S09.E14: Las Vegas FInals Night 2

[Lantern7]

Quote

 

National finals continue in Las Vegas, where the season's top competitors tackle a four-stage course.

 

[LadyNebula]

With that montage, you'd think Kacy died or something.  Geez.  Look, I salute Kacy for what she's accomplished, but at this point, I almost think it was a fluke.  She hasn't done anything very impressive since - except inspire a new crop of fantastic ladies - which I think should be her legacy.  You can tell any joy she ever felt doing this was sucked out of her when they started the "Mighty Kacy" crap.  No one can perform under that pressure.  But I never agreed with the "Mighty" nonsense.  She's talented, but I think there are other women who are better.  I think even Kacy would agree with me on that.  

Harsh?  Maybe.  I like Kacy, and I feel for her.  I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors, and I hope she finds her joy again!

[mtlchick]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO  

I may have teared up that Jessie missed the cut.  FOOP! 

 

Drew has one speed and one speed only:  Brakes are a suggestion. 

Next week is going to be a doozy of...maybe 2 people making it to stage 3 where they crash and burn.  

[TimothyQ]

Once again we see people flame out on the 2nd or 3rd obstacle when finishers are given the WWWA treatment. I mean, I like seeing people fall as much as the next guy, but maybe this is getting a little too much? Does NBC have a ratio of finishers to failures it thinks provides the best viewing experience?

[Fukui San]

So sorry for Jessie, but she has the right attitude. Every obstacle is dangerous, even the seemingly easy ones like the transfer to the net.

Kacy hasn't shown well since her breakthrough, but she really does still have the ability. She just hasn't had the breaks. She was on the Japanese version last year and made it to the end of Stage 1. She just timed out by about 5 seconds because it took her two tries to do the Warped Wall. The tone of her "goodbye" really was funereal. When she crashes and burns in the WWE (no slight on her, 90% of all wrestlers in WWE crash and burn because their writing is crap these days) she can always triumphantly return to Ninja Warrior.

And DAVID CAMPBELL!  I'm so happy he made it past stage 1. He was really the best in the game right when the US version starting rolling and has always been quietly awesome.

[enoughcats]

Hint: don't massage your hair before your run.  First two guys had to mess with their hair, and their hands slipped off taking hold.  Then came a bunch of folks with no nonsense hair, and then came Jesse, who just had to flip her hair.  I somehow missed Dan Gill's run, but as I recall he hasn't been much of a hair flipper lately. 

 

Now, a gripe.  Too darned many of the finishers got the WWWA treatment.  They deserved more.  And the backstories are not really as strong, nor do they have to be.  Can't we celebrate contestants who are doing it for the joy of it?

[Fukui San]

3 minutes ago, TimothyQ said:

Once again we see people flame out on the 2nd or 3rd obstacle when finishers are given the WWWA treatment. I mean, I like seeing people fall as much as the next guy, but maybe this is getting a little too much? Does NBC have a ratio of finishers to failures it thinks provides the best viewing experience?

Pretty much yes. I think the show is edited the same whether we got 16 finishers or 41.  Early despair, gradual progress, breakthroughs, surprise fails, battles for the fastest times, headliner who fails, headliner who triumphs. This show is designed to be edited like that, year in and year out. It's no less formulaic than American Idol auditions.

It's a little different on the original Japanese version, as every competitor wears a number proclaiming their running order, from 1 to 100.  The best/most anticipated runners are saved for the end. If ANW was like this Jessie Graff would probably wear #99 and Drew Dreschel would wear #100 as the farthest finisher of the last time.  It tells a different story of early goofballs, celebrities, and human interest stories largely failing to succeed for the first half of round 1. Then serious runners come, some breakthroughs hopefully, and building anticipation for the big guns or mounting pressure if there aren't many clears. I would love for ANW to adopt this model. It's fun to see a graphic like "45 have run stage 1 with only 2 clears".  But they'd have to break their formula to adopt this one. For one thing, sometimes your big guns fail and your ending of Stage 1 is an enormous bummer. Imagine ending this show with Jessie Graff's surprise fail, just because she was the one assigned to be #100.  It'd be a kick in the teeth, but it'd feel more real.

