“American Ninja Warrior” athletes Travis Brewer and Nicholas Coolridge dropped into Elmwood Elementary School Thursday — literally.
Making their entrance from the roof of the Naperville school, the pair bounded onto the playground for an action-packed outdoor assembly that left the kids cheering.
“Our message is simple: you can overcome any obstacle just like a ninja warrior and you can become anything you want to be,” Brewer said. “We want the kids to know that they can do anything.”
Brewer and Coolridge, who is also known as “Modern Tarzan,” are part of a nationwide school tour created to spread the word about the importance of exercise, eating well and living a healthy lifestyle. Both competed on NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” show.
In addition, the ninjas shared stories of perseverance and how it’s important to follow your dreams.
“You have to learn one lesson and that’s to never give up,” Brewer told the students. “If you fail, learn from that failure, grow from it and you will become better. That’s what we did and that is why we are here today.”
Sponsored by Utah-based health-food company Sunwarrior, the athletes held two assemblies at the Naperville school. This was the third stop on the tour and the only one in Illinois.
“I enjoyed watching them doing all the flips the most and climbing all over the playground,” 10-year-old Camryn DeBora said.
Along with discussing the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, Brewer and Coolridge took questions from the kids and shared their personal stories about how they became world-class athletes.
They performed stunts on the playground that seemed to defy gravity, and invited dozens of students to join them for a firsthand lesson in ninja tumbling on cushioned mats brought in for the demonstration.
The students weren’t the only ones to get in on the fun.
Fourth-grade teacher Beth Zamora earned a round of applause when she joined them on the playground and was suspended at an angle while standing on one foot just above Coolridge’s knees.
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“It was definitely scary at first but it was amazing,” Zamora said. “It’s kind of like they told the kids, sometimes you think you’re not going to be able to do something but with some determination and teamwork, you can.”
Jane Donahue is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.