Dover native to compete in American Ninja Warrior on June 13

The idea of putting off goals until someday really hit Dover High School graduate and current Boulder, Colorado, resident Adam Stroup hard when his friend, Graham Hunt, died in 2015 in a wing-base suit jumping accident in Yosemite Park.

“This really had a deep effect on me and made me want to pursue those things in my life I always wanted to do but maybe didn't because I didn't have enough time, or I wasn't ready, or for whatever reason,” said Stroup, who knew what he wanted to do: compete in the televised American Ninja Warrior competition.

Stroup graduated from Dover High School in 2001 and received a degree in Industrial Hygiene from Ohio University. He currently works at the University of Colorado in the Environmental Health and Safety Department in Boulder, Colorado, as an indoor air quality/industrial hygiene specialist.

Stroup had been watching the show for years and thought he would do well despite never having been involved in organized sports at Dover High School. “As a matter of fact I was in band and theater. My father was my band director at Dover, and my mother was principal at New Philadelphia's Welty Middle School. It was natural for me to pursue the arts in school,” he said.

“When I got to college, I began rock climbing obsessively and traveled the country looking for the best climbing the country had to offer. I landed in Yosemite National Park and met a young man named Graham, who I not only climbed with, but he also introduced me to snowboarding and mountain biking,” Stroup said. All were activities that provide the strength and agility needed to compete in American Ninja Warrior.

To enter the competition Stroup first had to submit a video highlighting his abilities and back story. He did this with the help of a friend who is a video producer; the video can be seen on YouTube.

Following his acceptance as an American Ninja Warrior competitor, Stroup had only four weeks to train. “Other than my normal fitness routine I didn't get in much “ninja specific” training. I didn't have access to this specialized equipment. I just tried to get in good physical shape and worked on agility training while I was running the trails around Colorado,” Stroup said. “I did get one solid day of training with some veteran competitors known as the ‘Wolf Pack.' One of the members, Noah Kaufman, has a series of obstacles set up at his home in Fort Collins.”

Stroup competed in a regional qualifier held in Indianapolis, Indiana, along with about 140 others. No one was allowed to train on the obstacle or even look at it before the competition began. “The course in Indianapolis was unique from all other courses as it was semicircular to follow Monument Circle,” Stroup said.

All American Ninja Warrior shows are filmed at night. Stroup's cheering section was made up of his parents, Steve and Sallie Stroup, and his girlfriend, Emily Choi. His brother Aaron was unable to attend but showed his support via frequent phone calls. The first night the group arrived at 2:30 a.m. and waited until 5 a.m. to find the event was postponed due to rain. That evening at 10:30 p.m. Adam Stroup was finally able to take his turn on the obstacles.

“When Adam walked up the steps and stood under the American Ninja Warrior sign I just started to cry,” Sally Stroup said. “I was so excited for him and so tired and emotional. There was just no way to stop the tears. I cried through the whole thing, so proud of him!”

Adam Stroup lives each day with a headfirst attitude all day. Tune into American Ninja Warrior on Monday, June 13 to cheer a warrior with local connections in following his dream.