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Advocate Staff Report
The most elite athletes in the country are back for NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” Season 15, which airs Monday evenings on NBC. With the biggest changes in show history, Season 15 will challenge the ninjas to race side-by-side and head-to-head across a high-stakes course – with a spot in the national finals on the line. Additionally, the Mega Wall is even taller than before at 18½ feet and, for the first time ever, ninjas will need to complete all six obstacles in a designated time in order to earn a shot at the $10,000 prize.
Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall, are back to call the action as the ninjas make their way through the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Los Angeles before moving to the national finals in Las Vegas. Also at stake is a top prize of $1 million for the fastest ninja who can conquer all four stages at the national finals.
Everett Police Officer John Uga, 25, from Everett, Mass., ran the intense obstacle course in this week’s episode on July 10 and advanced to the semifinals. He’s lived in Everett his whole life. After growing up in Everett, he became a police officer to protect his hometown. He works the graveyard shift and drives a patrol car for 10 hours at a time.
John is known as the “Ninja Cop” around Everett. As he is a ninja, kids relate to him a little more, and he hopes that it helps the community look at police in a more positive light. John’s goal is to combine his love of “Ninja Warrior” with his work by organizing community events centered around ninja obstacles. The goal is to build a bridge between kids and the police community. He’s an instructor for the Junior Police Academy – a program where middle schoolers go through a mock police academy and learn about different departments within the police. John participated in a comparable program when he was in middle school, so he sees his time as an instructor as a way to “pay it forward.” The program motivated him to pursue a career in law enforcement, and he credits “American Ninja Warrior” for teaching him about how efficient movement saves energy, which helped him survive the six months of mentally and physically demanding training. He graduated at the end of last year.
