At just 17 years old Maggie Owen already has checked competing on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior off her bucket list.
Ninja Prodigy Maggie Owen
The Metea Valley rising senior competed in the obstacle course show in late March/early April, and it recently aired on TV.
“It was the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life,” said Owen. “It was the most fun few days ever. Just competing on that big of [a] stage, was really cool. I had competed in big stages before, but nothing as big as the show and it was really awesome.”
Owen performed well in the show, completing the first three obstacles before slipping up on the fourth one.
“So I fell there and top five women move on to the semifinals and I ended up in sixth place by like 5 seconds I missed it by,” said Owen. “So I didn’t end up moving on but I still had a really great time.”
Owen was 16 when she competed on the show and was the only teen from the Chicagoland area.
She was all smiles on Wednesday when we spoke to her, swinging through obstacles as easy as a person walks.
Mentor Jesse Labreck
That could be credited to Owen’s hard work as she said she trains for about 20 hours per week. Helping Owen through that training is Ninja Warrior legend Jesse Labreck.
“I feel like Maggie and I are kind of [have a] big sister little sister dynamic,” said Labreck. “She’s so great. We have a really awesome relationship. I’m 16 years older than her so I like to give her as much advice as I can to try to help her out with anything that I’ve learned from my life.”
Owen is now taking on a similar role encouraging the younger generation to keep going at a recent practice at Naperville’s Ultimate Ninjas.
What’s Next For Maggie Owen?
She’s focused and already knows what she wants next.
“Hopefully next season is next,” said Owen. “I wish it wasn’t once a year because I’m already excited for it. I’m definitely going to apply again, I mean, you never know if you’ll get the call back. Besides that other local leagues and competitions around here.”
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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