By Romy Stephens
The Yarra Ranges has proven itself to be quite the active shire, with three representatives in this year’s Australian Ninja Warrior coming from the region.
Healesville’s Daniel Mason will join Dee Thompson (Mt Evelyn) and Harry Cole (Monbulk) in the competition which airs later this month.
Daniel, also known as the Barefoot Ninja, is a well-known figure on the show, having finished second last year.
He is one of only 17 Ninjas to run in all four seasons and said he trained barefoot as it gave him better balance on the obstacles.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be on all four seasons now. The first one I just thought it seemed like a fun thing to do but I’ve been hooked ever since,” Daniel said.
“I train for it all year round and it’s a big part of my life now.
“The training and competing is really fun, it’s basically just a big kids playground…And you get to train with a whole lot of other people that think in the same way.”
Dee, a hairdresser from Mount Evelyn, said she got involved in the competition to inspire her three daughters.
“I wanted to show my girls that if you want to do something anything’s possible so put in the hard work and you can do it,” she said.
“I’m just grateful and happy that I got to have a go, it’s such a big process to even get on the show so I’m really proud of getting there.”
Harry said he decided to apply for the show after years of watching others compete. He said his regular job as an arborist would help give him an advantage.
“Watching it on TV, I always see it and think I could do that…I saw the applications and thought I would love to give it a crack,” Harry said.
“Climbing pretty much everyday is part of my job, it helps build upper body strength and transferring it to climbing (the course) makes sense.”
Australian Ninja Warrior will air on 26 July on Channel Nine and 9Now. This year’s season will feature the Power Tower which will see Ninjas directly compete against each other.
For more information, visit https://9now.nine.com.au/australian-ninja-warrior.
