By Tyler Wright
Families at Ferntree Gully’s Ninja Nation gym are looking to fundraise in order to send young national qualifiers to Florida to represent Australia at the World Ninja Championships in July.
Upwey resident Taryn Campbell’s nine-year-old son Finn qualified for the world championships after competing at the Australian Ninja Games held in Brisbane in January.
Ms Campbell said the fundraiser to be held on Sunday 23 April will help cover the costs of a small team heading to an overseas venue.
“We’re all from this area and that’s why we’ve all stumbled across each other at the same gym,” Ms Campbell said.
“When my oldest son [Ash] first started, it was very unheard of…you’d say ninja warrior to people and they’d really only just think of the TV show.
“Since then, they’ve had a number of gyms pop up here and there, so it is way more popular and way more well known since maybe four or five years ago.”
Finn said he is “nervous and excited“ to compete in Florida.
“It just looked fun,“ he said when asked why he joined the sport four years ago.
The family fun day fundraiser will begin at 9.30am, with classes on offer at $20 each for attendees to get a feel of what it means to compete in ninja warrior.
There will also be photo opportunities with Ninja Warrior Australia TV stars, including Ashlin Herbert, Troy Cullin and Zak Stolz.
Ms Mitchell said ninja is an “interesting sport because while you’re out there doing it on your own, you are a part of the community and a team, and everyone is there supporting everyone“.
“It’s overwhelming. It makes me very nervous, but it also makes me very proud to have my kids representing Victoria at nationals… but also just being able to do it and just have fun with it as well.“
To book a spot for a class at the fundraiser, visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=1025596&fbclid=IwAR233ItkAozMIOGRmTu4HndVrjAfu3hyNwv3xwTUO806scKGKJIKIxJvzO4
For any questions, people are advised to email nnworldteam@outlook.com
Ninja Nation is located at 716 Burwood Highway in Ferntree Gully.
