Latest news with #obstaclecourse
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
10-year-old Ontario girl wins World Ninja League title, a Canadian first
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the World Ninja League Championships, right after winning the global title for her division. (Rachel Mainguy) Even though Ella Crichlow-Mainguy had to go through some hoops to make it to the World Ninja Championship, the 10-year-old Ontarian cleared the obstacles to clinch a global division title. The Acton, Ont. athlete says she first got into the sport a couple of years ago when she noticed a group training at the gym. 'I did rock climbing at Aspire Milton, and at the same gym where I did rock climbing, they had Ninja Warrior, and I just loved to watch 'American Ninja Warrior,'' Crichlow-Mainguy tells CTV News Toronto, referring to the televised show. She said once she tried it, she just couldn't stop. For those unfamiliar with this sport, ninja tests athletes through a variety of strength-testing obstacles. There are various stages with each that need to be cleared—either by hitting the buzzer or having a fast pace—before making it to the next round. 'There are canvassing obstacles, where there are like, cliffhangers, which are little ledges that you just have to hold on to with your fingers. There are aerial obstacles, which are latches, which are where you have to throw from one bar to another,' Crichlow-Mainguy explained. Competing Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the world championships. (Rachel Mainguy) The young athlete adds that there are also obstacles that test for balance and grip strength. For the last two years, Crichlow-Mainguy would train twice a week with her team to go through these various challenges, as well as build up her endurance. When she's not at the gym, Crichlow-Mainguy practices at the makeshift rig at her home. 'Imagine something that looks like monkey bars for adults, and then things are hanging off of it,' Rachel Mainguy, Ella's mother, explained to CTV News. 'There's all these obstacles in our backyard right now.' Making it to the World Ninja League Championship The World Ninja League Championship was held in Greensboro, N.C from June 19 to June 23. To make it there, Mainguy says they had to take a connecting flight to Atlanta, Ga., which was supposed to leave at around 12:15 p.m. that Thursday but when they arrived at the airport, their flight was delayed. 'We missed our connectors, so now we're in Atlanta, it's probably 11 at night, we have no way to get to Greensboro,' Mainguy recalled, noting several other people had missed their connections. 'Now Delta is telling us we have to get in a lineup of 136 people, and they'll get to us by one in the morning.' The first event for Crichlow-Mainguy's division started Friday morning. The mother and daughter explained that they tried searching for rental cars, but none were available. 'Then, luckily, someone at the desk finds a flight that must have just populated for early in the morning and manages to get us on and Ella ends up sleeping on the airport floor on top of paper towels with her teammate,' Mainguy said. They arrived in North Carolina with enough time for Crichlow-Mainguy to change clothes and head to the coliseum to compete. 'It was just an honour' There were two events: the stages, which is where athletes can compete for the title of world champion in their division, and the discipline circuit. The first stage had seven obstacles with a time limit of one minute and 15 seconds, and the second stage had eight obstacles with a time limit of two minutes and 30 seconds, according to the championship rulebook. After each stage, those who did not hit the buzzer or finish with a competitive time would be eliminated from the next round, Mainguy said. 'Around 70 (athletes) got to compete on the final course,' Ella's mom adds, a drop from around the couple hundred that started. There was one particular obstacle in the third stage that Crichlow-Mainguy said was the most challenging part of the whole competition. 'There was this really cool obstacle, it was like a tipping L, and you have to climb to the top on these tiny little ledges with your hands and then it tipped down, and you could fall off if you didn't hold super tight,' she explained. Ella Crichlow-Mainguy Ella Crichlow-Mainguy competing in Stage 3 at the world championship. (Rachel Mainguy) Through the obstacles, Crichlow-Mainguy said her thoughts turned off and all she heard was her coach's voice 'Usually, he tells me to be confident and to commit to everything,' she said. And the 10-year-old then won the championship title among the mature kids female athletes. 'It was just an honour,' she said. 'I could tell how hard (the other athletes) worked for the whole year, so it was just an honour to even be there with them.' Crichlow-Mainguy's coach, Matt Hallak, told CTV News Toronto that not only was she the first ever world champion for their Milton, Ont.-based team, she 'cemented her name as Canada's first ever Mature Kid Female World Champion.' Ella and her coach Ella Crichlow-Mainguy and her coach Matt 'the Bat' Hallak. (Rachel Mainguy) 'Ella and her teammates made Canada proud and she is only just getting started…I can't wait to see what else happens for her in the upcoming season as this year she became the 2025 Canadian ninja League Champion and the 2025 World Ninja League Champion dominating in both our biggest events of the year,' Hallak said in an emailed statement. Next year, Crichlow-Mainguy will move up a division to compete with the preteens—something she's looking forward to as the obstacles become more challenging. 'I've been watching on the sidelines, the preteens get such really cool obstacles,' she said. 'I'm just really excited to try them.'
