Local gymnast ranks 2nd among Canada’s ninja pros (4 photos)

Although his journey as a ninja was relatively short, a young man from the Sault is already enjoying a ton of success on some of the continent’s biggest stages.

Sylas Snider, an 18-year-old gymnast and graduate of Superior Heights, recently placed second in the professional division at the first ever Canadian League of Ninjas National Finals in Vancouver, BC.

The Canadian Ninja League offers athletes of all ages and skill levels the chance to compete in obstacle course style competitions, similar to those seen on American Ninja Warrior.

The course usually lasts less than five minutes and competitors will attempt to clear as many obstacles as possible, testing their balance, upper body strength and coordination.

In 2019, the newly opened Rebel Gym in Sault was where Snider began his ninja training with strength and conditioning coach Tyler Belanger.

There he improved his athleticism after being involved in gymnastics for ten years.

“When COVID arrived, I was no longer able to do gymnastics,” he says. “We were sporadically going to the ninja gym throughout the pandemic when we were allowed to.”

In 2021, Snider placed second in the amateur division at the world championship, which qualified him for the pro division – the most competitive level of ninja competition.

Snider then secured his spot at this year’s Nationals after completing two qualifying stages, the first of which was at Rebel Gym.

While his efforts have paid off, his vigorous training and competition schedule during a pandemic has not always been the easiest.

“It was tough during COVID, but it was nice to have something to work on,” he says. “I was home and had nothing to do, but we have the gym in our garage, so Tyler would schedule workouts for me and I would do them at home. That was really helpful. to be able to do it whenever I wasn’t feeling well.

The ranking of competitions is based on a points system. A completed obstacle earns the competitor one point, and sometimes points will be awarded halfway through an obstacle. The person with the most points in the fastest time wins.

After an impressive run in Vancouver last month, Snider narrowly missed out on first place by one point to finish second in Canada’s Professional Division. He even capped the weekend with the best overall average in his group and was the only competitor from Ontario to finish on the podium – all in his national championship debut.

“It was awesome,” he says. “It’s great fun to go to a competition across the country because you meet a lot of athletes that you just don’t get to see. It was really fun to compete against them and see what their style was.

Snider was among four other Rebel Gym athletes who went to Vancouver, and he says they represented the Sault well.

“I’ve been to a lot of competitions on my own, but our athletes were also there, so it was great fun to be able to be there and support them and have them support me,” he says. “It was very cool.”

Snider works full-time at Rebel Gym, and he even coaches the athletes who ended up going with him to nationals.

“I really like coaching them,” he said. “It’s great to see them progress, set goals and achieve them. It’s fun to help them achieve their goals. I also enjoy watching other coaches and seeing what their strategies are when working with the kids they coach.

Snider says he couldn’t do any of this without the support of his family, friends and coaches.

“My parents were really supportive,” he says. “They both drove me to competitions all over Ontario and the United States, and they really helped me let go. Patrick from a gym in Sudbury and Matt from a gym in Milton were also huge role models for me.

Snider is now preparing for the June 2023 World Championships, which will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina.