GREENWOOD, Ind. — Fifteen-year-old Jess Wombles made her debut appearance on "American Ninja Warrior" Monday night on WTHR.
Wombles, known as the "Sky Ninja" on the show, first appeared on "American Ninja Warrior Junior" in September.
"It was a huge thing for me because that was my dream for the past five years, and then I was actually able to make it happen, which I had no idea was actually possible," said Wombles.
She is the first teen female from Indiana to appear on the show and one of just five 15-year-old girls on "American Ninja Warrior" this season.
She taped the episode in San Antonio in late March.
"It took me a while to calm down before I went up on the stage," said Wombles. "The moment that I got up on there, it was like all my nerves just kind of went away. My family was on the sidelines, my sister and some of my friends and my coach were on the screens, and they were just going crazy. I think I took it in the moment, but also, I was like, 'What is going on?' It was just way different than anything I’ve ever experienced."
She breezed through the first two obstacles, but stumbled on the Minion-inspired "Despicaballs," splashing into the pool below. The early exit didn't diminish her spirit.
"That was so fun. This was like the best moment of my life," Wombles said as she got out of the water.
Wombles has flown planes with her dad, a professional pilot, since she was 8 years old. She enjoys being in the clouds above the rest of the world.
The show profiled Wombles and her family before her run, which opened Monday's show, showing Jess and her father taking flight.
The "Sky Ninja" learned to push herself at Train Yard 317, which has seen several of its members compete on "American Ninja Warrior." It was her coach, George O'Dell, that helped make this dream possible.
"He sees it in me that I can get wherever I want to be," Wombles said. "He sees it, and that alone pushes me farther."