So now that we’ve sent the application, we have to do a lot of waiting. I submitted around early to mid-October and for what I was told you may not hear anything until as late as March. I hated not knowing, I needed to know if I needed to step up my training. All I could do was wait. January comes around and I get a phone call from an unknown number. Now I don’t like answering calls from unknown numbers, but I answered anyways. I was in the middle on working on my car and to my surprise it was one of the casting producers from American Ninja Warrior! My mind starts racing as he asks me some questions about my application. He was preparing to pitch me to the executive producers and needed to completely understand what my story was.
One week later the same number calls me again. By natural reaction, I answer all excided thinking this is the call. This was it right? No, he needed a little more information. After answering his questions again, I stood where I was for a few minutes disappointed that it wasn’t the call I was hoping for. At this point I don’t think I am getting accepted to the show, it doesn’t seem like they understand my story. How could they understand my story? My story was all about colorblindness and how it is misunderstood, and it has a bigger impact on my life than what is known to most people.
January 19, 2023, I gave up on the sport. I went home from the gym and decided to quit. Ninja wasn’t fun anymore. I was coming home upset every night, and it was showing when I would interact with my family. I knew I just had to stop. My job at the time was at the gym and I was going to quit that next Monday. Then something miraculous happened.
January 20, 2023, I was in the middle of practicing my guitar and in the middle of one of the songs I was playing I get interrupted by my phone ringing. This was a different number than the last two weeks. A part of me didn’t want to answer it. However, everyone always said that you should pick up every phone call especially if it was an 818 number like what was showing on my phone. While hesitant, I answered the phone. It was a different producer from American Ninja Warrior, and he too was asking for just a little bit more information. This time he wanted to know some of my other hobbies. Disappointed I answer his questions. Apparently, he only asked me that to throw me off because the next thing he said was “It doesn’t matter anyways because you have just been selected to be on American Ninja Warrior, congratulations!” Immediately I drop to the floor in shock and disbelief. This was literally a dream come true! With tears and my eyes, I rush to find my parents who just got home from the grocery store to share this experience with. The producer was still talking but I didn’t know what he was saying. My parents were trying to understand what I’m trying to tell them, but no words came out. With everything that was going through my mind all I could confidently say is I’m glad a picked up the phone.
Next week I will share how I prepared for what would be the biggest moments of my life so far. Be on the lookout for that.