This show gained a strong following in Japan, but on the now-defunct channel G4, American viewers began tuning into this show, drawn to its new and interesting challenges. This program followed competitors attempting to complete four stages of obstacles in order to reach completion, called “kanzenseiha.” 1997, an obstacle course show titled SASUKE aired. SASUKE began in 1997, produced by the company Monster9. In order to fully appreciate the history of ANW, one must first look to Japan: SASUKE Title Image While many people have heard about the television phenomenon American Ninja Warrior, few know about the show’s humble beginnings. Jessie Graff is an exceptional athlete and an integral part of the American Ninja Warrior past, present, and future. Jessie Graff is a trailblazer, disproving any misconceptions about female competitors not being good enough to compete, while acting as a wonderful role model. Jessie in the Team USA uniform, the first woman to ever receive the honor Though this run was not during season competition, this run immortalized Graff as the first woman to compete for the USA team and as the first woman to complete Stage 2. Jessie Graff as the Green Lantern at the National Finals of ANW8Īs a member of the USA team in the special USA vs the World competition, Jessie completed Stage 2. Graff proceeded to complete Stage 1, the first woman to ever do so. During her Stage 1 run at the National Finals, Jessie successfully climbed the Warped Wall with an ever shorter run-up. She became the first woman to climb the new, taller Warped Wall. Unlike her previous attempts, Graff overcame the obstacle. In the qualifying round, Jessie had to face the Warped Wall. Jessie Graff in her Superwoman outfit on ANW8Įntering ANW8, Jessie faced an even taller challenge: the Warped Wall grew to fourteen and a half feet after the success of Ninja champions Caldiero and Britten. Graff reached the national finals in Las Vegas, but the dreaded warped wall prevented her from going any further. When Jessie returned, however, she came back with a vengeance. While Jessie was away, Kacy Catanzaro became the first woman to climb the famed Warped Wall. Before she could follow up that success, Jessie unfortunately tore her ACL, TCL, and meniscus. She became the first woman to qualify for a City Finals course, wearing a chicken costume no less. She has truly earned her fame, however, through American Ninja Warrior. Graff had even competed on a different obstacle course show, Wipeout. Jessie’s athletic accolades are stellar, and her body of work as a stuntwoman speaks for itself. She has acted as a stuntwoman in films such as X-Men: First Class, Live Free or Die Hard, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and in television shows such as Agents of Shield, NCIS, and, most recently and famously, Supergirl. Jessie Graff doing a back handspring in a dress at the 2016 Emmy’sĪfter graduating from college, she became a professional stuntwoman. She intended to major in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, continuing from her success as a member of the National Honor Society in high school. All of these experiences have created the dynamic athlete required to succeed in American Ninja Warrior. In addition to gymnastics and pole vaulting, Jessie took circus classes at an extremely young age and has multiple black belts. She currently holds the pole vault record at Georgia Tech and Nebraska University. In school, she transitioned into the pole vault, competing at the NCAA level. In fact, Jessie took part in competitive gymnastics for a considerable part of her life. Like many other athletes on ANW, Jessie has a background in gymnastics. Jessie in the pole vault as a sophomore at Nebraska University This assumption could not be further from the truth, in large part due to Jessie Graff. With how physical American Ninja Warrior can be, some might assume that all of the competitors are male.
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