“I want to be a Ninja when I grow up!”
You declared with conviction during your kindergarten parent-teacher day. The other kids were amused and clapped. Your parents were laughing-shaking-their-head at the same time, probably your mom tagging your dad saying, “that is your daughter/son.” Your teacher tried to probe more by asking, (while finger-signaling “air quotes”)“Are there other choices, in case you do not get to become a Ninja?”
Fast forward a few years, where you now sit quietly inside your PUV of choice, travelling from work to home, browsing your social media account and pondering the latest obstacle course race event advertisement. Of course you’re considering whether this is the right time to unleash your chakra.
Obstacle Course Race Ninjas
JAPA-NIN
Yusuke Morimoto was fifteen when he had his first obstacle course race. Though not naturally athletic, the 5” 4’ software engineer, at age 23 became the youngest grand champion of Sasuke Ninja Warrior. Sasuke Ninja Warrior, with variations and spin-offs being televised in more than 25 countries, is one of the longest running televised obstacle course races. Yusuke was the first competitor who completed the crazy cliffhanger in the same show and recently become the first man to complete the Stage 3 of American Ninja Warrior, lifting the Japanese team in the said competition. He reached the final stage of Sasuke 35, the most recent season.
AMERICA-NIN
Jessie Graff remembered she wanted to be Xena, the Warrior Princess when she was 12 years old. She started to train for Gymnastics in the Olympics but was turned down because she was 8 inches too tall. At 20 years old, she tried out for Olympic pole vaulting but did not qualify due to fatigue resulting from over-training; she was also doing taekwondo. However, she was still good at gymnastics and a regular at the gym. In 2014, at the height of her career as a stuntwoman along with her participation in American Ninja Warrior, she had a debilitating knee injury forcing her to be out the competition for a time.
She finally realized the dream of becoming a Warrior Princess after 20 years by making Ninja Warrior history:
- First woman to complete Stage 1 of National Champions at Mt. Midoriyama.
- First woman to be a part of Team USA in USA vs World and completed Stage 2 of the said event.
- Joined Sasuke 34 and became the second woman to complete the show’s Stage 1.
PHILIPPI-NIN
The Philippine flag waved loud and proud in the recent Spartan Kaohsiung Trifecta Race on October 20-21, 2018 as four Filipino racers bagged first place in their respective age group events.
Dianna Bühler
She had her first 15KM race in a different age group and finished 1st in the female category. Di only had over a year of experience in obstacle course racing which helped her achieve her goal weight. She also represented the country in Italy for this year’s World OCR Team Challenge.
Marky Parilla
Completed a top finish in his age group for the Sprint event. Leveraging his considerable experience in the fitness industry, Marky has already influenced many of his friends to try out obstacle course racing as well. He shares his love for sports as one of the accredited coaches of OCR in the Philippines.
Noel Agra
Got top rank for his age group at Super event. A chef by profession, he has been seeking balance for a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and physical activity. He spearheaded this year’s Ninja 100 and will be heading Ninja 300 as well.
Al Agra
The President of the Philippine Obstacle Sports Federation, he topped both Sprint and Super event for 50+ age group. Like Di, President Al used obstacle course racing as an avenue to maintain his ideal physique which he achieved at 50 years old when he lost more than 50 pounds. He mentioned being interested in bringing obstacle course racing into the country due to its holistic approach on physical fitness involving body strength and endurance as well as mental toughness and focus.
OCR-NIN
Different stories, different motivations for the sports, different journeys, different places in the world, united by obstacle course racing. The experience shared by these athletes eventually converged at one point: taking care of themselves while maximizing their involvement in the sport.
Fédération Internationale d’Obstacles (FISO), the world governing body of obstacle sports and related disciplines, has been keen on maintaining and assuring the safety of sports enthusiasts and competitors. In its website, the organization highlights the safety of the sport against harassment, the safety standards of the obstacles to be used, safe and fair play through anti-doping policies, and the general wellness and safety of its participants from injuries.
fisioPHOrtress
While recovering from her knee injury, Jessie Graff, being naturally active, did not just undergo rehabilitation and wait to be healed. Aside from taking off from her job, she focused on what she was capable of doing even when her legs were not yet fit enough. She underwent activity modification through training her upper quadrants, her shoulders, and back to be able to perform more pull-ups prior to her injury. When she was cleared and ready to get back into sports, she continued to observe optimal self-care related to injury reduction as she did not want to experience a repeat of what happened to her knee. In an interview, she mentioned regularly undergoing instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization intervention (IASTM) handled by an accredited physical therapist even after she had returned to sports post-knee injury.
The concepts of muscle education and activity modification were practiced by Yusuke Morimoto as well. When he became a part of Team Japan he mentioned how when he failed one obstacle, he would try to go over the motions and identify modifications in movement patterns in order to conquer obstacles when he would do them again.
This concept pre-rehabilitation or undergoing physical therapy even without injury, is no stranger to our local OCR athletes who shined in Taiwan. A number of them underwent soft tissue mobilization, joint alignment, and muscle re-education in preparation for their race, contributing to their stellar performance on race day
To set up a world-class and top-notch obstacle course training facility is one thing. Equally important is to assure that the facility accommodates future podium finishers for Spartan races, the next Filipino champions for Ninja series, and even the first Filipino Sasuke finisher!
Pretty Huge Obstacle (PHO) believes that world-class athletes need world-class levels of care through fisioPHOrtress. Professionals dealing with health and physical concerns of the athletes are not rookies in the field of sports, locally and internationally. Due to their expertise, the facility is able to provide a comprehensive and individualized program for PHO members. Once registered, members will have prioritized access to the following services:
- Acute care intervention for pain relief, swelling control, and faster healing from structural injuries through Ultrasound therapy, Laser therapy, Electrical Muscle Stimulation therapy.
- Myotherapy comprised of manual fascial manipulation, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, muscle cupping, acupressure cupping, and dry needling.
- Movement therapy through muscle re-education and activation, activity (biomechanics) modification, locomotion assessment and retraining, and recovery sessions.
- Rehabilitation intervention though orthopedic manual physical therapy assessment and treatment like joint re-alignment and mobilization.
- Physical therapy program for pre-operative and post-operative cases, and return-to-sports athletes
- Sports massage by trained massage therapists.
Aside from the primary pre-rehabilitation and rehabilitation services mentioned, adjunct programs will be available to members as well. These programs include team goal setting, performance and rehabilitation psychology facilitation, preventive care group classes such as stretching and general conditioning classes, and supplementation advising (as per World Anti-Doping Agency rules and regulation).
You finally reached home and decided to message your friends about the advertisement you read. Minutes after, your messenger group lights up as each one starts sharing their curiosity about the event, having the same dream of becoming a ninja, being able to channel competitiveness through such events, and enjoying the idea of pushing oneself beyond their perceived limits. Excitedly you share more details on how you can register and prepare for the competition. It occurs to you, the facility and the services that you need are within reach, hence there is no better time to make your dream come true than now.
It is time to release your chakra, use your jutsu to train and make the world your playground with obstacle course racing.
Ready to be part of our Pretty Huge family?