On Monday 11 July, the amazing debut run of Year 11 White student Luke Schmitzer on TV show Australian Ninja Warrior ended. In the sixth season of the Channel 9 show, Luke finished 10th in his heat to make it through to the semi-finals where he went head-to-head in a race against Ninja Warrior legend Olivia Vivian.
Below Luke writes about the experience:
Ninja is a big commitment. I usually train on the obstacles between five and six hours a week at The Compound Training in Bayswater. I also work on my grip strength at home whenever I have a chance. We built a set-up at home that allows me to practice and improve my skills and ability, including a hang board, grips, slack line, salmon ladder and lache bars. Getting on the show was a lot of work — mostly interviews and questions and I had to do a physical exam proving I had strength and certain ninja abilities to make it through. It took about four months and six stages to be told I’d made it onto the TV show. The obstacle runs were actually the shortest part of the journey but obviously the best part. It was a great experience!
