2026 season · 14 years old
Eli
Stafford
Ninja athlete out of Apex, North Carolina. Ranked 4th in the world by UNAA, top five FINA, top ten WNL, and an NSC Youth Finalist. Training at Rock Solid Warrior and his self-built backyard ninja rig, competing across four leagues.
01 — Season tracker
What's coming up
Upcoming
- 10 Oct WNL Qualifier Warrior Tech - Morrisville WNL
- 24 Oct NSC Qualifier Windsor Ninja Academy NSC
- 7 Nov NCL Qualifier Warrior Tech - Raleigh NCL
02 — Biography
Apex, North Carolina
- Age
- 14
- Division
- 14U
- Home gym
- Rock Solid Warrior, Apex
- Leagues
- WNL · UNAA · NSC · FINA
Eli is fourteen, lives in Apex, North Carolina, and trains at Rock Solid Warrior. He competes across four main leagues, the World Ninja League, the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association, the Ninja Sport Championship youth series, and FINA — which means most of his year is spent either preparing for a qualifier or driving to one.
The results have followed. He currently sits around a top 5 placement in the world for his age, and he keeps getting higher placements every year. Hes even competed against many pro athletes in seperate leagues, beating many of them.
What the rankings do not show is the volume of work behind them: five training days a week, most of them after school, plus grip and conditioning sessions at home on his rig on the days he is not at a ninja gym.
The near-term goal is a world final podium. The longer-term goal is to help build the ninja scene in North Carolina — which is why this site includes gym reviews, a beginner guide for parents, and a board of local events. If you are a kid in the Triangle thinking about your first class, that section is for you.
If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds. - Jesse Jackson
03 — Awards & results
The record
| Season | Achievement | League | Division | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | World ranking, 14U division | UNAA | 14U | #4 |
| 2026 | World ranking | FINA | 14U | TOP 5 |
| 2026 | League season ranking | WNL | 14U | TOP 10 |
| 2026 | National youth championship — finalist | NSC | 14U | FINAL |
| 2025 | Regional qualifier — advanced to finals | UNAA | 12U | Q |
| 2025 | League circuit qualifier | WNL | 12U | Q |
04 — Obstacles
The skill tree
Nine obstacles, where Eli is on each one, and what to try first if you are learning them.
Warped Wall
The obstacle everyone knows. It is less about jumping and more about the last two steps — plant high, run the wall, and reach late.
- Start with
- Three-step approach on a 10 ft wall
Salmon Ladder
Pure timing. The bar goes up when your hips do, not when your arms pull. Learn the kip on a static bar before you try it with a moving bar.
- Start with
- Kipping pull-ups with a hard hip drive
Lache
Letting go of one bar to catch the next. Terrifying for about two weeks, then it becomes the most fun thing in the gym. Dont let go too early or to late, throw the bar backward.
- Start with
- Swinging off of a bar, and throwing it backward to land on a mat with their hands out.
Devil Steps
Grip endurance disguised as a ladder. The trick is keeping your hips under you so your arms are not doing all the work. Get a side to side swing and pull at the peak of your swing.
- Start with
- Devil bars, working on side to side swing and reaching
Cliffhanger
Finger strength plus patience. Every transition is a small controlled fall you have to catch. Eli's currently working on this the most, its the long game for this one
- Start with
- Fingertip hangs on a narrow ledge with 50% bodyweight
Ring Toss
Both hands working independently. Focus on one hand at a time paired with your hips swinging side to side.
- Start with
- Single-arm ring holds
Flying Bar
The most technical skill to learn. Being able to control and precisely place a bar while in the air isnt easy, focus on throwing your hips up very high, and throwing them backwards in the air.
- Start with
- ring on skyhooks lache
Pull through lache lane
Pull your arms through the bars in a 1-2 motion, one hand in front of the other, dont get a set or a backswing, just pop through them as fast as you can
- Start with
- linking laches with very little set
Rolling Log
Balance under rotation. Make sure your placing the center of your foot on the center of the log, make it muscle memory, and sprint as fast as you can to allow the obstacle less time to rotate.
- Start with
- being able to precisely place feet on normal balance pieces quickly
05 — Training
Personal records
06 — Gym passport
Ninja gyms in North Carolina
Every gym Eli trains at or visits, with an honest note about what each one is good for.
Where it all happens. Full competition rig, coaches who push you, and the best training crew in the Triangle.
VisitedSister gym with a different obstacle set and ALWAYS has amazing setups. Great for breaking out of muscle memory before a comp.
VisitedWarrior tech is a great gym to start out with for beginner and intermediate ninjas. They always have new fun obstacle set ups for …
VisitedStrong on lache and upper-body rigs. Great competition setups and a very nice, committed team.
VisitedGood gym to check out, lots of balance set ups and some upper body grip routes. I have competed a few times and its …
07 — Ninja 101
For parents and first-timers
Everything families ask before a first ninja class, answered plainly.
Most gyms take kids from around three-five in a fun class. Once kids start to get older and improve, they can get into higher classes and training sessions. Eli started at ten. There is no age where it is too late — the 14U and teen divisions are full of athletes who began at twelve or thirteen.
A warm-up, then a coach walks them through a few obstacles at a scaled height. The coaches teach the students technique for them to try and work on. Nobody gets thrown at a 14 ft warped wall on day one. Expect a tired, extremely happy kid.
A drop-in or trial class is usually the cheapest way to find out if they like it. After that most families do one or two classes a week. Gear is minimal at the start: athletic shoes with grip and clothes that move; stuff they probably already havem Everything else the gym provides.
Ninja gyms are built around falling — mats under everything, coaches spotting, obstacles at scaled heights. The kids are taught how to fall properly on top of this. The most common injuries are the same as any sport: rolled ankles and sore shoulders. Ask any gym you visit about coach-to-athlete ratios.
Recreationally, one class a week is plenty. To place in a division, plan on two-three + sessions a week and a couple of seasons of consistency; dont jump into competing immediately. Grip strength is the slowest thing to build and the thing that decides most runs.
Leagues like WNL and UNAA and NCL run age-division qualifiers at member gyms through the season. Athletes run a course for time, top finishers advance to regionals and then a world or national final. Your kid's home gym will tell you which league they affiliate with.
09 — Sponsorship
Sponsor a top-five world ninja
Eli is looking for and support with travel and entry fees, cash sponsorships, and gear/apparel for the 2026-27 season and years to come. In return: logo placement on competition apparel, content from every event, and a pro youth athlete who shows up.
- UNAA
- #4 · World Ranked UNAA
- FINA Challenge
- #4 · World Ranked Challenge
- WNL
- #10 · World Ranked WNL
- NSC Youth
- FINALIST - TBD · World Ranked Youth
- FINA Speed
- #8 · World Ranked Speed
Talk to Eli's parents
Every message goes to a parent, never to Eli.