'American Ninja Warrior' tests physical and mental toughness. Thanks to his training regime and Leeds, Nate Hansen has both.
Nate Hansen Bus'22ābetter known as Gnarly Ninja Nateācelebrates winning in the semifinal on 'American Ninja Warrior.' That victory sent him to the finals, which begin Aug. 30 in Las Vegas. (Photo:ĢżElizabeth Morris/NBC)
One of Nate Hansenās favorite childhood traditions was Monday nights, when the family would gather on the couch for ice cream and āAmerican Ninja Warrior.ā
Today, heās not just Nate Hansen, but Gnarly Ninja Nate, a physics-defying athlete who has qualified for the showās Season 13 national finals, which airs beginning tonight. And while heās one of 64 finalists whoāve trained for the obstacles they must overcome to win, what those other competitors donāt have is an education from the Leeds School of Business at the Ā鶹¹ŁĶų.Ģż
And if you think those obstacles are just physical, Hansenāa senior studying marketing and real estateāwill be quick to correct you.
āSuccess in the physical challenges on the course comes down to your mental state,ā Hansen said. āIf you can approach each challenge with confidence, thatās when youāll be successful.ā
That attitude has helped him train as a ninja, but itās also made him a better student. Hansen arrived at Ā鶹¹ŁĶų with a prestigious Daniels Scholarship, but admits his academic career got off to a difficult start, especially as he started training for the show.Ģż
Many of the show's physical challenges are extra difficult for Nate Hansen, who has growth hormone deficiency and is much shorter than other athletes. He enjoys using the show as a way to reach and inspire othersāespecially childrenāwith GHD. (Photos: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)
āMy hobbies took over my education, and I developed some bad habits,ā Hansen said. Later in his freshman year, he said, āI realized I couldnāt be a full-time student, a full-time athlete and an inspiration to all these people without being disciplined.ā
His marketing classes has been crucial in helping him build a brand for himself on social mediaāan important consideration for contestants on the show, who need a story to go along with their physical prowess. Ģż
āWhen I started on the show, I realized it was a job as an athlete, but also a job as a marketerāI need to be able to promote myself,ā he said. āMy Leeds education has helped me with that. Iāve learned not just to read a textbook, but how to apply what youāve been taught in different ways. Thatās influenced me as an athleteāyou can learn a skill over and over again, or you can learn the movement behind the skill and then use that movement to overcome new challenges.āĢż
āYou have to prepare for the uncontrollable. You donāt always know how a new obstacle will behave, or how hard a test or project will be.ā
Nate Hansen Bus'22
Overcoming challenges is old hat to Hansen. At age 12, he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency; he absorbed more than his share of abuse from bullies as he went through school. At 5 foot 2 inches, heās easily among the showās shortest contestants, but he uses his height and his platform to be a model to others with GHD.Ģż
āI didnāt have anyone to look up to until I met Brian (Arnold, a longtime āNinjaā contestant)āand I still found it hard to relate to him, because he was so much taller than I was,ā Hansen said with a laugh. āI want to be that role model for other kids, so they can look at āNinja Warriorā and Gnarly Nate and say, āI can conquer anything and be just like him.āāĢż
Because heās smaller than most competitors, he has to approach the challenges on the course differently. Watching him leap across platforms or swing from bars high in the air, you realize how much extra training Hansen has done to ensure he can complete the course.
'Prepare for the uncontrollable'
āāNinja Warriorā has taught me there are going to be difficult, dangerous, challenging situations, and sometimes you canāt predict them,ā he said. āYou have to prepare for the uncontrollable. You donāt always know how a new obstacle will behave, or how hard a test or project will be.ā
Hansenās short-term goal is not to win Season 13 of āAmerican Ninja Warrior,ā but to become the showās first multiseason champion. In the longer term, heās hoping his Leeds education helps him create a gym that emphasizes becoming a better version of yourself, as opposed to just training and working out. Thatās meant carving out more time for classes even as heās focused more on athletics.Ģż
āI never want to go into a competitionāwhether thatās ninja or a testāthinking there was something more I could have done to improve my performance,ā he said. āI want to be sure in my education and athletics that Iām giving 100 percent at all times.āĢż
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