[Lantern7]

Is it wrong that there's a voice in my head telling me that Jessie tanked it on purpose? I really, really, REALLY don't think she would. Wouldn't be fair to her fans, wouldn't be fair to the viewers. It's just that she failed in the most spectacular manner. She had it. She fucking HAD it. If she grabs the net, I think she would finish with more time on the clock than she did last year. But then that happened. We got to see her fall, we got to see Maggi and another lady have their reactions, and Matt and Akbar got to overoverreact, as you would expect. Holy shit. Shades of Jackie Smith dropping a wide open TD pass in the Super Bowl. She had it, and she lost it. She's still the alpha woman of the franchise (unless Allyssa completes Stage Two), she's still in a decent position about ninjas of both genders, and she's still a kickass stuntlady. But DAMN.

Another thing: I would not be surprised if Matt and/or Akbar had to dub in their reactions. If neither of them openly cursed at the end of that run, I will be shocked.

I have to thank @Fukui San ("Go ahead, Oto!") for posting a link to a recent edition of Sasuke, where one guy had an even more startling departure. Sadly, the video was taken down, but I have a dude reacting to it. Missing: the multitude of reactions from the crowd, and kanji which I believe translates to, "KENJI, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?"

I honestly don't hate Kacy. I don't feel pity for her. She opened the doors for women to try excel on the course, as well as guys like Tyler Yamauchi (because short dudes also need inspiration). and her biggest sin was not being 3-4 inches taller. Well, that and her relationship to Brent Steffensen. I believe that she either feels like she can't have fun anymore, she can get her kicks rasslin', or that the future of female ninjas is secure. When will they achieve equality? When one finishes Stage One in Vegas and gets the WWWA treatment. Stray thought: has anybody from a reality show made the jump to pro wrestling and have it stick? Aside form Challenge veteran Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, of course.

And dang, Meagan Martin had the second-worst flameout, albeit with a slower burn At least she cleared Warped Wall.

I think that as tough as Double Dipper (a nine-year-old designed it?!? Holy cow!) and Domino Run were, 41 completions is too much. And there were a few misses by seconds, so we would've gotten closer to half the field. I suspect the designers will be working a lot in the next few months. Team Ninja Warrior might end up a (figurative) bloodbath from sick new obstacles.

ETA: I think "Mighty Kacy" came from the poem Casey at the Bat, where the protagonist (a legendary baseball player) is referred to as "Mighty Casey." Hey, it's not as big a leap as calling Meagan Martin "She-Wolf." Where the hell did that come from?

[Taeolas]

I admit, it did cross my mind that Jessie fumbled at the end on purpose, to give Kacy a bigger out maybe or I don't know; but ultimately I think it was legit. I think her legs got a bit ahead of her and pushed the net away so her hands couldn't get into the net and hook in place. Her grip gave out and down she tumbled. If any limb had gotten into the netting, I'm sure she would've made it, but nothing hooked and down she went. 

I'm a bit surprised at some of the risks Flip took. The jump on the Parkour stage for example, he nearly tumbled there, when he could easily have done the safe way. He saw the guy do it that way last time and decided to show he could do it I guess.

I'm not surprised Kacy flamed out, the double dipper got a lot of folk out. I agree her montage was more funeral-esque than just a retirement. And I don't doubt she'll quietly return in a year or two. 

 

As for the number of finishers, 40ish was probably a bit too much; but there were a number of killer obstacles. Double Dipper was surprisingly effective, as were Domino steps. I suspect we'll see the final obstacle changed up next year; it's been around a few years and is probably spent now. 

 

With the number of finishers, I'm not surprised at the number of WWWA's. I think the producers figure splashes make for good TV, so they show most of the failures, and most of the good runs with close calls, and then fill in the time with big names they are focused on. Then anyone left gets WWWA's, especially if they succeed. (Since those ninjas will be in stage 2 and showing up again anyway). 

