'American Ninja Warrior' star Najee credits Jessie Graff for helping him escape the 'pressure of expectation'
'American Ninja Warrior' is bringing back favorites for Season 12 and Najee Richardson is one of them. Each of us has flaws but very few can embrace it and make it one's strength. Najee made conscious efforts to not only improve his physical health but also mental. He tells himself two things before starting the race: "You’ve done this before, you already know what to expect, and you’re EXCITED!" He says 'it’s silly' but it helps him turn all his negative nervous energy into positive thoughts of what he is about to do.
Najee is an asthmatic. And if he didn't take stock of the situation, his story would have been different. Today, he controls the disorder more than it controls him. Getting to this was not easy. He had to truly educate himself on how asthma affected him and the best ways to keep it at bay. Even though Najee is resolute and resilient, Covid-19 made it difficult for him to go to 'ANW' with complete confidence.
"This (COVID-19) is an illness that directly attacks the lungs, so to think of being in an environment where I could potentially be exposed is horrifying while already living with asthma," he shared with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) in an email interview and added that the unprecedented spread of the virus also kept him from training for Season 12 of the NBC-backed show.
"I had next to no training under my belt leading up to this season. I took social distancing very seriously in late March, only leaving my house for groceries and occasionally getting outside for fresh air. But going to the gym was a big no, no for me and when gyms officially closed in April I think it was, I wasn’t able to go even if I wanted to at that point," the athlete recalled.
The contestants got a 3-week notice after they hadn't heard for months about the competition. By that time, Najee was out of practice and training for over three months. All he had was the three-week window, during which he did his home workouts and went to a ninja gym to shake some of the rust off. "My approach truly became more about “Don’t embarrass yourself out there” rather than my normal “This is your year, go get that Million.”
His grit is exceptional and he gets that from the best. Chris Wilczewski and Jessie Graff are two ninjas he learns from each day. Chris is his mentor and took him under his wings when he had just started.
"Ninja is about adapting instead of routines and developing that skill in crucial! Chris taught me that and so much more. Jessie Graff has taught me how to have fun and just enjoy the moment when you’re out there, I’m someone who can get lost in the pressure of expectation, and having Jessie around to get me away from that, has been a godsend," Najee added.
Catch all the new episodes of 'American Ninja Warrior' Season 12 on NBC every Monday at 8/7c. For more information, check your local listings.