This morning I caught wind of the fact that today is International Ninja Day. Since most of us don't possess the type of skills necessary to be a ninja, I figured I'd live vicariously through a local man who just might be considered the closest thing Idaho has to one.

I think it's safe to say that most boys growing up go through a "ninja phase." As a youth, I was a huge fan of the cartoon GI JOE. I would routinely dress up like the show's character Storm Shadow, and armed with paper throwing stars, I would stalk the babysitter.

While I did ultimately grow out of this stage once I was introduced to the game of football, there are some people that after years of training--both mentally and physically-do indeed acquire the types of skills that could make an argument for ninja-status.

According to Wikipedia, a true ninja would have trained in Japan more than 600 years ago, and were basically secret, martial arts experts, with assassination being their calling card. So is it possible to become a ninja in this day and age? Who knows.

For the past eight years, American Ninja Warrior has been a popular television show where contestants from all over the country compete for a chance to make it on the show, and score a cash prize in the process.

I've never watched the show, but just a few months ago a man named Lance Pekus, from Salmon, Idaho, showed the world that while he might not be an actual ninja warrior, he can most certainly kick my ass.

 

 

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