Working as a firefighter for the Aurora Fire Department for 11 years, Dan Polizzi was always looking for ways to keep himself in shape. But he never thought he’d be practicing quickly jumping from ledge to ledge, swinging against bars over water or trying to vault his body up a large wall.
The NBC-TV show “American Ninja Warrior” rewards people for doing just that. The show features individual competitions that challenge athletes through a series of extreme obstacle courses, sometimes judging them by speed.
Polizzi, of Oswego, qualified for the Las Vegas finals for the fourth time this year after competing on the show for seven overall seasons.
Polizzi never thought he’d have the opportunity to compete, but he was always fascinated by the early Japanese version of the show called “Sasuke.”