There is a lot to say about the finalists, but I will begin with the course obstacles. I still don't like that they switched out obstacles (except in Philly). The Sky Hooks were, I think, in L.A. (?), so if they are using the same obstacles just in different cities, what is the point? In L.A. it was a new obstacle altogether, but everywhere else, I think they just swapped obstacles between cities. I don't see the point in changing the Ring Jump to the Sky Hooks. At first, with L.A., I thought they wanted to help the athletes conserve energy so that more people would complete/go farther. The other cities kind of skewed that theory. Overall, I really didn't like this odd change in courses. Especially here because the Ring Jump and the Sky Hooks are fairly similar, I feel. If anything, the Sky Hooks are more difficult, so why make it harder for them? I don't think too many people fell on the Sky Hooks, and the 15 moving on all reached the Iron Maiden, which is pretty great. I just think it was stupid. Alright, moving on to the actual obstacles. I still don't like the Battering Ram because it looks uncomfortable and awkward and unnatural. Compared to other 5th obstacles, it wasn't as pretty. I think I talked about this in Qualifying and/or whenever it was used last year, so I won't spend too much time here. The Hinge seemed reminiscent of the old Stage 3, if anyone remembers what it was called. It was after the Inverted Rock Wall (thing) and you jumped between vertical boards like at the end of the Hinge. I'm surprised that not many people had trouble with it. Only 4 people fell according to the americanninjawarrior.com recap. That says something in itself because in 4 of the other cities the cut-off was the 8th obstacle. People know by now how important grip strength is so they work specifically on it in training, and it didn't look like it took that much effort to rotate the boards. I think the main challenge was the final jump to the last board. The Iron Maiden was where it was at, though. When the cut-off obstacle is the 9th obstacle, it's harder to tell if the talent pool is a little stronger or if the course was easier. I know the Iron Maiden proved difficult last year with only one person being ale to complete it (who I can't remember, unfortunately). A lot of people did really well on it though. They were mostly able to complete 2/3 of it. I don't have much to say, so I'm just going to rank the 8th and 9th obstacles from all the cities.
8th obstacle (hardest to easiest): Captain's Wheel (Philly), Nail Clipper (Dallas), The Clacker (Indy), The Hinge (Minneapolis), Crazy Clocks (Miami), Giant Cubes (L.A.). The Clacker and the Hinge were kind of close in competition, though.
9th Obstacle (hardest to easiest): Cane Lane (Indy), Iron Maiden (Minneapolis), Stair Hopper (Miami), Baton Pass (L.A.), Spinball Wizard (Philly), Fallout (Dallas).
I don't actually have a favorite overall course because I really can't decide. I think there was at least one really great, challenging obstacle and one dud. I think they toned it down a touch by eliminating the Invisible Ladder. I especially remember last year and how many people failed because of it, and a lot less people dropped on the Spider Trap. People did, but a lot less. L.A. still had the most finishers with a total of 9, but the minimum was 3 people which is still good. I feel like 3 people the last couple years was the most finishers we saw. Vegas will be interesting, particularly Stage 2 and the second to last obstacle and whether or not they keep the Wing Nuts. It's pretty easy to picture them changing it again. We'll see...
So now onto the finishers. First, I KNEW they would skip Ian Dory. I also knew he would finish because he has finished all his finals courses and the last couple years were rough. I knew they would skip him though, I just knew it. I think Ian Dory is a really great athlete. He's seems like an incredible rock climber, and his finals course record proves that. He had a disappointing end last year, but I know he could do well on Stage 3. I don't know why they can't show the finishers. Jonathan Stevens also finished, and he was a rookie, so it would have been the perfect time to show him. A rookie who is on par with some of the greats like Joe and Jake deserves to be in the spotlight, especially because he probably won't get a lot of attention in Vegas unless he is a total break out star. I think if they are trying to rotate the faces this would have been the time. A rookie straight up deserves the attention if they can finish their first finals course. It's annoying because Dallas also had 5 finishers, and they were able to show all 5 of them, so I just feel bad for Ian and Jonathan.
Jake Murray is always a treat to watch. I'm glad he bounced back and will be returning to Vegas. Jake is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites. He is good, but I like him more for his personality. If they keep the Wing Nuts, it will be interesting to see if he can pass those. Jake comes off as very agile and sure-footed, so hopefully Stage 1 won't be much trouble for him. I think he would struggle a lot on Stage 3, but we'll have to wait and see if he even reaches that point.
