I
first heard of the television show, “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW), when one of
my classmates confessed that he could not stop watching it. I stifled a laugh
as I thought of “Wipeout,” a television show intended to produce comedy rather
than competition—but ANW is no laughing matter. Consisting of an obstacle
course that demands agility, endurance and grip strength, only three
competitors in 34 seasons of the show have ever touched the final buzzer.
ANW intrigued me
immediately. The course plays well to my strengths, and I am always on the
lookout for a physical challenge to shake off the psychological distress that
so often accompanies law school.
Exercise as a
tool to combat stress and elevate mood is well documented. The researchers of
one study reported that participation in any form of daily activity was
associated with reduced risk for all types of psychological distress, even when
controlling for factors, such as age, gender, SES, marital status, BMI, chronic
illness, and smoking.1 Research has also consistently shown that
exercise alone can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.2
It has even been shown to be as effective as antidepressant medication in the
treatment of clinical depression,3 which may not come as a surprise,
given that exercise acts on the same pathways in the brain that antidepressant
medications target.4
I have always
been active, but during law school I have made a concerted effort to capture
the stress reducing and mood enhancing effects of exercise. One method I have
used is to commit myself to demanding activities. During my first semester I
trained for a winter backpacking trip to a mountain cabin that sits at 12,000
feet. During my second semester I trained for and completed a triathlon. Many
law students put aside their personal life and health in their efforts to
become a lawyer.5 Research shows the incidence of clinical
depression among law students to be as high as 40 percent.6
Incidence of other symptoms such as clinically elevated anxiety and hostility among
law students have been measured at 15 times the general population.7
This significantly exceeds the emotional distress of medical students, and even
approaches that of psychiatric populations.8 Most troubling is that
these problems seem to carry over into professional practice. In a Johns
Hopkins study, practicing lawyers ranked highest in major depressive disorder
among 104 occupational groups.9
At the beginning
of my 2L year, I was in need of a new physical challenge. So when I discovered
ANW I thought, why not audition? I organized a training regimen around the
obstacles on the ANW course: rock climbing, strength training, agility drills,
and mobility work. This was certainly a time commitment, but intense training
took my mind completely away from law school, and soreness was something to
feel good about—especially when I was stuck in a chair for most of the day.
When I got the
announcement that auditions videos were being accepted, I recruited some of my
cinematographer friends to capture my best ANW moves, and a little personality,
on film. Along with 7,000 other ANW hopefuls, I submitted an audition tape and
waited.10
I got the call
during finals. I had taken three tests, had two to go, and, at that point, had
forgotten what ANW was. Still, I was awarded one of 400 slots to compete on
ANW. The competition would happen in Denver 10 days after I was scheduled to
take my last final. All I could do at the moment was make a note to buy a
flight to Denver, and I went back to my study carrel.
Check in for the
competition was at Denver’s Civic Center Park. The obstacle course constructed
there took 10 semi-trailers to transport and a staff of 130 to assemble.11
Security staff was on hand to keep the public—and competitors—outside of the
gates surrounding it. They bristled as other competitors and I loitered at the
gates, peering in at the obstacles and running through them in our heads.
The competitors
were divided into two groups. The start times for the obstacle course was an
obstacle in itself, with the first group running the course between sunset and
1 a.m., and the second group running between 1 a.m. and sunrise. I was assigned
to the first group, and we were finally allowed inside the gates surrounding
the course but only for a demonstration of each obstacle. We were not permitted
to attempt or otherwise touch any of the obstacles.
After the sun
went down, the temperature dropped into the mid-40s. The challenge quickly
became to stay warm and loose. The designated warm-up area was equipped with
pull-up bars and a vault trampoline; not ideal equipment to stay warm for hours
on end. Sleeping bags appeared all around, and many competitors disappeared
into them.
My turn to run
the course came just after 11 p.m. To see how I did, you will have to watch the
show, but I can say I was awarded the “Warrior Wipeout of the Day.” Not exactly
what I had in mind, but being featured on the show, especially in slow motion,
bodes well for making a repeat attempt at the course, which I’m training for
now. After all, I have another year of law school, and I need a little
competition to get my mind outside the walls of Green Hall.
— Zen Mayhugh is a third-year law student at the University of
Kansas. He hopes to practice in recreation risk management. You can watch his
audition video and the ANW episode in which he was featured on his blog at www.zenmayhugh.blogspot.com. This article first appeared in the November/December issue of the Journal of the Kansas Bar Association.
11.
Id.
Labels: American Ninja Warrior, competition, fitness, law school experience, law school stress