Olentangy Liberty student competing on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — It’s one of the longest-running competition shows on television, now in its 16th season on NBC, “American Ninja Warrior” has inspired a generation of young athletes to try wild feats of strength and stamina.

Sydney Yee and her brother, Dylan, are among those young people who grew up idolizing ninjas and trying to become one.

“Me and my brother grew up watching the show, to the point where we just started doing stuff around the house,” said Sydney, a junior at Olentangy Liberty High School.

“We would climb round around the balconies, like the stairs around pillars and everything,” said Dylan, one year younger than Sydney.  “We just hope that nothing broke. At least…. I don’t think anything broke.”

Their mother, Christina, decided that to spare their house from any damage they needed to find a gym for the kids. That gym was Movement Lab in the Worthington area , owned by former ANW competitors, including long-time ANW star Michelle Warnky.

Last year, Sydney tried out for ANW and made it as a 15-year-old the minimum age allowed on the show. She recorded her episode last spring and has been waiting more than a year for the world to see how she did.

“I’ve had friends since I’ve gone on the show… They’re like, ‘So when’s it coming out? How’d you do?’ I was like, ‘I can’t tell you yet because it’s not out yet,'” said Sydney.

Next year, Dylan will be old enough to try out for the show on his own.

“Once I saw Sydney compete, I was like, Yeah, this looks like so much fun,” he said.

Ninjas tend to love nicknames, and the Yee family is no different. Sydney goes by “The Sly Ninja” (her initials are S-L-Y) and Dylan is “The Happy Ninja.” They train together and they are bonded by more than just their family.

“We have that weird relationship where we actually don’t hate each other,” said Sydney.

Watch “American Ninja Warrior” Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC4.

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