Ultimate Backyard Warriors

‘Backyard warriors’ put their mettle to the test

Story by Nancy West-Brake Photos by William S. Manley

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The big yellow and black sign at 2550 Church St. in Rocky Mount just says “UBW” and can be easily passed by without exciting curiosity, unless a bit of what’s behind the 21,000-square-foot building comes into view. From a distance, the oddly shaped wooden structures defy easy definition – that is, unless people are familiar with the TV show, “American Ninja Warrior.” UBW, or Ultimate Backyard

UBW is officially classified as a gym and fitness center but is home to a series of indoor and outdoor obstacles, many of which defy the imagination.

Warrior, designed by former competitor and Nash County native Mike Cook, has contributed some of its original obstacle designs to the show.

UBW is officially classified as a gym and fitness center but is home to a series of indoor and outdoor obstacles, many of which defy the imagination. Its first incarnation was built six years ago in the backyard of Cook’s Red Oak home, which still has about 75 to 100 obstacles.

That was after season 8 of “American Ninja Warrior” aired from filming in 2015, when Cook competed in Atlanta. He said he was faced with a conundrum while trying to find places to film his application video, ending up swinging from trees and walking on logs in Battle Park.

The solution? Build his own course.

UBW, which was promoting competitive events by 2016, got huge exposure during a visit from Jessie Graff, a female star of the “American Ninja Warrior” show. A Facebook video of her climbing rope in Cook’s backyard got 174,000 views in the first 24 hours.

Cook designs and builds the obstacles himself or with friends, changing or adding new ones several times a year, “whenever I think up something new.” UBW currently has about 150 obstacles, about a third of which are outside and another third inside Cook’s sprawling, warehouse-like gym which he said is the largest indoor ninja training facility in

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the world. Many of the challenges involve swinging, climbing or just clinging to poles, ropes, netting and a variety of innovative materials in order to complete a course.

Competitions at UBW are usually held twice a year, on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The May 2022 event drew 420 participants from as far away as California, Texas, Indiana and Florida, although the bulk came from North Carolina, which one participant described as a “hot bed” for ninja competitions.

The weekend’s event offered parallel Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 courses, which increased in difficulty, with a final Stage 4 challenge a crane holding a 100foot harnessed rope climb. Stage 2 courses were inside. Stage 3 was a water course, with obstacles hung over a neck deep water trough. Points were awarded for completion of each obstacle and stages were also timed. The top 50 percent of finishers for each stage were allowed to continue to the next, but children were not allowed to compete in stage 4.

The Stage 1 adult course consisted of shrinking steps, a hanging rope, rings, suspended metal cannonballs, a trapeze and wooden teeter-totter steps before participants hit the halfway obstacle called “the pyramid,” consisting of a suspended stair-like structure that athletes had to propel themselves up and down using a barbell. Next came a warped wall that required climbing using a rope, followed by the “sky hook,” where participants would hang by large rings and fling themselves from hook to hook.

Cook, who offers classes from 4:308 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for beginners and more advanced students of multiple ages, said it’s all about increasing strength, coordination and confidence.

“People are where they are at now but can be somewhere else next week,” Cook said. “It’s about focusing on weaknesses and turning them into strengths, which carry over into the rest of life.”

He said coaching is important because it “pumps up” both kids and adults.

“If you have someone to push or encourage you, you do better,” Cook said, adding that the classes are designed more

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for skill level than age.

Cook, an enthusiastic Christian and member of the Church on the Rise in Rocky Mount, said God told him to use the competition to bring people to Christ. During six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many churches were closed, Cook opened UBW for drive-up services and baptisms in his outdoor obstacle water trough. Sunday morning services are included at UBW competitions, which offer on-site parking for RVs.

This year, UBW’s Labor Day competition will be held off-site at Hope Church in Apex, in order to help raise money for Wounded Warriors. Cook also supports Sleep In Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit volunteer organization that builds beds for children, by donating utilities and use of a building on the property.

For more information about Ultimate Backyard Warrior, which also offers 24-hour gym access with youth and adult memberships and is open for walk-ins from 4-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11-6 p.m. on Saturday, visit the Facebook page, Ultimate Backyard Warrior.

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