Miriam Rasmussen Mendoza, a 2007 Jefferson-Scranton graduate, is a competitor in the sixth season of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” NBC calls the show “heart-racing competition” for “ultra-athletes.”
The season starts this Monday, May 26. “American Ninja Warrior” airs at 8 pm Central time.
Mendoza isn’t remembered as an athlete from her high school years, but she has found a passion in Crossfit training. She explained that just a few months ago a friend told her that producers were looking for female athletes to compete in a regional competition in Dallas, TX. Her friend did some arm twisting, and within 30 minutes of telling her friend she’d give it a try, she had a telephone call from someone at NBC with more information. She had only two days to submit a video for consideration. “They were excited to have me, and I was still awestruck that this was all happening,” she said.
She found a movie app for her iPhone and got to work on a short promo video. “It wasn’t until later that I found out most people actually spend weeks, if not months, prepping their videos,” she said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t given that luxury, but I guess they liked me. About two weeks later I got the call. By then, we were only three weeks out from the actual competition.”
It was another week before she could begin training. She lives and works in Houston, so she went to Iron Sports, a specifically designed ninja facility in Houston. Iron Sports was built by Sam Sann, one of the top competitors in Season Five of “American Ninja Warrior.”
“With only two weeks to prep, I went into the ‘belly of the beast’ and gave it my all,” Mendoza said.
She can’t talk specifically about the competition until after it airs. “Overall, it was an experience that I will always remember and am grateful to have had. I’m pleased with how I did, considering the time I was given to prep,” she said.
She was able to compete with short prep time because she does Crossfit training regularly, about seven hours a week.
She even works with Crossfit. She is marketing/social media manager for GetRXd, a functional fitness equipment supplier. The company outfits Crossfit boxes and other gyms, selling nationally and even internationally. She is rather new at GetRXd, but she is glad to have found a way to combine her professional life with her passion, which she says is Crossfit.
