So... where do I begin? There was so many "oh my gosh" moments. From Lance to the women to the skipped people to the dropped people. I think first, I want to talk about Lance.
First, I was so surprised that he walked away with the fastest time of the night, beating out Joe Moravsky, and even speed demons like Stillings and Bull (both were skipped and I will mention that later). Lance never strikes me as the speedy type even after I've seen him earn the fastest time. I never ever would have imagined he would beat Joe, though. It was a big final shocker for me personally. He's a cowboy/rancher. He is bulkier and much more muscular than speed demons usually are, so I never would have thought. I also thought his new story about his wife was really sad. I think stories like those make the run much more meaningful and inspirational to the ninja and their family, and they connect the rest of the nation to them via emotion and sympathy. However, those kinds of stories, although they're a huge part of someone's life, I personally feel like it is something different from ANW. I don't know how to explain it, but a lot of people have emotional stories, and I feel it affects them personally, obviously, but for a national athletic competition I still find it a touch weird, I guess. Again, I really don't know how to explain it or even what I mean. Anyway, it was sad to hear about Lance's wife, and I really hope she heals. I hope Lance does well. I was definitely surprised by him in Stage 1.
The women were really great this year. I truly believe Barclay would have made it if only she was faster or had 30 more seconds. So, now we know Barclay has the potential to finish all the obstacles, but she needs to work on her speed and time. Jesse LaBreck's run was really intense and it was too bad she ran out of time. I really think that was more of the issue. I definitely believe she would have finished if she hadn't gotten caught on the Parkour run. She wasted a lot of time after being hung up on that, and that was difficult to watch. She rushed the Flying Squirrel. If she had extra time, she wouldn't have rushed on the last jump and fallen on the cargo net. I was really looking forward to her on Stage 2; I thought for sure she would make it. I think she would have done well on Stage 2 because she has a lot of muscle. If only she hadn't gotten caught up on Parkour Run. If she just hadn't missed that first or even second dismount, she would have had a better chance. She was so so close, and it was really upsetting to see her slip. I was really shocked Allyssa Beird made it. She didn't strike me as the strongest, or at least not as strong. The real test will be Stage 2 because Stage 1 is more about footwork, speed, and agility over upper body strength. However, I noticed women usually have trouble with time-- they take a lot more time-- but, Allyssa ran the course like a man. She didn't stop and dawdle in between obstacles, nor did she take a long time on any obstacles. I was very surprised, but it was great to see her. I still think she was a bit of an underdog female athlete, but she did great. She definitely trumped her boyfriend, James. I'm not sure how well she'll do in Stage 2. The Salmon Ladder could be really difficult for even the veteran men, and I'm not how well she'll take the Double version of the classic ANW obstacle. However, if she does pass that, she could have a decent chance. The Unstable Bridge (or whatever it's called now) and even the Wedge are hard, but I think Beird is capable of tackling them. The individual obstacles of Stage 2, I think she can do, but altogether is a different situation. Jessie Graff is still my best female bet, but Allyssa has shocked me from the City Qualifiers. I honestly would have loved to see Jesse in Stage 2, but I'm excited for Allyssa. She has some great potential, and I really want to see her run.
Now, I have to talk about the 12 people (of 20) who finished and were totally skipped. First, Thomas Stillings. I can understand some people like him. I personally would have loved to see him, but he isn't there favorite or a super huge name. However, they skipped Kevin Bull, Brent Steffensen, Flip Rodriguez, and Ian Dory. They also skipped Sean Darling-Hammond, Mike Bernardo, and Drew Knapp. They are on a lower level as far as "Big Names" but if they are finishers, they deserve to be shown. It really bothers me that Ian Dory wasn't shown. Ian is one of the City Finishers, one of only nine, and he is one of the best in the business. He is on my Dream Team. If I were to pick 5 athletes for a Team USA, it would include Ian Dory, Joe Moravsky, Drew Drechsel, Daniel Gil, and probably Josh Levin. I think Ian is such a good athlete, and has such potential to go far but he gets skipped. He was passed over in Qualifying and the only reason he was shown in Finals was because he was the only finisher, so they basically had to. I think he is a little quieter and doesn't like the spotlight as much as some others do, so he's probably not the show's favorite because he doesn't have the personality. JJ Woods has the ANW flare, actually the Hollywood flare. He is very confident which borders on cocky and a little haughty in my opinion. He had a huge hollywood story of failing early and picking himself up and this whole redemption thing, and they made such a big deal about him because they eat that stuff up-- it is a TV show after all. I guess I'm glad he hit the buzzer because it would have been really embarrassing and awkward if he fell. Lorin Ball is also like that where they're very aware of their skills, or something, and like to be in the spotlight. That isn't really the personality I like. I like Ian and Joe who are a touch more humble but still great athletes. It doesn't surprise me JJ Woods is the ANW poster child because they love him-- the producers and Matt and Akbar. Someone with a loud, hollywood, brazen personality. Anyway, JJ Woods is good, he isn't my favorite, but it'll still be interesting to see how far he'll make it.