[Fukui San]

13 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Is it wrong that there's a voice in my head telling me that Jessie tanked it on purpose? I really, really, REALLY don't think she would. Wouldn't be fair to her fans, wouldn't be fair to the viewers. It's just that she failed in the most spectacular manner. She had it. She fucking HAD it. If she grabs the net, I think she would finish with more time on the clock than she did last year. But then that happened. We got to see her fall, we got to see Maggi and another lady have their reactions, and Matt and Akbar got to overoverreact, as you would expect. Holy shit. Shades of Jackie Smith dropping a wide open TD pass in the Super Bowl. She had it, and she lost it. She's still the alpha woman of the franchise (unless Allyssa completes Stage Two), she's still in a decent position about ninjas of both genders, and she's still a kickass stuntlady. But DAMN.

Another thing: I would not be surprised if Matt and/or Akbar had to dub in their reactions. If neither of them openly cursed at the end of that run, I will be shocked.

I have to thank @Fukui San ("Go ahead, Oto!") for posting a link to a recent edition of Sasuke, where one guy had an even more startling departure. Sadly, the video was taken down, but I have a dude reacting to it. Missing: the multitude of reactions from the crowd, and kanji which I believe translates to, "KENJI, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?"

I honestly don't hate Kacy. I don't feel pity for her. She opened the doors for women to try excel on the course, as well as guys like Tyler Yamauchi (because short dudes also need inspiration). and her biggest sin was not being 3-4 inches taller. Well, that and her relationship to Brent Steffensen. I believe that she either feels like she can't have fun anymore, she can get her kicks rasslin', or that the future of female ninjas is secure. When will they achieve equality? When one finishes Stage One in Vegas and gets the WWWA treatment. Stray thought: has anybody from a reality show made the jump to pro wrestling and have it stick? Aside form Challenge veteran Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, of course.

And dang, Meagan Martin had the second-worst flameout, albeit with a slower burn At least she cleared Warped Wall.

I think that as tough as Double Dipper (a nine-year-old designed it?!? Holy cow!) and Domino Run were, 41 completions is too much. And there were a few misses by seconds, so we would've gotten closer to half the field. I suspect the designers will be working a lot in the next few months. Team Ninja Warrior might end up a (figurative) bloodbath from sick new obstacles.

ETA: I think "Mighty Kacy" came from the poem Casey at the Bat, where the protagonist (a legendary baseball player) is referred to as "Mighty Casey." Hey, it's not as big a leap as calling Meagan Martin "She-Wolf." Where the hell did that come from?

Thanks for the old school shout out!

I chalk up Jessie's miss to the proposition that these things are fucking hard, and mess ups can happen in the weirdest places. One of the Japanese All-Stars fell off the ramp dismount of the equivalent of Parkour Run. Not an obstacle, just the ramp that would have led him to the Warped Wall. You run 100 people through this festival of physics and some weird stuff will happen which is part of the fun. Oh, some of those flipping misses off the propeller were painful fun to watch.

For the Reality Show to WWE transition, there were a number of contestants from their Tough Enough show that became wrestlers. But maybe you mean aside from the specific to wrestling reality show? I'm not sure. There must be someone I haven't hear of, maybe some Ultimate Fighter who transitioned to a minor wrestling gig.

I think Meagan hangs out with the group that calls themselves the Wolfpack, hence "She-Wolf".

The course designers could stand to do a total rethink of Stage 1. So far they've tended to only swap out obstacles with similar obstacles. There's a whole 30+ tournament catalog from Japan to pull from, not to mention their apparent staff of sadistic 9 year olds.

[Lantern7]

4 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

Thanks for the old school shout out!

I think Meagan hangs out with the group that calls themselves the Wolfpack, hence "She-Wolf".

