• Oliver Parini
• Noah Labow

Originally published October 1, 2014

Who wouldn’t want to be a ninja warrior? That’s the question that has me leaping through a mini-obstacle course of kid-size gymnastic equipment —alphabet-themed carpet squares, metal pirouette bars — toward a padded ramp. There, coach Noah Labow wants me to execute a “misty” roll, a side-spinning front flip. Following his directions, I brace my arms on the top of the ramp, “donkey kick” my legs and butt and — whoompf!— land squarely on my face. This elicits peals of laughter from my 7-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, who are watching from the waiting area in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Williston.

American Ninja Warrior,” the hit NBC show that helped inspire Labow to kick off a new “ninja training” class here at Green Mountain Gynmastics, also the home of the Green Mountain Freestyle Center.

“It’s an accessible, top-notch sport,” says Labow, who has been teaching young athletes ninja moves for several months; he’s just added an adults-only session. “We range from acrobatic work on the trampoline —flips and spins — and strength training to agility and balance work.”