I'm really annoyed at all the people they skipped. Ian, of course, but also Kevin Bull. Bull is one of my favorites, and he had a lot of hype the past couple years, but this year he was definitely overlooked quite a bit. He's been running early, and there have been no bios for him, and they don't advertise for him as much as they used to. He's still just as good as he always has been, but he's just out of the spotlight now. His run sounded really exciting, too. First he got hung up on the Parkour run, and he missed his first try on the Warped Wall, but he still finished with 27 seconds to spare! He got hung up in two places, but still had almost 30 seconds to spare. Doesn't that show skill and speed? Yet, they commercial-ed him. It really bugs me. I was also surprised they didn't show Brent because they made a pretty big deal about him in his City. He also earned the fastest time temporarily, over throwing speed demon Thomas Stillings. They skipped a few big names, and it truly surprised me that they skipped good veterans and showed a lot of people who dropped. There were also some people who finished and didn't even get a shout-out. That really bothers me and confuses me. I know for a fact Nick Kostreski hit the buzzer and he was a rookie. For a rookie, making it to Vegas is a big deal, but completing Stage 1 is even greater, and they didn't even mention him! It doesn't make any sense at all why they would do that, and it's mean. They deserve to be shown and earn some respect. Doesn't Kostreski deserve a little Rookie Breakout notice? Others like Eric Middleton, Cass Clawson, and Michael Silenzi are people who made it, and I have no idea who they are. I thought it was because I just had a bad memory, but these are people who do well, but literally receive no hype or honor. How am I supposed to notice/look for people if they're practically not even on the show? It really sucks for them. I know it's not all about TV time, but still, it's exciting to be aired on National TV, and they get completely passed over. 5 people, too. 25% of the finishers were not shown once.
It drives me crazy that they are forgotten, but people who drop 1 minute into the course are aired and given bios.
This year the course seemed hard, and easy. There weren't any huge shockers from big names dropping; it seemed to be the usually rookies and lesser known names. The obstacles which dropped people were a little more spread out. The Double Dipper ended a few people. I think it was around 6 or 7? The Dominoes tripped a couple people. The Jumping Spider took out a handful, but it didn't seem to be the ninja killer it usually is. I almost feel like the Double Dipper ended the most ninja seasons that night. The Flying Squirrel actually took out 3 people, I think. To my surprise, the last obstacle doesn't take out that many people. I feel like if they get there, it's usually a time issue. Like LaBreck, they're pressured so they rush and fall, but when they have enough time, I don't see them miss the jumps very often. LaBreck, DiGangi, and Baker hit the water there. Baker was skipped, but it sounded like he had a great run. It was too bad he slipped at the last minute because he would have had a great night with all his one handed saves. I cannot remember the name of the guy who had the cool flip dismount, but he was cool. It was a shame he dropped on the very next obstacle, but I think he was a rookie so it makes sense. There were a lot of guys I recognized who were not so fortunate. In Vegas, I forget it's the best of the best and most of the names will be recognizable. Lucero, Hurtado, Licciardello, and Allen were a few who did fairly well in their Cities, but didn't get too far in Vegas. There were some others like Lorin Ball, Dan Yager, and Kevin Carbone who also couldn't finish. I'm really psyched Josh Levin made it. I really want to see him on Stage 3. He is also a very good bet for finishing it all. He is one of the only ones to really know the Wedge, so hopefully he can nail the transition this year.
Overall, it was such a good night. There are still a lot of big names left for next week, but it was still a great night. Joe, Jesse, Allyssa, Josh, Ian, Kevin, Brent, JJ. There were 20 finishers overall. 20/45 is pretty good. Granted majority of the names were veterans, and great ones at that, but it's still a good amount. There's already 20 moving onto Stage 2. Add 15-20 more, and that's a good number to try Stage 2. It's also more promising with a higher number for finishers of Stage 2. Stage 1 is definitely more parkour centered. Foot work and speed and coordination is Stage 1's focus. Stage 2 is much more ANW-- very strength intensive which is probably why so many more drop on Stage 2 versus Stage 1. It was very exciting-- the women and the completers. I was also ticked off at those who were skipped, so last night brought up a range of emotions. It was really great, and I am so relieved Joe hit the buzzer. Joe and Drew are the two I am most nervous for and most excited for. This week was great, but next week might be greater. Drew, Jessie, Jamie, Najee, Daniel, Nicholas, Brian, Meagan, Adam Rayl, Sean Bryan, Tyler Yamauchi, are names I am really stoked about. I definitely think all those names can hit the buzzer. It will also be interesting to see how far Kacy can make. Especially since it is her last year, so I really hope she does well. It was a good night, very exciting, and I am super hyped to see the rest.
Again, if you have any insights to the show or favorites, please comment. I'd love to know what others think.
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