Hoan Do has spent the last four years of his life motivating high school and college students around the country to make more of themselves, and now he’s putting his beliefs to the test as he prepares for one of the biggest challenges of his life.
Do is auditioning for the sixth season on G4TV of “American Ninja Warrior”, an intense obstacle course that challenges the contestant’s strength, agility and mental fortitude.
When contestants aren’t running up walls, they’re leaping across pits using circular rings or navigating a 20-foot lateral peg wall. If he’s selected, competing on the show is just one more entry in Do’s list of accomplishments.
Do holds a unique accolade as one of the youngest motivational speakers in the United States. He got into speaking at the end of his time studying at Pepperdine University, and now travels throughout the country speaking to high schoolers and college students, providing tips for ways they can succeed in college and high school by changing their mentality.
His work has taken him around the nation to speak in locations as far away as Pennsylvania or as close as Seattle University. Running a speaking business out of the house demands a great degree of coordination and discipline, but also requires motivation and dedication to an idea. All of these skills have helped Do as he trains for the show.
Do, a Federal Way native and Kent resident, decided to audition for the show after his crossfit trainer tagged him in a photo with the Twitter hashtag american ninja warrior.
“In that moment I thought, ‘Why not,’ ” he said.
Training to become a Ninja Warrior and training at a crossfit gym are two different tasks, which Do has taken to with a certain zeal. Do’s athletic background as a wrestler and triathlete have kept him in shape but the tasks on the show require different skills. To compensate for this, Do has incorporated a training program into his daily routine, including 6 a.m. workouts and visiting two gyms.
In the mornings, he visits Ronin Training Center to prepare for the obstacles on the course. Many of the Ninja Warrior obstacles are oriented around the urban sport Parkour, or free running. Among its other obstacles, the gym features a wall climb with one-inch wood slats to grip and a salmon ladder where the user must throw a bar up a notched wall.
Gym owner Travis Ramsey, a former contestant, built the gym around his experiences on the show. “I’ve got no doubt that if he decides he wants to be the first person to finish it, he’ll be the first person to finish it,” Ramsey said.
In the evenings, Do attends crossfit training at Renton CrossFit, where he works on his overall strength and fitness through lifting and calisthenics. The grand prize for completing all four Ninja Warrior courses is $500,000 in cash. Do, ever the organized economist, plans to divide it up among a number of investments and personal expenditures.
Do isn’t sure when he’ll hear back from the “American Ninja Warrior” producers to see if he’s been selected for a slot. Many of his friends and fans believe that with his motivation and athletic background, he would be a shoo in as a competitor.
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