April 1, 2022 - Story and photos by Joshua Ross
In the summer of 2015, when American Ninja Warrior just started to take off, a small 8 year old girl tried out a ninja class with her brother and friend just for fun. This weekend, Hannah Marks will be competing against the best ninja athletes in the world in North Carolina at the National Ninja League World Championships.
What started off as “something to do” has turned into a lifestyle for Marks and her fellow teammates. The popularity of the tv show allowed the sport to grow exponentially in the early years. A concept from a Japanese game show, American Ninja Warrior showcased athletes competing each week in an obstacle-style course trying to see who could complete the course the fastest. So when two local athletes, who also happened to be contestants on the show, decided to open a small ninja gym in Weymouth, it opened the door for many kids and adults who weren’t your typical athlete to try something new and find a place in a unique sport.
“Hannah is one of our original kids,” says Dave Cavanaugh, who co-owners TA Fitness with his wife Jenny. “For her, it’s been very much like we’ve know she’s always been really strong for a girl. When Hannah is on, she’s one of the strongest girls around. Which is really cool to see because for her, it took a really long time for her to get to that point (to realize her strength).”
TA Fitness trains athletes, both young and old, to compete throughout the year in competitions against other gyms across the state and the region. Much like the show, the competitions are made up of stages. A competitor has to either complete the stage or get the furthest the fastest to move onto the next stage. Each stage increases in difficulty and usually consists of obstacles they’ve never seen before.
The sport requires a lot of strength and agility and hours and hours of practice. Kids spend lots of time in the gym, which is one of the thing Hannah likes about the sport.
“Knowing that after school I actually have something to do instead of sit inside and do homework,” she explained when asked about what she enjoys about training and competing in the sport. “It’s not a very well known sport. It’s fun to see people’s reaction when I say I do ninja warrior. You tell them what you do and they are in disbelief about how you do it.”
It’s easy to recognize the physical accomplishments, especially in a sport like ninja, but as Hannah’s mom Linnea explains, it goes beyond the successes on the course.
“In a sport where individual performance is the main focus Hannah trains and competes at a high level,” She tells the Anchor. “Hannah’s strength is apparent to all that watch her; however, physical growth is not the only way in which ninja has had a positive impact on Hannah. Competing on a ninja team has given Hannah the opportunity to both contribute to and be supportive of her team. She has learned the value of a team and the importance of each team member. All of her ninja successes and disappointments have helped Hannah gain confidence while at the same time appreciate the importance of focus and hard work.”
She will have the opportunity to support 14 other teammates this weekend, including Hingham High School classmate Gavin Anderson. Gavin has not been competing as long has Hannah but his participation has been just as impactful.
“He’s one of those kids that doesn’t take “no” for an answer,” Cavanaugh says. “So if he can’t do something it almost upsets him. So he’ll just do it and do it and do it until he can. That’s something you really can’t teach kids. This whole year with me saying to Gavin ‘there’s 100% Gavin and 80% Gavin. I need 80% Gavin because 80% Gavin is in control and 100% Gavin is not.’ If I remember correctly, he ran relatively early in the NNL Regionals. So we really were like 80% of Gavin is going to get you as far as you need to get to, as long as you are focused on it.”
The hard work and determination paid off for Gavin as he earned his spot it Worlds, but it’s a little simpler if you ask him.
“I like the feeling of being able to fly through the air and do things no one else would ever think about doing,” he said. “This is really a non-traditional sport and people really look at differently and you being an elite athlete if you do this. I’m looking to compete at a really high level this weekend and compete for a top spot.”
The sport means different things for everyone. For Aly, Gavin’s mom, it’s the chance for him to master many things thrown at him, while getting the support and encouragement from his coaches and teammates.
“Ninja is an amazing sport because it brings together so many different things: balance, strength, confidence and teamwork,” reflects Anderson. “As both a team and individual sport, it encourages the kids to all support one another in a way you just don’t see in other activities. He has made great friends and been inspired by his coaches and teammates. For him, it has been a place he knows there will always be a friendly face and a new challenge.”
Dave and Jenny have created a community and an opportunity for kids, who otherwise not participate in traditional sports, to thrive, grow, and feel welcome.
“The entire gym has become a second family to I think everybody,” Hannah adds. “They kind of are like our parents. They really do care about us, even if they yell at us to do more burpees.”
Both Gavin and Hannah will be competing against 250 kids in their age group. In addition to competing on the course, they will each be competing in individual strength competitions for a chance to be crowned the World’s Strongest Ninja. Gavin has is first run on Friday night at 7:20pm and Hannah runs at 10:30am on Saturday morning. Both will compete in the Teenager Group. The National Ninja League will be live broadcasting on their YouTube Channel if you want to watch them in action.