1. Hey, no problem. If I cook at your place, I won't stand on the boards.

2. That makes sense. She still could do better because she is hot and athletic.

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

Now, a gripe.  Too darned many of the finishers got the WWWA treatment.  They deserved more.  And the backstories are not really as strong, nor do they have to be.  Can't we celebrate contestants who are doing it for the joy of it?

I started to think they were punking the viewers with the backstories.

It was around the time a storm destroyed my backyard course, then I got poison ivy, and then chicken pox that I thought they were going for parody,  Then when that was shortly followed by I have a youtube channel and I moved in with my girlfriend, I was sure.

[enoughcats]

What would happen if the Finals obstacles were kept under wraps until the competition began?  And none of them had ever been seen before?

I would guess that the guys with gymnastic training would do fairly well, but some of the 'fast' finishers would not because their bodies have trained for so many of these specific obstacles.  An example: the first pedestal thing, but pedestals tilted 45degrees outwards.

[SophiaD]

Chicken pox is no joke for an adult.  He's lucky he's okay.

What the heck did Abel Gonzalez or Nicholas Coolridge ever do to the producers?  They've been relentlessly ignored since their debut years.

I'm very fond of Kacy and admire her a lot, but that retrospective felt really kind of sad.  OTOH, I think she'll make a lot more money in WWE, and be able to get out from under Brent's shadow and do her own thing. 

I'm so sad that Jessie Graff isn't going on to Stage 2.  At least we still have Alyssa Beird.  I think next year will be even stronger for the women competitors.  I really like this new rule, and we've seen some great runs.  

As far as next week goes, I think Josh Levin, Drew Dreschel, Daniel Gill, and Najee Richardson are on my personal watch list - but who knows?  If Jessie can fall off the net, anything is possible. 

[Chaos Theory]

Well now I see why some of the spoilers had Jessie Graff on the squirrel thing.  Damn.  And yes she has the right attitude.  Disappointed but sure of her abilities.  

I know people dislike Kacy and the treatment she has gotten her reel/backstory  was right.   Even though many have since surpassed her they would never have tried if it wasn't for Kacy.   So I am sad to see her go.  I wish she did better on her last run.

i also wish Meagan Martin did better.

After last weeks amazing runs by women this week was quite disappointing.  I was actually hoping at least another woman would qualify.  Having two momen on stage 2 would have been an awesome thing to see.

Maybe next year.

[strippedhalo]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

ETA: I think "Mighty Kacy" came from the poem Casey at the Bat, where the protagonist (a legendary baseball player) is referred to as "Mighty Casey." Hey, it's not as big a leap as calling Meagan Martin "She-Wolf." Where the hell did that come from?

I've always thought it was so mean that that was the nickname they gave her, because that poem is about pinning all your hopes on someone who fails.  (Final line of the poem: "But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.") 

[Good Queen Jane]

I hadn't realized how invested in Jessie Graf I was until she fell. I think I woke my neighbors with my yell. I think having that big clock ticking down in front of her caused her to rush her dismount. Still, she had a good run as did several of the other women last week. Now I have to find someone new to root for.

[ClareWalks]

I wish Kacy the best but by the 40th dramatic montage about her journey I was just SO FUCKING SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT. This show really knows how to beat a dead horse until it decomposes. They also show the exact same sob story bios for the same competitors that they highlighted in the city rounds, then WWWA ninjas that are amazing. Just annoying.

[Quilt Fairy]

32 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I think having that big clock ticking down in front of her caused her to rush her dismount.

Yes.  From the angle that we're shown, not only the time down clock but some other screen(s) are directly behind the cargo net, which must make it very hard to gauge where the net is once you're in the air.  I'm actually surprised that more people haven't fallen where Jessie did.

35 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I think I woke my neighbors with my yell.

Me, too, but my neighbors give me plenty of noise, so fuck 'em.

[AZChristian]

I was just sitting there being glad that I never have - and never will - watch any programs featuring WWE fights.  Good-bye and good luck, Kacy.

 

Next . . . 

[Chaos Theory]

I haven't watched WWE in a long time but I am curious enough to see what they do with Kacy.  WWE has never had the best reputation with women but I have been told it is at least getting better and they are highering talent not just faces so I am guessing Kacy is a get for the legitimacy front so like I said I am curious on the road they will put her on.  She doesn't have the size or muscle to be a straight up wrestler but she has gthe gymnastics background to be a high flyer speed demon type.  It will be interesting.  At least for a few weeks.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[absnow54]

I wish Kacy the best but by the 40th dramatic montage about her journey I was just SO FUCKING SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT. This show really knows how to beat a dead horse until it decomposes.

I really hate ANW coverage of her, because she seems so nice and supportive of her fellow competitors, and it seems like she's always trying to shift the focus to what women are capable of instead of making it about her, and she had a really phenomenal season a few years ago, but the narrative that ANW is constantly pushing, like no woman could have ever done it without Kacy's inspiration is so insulting to competitors like Meghan Martin and Jessie Graff who have been competing along side her from the start.

[enoughcats]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

not only the time down clock but some other screen(s) are directly behind the cargo net, which must make it very hard to gauge where the net is once you're in the air.

I had a peaceful watch of the show last night and for the first time (for me) I heard some of their competitors calling out some interesting stuff, like time left, reminding them to breath, "Just do it", etc .

[Fukui San]

I think the big clock isn't in the line of sight of the competitor to the net but off to the side. It's the camera angle that makes it look like it's directly in front.

[Morgan of Hed]

Sure looks like the clock is directly facing them as they make their swing, reminding them of how much time is left.

Sad to see Jessie wipe out.  I really liked her circus back story, so much more entertaining than a repeat of someone's sob story.

[ClareWalks]

They (Matt and Akbar) said at one point that the clock is right in front of the competitors and they can see it when they're on the final obstacle.

Edited September 12, 2017 by ClareWalks
I made no sense the first time

[eel2178]

19 hours ago, LadyNebula said:

With that montage, you'd think Kacy died or something. 

I thought basically the same thing, "How many times do I have to listen to her eulogy?"

19 hours ago, Fukui San said:

So sorry for Jessie, but she has the right attitude. 

Unlike Kasey, she can win and lose gracefully.

[legalwriter]

I agree that there are way too many finishers. I am all right with some back stories. I like Jessie's circus story. I watched MNF and then watched the recording of ANW. The promo for next week shows Najee Richardson competing on Stage 3 so we know he gets past Stage 2.

Drew Dreschel makes the course look easy. I say he is clear favorite but Drew might have a little too much body fat for a fast rope climb. You need to be really lean to climb a 75 foot rope fast like finishers Geoff and Isaac. I think Najee is a little more lean has a physique more like Isaac.

[eel2178]

18 hours ago, Taeolas said:

As for the number of finishers, 40ish was probably a bit too much; but there were a number of killer obstacles. Double Dipper was surprisingly effective, as were Domino steps. I suspect we'll see the final obstacle changed up next year; it's been around a few years and is probably spent now. 

The reason Double Dipper and Domino Run took out the most competitors was because they were the only new obstacles. Unlike the other obstacles, no one had the opportunity to build one and practice it for a year or more. If they want to keep the show fresh and challenging, they need to do a better job of avoiding repetition.

18 hours ago, enoughcats said:

What would happen if the Finals obstacles were kept under wraps until the competition began?  And none of them had ever been seen before?

This is what I'd like to see. It would separate the people who train on the obstacles from the real athletes.

[Morgan of Hed]

22 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

 

19 hours ago, enoughcats said:

What would happen if the Finals obstacles were kept under wraps until the competition began?  And none of them had ever been seen before?

This is what I'd like to see. It would separate the people who train on the obstacles from the real athletes.

Training would still matter, training on other obstacles translates: that's why climbers and parkour athletes do well on new obstacles.  I like it the way it is now, a mix of athleticism and skill.

