“ There was a constant knot in my stomach . I felt a whole lot of pressure not to let people down . They had high expectations of me .”
Even though Mike Shuck ’ s first attempt to conquer the “ American Ninja Warrior ” obstacle course was unsuccessful , he ’ s already planning his next attempt . Shuck grew up in South Fayette and is a math , science and language arts teacher at Aiken Elementary School in Green Tree . He appeared on the June 27 episode of NBC ’ s “ American Ninja Warrior .” The episode was filmed in Philadelphia in May and Shuck was eliminated when he slipped on the fourth obstacle — he was climbing up a series of vertical metal bars when he lost his grip and fell into the water .
“ I knew I could have done it ,” Shuck says . “ I was very hard on myself . It took a few days before I was not constantly replaying that and asking what I could have done better .”
He says he would have been less disappointed if he encountered an obstacle he knew he couldn ’ t complete . Shuck wants to try again next season to prove he can do better and is already planning his next audition video , although there ’ s no guarantee he will be picked again next season . “ I went out unsatisfied and I couldn ’ t leave it at that ,” he says . In addition to teaching at Aiken Elementary School , Shuck is also an instructor at Pittsburgh Kettlebell & Performance in Green Tree . He trained for a year before he was selected to appear on “ American Ninja Warrior .” He built different obstacles at the kettlebell gym but says he wants to get more practice on actual objects from the “ American Ninja Warrior ” course before he submits his next audition tape . If he is allowed to compete again , Shuck hopes to complete the course , but if not , he won ’ t try a third time .
“ If I don ’ t make it to the top of the warped wall , that will be it ,” he says . “ I need to do substantially better in order to meet my own expectations .”
Shuck has always been interested in physical fitness and is very competitive . His parents were both bodybuilders and met at a gym . From an early age , they taught Shuck the importance of physical fitness and healthy eating . Shuck participated in football , soccer and wrestling as a youngster . He hopes to someday open his own gym . He started watching “ American Ninja Warrior ” about three years ago and was impressed by the level of athleticism the contestants displayed . Many of the athletes also have very inspiring stories . “ Some people have battled through unbelievable circumstances ,” Shuck notes .
After watching “ American Ninja Warrior ” for several seasons , Shuck began to wonder if he could compete on that level . While most people wouldn ’ t give it a second thought , he was looking for a new challenge . He decided to audition and began to train about a year ago . Grip strength is very important to succeeding in the “ American Ninja
Warrior ” obstacle course , so Shuck began to build different obstacles that focused on climbing and hanging .
Shuck submitted his audition tape online in November 2015 , which portrayed him training for the competition , working with his students at Aiken Elementary School and leading classes for kids at Pittsburgh Kettlebell & Performance . After he submitted his audition , his students asked him every day if he ’ d been selected .
“ They thought it was the coolest thing ,” Shuck says . “ They were a part of the process from the very beginning .”
As the weeks of waiting turned into months , Shuck said he gave up hope , especially after he learned that filming had begun for an episode in Atlanta in March .
“ I didn ’ t think it was going to happen ,” he says . “ I told myself I had missed the boat .” Finally , Shuck received a phone call in early May while he was leading a class at Pittsburgh Kettlebell & Performance . He didn ’ t recognize the number and let the call go to voicemail . But then realizing the area code was a California number , he ran outside to check his messages and learned he had been selected to compete in the Philadelphia episode only two weeks later .
“ My head was spinning ,” Shuck says . “ I had already given up . My mind had moved past it and the phone call brought everything back . It took a day or two to really sink in .”
Shuck says he ’ s not as athletic as some of the other contestants who have appeared on the show , but he thinks the producers picked him because they liked how he was involved with kids and fitness . “ TV shows want a good story ,” he explains .
With only two weeks ’ notice , Shuck says there wasn ’ t much he could do to prepare and he was extremely nervous . For the next two weeks , students at school and people at the gym asked him questions and encouraged him every day .
“ There was a constant knot in my stomach ,” he says . “ I felt a whole lot of pressure not to let people down . They had high expectations of me .”
Before he left , Aiken Elementary School organized a pep rally for Shuck . Everyone assembled in the gym where they played a fight song and several students read aloud letters that described how Shuck had inspired them in different ways . “ That ’ s worth the price of gold ,” he says . “ That ’ s all a teacher ever wants . That will always stay with me .”
Shuck drove to Philadelphia the day before filming began so that producers could interview him and about 60 other athletes who had been selected to compete . He was one of only a few rookies ; most of the other contestants had competed in “ American Ninja Warrior ”
Photo submitted by Ashley Boynes-Shuck .
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