MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Justin Gielski of Maple Valley is advancing to the regional finals of “American Ninja Warrior” after completing the Seattle-Tacoma qualifiers.
Gielski joined dozens of other competitors in the hunt for the $1 million grand prize.
Gielski got to the final round in Las Vegas in 2015, propelled by his military background. He served in both the Air Force, where he met his wife, and the National Guard.
After living in New Jersey and serving all over the world, the Gielskis returned to Maple Valley with their two kids in tow, where Gielski grew up watching the Japanese version of “Ninja Warrior” on TV.
“When I was a kid, I was always climbing off the walls and bouncing off stuff,” he said.
A state judo champion at Kentlake High School, Gielski found a natural outlet in Ninja Warrior training.
“I hate jogging,” he said with a laugh. “Ninja training is almost like being a kid again. You just go play. You don’t even feel like you’re working out.”
His military background helped earn him a spot on season seven of “American Ninja Warrior” in 2015, and he advanced to the finals. But the spotlight – literally – got the best of him.
“You can train for three hours, over and over, without a problem,” he said. “But the moment you’re on the show, you’re gassed after the first obstacle just because of the nerves…and you’re there (waiting for your turn) all day.”
The key to getting back on the show, now in its 11th season, was giving the producers something new. He did that by setting a Guinness World Record of jumping rope on a slack line 27 consecutive times.
“It’s not a very practical record,” he jokingly admitted, “but it’s a good conversation starter.”
This time around, Gielski has prepared by doing “cold exposure training” – i.e., jumping into freezing lakes – and he focused on his finger grip strength.
“I didn’t have that the first time around,” Gielski said. “I had a lot of upper body, pull-up strength. But I needed to focus on those teeny little muscles this time just to get that endurance up.”
In the end, Gielski’s fingertips could propel him back to the national finals where he’ll be just one hop, step, jump, and finger grip away from becoming the last ninja standing – and an instant millionaire.