First, I want to comment on the obstacle course itself. I personally felt that it was easier than the L.A. Finals. Now, I know what some people are thinking-- there were less finishers in this city than last week therefore it must be harder. However, I feel that the killer was the 8th obstacle, as usual, and the main reason it got people was because of the horrible trampoline. There were a few people whose grip slipped on the actual hourglass part of the Hourglass Drop, but for the most part it was just the trampoline. Now, what bothers me is that this obstacle is about being able to drop onto a trampoline correctly. I don't think that has anything to do with strength, and, therefore, is not a true testament to one's strength. Even the ANW site says it's jarring and unpredictable and that you can be in peak physical condition and train really hard and still fail the trampoline. Yes, it does deal with some coordination and form, but compared to the other types of obstacles they use for other Finals, it didn't seem super fair to me. The trampoline gives you only one chance, no rebound opportunities, and some people just get lucky and others just get unlucky. It does require some skill, but not the kind they usually test-- not upper body strength, grip, core muscles, or even agility. Compared to the Swinging Pegboard last week the 8th obstacle was a lot different. It just seems like people went out for a poor reason-- a trampoline. I think an obstacle like this is better suited to be in the Qualifying part like it has been before, but not for the back half. Other than that, the rest of the course seemed even, so to speak. I still have a bit of an issue with the Elevator Climb change. Particularly with L.A. and San Antonio, the Battering Ram and the Pipefitter were fairly similar, so the trampoline was the only thing I was suspicious about.
I guess we should talk about Daniel Gil. He was the only finisher; he's a beast, I must admit. He was fighting the pain though, and almost didn't make it off the Elevator Climb. I suppose that's more evidence that this obstacle course was really hard because even if people could have passed the Hourglass Drop, maybe they all would have tanked out, too. Thomas Stillings and Nicholas Coolridge did pretty well, very talk-worthy. I was really glad that they gave Coolridge some screen time. It was similar to last year when they showed him mid-run, but they skipped everything in Vegas, so, up to this point everything is the same since last year. We'll have to see how they treat him in Vegas. I was also glad, though, to hear that they hyped him up a little. They mentioned that he was really strong and very likely to complete the course, as well as his rookie year run. I really really wanted him to finish, but he made it back to Vegas, and third overall in San Antonio which is the most important. Stillings was also really impressive. Something I seemed to notice was that even though Thomas is a very speedy runner, as he was on the course, he didn't have an urgent pace. He was very natural and completed everything calmly and with ease. There was never any real strain until the last obstacle. It just seemed like a different approach than previous runs. Even qualifying, even though they skipped him, I assume he wanted a fast time, and he made that obvious. For the Finals, I'm sure he's more focused on finishing, and therefore, time is less of a factor. Either way, I'd really love to see what he can do. I feel like he gets a little skipped over in Vegas. I remember him and look for him, but I don't remember how far he went last year. I don't even remember if he made it to Stage 2 which would be really odd considering speed demons tend to do great on Stage 1. I think the rivalry between Gil and Stillings wasn't over, but it definitely was not discussed this year.
So, the Top 3 were Gil, Stillings, and Coolridge. Let's talk about the 4th place finalist: Brent Steffensen. At first, they were talking about him like he was going to finish, and he made it to the Elevator Climb, so I thought for a second that he was going to do it all. I was thinking that it would have been a little odd to me if he had finished. Not because I think he isn't strong or anything, but he is the first, older generation. He has been here since the beginning, and they talk about the new generation like Gil and Stillings all the time, so I don't know how much more Steffensen has left in him. However, he did prove me wrong this year: hitting the buzzer in Qualifying and reaching the final obstacle in the Finals. I still think he is out of the spotlight and not necessarily the best anymore. He still gets a lot of hype and advertising, but I think that it is because he is an OG athlete. The same somewhat goes for Brian Arnold. Both of these ninjas had their 15 minutes of fame; both had hit a new "farthest in Vegas" spot in different seasons, Brent with the Upside-down Rock climb wall thing, and Brian with the Flying Steps things in Stage 3, and that placed them on the map. I remember when I first started watching ANW, Brent was the biggest, best ninja out there. Then it was Arnold up until fellow Wolfpack member Caldiero won it all. However, now more people are getting there, too, and, again, this new generation is coming in pushing them out a little. Plus, the courses are getting a lot harder, they're getting older, and they haven't gotten back to Stage 3 in a couple years. Drew Drechsel is still the Top Dog right now, yet, Brent showed everyone that he's still got it. I was definitely impressed with his run last night, and I'm interested in seeing how he does in Vegas.
