Scott firefighter selected to appear on American Ninja Warrior

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
  • Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- --  Staff Sgt. Randall Forsythe, a 375th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, submitted a package to American Ninja Warrior in 2014.

When he didn't hear anything back he thought his opportunity had passed. It wasn’t until late April of 2015 that Forsythe was notified the show wanted to do a special military episode featuring members from each service and he was going to be one of the Air Force representatives.

American Ninja Warrior is an action-packed sports entertainment competition television show in which contenders try to complete a series of difficult obstacle courses called "stages."

Forsythe said he wanted to do the show in honor of his father.

"Last year my father passed away suddenly and that's when I realized life is short,” he said. “I have always wanted to be on American Ninja Warrior, so I decided to submit an audition video to set an example for my daughter."

The brief video, comprised of examples of him training at a gym called KOR Komplex in Saint Charles, Missouri, was enough for him to be selected.

"We have had a few athletes who train here (that) compete on the show,” said Brendan O'Niell, the owner of the gym. “My goal behind Komplex was I wanted to create an atmosphere that would be set up for adults to participate in athletic training and kids to come in for fun activities."

Forsythe said when he found out that he was going to be on the show, his daughter, a gymnast, wanted to train with him. He says he is training her to be an American Ninja Warrior when she is old enough.

"You may think you're tough, but when you start training for this specific challenge you are proven wrong," Forsythe said. "The obstacles test your endurance and strength."