Joe. I mean what is there even to say about Joe Moravsky? He has never failed to make it to Vegas, and he finished easily. I can't wait for the next few weeks. I want him to win it all, I really do. I was greatly surprised that he did not run last. He is Joe Moravsky, for one, but he also has the Last Man Standing title from last year and finished, and he literally would have been the perfect runner to close out the city courses. What's important is that he will be returning and getting another shot at the title, but I think they should have chosen Joe to finish everything.
Fortunately, Jon Alexis Jr. did complete the course and with the fastest time. Honestly, Alexis Jr. is not my favorite, and I was greatly surprised he finished. He doesn't have a great track record, and he's probably only gotten so much attention for his height. Personally, I still kind of feel like James McGrath is the only exception to the tall rule, but Alexis Jr. did very well this week. My brother has issues with him ever since the All Stars Warped Wall competition where he won because of his height. He still claims that his height greatly contributed to his success last night, but I disagree. Alexis Jr. does not have a good track record, as previously stated, but I don't think his height had anything to do with last night. In the Warped Wall competition, yes. If he couldn't reach certain heights, then I would have been disappointed because I would have expected him to run up a Warped Wall at 6'6". However, he's always been the same height ever since he started competing, and he didn't do great those previous years. This year, he didn't get any taller (or shorter) and had much greater success. Plus, the Hinge and The Iron Maiden were not easy obstacles. If the Invisible Ladder had still been in play, there is a good chance he would not have finished, but it wasn't, and this was still his first city buzzer. I don't think he can attribute that to his height. If anything, he was able to do all this in spite of his height. We all know that the 5'7"-5'10" range is where it's at. My brother argues that his reach due to his height helped him, and maybe it did, but at the same time, people who are shorter like Joe and Jake and Ian were still able to do the same obstacles. His reach may have contributed to his fast time, but you still need the strength and endurance to complete the course. Alexis Jr. has obviously grown and trained and deserves the buzzer. I still firmly believe that Joe should have been the final runner, but Alexis Jr. finished with the fastest time, so he was not a disappointment; he delivered. I do wonder how they knew Alexis Jr. would not only finish, but beat Joe. Does that make me question if it's rigged? Maybe a little in the back of my mind, but I think Alexis Jr. did really well this week, good for him, and there was nothing wrong with him. I don't know if he has made it to Stage 2 before, but we'll see how he does. He's still not one of my personal favorites, and while I think this was a stepping stone for him, I think it will still be awhile before he really excels in Vegas.
Finally, Meagan Martin. She also surprised me. As far as women, she isn't actually one of my favorites. Jessie Graff runs like a man, and Martin runs like a woman. I know that sounds incredible sexist, but Martin is slow like a woman. I sound so horrible, but we all know women are significantly slower than men, expect for Graff. She easily qualifies above the men not only in distance but also in time. Martin proved she can complete the same obstacles by reaching the Iron Maiden, but her time would have disqualified her had the women's rule not been in play. She also proves this in Vegas because she times out on Stage 1. She is a rock climber, and I believe she is a good one, but without the time element and good pacing, she'll never be able to pass Stage 1. She was impressive in Minneapolis, though. As a rock climber, she was probably comfortable on the Hinge, and she moved through it well. She also did well on the Iron Maiden, falling where everyone else did. Physically, she was on par with the other men, but time is her biggest enemy.
Let's also talk about some of the other finalists for a moment. First, Lance Pekus. Lance is also improving, and we can see it through the seasons. I think, in addition to his physical improvement, he is gaining more fan favoritism and attention. I think he passed the Wing Nuts in the team section of the All Stars special, so Stage 2 could be interesting for him this year. There's also Tyler Gillet. He was definitely a rookie breakout star last year, and I think he has what it takes to be one of the greats in another year or two. The way he carries himself and runs the course is very natural, and with a little more experience on the actual ANW courses and more training, I could almost see him being the next Joe? or someone a little less. He could be leading the way for the next generation, so long as he keeps up his record, AND they give him the attention his abilities warrant.
I think the only rookies are Austin Gray and Danny Bergstrom. Bergstrom did really well, being the first one to reach the Iron Maiden, I believe. Otherwise, there were a lot of vets. Similar to Jonathan Stevens, I think Austin Gray should have been shown because he is a rookie, and he did really well. However, he was shown and given a bio in Qualifying. However, (again) he couldn't make it up the Warped Wall/finish, but this week he was able to best the dreaded wall which could be reason for being shown. Either way, he wasn't, so whatever, right?
It seems like people like Hunter Guerard, Eric Middleton, and Drew Knapp are people who are technically vets and are decent athletes, but are easily skipped. I think Knapp is a good runner, but it seems like, unless he does really, really well, he'll be passed over a lot in the future.