[eel2178]

19 hours ago, Fukui San said:

 Oh, some of those flipping misses off the propeller were painful fun to watch.

I was wondering, if they had managed to land on the landing pad instead of in the water, would they have been allowed to go on, or would it be a DQ?

17 hours ago, SophiaD said:

  I think next year will be even stronger for the women competitors.  I really like this new rule, and we've seen some great runs.  

Really, the women who advanced to the finals were the same ones who had been given wild cards in previous years, so the new rule doesn't change anything.

[Richness]

<Luke/Vader> Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! </Luke/Vader> Jessie!!!! Given her circus back story that just aired, I didn't think she'd have a problem with the final obstacle, especially when she made the transition to the second swing arms. Just goes to show you that you can't get cocky or careless. After all, the first obstacle took out so many A-List veterans last year, and a couple B-List veterans this year.

 

Speaking of that net, I cringe every time someone misses their leap onto it. I fear that someone is going to end up hanging themselves as they fall upside down, ripping an arm or leg out of its socket, or drowning when tangled at the bottom. 

 

On the other hand, I love the Double Dipper. That it was designed by a "sadistic 9 year old" (Thanks Fukui San!) makes it even better. It looks like a terrifying roller coaster ride without the comforting safety of a ride car. I'd probably do one hell of a cannonball into the water, but I want to ride it.

 

I was also thrilled to see the young rookie that designed the other new obstacle make it past stage one. He's definitely living out a dream come true. And at 21, it isn't too much hyperbole to believe it's one of the greatest things he's ever done. I can empathize since I also got chicken pox at 21.

 

Please let this be the end of ANW's Kacy hype machine. I wish the best for her in whatever she does, but I'm so over the hype pushed upon us by the show and the network. I was also sad that Meagan Martin failed to make it to Stage 2. At least we have Allyssa Beird (and her short shorts). 

 

The only WWWA treatment that annoyed me this time was Josh Salinas's run, since he beat Lance Peekus's time. Daniel Gill is awesome, but I find it more interesting that a rookie beat Lance's time. Is Goldilocks that much more photogenic? Josh even beat Gill's time. It's not as if you haven't showcased Gill tons of other times as well. Really bad form, show.

 

The only other thing I can think to comment on is the camera work / cinematography. I'd  love to see it in 3D due to some of the more interesting angles and viewpoints as they sweep in over the obstacles. In fact, I may see how well my TV does at converting it to 3D. Maybe it's just the Vegas course, but they seem to have stepped up their game from the city courses.

[srpturtle80]

Couldn't handle that part in the long haired blonde dude's back story where they showed him pinning his number to his BARE SKIN. That was horrifying. 

Again, Drew kills me with the speed. I'm always so nervous he's going to make a mistake because of it. 

Really rooting for either him or Flip to make it to the top of Stage 4. 

[healthnut]

Didn't enjoy this week as much as last week and the women certainly sucked. Back to falling on the propeller bar. 

The Good:

Actually giving David Campbell a package and showing his run. His run made me the happiest 

The Bad:

Maegen getting stuck on the propeller bar

Jessie falling

The Ugly:

These nicknames are just getting ridiculous. The _______ Ninja, who at NBC thought this was cute. 

 

41 finishers, did anyone notable besides Jessie fail? Enough with the same obstacles every year, change it up, keep it interesting. I wonder if they purposely kept the course easier so more women would make it to Stage 2 (didn't work). Women's runs get the most views on YouTube, they clearly think it helps ratings, just sitting here on the Grassy Knoll thinking...

I am looking forward to next week. I don't expect much change on stage 2 since everybody but two flamed out on it last year but after 100 runs on stage 1, I'm ready for the next stage. 

[absnow54]

These nicknames are just getting ridiculous. The _______ Ninja, who at NBC thought this was cute.

I feel like that's something the competitors are pushing, because they all seem to have merchandise that they hand out to the crowd (and I can only assume they sell online.) The Papal Ninja must have a whole clothing line given the number of variations of the Vatican flag I saw in the audience.

