As a child, Karter Ohlson would sit around the television screen with her family, fascinated by the athletes swinging and climbing through obstacles on “American Ninja Warrior.”   

“You’re going to be on that one day,” her grandmother and mother would tell Ohlson in her early years as a gymnast. Little did they know their jokes would become a reality. 

Ohlson, a 19-year-old SUNY-ESF student, is the youngest woman competitor in her rookie year to advance to the “American Ninja Warrior” season 11 Las Vegas finals. 

Ohlson was a competitive gymnast for 10 years and also coached at East Coast Gymnastics & Cheer in Winchester, Virginia. But because of the pressure she put on herself, she said, she began to not like gymnastics competitions. She then started ninja training and rock climbing for fun at 15 years old.  

“I think the only reason I did well on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ is because of my background in gymnastics,” Ohlson said. “Gymnastics built such a strong foundation for me in any sport that I have ever tried. I love that I am strong today now because of it.” 

Ohlson’s boyfriend and training partner, Eli Bell, said her background in gymnastics sets her apart from other ninjas. A majority of her training, Bell said, was built into her life without Ohlson realizing it. Aspects like body awareness were picked up from her gymnastics background.  

“She’s like wonder woman — that’s what her advantage is. She’s a superhero,” he said.  

Ohlson said she was motivated to apply for “American Ninja Warrior” because of Bell, who was in seasons 10 and 11 for the show. Watching her boyfriend’s races made her realize she had the ability to do it as well, Ohlson said. 

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Bell consistently pushed her to train with him, Ohlson said, and because he was previously on the show, she knew she was capable of competing.  

Once accepted to the show, Ohlson increased her training by going to the gym three to four times a week and creating her own obstacle courses similar to the show that incorporated balancing contraptions, laches, salmon ladders and walls. 

Ohlson said she has strong dynamic abilities, adding that even though she may not be able to hang onto a bar as long as some people, she can “power through,” jump very high and swing a far distance from one bar to another. 

Season 11 of “American Ninja Warrior” is currently airing on NBC. Ohlson competed in the Baltimore City Finals where she fell off the “Crank It Up” — an obstacle where players must use their upper body strength to lift a crank while suspended in the air — but finished second in the women roster and advanced to the national finals. In Las Vegas, she fell on the third obstacle, the “Double Dipper.” 

“When you are up there with all the cameras, it’s a totally different experience,” Ohlson said. “During the runs, everything just left my head and I was just laughing through the whole thing. I felt like a kid on a playground. It’s a once in a lifetime thing that if you had the chance to do, you should do it and that’s why I did it.” 

Returning to Syracuse for school, Ohlson plans to work as a coach at The Warrior Factory, a ninja gym opening in Syracuse this fall.  

The Warrior Factory allows people to train at any skill level in a safe environment. With professional equipment and obstacles similar to the show, Kathryn Bolster, The Warrior Factory Syracuse franchisee, said the gym provides a fun way to get stronger without pressure of being compared to someone else. 

“I am super excited to have her as a strong female role model for all of the young kids that come in,” said Bolster. “She’s going to show people that you don’t have to be 6’3 and built. You can be a normal person and still be able to accomplish this.” 

Published on September 17, 2019 at 12:13 pm