Overall, there were some good people here. Well know ninjas like Joe and Jake, surprises like Meagan and Jon, and a lot of middle ground people. Except for the rookies, I did recognize all the names. Like I've said before, faces are harder simply because the same people have a tendency to get skipped all the time. Torres is kind of like that, Middleton would be like that, Voiles and Guerard fall in there, too. It is unfortunate, but people like Joe will always be shown because they go far. It is true that not everyone can be shown. IF they did more like what they did for Joe and Jake, by doing a short bio and then cutting into their run and meeting them at the 5th or 6th obstacle. That would save some time, or they could always cut out some bios, just saying. More people could definitely be shown, and all finishers deserve to be, but they aren't. It's not fair, but it is what it is. Hopefully, there will be some breakouts in Vegas, and we can rotate through and see some new faces.
I'm pretty psyched for Vegas, mostly Stage 2 and 3, but Stage 1 always has its surprises. Comment who you are most excited for and who you think has what it takes to win it all. Until then, have a great week, and I'll talk to you next time.
8th obstacle (hardest to easiest): Captain's Wheel (Philly), Nail Clipper (Dallas), The Clacker (Indy), The Hinge (Minneapolis), Crazy Clocks (Miami), Giant Cubes (L.A.). The Clacker and the Hinge were kind of close in competition, though.
9th Obstacle (hardest to easiest): Cane Lane (Indy), Iron Maiden (Minneapolis), Stair Hopper (Miami), Baton Pass (L.A.), Spinball Wizard (Philly), Fallout (Dallas).
I don't actually have a favorite overall course because I really can't decide. I think there was at least one really great, challenging obstacle and one dud. I think they toned it down a touch by eliminating the Invisible Ladder. I especially remember last year and how many people failed because of it, and a lot less people dropped on the Spider Trap. People did, but a lot less. L.A. still had the most finishers with a total of 9, but the minimum was 3 people which is still good. I feel like 3 people the last couple years was the most finishers we saw. Vegas will be interesting, particularly Stage 2 and the second to last obstacle and whether or not they keep the Wing Nuts. It's pretty easy to picture them changing it again. We'll see...
So now onto the finishers. First, I KNEW they would skip Ian Dory. I also knew he would finish because he has finished all his finals courses and the last couple years were rough. I knew they would skip him though, I just knew it. I think Ian Dory is a really great athlete. He's seems like an incredible rock climber, and his finals course record proves that. He had a disappointing end last year, but I know he could do well on Stage 3. I don't know why they can't show the finishers. Jonathan Stevens also finished, and he was a rookie, so it would have been the perfect time to show him. A rookie who is on par with some of the greats like Joe and Jake deserves to be in the spotlight, especially because he probably won't get a lot of attention in Vegas unless he is a total break out star. I think if they are trying to rotate the faces this would have been the time. A rookie straight up deserves the attention if they can finish their first finals course. It's annoying because Dallas also had 5 finishers, and they were able to show all 5 of them, so I just feel bad for Ian and Jonathan.
Jake Murray is always a treat to watch. I'm glad he bounced back and will be returning to Vegas. Jake is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites. He is good, but I like him more for his personality. If they keep the Wing Nuts, it will be interesting to see if he can pass those. Jake comes off as very agile and sure-footed, so hopefully Stage 1 won't be much trouble for him. I think he would struggle a lot on Stage 3, but we'll have to wait and see if he even reaches that point.
Joe. I mean what is there even to say about Joe Moravsky? He has never failed to make it to Vegas, and he finished easily. I can't wait for the next few weeks. I want him to win it all, I really do. I was greatly surprised that he did not run last. He is Joe Moravsky, for one, but he also has the Last Man Standing title from last year and finished, and he literally would have been the perfect runner to close out the city courses. What's important is that he will be returning and getting another shot at the title, but I think they should have chosen Joe to finish everything.
