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Wow, this was a bad year to be an All-Star on Ninja Warrior. Not a single one of them finished Stage 1. I don't think that's ever happened before. Sure, a couple of them might wipe out, but not all of them. Of course, they've all been at this awhile now, and none of them are as young as they used to be. Makoto Nagano also has a long history of wiping out on obstacles he's facing for the first time. I'm just disappointed. I only get to see these guys compete twice a year and I really enjoy watching them, but this year I only got to see them for about a minute on average before they wiped out.
Even our decent American team didn't do well. Levi Meeuwenberg has never failed on Stage 1 before. Luci Romberg, the only woman ever to complete the Jumping Spider obstacle, fell on that very same obstacle this year. I was really hoping she'd at least make it to the Warped Wall (heck, I'd like to see her complete the stage). The real crusher was newbie David Campbell, who would have completed Stage 1 easily if he hadn't stopped to center his chi (or whatever the heck he was doing) between obstacles. Him falling and getting tangled in the net on the Slider Jump was the nail in his coffin. The timer ran out while he was in sight of the button.
All the guys who actually completed Stage 1 were completing it for the first time. Some of them were even competing for the first time, and one guy made it within feet of completing Stage 4 before his time ran out. Hopefully some of those guys will be back, but boy will I miss Nagano when he retires.
I'm not sure if I approve of the new ladder in Stage 4. It's just not as dramatic as the Spider Climb. Let's face it, I can climb a ladder. Not as fast as these guys and not after a full day of insane physical challenges, but I do possess the necessary skills to climb a ladder. The Spider Climb? Never in a million years. I don't know. Watching a guy climb a ladder just doesn't impress me as much.
Oh, well. I suppose it's time for some fresh blood at Mount Midoriyama. Now I have a bunch of new names to learn and try to keep straight.
Even our decent American team didn't do well. Levi Meeuwenberg has never failed on Stage 1 before. Luci Romberg, the only woman ever to complete the Jumping Spider obstacle, fell on that very same obstacle this year. I was really hoping she'd at least make it to the Warped Wall (heck, I'd like to see her complete the stage). The real crusher was newbie David Campbell, who would have completed Stage 1 easily if he hadn't stopped to center his chi (or whatever the heck he was doing) between obstacles. Him falling and getting tangled in the net on the Slider Jump was the nail in his coffin. The timer ran out while he was in sight of the button.
All the guys who actually completed Stage 1 were completing it for the first time. Some of them were even competing for the first time, and one guy made it within feet of completing Stage 4 before his time ran out. Hopefully some of those guys will be back, but boy will I miss Nagano when he retires.
I'm not sure if I approve of the new ladder in Stage 4. It's just not as dramatic as the Spider Climb. Let's face it, I can climb a ladder. Not as fast as these guys and not after a full day of insane physical challenges, but I do possess the necessary skills to climb a ladder. The Spider Climb? Never in a million years. I don't know. Watching a guy climb a ladder just doesn't impress me as much.
Oh, well. I suppose it's time for some fresh blood at Mount Midoriyama. Now I have a bunch of new names to learn and try to keep straight.
