Westside’s Risper to compete for spot on American Ninja Warrior
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Westside High School football coach Sheddrick Risper is hoping to become America’s next Ninja Warrior.
The 43-year-old father of four recently submitted his application and audition tape to the producers of NBC’s hit show American Ninja Warrior. It wasn’t long before he got the phone call he was hoping for.
“Me and Coach (Josh) Grube were sitting in the office when he got the phone call,” says Westside offensive coordinator Brent Thornton. “He took off running down the hall. We didn’t know what was going on. He said, ‘I’m in! I’m in!'”
Risper, a self-proclaimed fitness freak who’s known by most as “Coach Spoon,” watches every episode with his family.
“It’s a new avenue of competition,” he says. “Not your typical football-type stuff that I’m used to.”
The high school football coach, who played his high school ball at Upson-Lee before moving on to West Georgia and then the AF2’s Macon Knights, is admittedly too old to play football now, but that doesn’t mean he’s inactive.
“In my family we’ve had issues with heart disease,” Risper says. “My dad had a bad heart. My great uncle had a bad heart, so that type of stuff kind of runs in our family. I know you can’t control everything, but there are some things you can control, so I try to exercise as much as possible (and) try to make it as vigorous as possible.”
Normal exercise activities like leg press and squats will only get you so far if you’re trying to become the next Ninja Warrior.
For that reason, Risper drives to Marietta once a week for specialized training.
“I got to a Ninja Warrior training facility,” he says. “It’s called Ninja Quest. I met a guy who owns the gym. He’s 55 years old, so he’s my inspiration. He’s in phenomenal shape. I’ve seen him do a forward flip over a Mercedes-Benz and land on a mat.”
Each workout at Glenn Davis’ gym lasts about two and a half hours.
They’re tough, Risper says, but worth it.
“If you’ve never seen the show on NBC, it’s very fun. A lot of different obstacles, mainly dealing with your finger strength, hand strength, your core and shoulders. If you don’t have those, you won’t be successful at the show.”
Risper would know. He’s been a fan of the show since its first episode.
“My dad told me before he died, he predicted two things. He predicted that I would make the Sports Hall of Fame in Upson County, and I was inducted this past February. He also predicted that I would make American Ninja Warrior. When he told me that it was just something–the way he said it–that I knew I was going to make it.”
And here he is, just weeks away from a taped qualifier in Miami.
“I’m just hoping that I make Macon happy and my hometown–which is Thomaston, Georgia,” he says. “I have so many people that are behind me and rooting for me. I don’t want to let them down.”
Risper will compete against about a hundred other contestants in the Miami qualifier in April. The top 30 make the Miami final and the top 15 in the final make the show.
Season 10 of American Ninja Warrior starts May 30th.
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