Ten-year-old Ninja Warrior Violet Stieren doesn’t quit. When she’s confronted with an obstacle on her ninja course that stops her in her tracks, she waits patiently and tries again. And again. And again. A fourth grade student at Spring Ridge Elementary in Elkhorn, Nebraska, Stieren has been training at Midwest Warrior Academy for four years. Her determination has even inspired her mom, Alyssa Stieren, to train with a group of ninja moms.
Edge: What’s the hardest thing about training to be a ninja?
Stieren: Sometimes I fall and get discouraged, but I know I have to get back up and try harder.
Edge: What’s your favorite thing about training as a ninja?
Stieren: I like doing obstacles with my friends. I’ve grown closer to my ninja team. When I was a beginner, I wasn’t that good and I wanted to leave, but now I’ve grown closer to my ninja team, and I like cheering them on at competitions.
Edge: What is it like competing against other ninjas nationally?
Stieren: I go once a year to Worlds. It’s overwhelming, but then once you get on the course, it’s so fun and it just flows.
Edge: Who inspires you?
Stieren: My coaches. But also my mom inspires me too because she started not too long ago (training as a ninja), and she’s been working her way up. She’s already doing better than when she started.
Edge: Alyssa, how did you start training with the other moms?
Alyssa Stieren (Violet’s mom): Violet is always running along these balanced obstacles and running up walls and flying on the rings and flying from bar to bar. And I wanted to learn how to do that. When they started a class for moms, I did not have the upper body strength to do everything right off the bat, but I went from not being able to hang onto a bar for more than 30 seconds to hanging on for a minute and fifteen seconds. The workout is functional and fun.
Edge: Violet, was there an obstacle that was particularly hard for you to master?
Stieren: The Boot Scoot. It’s about five feet off the ground. I climbed a cargo net and grabbed the rings. I was worried about doing a belly flop, so I was up there for a while. Then my coach said, “3-2-1.” I leaned back, put my legs over my head, and then swung down. I went with the flow, but I did fall because it yanked my arms. I figured out I was bending my knees and pushing off when they just wanted me to fall back, so I fixed that.
Edge: If someone at school said they were scared to try doing ninja, what would you tell them?
Stieren: I would tell them it’s okay. The coaches are there for you. They won’t let you fall—well, they won’t let you get hurt. And even if you fall, you can get up and try again.
Edge: Alyssa, what makes you proudest when you watch Violet?
Alyssa: I just love how she does not give up. Even if she misses something, it does not get in her head. She will hang there for as long as it takes, she will keep swinging and reaching and jumping. She is so resilient.
