World Ninja League Season VIII

The World Ninja League is a non-profit organization that facilitates competitions at gyms world-wide. The eighth season of the WNL runs August 2022 through June 2023, with the World Championships taking place June 23-25, 2023 in Greensboro, NC. Gyms affiliated with the WNL will host various qualifier competitions, where athletes will compete against each other vying for the top spots. Regional Championships will take place between May 5 – 22 (final date TBD). Those who placed in the top three of their age/gender division from a qualifier will qualify to compete in a regional championship. Life Force Ninja will be the host gym for the Northwest regional competition, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska . To qualify for the World Championships, athletes must compete at the regional and finish in the top 16 or 35% of the unique athletes that competed in the region in the athlete’s respective age division and gender.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 Courses

New for season VIII, the World Ninja League has introduced Tier 1 and Tier 2 competitions. Tier 1 is for ninjas looking to compete against the best athletes who view ninja as their primary sport. Tier 1 competitions will have the toughest courses and hardest obstacles. Tier 2 competitions are for people that are newer to the sport, or for those who feel they may not be quite ready for the higher level of difficulty in Tier 1. We have decided that we will only be hosting Tier 1 competitions at Life Force Ninja for this season while we assess the demand for Tier 2.

Course Formats: Full Course (NEW), Flow Course, and Skills Course

• Full Course format is new for Season VIII, and allows athletes to run the entire course, and continue gaining points regardless of how many fails they have. For those who did not like the “one-and-done” format used in previous seasons, the new Full Course format should suit your liking. It does use a very different scoring system that may take some getting used to. If you’re not familiar with it, we recommend reading up on it in the WNL Season VIII Rulebook. 
• Flow Course is the original course scoring format used in previous seasons. Athletes are scored based on obstacles completed and total time up until their first fail, or when they hit the buzzer. This is the “one-and-done” format referenced above. It’s a very simple format, but can lead to higher stress on athletes since their scored run is over at their first fail. Athletes are permitted to continue their run for fun after their first fail so they can attempt the rest of the obstacles within the allotted time cap.
• Skills Course utilizes various “challenge” type mini-courses that are setup for the event. Skills courses may include challenges wherein athletes attempt the highest reps of an obstacle, the fastest time through an obstacle series, or the longest time an athlete can perform a skill.

Competitions at Life Force Ninja

Competitions at Life Force Ninja are challenging, rewarding, and fun! We take pride in putting together unique and creative obstacle courses that are sure to challenge all abilities. Our 18,000 sq ft facility provides plenty of room for athletes to warmup, and for spectators to watch. We livestream all Tier 1 competitions, as well as provide live commentary on each athlete. We typically have athletes travel from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona to attend our competitions – some come from even further away. If you’re new to the WNL, we recommend browsing their website and reading their rules before signing up. As always, you can reach out to us too and we can help get you acquainted!

WNL Season VIII Regional Qualifier

We are thrilled to be hosting the Northwest regional this season for Tier 1! Final dates are not nailed down yet, but Tier 1 Regional will be between May 5 – 22. This will be a two day event, and all athletes will get to run two different courses: Endurance and Speed. The Endurance course will have more technical upper body obstacles with a longer time cap, while the speed course will have more agility/parkour obstacles with a shorter time cap. Athletes’ scores from both runs will be combined to determine final placing. With the two-course format, there is lots of room to shake things up in the final standings, it should be exciting!