A UF alumnus is competing on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ for the third time

Within seconds, a spinning log sent Drew Hendry plunging into the water beneath him — ruining his chances at completing the “American Ninja Warrior” obstacle course.

The “Broken Pipes” obstacle, made up of two spinning logs and a platform in between, ended his run on the ninth season of the show.

But the UF alumnus has spent the last year training for a third run. On Friday, he’ll try to prove his ninja skills for the third time as he competes for the Miami city qualifiers of the NBC show’s 10th season, which will premiere 9 p.m. May 30. If he makes the cut, he could ultimately compete against athletes nationwide and win a $1 million prize.

“You have one shot, and you make one mistake and you’re done,” he said. “Preparing for that and not letting it get you down is probably one of the biggest things that I’ve learned.”

Hendry, a Miami resident who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2005 and a master’s degree in 2011, first tried out for the show’s seventh season in 2015. He wasn’t picked, but he helped out as an “obstacle tester,” meaning he tried the obstacles course before the actual competitors.

His first televised run was in 2016 on a qualifying round for the eighth season of the show. He almost finished the course until he lost his grip half-way on a telephone pole-sized cylinder called the “Pipefitter.”

To prepare, Hendry said he trains four to five hours a week in Cutler Bay, Florida, at Ninja Lounge and at DNA Fitness in Miami.

Adam Robbins, owner of DNA Fitness, said Hendry has been working on “functional training,” which is similar to CrossFit, since January.

Robbins said Hendry participates in group fitness classes three times a week and then has one-on-one personal sessions two times a week to improve muscular endurance, upper body pulling and grip strength. 

“This is the first ninja warrior I’ve trained,” he said.

Hendry said he never expected the comradery from the sport.

“There’s a really great community of ninjas,” he said. “The sport of it kind of got me hooked, and then the community aspect of it kept me in it.”

In addition to training for “American Ninja Warrior,” Hendry works as an inventory replenishment director in a tree nursery and takes care of his 1-year-old daughter with his wife.

His daughter, Violet, was born six weeks early, last year. As Hendry’s pregnant wife watched from the sidelines during the 2017 qualifiers, she began having contractions. Within two days, they flew home and became parents.

“We joke that she was born premature because she heard all the noise and excitement going on and wanted to come out,” he said.

With his daughter in attendance for the first time, Hendry said his goal for season 10 is to make it to the national final round in Las Vegas.

UF alumnus Drew Hendry swings through the "Floating Steps" obstacle in the Kansas City finals round of American Ninja Warrior season nine.