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘It was just an honour': 10-year-old Ontarian becomes first Canadian World Ninja League champion for her division
Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the World Ninja League Championships, right after winning the global title for her division. (Rachel Mainguy) Even though Ella Crichlow-Mainguy had to go through some hoops to make it to the World Ninja Championship, the 10-year-old Ontarian cleared the obstacles to clinch a global division title. The Acton, Ont. athlete says she first got into the sport a couple of years ago when she noticed a group training at the gym. 'I did rock climbing at Aspire Milton, and at the same gym where I did rock climbing, they had Ninja Warrior, and I just loved to watch 'American Ninja Warrior,'' Crichlow-Mainguy tells CTV News Toronto, referring to the televised show. She said once she tried it, she just couldn't stop. For those unfamiliar with this sport, ninja tests athletes through a variety of strength-testing obstacles. There are various stages with each that need to be cleared—either by hitting the buzzer or having a fast pace—before making it to the next round. 'There are canvassing obstacles, where there are like, cliffhangers, which are little ledges that you just have to hold on to with your fingers. There are aerial obstacles, which are latches, which are where you have to throw from one bar to another,' Crichlow-Mainguy explained. Competing Ella Crichlow-Mainguy at the world championships. (Rachel Mainguy) The young athlete adds that there are also obstacles that test for balance and grip strength. For the last two years, Crichlow-Mainguy would train twice a week with her team to go through these various challenges, as well as build up her endurance. When she's not at the gym, Crichlow-Mainguy practices at the makeshift rig at her home. 'Imagine something that looks like monkey bars for adults, and then things are hanging off of it,' Rachel Mainguy, Ella's mother, explained to CTV News. 'There's all these obstacles in our backyard right now.' Making it to the World Ninja League Championship The World Ninja League Championship was held in Greensboro, N.C from June 19 to June 23. To make it there, Mainguy says they had to take a connecting flight to Atlanta, Ga., which was supposed to leave at around 12:15 p.m. that Thursday but when they arrived at the airport, their flight was delayed. 'We missed our connectors, so now we're in Atlanta, it's probably 11 at night, we have no way to get to Greensboro,' Mainguy recalled, noting several other people had missed their connections. 'Now Delta is telling us we have to get in a lineup of 136 people, and they'll get to us by one in the morning.' The first event for Crichlow-Mainguy's division started Friday morning. The mother and daughter explained that they tried searching for rental cars, but none were available. 'Then, luckily, someone at the desk finds a flight that must have just populated for early in the morning and manages to get us on and Ella ends up sleeping on the airport floor on top of paper towels with her teammate,' Mainguy said. They arrived in North Carolina with enough time for Crichlow-Mainguy to change clothes and head to the coliseum to compete. 'It was just an honour' There were two events: the stages, which is where athletes can compete for the title of world champion in their division, and the discipline circuit. The first stage had seven obstacles with a time limit of one minute and 15 seconds, and the second stage had eight obstacles with a time limit of two minutes and 30 seconds, according to the championship rulebook. After each stage, those who did not hit the buzzer or finish with a competitive time would be eliminated from the next round, Mainguy said. 'Around 70 (athletes) got to compete on the final course,' Ella's mom adds, a drop from around the couple hundred that started. There was one particular obstacle in the third stage that Crichlow-Mainguy said was the most challenging part of the whole competition. 'There was this really cool obstacle, it was like a tipping L, and you have to climb to the top on these tiny little ledges with your hands and then it tipped down, and you could fall off if you didn't hold super tight,' she explained. Ella Crichlow-Mainguy Ella Crichlow-Mainguy competing in Stage 3 at the world championship. (Rachel Mainguy) Through the obstacles, Crichlow-Mainguy said her thoughts turned off and all she heard was her coach's voice 'Usually, he tells me to be confident and to commit to everything,' she said. And the 10-year-old then won the championship title among the mature kids female athletes. 'It was just an honour,' she said. 'I could tell how hard (the other athletes) worked for the whole year, so it was just an honour to even be there with them.' Crichlow-Mainguy's coach, Matt Hallak, told CTV News Toronto that not only was she the first ever world champion for their Milton, Ont.