Comments on: Baltimore Ninjas, including me, on Deck Sunday and Monday Nights http://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/ American Ninja Warrior Blog of 6-Time 44 Year Old Competitor Matt Laessig Thu, 07 Sep 2017 21:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.32 By: Rob Loganhttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1095 Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:01:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1095 Thanks Matt, right back at you!

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By: Anonymoushttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1094 Wed, 10 Jul 2013 03:44:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1094 Great summary! You did fantastic on the course!

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By: Rob Loganhttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1093 Tue, 09 Jul 2013 16:35:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1093 Bummer we didn’t get any air time Matt!

Here is a bit about my Baltimore experience:

Hey everyone,

Well unfortunately they didn’t show my run or back story. If
you looked close I was in the background a few times. I was sitting in the “Winners
Circle” (just behind obstacle # 5 – the Circle Cross) for a while until they
got enough people that made it through or went the furthest the fastest. You could
see me icing my ankle at one point or even stuffing my face (as my wife
Christine was telling people at our viewing party last night), but not
running the course :(

Now that it has been aired I can share how I did.

I made it through the first 4 obstacles without any problem
(other than spraining my ankle on the Prism Tilt), but got taken out by the
dreaded Circle Cross. This was the same spot where Luis Moco, Chris
Wilczewski & Matt Laessig (as well as many others) went out, due to the very slick nylon rope.

At the starting line they gave me an opportunity to do a
back flip, which probably would have gotten me some air time, but I wasn’t
about to risk injuring myself before even getting out of the gate and losing my
coveted chance to run the course. I got through the Quintuple Steps with a one
footed approach and almost looked graceful. Although I can’t really tell you
how I got from the first obstacle to the second, as automatic pilot mode kicked
in, I am thankful that I was able to make myself slow down enough to take my
time getting my feet set and my weight forward on the Downhill Jump. Having
seen so many people’s feet go right out from underneath them, I knew this was
crucial. Fortunately I ended up making this one look somewhat easy. On the
Prism Tilt I rushed it a bit and ended up not letting the prism settle down
once I got on it. The result was a faster downward tilt and me jumping off at
almost a vertical position and spraining my ankle when I landed on the platform
(but I made it!). The adrenaline pushed me forward to the Swing Jump where
again I took my time. I got good swing momentum going and made the transfer to
the cargo net, and traversed hand over hand underneath it, coming within inches
of the water below, but not touching it! Next came the Circle Cross. I made the
leap to the fist ring and reached out for the rope right away. The rope was
very slick and my hand slipped right off and put me into a sideways swing,
which was almost impossible to get out of. I hung on for a long time trying to
get some forward momentum to be able to reach the rope again. When I finally
did get some and reach the rope again I had spent all my energy and slipped off
again and fell back to the platform. Although I never touched the water, they
blew the whistle and I was “done”.

Although I know I should be proud just to have been chosen,
as only about 400 slots were awarded out of over 7000 applicants, it is
extremely frustrating to go out knowing I could have gotten through this. If I
had approached the Circle Cross slightly different I know I would have, and the
Warped Wall was the only thing left (and I do know I could have gotten up
that – had no problem at the Tough Mudder)!

To answer the question many have asked – Yes I will be
trying again next year! I will be building more obstacles and training even
harder over the next year. If I am fortunate enough to get another chance to
run the course, I vow to do better and improve my chances at getting some air
time :)

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By: Anonymoushttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1088 Sat, 06 Jul 2013 02:27:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1088 Hell yeah. Can’t wait to see how they edit it!

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By: Anonymoushttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1087 Sat, 06 Jul 2013 02:26:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1087 Thanks Rob. Can’t wait for it to air!

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By: Brandon Willishttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1085 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 19:09:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1085 My region!! Let’s go

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By: Rob Loganhttp://gdmig-anwblog.com/baltimore-ninjas-including-me-on-deck-sunday-and-monday-nights/#comment-1084 Fri, 05 Jul 2013 17:39:00 +0000 http://anwblog.com/?p=939#comment-1084 Thanks Matt! Great write up as always.
I look forward to the episodes and your blog afterward.
Perhaps I will share my experience as well. Baltimore was awesome!

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