Sep. 1--Working as a firefighter for the Aurora Fire Department for 11 years, Dan Polizzi was always looking for ways to keep himself in shape.
But he never thought he'd be practicing quickly jumping from ledge to ledge, swinging against bars over water or trying to vault his body up a large wall. The NBC-TV show "American Ninja Warrior" rewards people for doing just that.
The show features individual competitions that challenge athletes through a series of extreme obstacle courses, sometimes judging them by speed.
Polizzi, of Oswego, qualified for the Las Vegas finals for the fourth time this year after competing on the show for seven overall seasons.
Polizzi never thought he'd have the opportunity to compete, but he was always fascinated by the early Japanese version of the show called "Sasuke."
"They used to show it during odd times during the day and I kept thinking this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Polizzi said. "It's a way to see what you're made of."
While he has always been in shape, healthy and enjoyed playing sports, Polizzi said he wanted a new challenge that would help him stay fit as a firefighter.
"During my first course, it was a real eye opener because I was in good shape, but there were things I hadn't trained for like grip strength and hanging on your arms for long periods of time," Polizzi said.
His favorite part of the show though is not the constantly changing courses, but the friends he met along the way. Polizzi and Streamwood firefighter Brandon Mears, 37, of St. Charles, quickly teamed together on the show and are known as "The Towers of Power."
The duo met during a taping of the show's fifth season in 2013 and now each year send in comical audition tapes together modeled off 1980s movies, he said.
"It's hilarious because when we sent it in, the hosts love it and give comments about how much they look forward to watching our videos," he said.
For the first time this year, both made it to the national finals in Las Vegas during the same season. Both individually competed and were taped in June with the first round of finals aired last week.
"It's become this mission to do it together and every year one guy would make it and another would make some stupid mistake that stops us," Polizzi said. "Doing it together makes the experience that much better after spending so much time with him. It amplifies the accomplishments."
The friends wear matching T-shirts and constantly train together at local ninja gyms. Some Aurora firefighters ask Polizzi questions about it and are very supportive, he said.
The city of Aurora recently promoted the episodes on social media and Mayor Richard Irvin acknowledged him during his bi-weekly media briefing.
"The mayor has become a fan and really supportive, and even the police officers are fans," Polizzi said. "The city has been awesome about wanting to promote it."
Polizzi said one of the largest skills needed for the obstacle courses is the ability to adapt on the fly.
"The show does redo stuff, but there's always something new and you have to quickly think how to approach it or tackle a new challenge," Polizzi said. "We are also on a time limit so you have to quickly decide."
During the finals, athletes face a four-stage obstacle course where each challenge gets progressively harder, ending with a 75-foot rope climb. Polizzi made it through the first stage of national finals last Monday.
Viewers can tune in to more episodes airing at 7 p.m. Sept. 2, 9 and 16.
"The whole experience comes at you at once and it's so surreal and exciting," Polizzi said. "You are on this constant high the whole time you are there, along with an element of pressure because I want to do better than the year before."
___ (c)2019 The Beacon-News (Aurora, Ill.)
Visit The Beacon-News (Aurora, Ill.) at www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