-based team, she 'cemented her name as Canada's first ever Mature Kid Female World Champion.' Ella and her coach Ella Crichlow-Mainguy and her coach Matt 'the Bat' Hallak. (Rachel Mainguy) 'Ella and her teammates made Canada proud and she is only just getting started…I can't wait to see what else happens for her in the upcoming season as this year she became the 20225 Canadian ninja League Champion and the 2025 World Ninja League Champion dominating in both our biggest events of the year,' Hallak said in an emailed statement. Next year, Crichlow-Mainguy will move up a division to compete with the preteens—something she's looking forward to as the obstacles become more challenging. 'I've been watching on the sidelines, the preteens get such really cool obstacles,' she said. I'm just really excited to try them.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Calgary's Riley Banadyga becomes a Ninja world champion in North Carolina competition
Calgary's Riley Banadyga poses with the statue she received for winning the World Ninja League championship in North Carolina. Calgary's Riley Banadyga might be small, but she stood tall at the recent 2025 World Ninja League (WNL) world championship finals in North Carolina. Banadyga, who's nine years old and weighs around 60 pounds, competed in the kid's female division, where she beat out 130 competitors to claim the title. 'It felt really good,' Banadyga said, 'because last year I got second, but it was a different worlds (this year). 'There's two -- UNAA (Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association) and WNL (World Ninja League) -- and I went to UNAA last year.' The World Ninja League is a globally-recognized governing body for ninja obstacle competitions whose world championships draws elite athletes from around the world, challenging them to compete in three rigorous stages. Riley Banadyga Riley Banadyga met the media Friday after winning the ninja world championship in North Carolina recently. (Photo: CTV News) It was Banadyga's commanding performance in the upper body testing stage three course that set her apart from the rest of the field. 'I tried to keep a fast pace and you had a 20-second shakeout on each box,' she said, 'and I tried to take just under 10 seconds -- I tried to keep the pace and go flowy.' First Albertan Banadyga is the first Alberta ninja athlete to win a world championship at the WNL worlds. Her dad Jarrod said he's proud but not that surprised to see his daughter do well, because ninja is her passion. 'She sees it as her fun time,' said Jarrod. 'I think she enjoys all the challenges and the fact the courses change, the obstacles in the gym, it fits that change all the time. 'So it's one of those sports that keeps her guessing and keeps challenging herself and I think that's what really appeals to her -- she never sees it as work. 'It's always play time!' While Riley was a cool competitor, the same couldn't be said about her coach, Lucas Artinian. '(I was nervous) on all stages, but especially Stage 3,' Artinian said. 'She looked so calm and just collected and I was like shaking and sweating. 'I was like, OK, let's do it! And she's like, 'Yeah! Let's go!' She's way more calm than I was, that's for sure.' That calm demeanor will probably take Riley farther in the sport -- she has hopes to turn pro one day, but for now, is looking forward to defending her world title. 'I need to be older to be a pro,' she said, 'And I think I can really well, but I'm really excited for next year.' With files from CTV's Glenn Campbell
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
The Detail: How to ride a horse, if you don't have a horse
What started as child's play has become a serious sport around the world. Photo: Alastair Goodwin Alastair Goodwin remembers standing in front of an obstacle course, hobby horse in hand, and questioning the choices that had led him and his co-founder to that spot. "We were the biggest sceptics," he said. "The couple of hours before we started, we were just like, 'What the hell are we doing?'" After the event kicked off and crowds started lining the perimeters of the course , Goodwin - who co-founded Hobby Horsing New Zealand with Tony Sundman - tells The Detail all his worries evaporated. "It's like, sceptics be damned, people have a really good time and a lot of people have a good laugh." The children's hobby of 'riding' a stick with a horse head on it has been around for centuries, but it wasn't until the early 2000s that it was taken more seriously. Riding a stick with a horse head on it has been around for centuries. Photo: Alastair Goodwin Finland was the first country to embrace it and the sport there is largely dominated by pre-teen girls. Oscar-nominated Finnish film maker Selma Vilhunen is widely credited with bringing the sport into the mainstream with her 2017 film, Hobbyhorse Revolution . While it sounds like a bizarre game of childhood make-believe, hobby horsing is taken incredibly seriously in some parts of the