe some competitors could finish one city course, but not theirs. I think the overall courses have different levels of difficulty, and particularly single obstacles are harder or easier. For example, I think the Bar Hop is easier than the I-Beam Gap, but Crank it Up was harder than the Ring Jump. Another example was in Cleveland, they changed up the "formula" for the course. In the other cities, the balance obstacle was fourth, not third, but in Cleveland not only was it third (which doesn't really matter, but it was intentionally placed after the Rolling Log. I think that is a big difference with this city was that the Rolling Log screwed up your balance, and they sent you straight into Razors Edge. The other cities' second obstacle was the slide down type.I guess, actually, overall, the courses are very close in difficulty, but I definitely think there are specific obstacles that some athletes fail on which end their season, but in reality, they could have hit a buzzer, just in a different city. Anyway, I'm not sure how far Beird will go because she is strong but she doesn't look like Jessie or Jesse. Those two are rippling with muscles and Meaghan Martin is pretty muscled, too, and a rock climber. Those three are definitely my favorite female competitors, and I would always put my money on one of those three, but Beird deserves the praise because she hit the buzzer. Some women get praise because of effort or personality, but I think women should only get the spotlight if they can get up the wall.
Labreck was the other woman to complete, and frankly, I think everyone expected her to. Her rookie year she didn't hit any buzzers, but she made it to the 9th obstacle in her city finals. She is my second favorite female competitor, and, like everyone else, I'd love to see her in Vegas. Most rookies seem to go out on the Jumping Spider, but can get it the next year, so she has a good chance this second year. I don't really doubt that she can do Stage 1 in Vegas, but I think it will come down to time. The women are always slower than men, with the exception of Graff maybe, and there is a time limit on Stage 1, so I think she may feel the pressure there.
I was really glad to see McGrath. Last year, he fell on the Jumping Spider, I think, which was an early exit for him. It's especially unusual because he's so tall. Even this year, the I-beam Gap was no issue. He's all legs, so he just reached across with his legs, no jump required. It was a little anti-climactic because that jump is a tense, hold-your-breath kind of moment to see if they can stick it, but for McGrath, it was literally no problem. He was on the first Team USA in the USA vs. Japan competition, he has the nickname "The Beast," and he finished the City Finals the year they added the Invisible Ladder which made the Finals really hard, so it's obvious he's capable and I want to see him go farther in Vegas. I feel like we haven't been seeing as much McGrath as we could/should.
Then, of course, I have to mention Najee Richardson. He really hit the spotlight since last year. His rookie year he was hidden, but last year he really blossomed. I thought that last year was his rookie year because I had no idea who he was, but they talked about and praised him a lot. He was in the All Stars special a ton, too. He was on Team Matt, and participated in multiple of the mini competitions including the Sonic Shelf Grab against Drew Drechsel. I was almost a little surprised that he wasn't on Team USA considering how great he was during the regular season. Fingers crossed for this next year, though.
I was sort of surprised that Joe didn't get the fastest time or the Run of the Night. I mean, I understand that it was given to Labreck, and she was very deserving of it, but usually Joe gets it. DeFranco earned the fastest time by beating Joe by 1 second which isn't too much, but it's still impressive and an honor to have the fastest time. It's a shame they didn't show him, though. I feel like that's a little weird. I know he isn't their favorite, so I'm not surprised about him personally not being shown, but I am surprised because he had the fastest time, and I think those should be shown. DeFranco also had the fastest time last year, in which he beat Joe, too. I don't remember if he was shown last year. I almost want to say no, because I had to look for who was the fastest and their name so I could remember them. I like to look out for the fast people. Anyway, with it narrowed down more for the City Finals, there is better chance that more people can get some face time, and I'm hoping they show him. I think the speed ninjas are fun to watch because they go fast; they go straight into each obstacle with no lolly-gagging and stalling, plus to go at an aggressive pace on and in between each obstacle shows true talent and skill, in my opinion. I'm glad that Joe is having another kid because his first daughter is really cute, and he seems like he wants kids and is a great father.
