Allyssa Beird Biography
At age three, I began what became fifteen years of gymnastics. I was constantly turning the living room furniture into obstacles and kicking up to handstands in every open space. I competed in USA Gymnastics up through level 7, when a move across the country in high school, and a broken foot, brought an end to my competitive gymnastics career. Following that, two years of high school gymnastics wrapped up the fifteen-year streak, and I began to explore other forms of athleticism.
I ran my first marathon in 2011 and began competing in SPARTAN obstacle course races in 2015. In August of 2015, I decided to check out the ninja world after having been a casual watcher of “American Ninja Warrior”. I found a gym in my area, and I was instantly hooked. One ninja day per week quickly turned into two, then three, then four. This, combined with bouldering, plyo workouts, and an assortment of calisthenics, led me to apply to be on season 8.
I was one of the lucky applicants who received a callback to compete in Philadelphia on season 8 of “American Ninja Warrior”. I claimed the 30th spot during the city qualifier, guaranteeing a spot in city finals with the “Fantastic Four”. I did not make the top 15 in city finals but was selected to be a wildcard competitor in the National Finals in Las Vegas, where I had an unfortunate early exit on stage one.
As for season 9, I hit my first buzzer in the Cleveland city qualifier! I was the first female this season to hit a buzzer, and I then went on to qualify to the Las Vegas National Finals at the Cleveland city finals. In Vegas, I became the second female ever to hit a stage 1 buzzer, and the only female to move on to stage 2 this season! Though I didn’t make it through stage 2, and season 10 didn’t end as anticipated, I’ve already got my goals set for season 11, and cannot wait to return to Midoriyama with my ninja family.
In addition to competing on “American Ninja Warrior”, I have also competed in all seasons of the National Ninja League, where I’ve placed 2nd and 1st for women. I was also a member of Team Ninja Warrior’s season 2 champion team “Storm Team” with Joe Moravsky and Josh Levin.
When I’m not training and competing as a ninja, I can be found at work, either doing website work at my dad’s company, BankersHub, or teaching my wonderful 5th graders in Middleborough, Massachusetts, and hopefully inspiring them to persevere in reaching their goals!
