INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – Eyewitness News broke the news Wednesday morning that the hit NBC show "American Ninja Warrior" is coming back to Indianapolis. The show will be shooting on Monument Circle April 29th and 30th.
The Train Yard 317 gym on the westside has nine ninjas who had already applied for the chance to compete on the NBC show's tenth season. But now the possibility of running the course in their hometown thrills Indy athletes.
"I was super excited that I actually had a shot to be on the show and just try it," said ninja athlete Meghan Anten. "I just think it would be amazing to be up there and try the course."
Fifty-year-old plumber Bill Westrick has competed twice on the show previously in St. Louis and Kansas City. He has not completed the course, but was featured on one episode. Westrick was recovering from a knee injury in 2016 and was not able to compete when American Ninja Warrior came to Indy two years ago.
"I walked into work this morning and I said, 'Right here is the winner of American Ninja Warrior! I'm climbing the rope, baby! 70 feet, here I come!' It's probably not reality," said Westrick. "My hopes would be to get the phone call and then hit a buzzer."
The TV show spurs the growth of the sport for all ages. The Train Yard 317 athletes have been training together for about a year.
"A lot of people come into the gym and they look at these obstacles and they say, 'Oh! That looks really hard, or that looks really fun.' Then they step on it and it's like, 'Oh! That is really hard, but it is really fun and I want to try it again.' So just wanting to improve yourself," said ninja athlete Amy Sheppard.
- RELATED: More 'American Ninja Warrior'
"Like I tell my camp kids, everybody is going to fail, in life or on a course," said Eric Sheppard, Amy's husband, who also trains at Train Yard 317. "It's what you do after you fall or fail. That's the most important thing. Get up and do it again."
The deadline has passed to apply to compete on the show this season. The local athletes should find out in early April if they've been invited to run the course on Monument Circle. The course will be curved on the north end of Monument Circle with a crew of about 140 people. Indianapolis is one of six cities hosting the show this season.