Victoria E. Freile

@vfreile

Tyler Hawley of Penfield zipped through a plexiglass tunnel, his arms and legs propelling him along the wall to keep off the floor. Alternating between his hands and feet, he cleared the 10-foot-long tunnel in four steps.

Hawley, 25, was among about a dozen people perfecting extreme ninja skills last week at Northern Hemisphere Gymnastics' adult ninja warrior class, based of the wildy popular television show American Ninja Warrior.

"I saw this all on TV ... and thought it was really fun," he said. "So I thought I would go and give this a shot. They make it look easy, but it's not."

The 70-minute class, held each Thursday night at the Webster gym, 80 Barrett Drive, leads athletes through several ninja-style circuits within the gymnastics studio. By the end of the workout, muscles are quivering and most athletes are short of breath..

"It's a big hit here," said Paul Libera, owner of Northern Hemisphere Gymnastics in Webster. "It's just taken off and everyone loves it."

Libera started building Ninja Warrior-style equipment last fall — from a replica of the show's famed Warped Wall to the Spider Jump and Salmon Ladder. Gym employees spot the students as they test their strength and endurance on each apparatus.

Participants during class try their hands (and legs) on exercises that test balance, coordination and upper-body strength. Adaptability is also a valuable skill for Ninjas who rarely know what skills are needed to successfully complete a course before hitting the circuit.

One loop in the Webster gym sent students swinging from rope to rope, shimmying across a fire hose and atop a balance strap that's a far less stable version of a traditional balance beam.

One by one, participants completed the circuit and ran up a 10-foot-tall version of the show's 14- to 16-foot Warped Wall.

Hawley hoisted himself from suspended ring to suspended ring above a network of crash mats meant to represent a pool of water. He dropped to the floor more than once.

"I've gotta get good at this," he said. "I take it as a personal affront that I can't conquer the rings. I've gotta get 'em."

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A Ninja Warrior in Rochester

Since September, Northern Hemisphere has offered weekly Ninja Warrior classes for children and adults.

"I've always had an interest in extreme everything," said Libera, a gymnastics coach for more than 25 years. When American Ninja Warrior burst onto the scene in 2009, Libera said he was enthralled by the extreme sport.

"I thought "we've got all the mats, spotting belts and after I heard there was a contestant from Rochester who did well, I knew I wanted to offer it," he said.

The gym's insurance company nixed the plan. So Libera sought advice from other gym owners around the country that constructed Ninja Warrior-style equipment. He offered classes, switched insurance companies and started building. As a result, a two-story tower filled with obstacles rises nearly to the ceiling in the middle of the gym.

Now Libera and that local American Ninja Warrior contestant, Pavel Fesyuk, 31, of Gates, teach Warrior classes side by side.

Fesyuk participated in the last two seasons of the NBC show, which culminates with a final competition in Las Vegas. He's currently vying for a spot in the 2016 competition, which he's hoping will include a trip to the regional contest in Philadelphia in May.

"It's like anything else you do," said Fesyuk, a native of Russia who moved to the United States when he was five. "You add more and do more and it gets easier every day. Push-ups, pull-ups, it all applies."

Fesyuk helped Libera design and build the gym's equipment from his experience on the show and suggestions from other Ninja-style gyms across the country.

"We don't by any means pretend we invented this," he said. The facility is simply offering locals the opportunity to try their hand at a Ninja-style workout.

Through the fall and much of the winter, a handful of adults attended the gym's weekly Ninja class. After Libera sponsored an ad on Facebook in early April, attendance skyrocketed. Twenty people attended the first class in April, followed by nearly a dozen athletes the following week. Between five and 20 typically attend the Thursday class.

Northern Hemisphere isn't the only local gym to cater to the show's popularity. Rochester Parkour, 1344 University Ave., also hosts a weekly Ninja Warrior training class on Tuesday nights. During the hour-long session, participants learn and practice skills on the gym's obstacles, including climbs up a 14½-foot replica Warped Wall and passes on a peg board.

Push your limits

Kristy DeVincentis, 39, of Greece is no stranger to a tough upper-body workout. She and husband, Adam, created a personal Ninja playground in their backyard last summer to help prepare for obstacle course races such as the Spartan Race series and to audition for American Ninja Warrior.

"It's fun," she said. "It's sort of like being a kid again. But I train hard for it. It's not something that comes easy, but it's great when it all comes together."

DeVincentis trains daily — mostly at ROCK Ventures indoor climbing center and Rochester Parkour, both in Rochester. She also travels around the country testing Ninja Warrior-style gyms and tackling Spartan races alongside her husband. Not to mention, she served as a course tester for American Ninja Warrior in 2015, which she described as "behind the scenes stunt people."

In that role, testers tackle each obstacle before contestants or a show's filming. "If it's too easy, they make it harder. If it's too hard, they make it easier," she said.

DeVincentis hopes to make it onto the show this year and should know her status next month in time for the regional qualifying round in Philadelphia. If she doesn't make the cut, she'll again moonlight as a tester.

"I've been watching American Ninja Warrior for forever," DeVincentis said. "Once women started showing up I was like, 'I can do that.' I started training and I haven't looked back."

Nathan Nguyen, 22, a senior at the University of Rochester, joined last week's class upon the suggestion of a friend.

"I like it a lot," he said moments after climbing three rungs on the ever-popular Salmon Ladder, where an athlete completes a pull up on the bar, then lifts the bar from the bracket to travel upward several inches.

"It's very challenging, more challenging than I thought it would be," said the St. Louis, Missouri, resident, adding that his typical exercise routine includes daily walks around campus and the occasional indoor rock climbing outing. "Not to mention, it's a good workout."

VFREILE@Gannett.com

If you go

Northern Hemisphere Gymnastics, 80 Barrett Drive, Webster. Adult Ninja Warrior classes are held at 8 p.m. Thursdays and cost $16 per class or $104 for an eight-class bundle. This summer (July 11- Aug. 31) the class will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. nhgymnastics.com (585) 265-4740.

Rochester Parkour, 1344 University Ave., Rochester. Adult Ninja Warrior open gym workouts are held at 8 p.m. Tuesdays. All adult classes at the gym are considered Ninja classes and cost $20 per class or $180 for 10 classes. rochesterparkour.com (585) 204-7537.

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