Obviously I have to talk about the women. I pretty much knew from Qualifying that Barclay Stockett was going to Vegas. I wasn't too sure about Kacy though. However, like fellow business partner and ex-boyfriend Brent, she was very impressive and surprising. I was glad to see her best the Ring obstacle and even pass the Pipefitter. I was actually shocked to see her not be able to get up the Warped Wall. Last time she made it, the wall was half of a foot shorter, and I forgot that this year it was taller, so I thought the Wall was going to be a sure thing for her. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts, she couldn't make it. If she had made it up, I really don't know where I think she would have dropped. I think she's strong enough to get up the Salmon Ladder, and she used to be a gymnast, so she may have had a good chance at the Hourglass Drop. I would have bet that she'd have gone out on the 9th obstacle (whatever it was called), but as far as the Hourglass Drop, I'm not sure. Either way, according to the new women's rule, she deserves to be going back to Vegas. However, there is doubt in my mind as to the competition she had. She had Barclay, but one other woman isn't something to be worried about. I wonder, just a little, if the other women weren't very strong competition on purpose so that ANW could ensure that Kacy would return to the National Finals? Then again, I suppose you can't really set that up. I highly doubt they turn any woman down, so Kacy could easily have had tough competition. Something similar to that is having a finisher. Gil was their last hope for a finisher, and as a watcher, you expect him to be able to finish, and the show sets it up perfectly for the drama of whether or not the city will have a finisher, but you can't completely rely on Gil. He could have easily slipped up like Grant did last week. The show also can't ask people to fall in order to place all the pressure on Gil. I realize none of this probably makes any sense, and I really honestly don't think there is any fishy business going on. Apparently, last year, Philadelphia did not have any finishers, so it's totally possible. The last thing I sort of question about the show is the scale of things. I used to wonder whether or not the scale of the obstacles was different to compensate for the various heights, but now I'm thinking that everything is the same for short and tall athletes. It really wouldn't be fair if they did do that, but I suppose it's pretty obvious now they don't because you can tell when short people have a disadvantage and tall people have an advantage. I also noticed with Kacy, Barclay, and Jonathan Horton how small they looked on the course due to their height. It was funny, and kind of cute. Anyway, maybe it was just lucky that Kacy didn't have other women like Jessie or Jesse to go against.
Kenny Niemitalo had an interesting story, more than the usual "death or severe illness or running in memory" type story. He did have a medical story, but the "Finding a Kidney Donor Through a National TV Show" was new. Personally, as great as that is for the Niemitalo's, I think it's a little weird. I know there are background checks, and donors can easily be strangers, but when I first heard it, I thought it was weird. It is truly a miracle for their daughter, and the donor had purely good intentions, and it brings ANW to a deeper level then it already is showing how it connects people from around the country (same for Kacy and Barclay). It's really great, but for some reason it still weirds me out. Unfortunately, like Horton, Niemitalo was too slow to make it back to Vegas. It seems that either you have to have complete faith in yourself to complete the 8th obstacle/the whole thing, or you have to pick up the pace to try for time. It looked like both Horton and Niemitalo chose to believe in themselves, and it was too bad that the trampoline got them.
Tremayne Dortch did not make it to Vegas. I think he usually does... Last year he may not have, though, either. I remember that either him or Karsten Williams was in the 15th spot and they're friends, so it was bitter-sweet when one of them bumped the other out. I want to say Karsten beat out Tremayne, but I honestly don't remember. Karsten Williams surprised me reaching the Spinball Wizard. He is one of the bigger competitors, taller and more muscular, and there's clear disadvantage, if you'll call it that, for the bigger guys. The more lean and tones tend to do better in my opinion. Props to him for getting so far, though, finishing 5th overall. I think Andrew Lowes (finishing 6th) is more on the OG side of the generation line, so it was good to see him defeat the Hourglass Drop and secure a trip back to Vegas. He's one of the people who I remember the name, but not so much the face. When I was watching a really old episode a few weeks ago, Andrew Lowes was 1 of 2 names which I actually recognized which is how I know he's a little older. These are the athletes who I don't really know how well they can/will do. I can expect them to drop early, but also expect them to do rather well, so we'll have to see. Vegas is the true test for everyone-- young, old, new, OG, gymnast, athlete, big, small, the whole lot.
I'm really excited for next week. Jessie Graff and Drew Drechsel are pretty much the reason for that. Some of the other athletes like Stratis, Rosen, and Woods will be exciting. Sometimes, with all three of them, they're all kind of wildcards. Anyone can drop out on something early/simple, even Drechsel. I'm also ready for Gillet and Carbone, two rookies who stood out. It'll be interesting to see how strong they really are. I'm very hopeful for the all the rookies. I'm hoping this year I will find some new favorites in addition to the previous favorites.
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