[Guest]

On 9/12/2017 at 6:50 AM, AZChristian said:

I was just sitting there being glad that I never have - and never will - watch any programs featuring WWE fights.  Good-bye and good luck, Kacy.

 

Next . . . 

I didn't even know what WWE was.  I had to google it.  

17 hours ago, legalwriter said:

The promo for next week shows (...) competing on Stage 3 so we know he gets past Stage 2.

Drew Dreschel makes the course look easy. I say he is clear favorite but Drew might have a little too much body fat for a fast rope climb. You need to be really lean to climb a 75 foot rope fast like finishers Geoff and Isaac. I think Najee is a little more lean has a physique more like Isaac.

No biggie but some of us would prefer the spoilers be behind spoiler bars.  

I don't know if Drew has more body fat but I'd say he has less muscle bulk than Najee.  I would think that would favor him, especially if he's got the lower body weight.  

[AZChristian]

31 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I didn't even know what WWE was.  I had to google it.  

My daughter and son-in-law love watching wrestling and mixed martial arts.  Quite often when we go over there, they say "You have to watch this!!!"  After the first time they did that and I realized it was a bunch of people beating each other into bloody pulps, I got in the habit of pulling out my smartphone to play Candy Crush while they showed the video.  (They don't bother any more, so it must have worked.)

Edited September 13, 2017 by AZChristian
Can't spell this early in the AM.

[slf]

Poor Meagan Martin. It feels like she doesn't make as much progress as she should. Completes the qualifier, doesn't hit the buzzer at the city final, goes out on/near the warped wall during Stage 1. For four years now (tho I think this is the first year she didn't complete the qualifier)? I'm happy for her that she was able to make it up the warped wall it just feels like she's stagnated. She has a tremendous physique and I hear she's an excellent climber. I wonder what the issue is.

[ClareWalks]

3 minutes ago, slf said:

She has a tremendous physique and I hear she's an excellent climber. I wonder what the issue is.

I agree, she is amazingly fit and it is strange she doesn't do better. Honestly, I think the main issue is that she is slow. Very slow. She takes a lot of time between and on each obstacle, and she really needs to cut that down to get past the timed stages (1 and, hopefully, 2 if she gets there). The odd part isn't that she is slow, it's that she doesn't seem to be getting any faster, like Jessie.

[Morgan of Hed]

Meagan maybe needs to train some cardio?  On Instagram Jessie talks about how she basically can't do anything longer than 3 minutes, so she has trouble with more endurance-based stuff like the Tough Mudder she did.  Feels like Meagan has an even smaller gas tank than Jessie.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Morgan of Hed

[SophiaD]

I do remember Meagan getting gassed in the Spartan team competition, so you folks may be on to something there.  Ironically, Maggie Thorne seemed to be the most fit of all of the female ninjas there, but she hasn't had the success that Meagan, Jessie, and now Flex and Alyssa have had.  

I also felt badly for Michelle Warnky, who didn't even make it to Vegas this year, but I guess that's what's going to start happening as more and more women become competitive.

Next week would be so much more interesting to me if Jessie Graff and Flex were going to be in it, too.  As it is, I'm kind of ho-hum about the whole thing, even though I think there's a really good chance we'll have a finisher this year.

[mtlchick]

Quote

I do remember Meagan getting gassed in the Spartan team competition, so you folks may be on to something there.

That's what I am noticing: she is great shape, but it seems she focuses more on strength and upper body build and not enough on cardio and plyometrics and endurance.  Mind you she spent a LOT of time on the propeller just hanging on but even after that she seems pretty spent. 

[mlp]

I love Meagan and wish she had more success.  I think maybe she thinks too much and gets in her own way.  As a rock climber, she's used to planning ahead and considering every step before she takes action and she just doesn't have that kind of time in ANW.  It seems to me that she's made it up the warped wall plenty of times during the Team NW competitions so it's not that she can't do it.

Edited September 13, 2017 by mlp