Fortunately, Jon Alexis Jr. did complete the course and with the fastest time. Honestly, Alexis Jr. is not my favorite, and I was greatly surprised he finished. He doesn't have a great track record, and he's probably only gotten so much attention for his height. Personally, I still kind of feel like James McGrath is the only exception to the tall rule, but Alexis Jr. did very well this week. My brother has issues with him ever since the All Stars Warped Wall competition where he won because of his height. He still claims that his height greatly contributed to his success last night, but I disagree. Alexis Jr. does not have a good track record, as previously stated, but I don't think his height had anything to do with last night. In the Warped Wall competition, yes. If he couldn't reach certain heights, then I would have been disappointed because I would have expected him to run up a Warped Wall at 6'6". However, he's always been the same height ever since he started competing, and he didn't do great those previous years. This year, he didn't get any taller (or shorter) and had much greater success. Plus, the Hinge and The Iron Maiden were not easy obstacles. If the Invisible Ladder had still been in play, there is a good chance he would not have finished, but it wasn't, and this was still his first city buzzer. I don't think he can attribute that to his height. If anything, he was able to do all this in spite of his height. We all know that the 5'7"-5'10" range is where it's at. My brother argues that his reach due to his height helped him, and maybe it did, but at the same time, people who are shorter like Joe and Jake and Ian were still able to do the same obstacles. His reach may have contributed to his fast time, but you still need the strength and endurance to complete the course. Alexis Jr. has obviously grown and trained and deserves the buzzer. I still firmly believe that Joe should have been the final runner, but Alexis Jr. finished with the fastest time, so he was not a disappointment; he delivered. I do wonder how they knew Alexis Jr. would not only finish, but beat Joe. Does that make me question if it's rigged? Maybe a little in the back of my mind, but I think Alexis Jr. did really well this week, good for him, and there was nothing wrong with him. I don't know if he has made it to Stage 2 before, but we'll see how he does. He's still not one of my personal favorites, and while I think this was a stepping stone for him, I think it will still be awhile before he really excels in Vegas.
Finally, Meagan Martin. She also surprised me. As far as women, she isn't actually one of my favorites. Jessie Graff runs like a man, and Martin runs like a woman. I know that sounds incredible sexist, but Martin is slow like a woman. I sound so horrible, but we all know women are significantly slower than men, expect for Graff. She easily qualifies above the men not only in distance but also in time. Martin proved she can complete the same obstacles by reaching the Iron Maiden, but her time would have disqualified her had the women's rule not been in play. She also proves this in Vegas because she times out on Stage 1. She is a rock climber, and I believe she is a good one, but without the time element and good pacing, she'll never be able to pass Stage 1. She was impressive in Minneapolis, though. As a rock climber, she was probably comfortable on the Hinge, and she moved through it well. She also did well on the Iron Maiden, falling where everyone else did. Physically, she was on par with the other men, but time is her biggest enemy.
Let's also talk about some of the other finalists for a moment. First, Lance Pekus. Lance is also improving, and we can see it through the seasons. I think, in addition to his physical improvement, he is gaining more fan favoritism and attention. I think he passed the Wing Nuts in the team section of the All Stars special, so Stage 2 could be interesting for him this year. There's also Tyler Gillet. He was definitely a rookie breakout star last year, and I think he has what it takes to be one of the greats in another year or two. The way he carries himself and runs the course is very natural, and with a little more experience on the actual ANW courses and more training, I could almost see him being the next Joe? or someone a little less. He could be leading the way for the next generation, so long as he keeps up his record, AND they give him the attention his abilities warrant.
I think the only rookies are Austin Gray and Danny Bergstrom. Bergstrom did really well, being the first one to reach the Iron Maiden, I believe. Otherwise, there were a lot of vets. Similar to Jonathan Stevens, I think Austin Gray should have been shown because he is a rookie, and he did really well. However, he was shown and given a bio in Qualifying. However, (again) he couldn't make it up the Warped Wall/finish, but this week he was able to best the dreaded wall which could be reason for being shown. Either way, he wasn't, so whatever, right?
It seems like people like Hunter Guerard, Eric Middleton, and Drew Knapp are people who are technically vets and are decent athletes, but are easily skipped. I think Knapp is a good runner, but it seems like, unless he does really, really well, he'll be passed over a lot in the future.
Overall, there were some good people here. Well know ninjas like Joe and Jake, surprises like Meagan and Jon, and a lot of middle ground people. Except for the rookies, I did recognize all the names. Like I've said before, faces are harder simply because the same people have a tendency to get skipped all the time. Torres is kind of like that, Middleton would be like that, Voiles and Guerard fall in there, too. It is unfortunate, but people like Joe will always be shown because they go far. It is true that not everyone can be shown. IF they did more like what they did for Joe and Jake, by doing a short bio and then cutting into their run and meeting them at the 5th or 6th obstacle. That would save some time, or they could always cut out some bios, just saying. More people could definitely be shown, and all finishers deserve to be, but they aren't. It's not fair, but it is what it is. Hopefully, there will be some breakouts in Vegas, and we can rotate through and see some new faces.
I'm pretty psyched for Vegas, mostly Stage 2 and 3, but Stage 1 always has its surprises. Comment who you are most excited for and who you think has what it takes to win it all. Until then, have a great week, and I'll talk to you next time.
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