Lastly, Mike Bernardo finished. His nickname "Machine-gun Mike" is such a cool nickname, and being named for being a pro at the Salmon Ladder is quite an honor considering the Salmon Ladder is an oldie but a goodie. It's been there from the beginning, but still kills in competition. I believe he and a couple others like Drechsel and Stratis still compete in Sasuke, the original, Japanese version. I think that's pretty cool, and I wish there was a way I could see those. I'd love to see how well they do over there because I think the two countries versions are very different. For one, America focuses a lot more on grip and upper body strength whereas Japan is more balanced in upper body strength and speed and agility, more all body. Maybe I'm wrong because I've never really been able to see the Japanese courses over the years, and if ANW was derived from them, maybe it is still upper body and grip intense. There must be a difference, though, in scale and size. America has to go big or go home, and the obstacles seem bigger and more spaced out, mostly to fit the average size of the American competitor. However, the Japanese are smaller on average, so there courses are probably a little more compact. The reason I say all this is based on how Japan fared on the American course during the USA vs. The World competitions. They never did super great, especially when Europe entered the picture. I still think that it's partly due to the fact that things in America are just heavier and bigger and possibly more demanding. They didn't even compete this last year, being replaced by Latin America, and I doubt it's because they weren't invited. Anyway, I mention this because I feel like the American ninjas, like Drew, would win in Japan. Do they hold back? or is there really an obstacle that beats them? I guess it wouldn't be too crazy to think of; anything could trip up even the best, and like I've said, I don't know what the Japanese courses look like and how they compare to the US. Anyway, this doesn't have much to do with Cleveland or even this year, but stuff like this hangs around in the back of my mind and highlights certain athletes on a subtle level for me. If not for the cool nickname and his Sasuke experience, I don't think Bernardo would stick out too much for me. Not because he isn't strong, it's just personal pull and preference.
This time there were a few emotional stories. within just this city: Joe and his uncle, Mike and his father, and Sarah Poulin and her son Jacob. Even Mears and Thorne from Kansas City had some personal issues this past year. Of course, there is nothing wrong with running in honor/memory of someone; it's sweet and respectful, but sometimes, the emotional stuff should be more private. I feel like those stories double as sympathy points for the show. They want a little drama, too, to spice it up or make it more emotional or so they can make certain people look better. Perhaps it's just my own negativity, but I don't really think that some things they choose to include add anything to the overall show. As I've said plenty of times previous, ANW is a lot about invoking inspiration and showing the true strength of "common" people, but the proof is in the pudding. They hype someone up in whatever way is fitting, and when they fall early, the time ratio of story to run isn't even. Being on the show and passing one obstacle is an accomplishment, but the goal is to see the buzzer hitting runs.
So, enough with the negativity. Cleveland is one of my favorite cities this year because there are a lot of great, promising ninjas. If they added Graff, Drechsel, Gil, Bull, and Coolridge, it would pretty much be the perfect city for me. All of the cities are great, though, because there are strong athletes everywhere, and I'm really looking forward to Denver because it's the home of the rock climbers. Rock climbers, if you look at Caldiero, Arnold, and Martin, have proven to be powerful in the ANW world. I'm hoping to see Noah Kaufman this year due to the fact he hasn't been competing in the regular season, and I like him. He's still very involved in the community and the other ninjas, but I haven't seen him in awhile. I also am really hoping Geoff Britten will appear in Denver. This is the last city stop, and I have yet to see him. It would be a shame if he didn't not only because he fell out so early last season but because he is (technically) the first american ninja warrior, and I'd love to see him win again (and win the money, too). Although, even though he's done it before, they've changed the course, and, out of everyone, personally, my bet would be totally on Drew Drechsel. Not just because he went the farthest last year, but because he is truly a tremendous athlete, and I think he has what it takes to earn the title of American Ninja Warrior Champion and that $1 million dollars. It sucks the most when people just make silly mistakes and fall. Drechsel did that last year, and Flip did that, too, when he accidentally broke the rules on the Unstable Hourglass Bridge (or whatever they changed the name to). You know they have what it takes to do better and/or finish it all, but they slip up, probably mentally, and it's all over for the year. If Drew hadn't fallen on the Upside Down Rock Wall last year from putting his hand in a foothold, I think he could have finished. When he got to that point in the course (past the middle, almost), he didn't even seem winded. He was so close, and I'm the most nervous for him because I want him to do it, but like they say, you can never take any obstacle for granted, and there is always a chance he could drop at any moment regardless of the fact he's pretty much the top ninja right now.
I kind of went down a rabbit hole there, straying away from Cleveland. The big names: Moravsky, Richardson, McGrath, Rahn, and Bernardo I am obviously looking forward to, but Labreck and Beird should be really exciting, too. I'm especially interested in seeing Beird on the back half of the course. I also feel like it's safe to say that Beird and Labreck will be the two women in Vegas for Cleveland, but you never know. DiGangi and DeFranco are two that I'm hoping will do well. I'd love to see two power couples in Vegas because you don't see them that often. Kacy and Brent were the biggest, but since they broke up, there wasn't much. I love the way Labreck and DiGangi met, too. I mean, at a Ninja event for the show. It's really cute, and they train together, which is expected, but still. McGrath and Beird also train together, and I thought it was sweet that McGrath, when asked about how he felt at his girlfriend finishing, replied with, "well I pretty much expected her to." Rarely do I root against someone, usually people who gloat too much and I just want them to get a reality check. This year has given me a lot of people to cheer for and hopefully a lot new favorites.
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