When Taylor Greene was young she attended a birthday party with a friend. The party was at a obstacle course gym and Greene fell in love with the sport. At the age of 15, Greene is a contender on American Ninja Warrior and is helping to build confidence in local youth.
As a young girl, Greene had watched Amercian Ninja Warrior with her grandparents. Although she was a fan, she didn’t realize that she could participate in the sport until her friend’s party. Being at an obstacle course gym, Greene learned that she could use the skills she had obtained as gymnist and soon took up the sport.
“I liked that it had so much variety and you could do so many things and start at any level and still be able to have fun,” Greene said.
After Greene learned that she was good at conquering various obstacles she began taking classes and entering in competitions. By age 11, she began competing at the professional level, by age 14 she was able to apply for the show and was accepted.
Greene was fortunate enough to train with Austin Gray, who trained at Warrior Playground in Longmont. Greene only trained a few years under Gray before they eventually turned into training partners, according to Greene.
“He has a really good way of teaching people how to do obstacles and he is very good at walking them through them and to work past them,” Greene said.
When Greene isn’t training for the next big obstacle she is busy helping children get past theirs. Greene volunteers for children’s ninja camps and at A Precious Child in Broomfield, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing “children in need with opportunities and resources to empower them to achieve their full potential,” its website states.
“What really drew me is their sports program,” Greene said adding that the program offers children the materials and the opportunity they need to compete in sports. “I have always been in sports, my whole family has, and I know how good for you sports can be … it can really show you how sports can really change your whole life and benefit you, so everyone should get a chance to have that.”
As Greene looks to the future, she is not yet sure what she wants to do, however, she is currently considering going to college to learn about sports medicine and maybe become a physical therapist. She may also want to work in the ninja gym someday or run her own.
While the future is uncertain, Greene is focusing on the present where she is currently competing on the American Ninja Warrior show. As of publication, she was on her way to the semi-final round of Season 15.
“I hope that the show continues to go on and I get to compete in many more seasons of that, but if not, hopefully I will keep doing local and national competitions,” Greene said.
