Dylan ‘Cowboy Ninja’ Baker Rides Into Worlds Competition

Watching the American Ninja competitions on TV probably caused many of you to wonder how you would stack up against some of the contestants. Some of the challenges look easy and others pretty hard. 12 year old Dylan Baker was hooked the same way, but got a little more serious about discovering exactly how he would stack up by having his parents build a Ninja gym/obstacle course in the backyard. That’s what Dylan wanted for Christmas and birthday presents a couple of years ago, and he gave himself the moniker of “Cowboy Ninja” since he likes to ride horses and has found that in competition, he stacks up pretty well.

The Ninja competition started as a reality TV event but is now blossoming into a real sport with practice gyms in most major cities. There are 10 regional divisions in the U.S. with even more international divisions. Dylan qualified third just recently in St. Louis at the Regional competition which qualifies him to go the Worlds Competition in North Carolina.

Upper body strength is very important along with finger grip strength. Rock climbing skills apply very well to the Ninja obstacle challenges. Dylan says that “being agile helps with basketball and baseball” when he plays for his school. Some of his friends have come over and attempted some of the obstacles and had a hard time.

Dylan’s mom, Shannon, says, “Dylan makes it look easy.” While swinging from the “lache bars,” Dylan has leaped easily from 4 foot gaps up to a much more difficult 8 foot gap between the bars, which is his personal best. Dylan’s dad, Chris, keeps adding more challenging components to help Dylan keep improving.

Every competition is different at the events, so there is no way to train for the exact combination of obstacles. The Independent News will report on Dylan’s Worlds Competition results and wishes him good luck.