world. The horses are often handmade and the goal is to make them look as realistic as possible. Many riders will train for different events, competing in the likes of dressage, show jumping and western riding. In recent decades, the sport has taken off. It's estimated about 10,000 Finnish people take part and it's on the rise here as well. "We get a lot of emails from people setting up [events] around the place and I know there's another organisation over in Hawkes Bay that does it," says Goodwin. "It is building, which is bizarre." He says it's a lot more laidback here. "We're just trying to promote it as a concept and, if people want to run with it and do the kind of high-end level of it, then that's good for them," he says. Another sport rising in the ranks of popularity here is pickleball. The sport is a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis, and has nothing to do with pickles. "Three dads were at home with their kids during winter, and the kids were bored and the dads were getting a bit frustrated, so they thought, 'Right, let's see what we can find', and they made the game of pickleball up," says Ange Brady, the Hawke's Bay representative on the Pickleball Association of New Zealand board. The game is designed to include the whole family, from grandchild to grandparent. "Generally, it's played in doubles," Brady says. "You've got two people each side of the net and you can only score a point off your serve." While it began as a fun family sport, pickleball has evolved. Brady says both America and Australia have professional league teams, and there's an annual world cup competition. New Zealand sent two teams over to last year's World Cup. The open team made it to the quarter finals and the 50+ team came second out of the 22 participating countries. There's even talk of it becoming an Olympic sport, but for that to happen, Brady says there need to be some changes at the governing level. "There are currently two governing bodies for pickleball across the world," she says. "We need to have one governing body for the sport and a bit of consistency of what that looks like around the world, because you obviously need to have criteria that you would meet across all of the countries in order to select the team." Whether or not it makes an appearance at a future Olympic games, Brady says pickleball is a sport for everyone. "I hear stories of kids lining up at lunchtime and morning teatime to play at schools. Then we've got pickleball available all through the day for everybody, right through until the evening for those who still have to work a fulltime job, and then across the weekends. "Once you start playing, you just find your people." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Telford's Gelt Gladiator celebrates proper muddy weekend with tenth anniversary event
A MUCH loved Cumbrian obstacle course has celebrated its tenth year- as its organiser who has ran the event for the last decade prepares to pass the baton on to its next chapter. The Telford's Gelt Gladiator took place last weekend on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 at the sites course in Gelt near Brampton. Mike James with wife Sarah on the course (Image: Supplied) This year the event celebrated a decade of the Gelt Gladiator, with 3,000 runners taking to the course for what was a weekend of 'typical British weather' - with 7,000 of Aqua Pura water handed out to race goers on a very hot Saturday, and an 'incredibly muddy' course on the Sunday. Eden Valley Hospice had 92 runners fundraising by taking part in the event, with James Rennie School also having a large number of runners taking part to raise funds for the school. Runners take on the course for Eden Valley Hospice (Image: Supplied) Organiser Mike James said: "Its an extraordinary experience, its remarkable how people enjoy getting wet and muddy at an event like that, it is challenging but also incredible fun. "Its aimed at all levels of ability and its amazing what people can do when they're with a team. "It gives you a great sense of self esteem and helps build confidence." It was the first time Mike had taken part in the event over the last 10 years, completing the course with his wife Sarah, daughter Sarah and son Harry, as he estimated that around 30,000 had conquered the Gelt Gladiator since it began a decade ago. Mike James takes on the course with his family (Image: Supplied) The Gelt Gladiator 2025 also marked another milestone with event organiser Mike James announcing it would be his last year doing the event, after deciding to pass the baton on to local business owners Gary Turner and Ross Pickthall who have now acquired the event. The pair have 'big plans' to invest in the course and take the Gelt Gladiator event further in 2026, with new obstacles and additions to the course. Mike has thanked all those who have taken part in the event over the last decade, as he looks forward to support Gary and Ross with their next chapter of the Gelt Gladiator.
