‘A dream come true’: Libertyville teen competes in American Ninja Warrior finals as a rookie
Kenzie Hughes got the call late last August.
The 17-year-old Libertyville High School student was doing homework in her room when her mom rushed the phone up to her. It was official: She would compete on season 17 of “American Ninja Warrior.”
“I was not expecting it at all,” she said. “I was so overcome with emotion.”
The Libertyville teen grew up watching the show, on which athletes take on challenging obstacles in a race against the clock and fellow ninjas. New episodes air at 7 p.m. Mondays on NBC.
Hughes’ rookie season ended during the first episode of the national finals, which aired Monday night. But just making the finals as a rookie is unreal, she said.
Her interest in the sport started when she was 8. Her mom, Mia Hughes, saw a ninja gym in Chicago and thought her daughter, who has participated in gymnastics, would be good at it.
“We went up to the gym in Chicago, and I loved it,” Hughes said. “Then a location closer to us opened, and I've been going there ever since.”
She has competed in ninja competitions and leagues since she was 9, including the World Ninja League, the Ninja Sport Championship, the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association and the Federation of International Ninja Athletics.
“I love all the challenging obstacles,” Hughes said. “Every time I go to a competition there's always a new obstacle.”
Her athletic background also includes softball, figure skating, soccer and dance. She plays flag football at Libertyville High, where she’ll be a senior this year, to help with endurance and agility, she said.
Hughes trains at Ultimate Ninjas Libertyville multiple times a week with coaches Danny O'Donnell and Mike Silenzi.
“She wants to be the best,” Silenzi said. “From day one of coaching her, we instantly saw that she had a natural ability — that she was going to be good at ninja if she wanted to be.”
Silenzi, also known as “The Stallion,” competed on the show in the past.
“We couldn't be more proud,” he said of Hughes’ success. “Knowing what it's like competing on the show, and then getting to see somebody who you've coached for all these years getting to experience it as well is definitely one of the coolest things.”
Going into her first season, Hughes didn’t know what to expect.
“It was a dream come true,” she said. “It was such a roller coaster of emotions. Even making it to the start line during qualifiers, I had no expectations going into it. I just wanted to have fun and be my 8-year-old self again.”
Mia Hughes said Kenzie has come a long way, especially mentally. She described watching her daughter compete on the show as “very surreal.”
“I got overwhelmed with emotion,” she said. “I get really teary because I'm just so proud of her and to see her accomplish her dreams. It’s just amazing.”
During her qualifying run Hughes fell on the third obstacle, Log Runner.
But her time was fast enough for her to move on to the semifinals, where she got her revenge on the balance obstacle. She then made it up the 14.5-foot Warped Wall, which she said is every ninja’s dream, before falling on the eighth obstacle, Corkscrew.
While on the show, Hughes got to meet other ninja competitors. She described the ninja community as “so supportive.”
“I used to be such a fan girl of the show,” she said. “I’d go to some of the filming, and then I’d take pictures. I have a bunch of pictures of younger me with the ninjas I competed with now, which is kind of crazy.”
Hughes plans to study physical therapy in college, due to her personal experience with injuries. She also plans to continue ninja competitions and already has applied for season 18 of “American Ninja Warrior.”
“I love the show so much and ninja has brought me closer to so many amazing people,” she said. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”