Post by scnoi1217 on Jan 19, 2009 17:00:26 GMT -5
A few days ago, I was on the Sasuke/Ninja Warrior Training forum when I noticed someone named "Brian Harlow" just signed up. I figured that this could be the same guy with that same name that competed in Sasuke 21. So, I sent him a message saying this:
Hello, are you THE Brian Philip Harlow? The one that competed in Sasuke 21? If so, would you mind answering some questions, I'd love to know about your experience on Sasuke.
First, how did you get on the show? What did you do?
Second, how did you do on the show? It showed that you got fast-forwarded when you were on the Pole Maze, but it didn't show you failing any one obstacle.
Finally, how was the whole experience?
If you can, thank you for answering. Many of the people in the community would love to hear your story.
This was his response:
Yes I competed in Sasuke 21. I was #7 in the line up and it was a tremendous thrill to stand on the stage. I fell on the Jumping Spider like 60% of the people did. I actually missed the mini tramp and landed on the padding thus not able to spring up. I had a little trouble on the pole maze. When I approached the pole I noticed that there was a 6 inch high by 1 foot wide lip just before you jump to get the pole. It is hard to see on TV but if you can somehow zoom in on that spot you`ll see it. Anyway, I stutter stepped and didn't hit the pole with a lot of speed. I struggled to get back to the mat and that is all they showed on TV. After I made it through the maze there was a whole bunch of people following me and telling me to hurry up. I don`t think I panicked but I had a lot of adreniline (sp) and I think I just over jumped the tramp.
How I got on the show, I sent in a few photos of me and wrote a letter in English and had someone translate it into Japanese. I did this three times and I think they were sick of me sending mail so they called me and we went from there. I had to do some strength tests and fill out an application too. Some crazy questions: who do I admire, is there something you can do that no one else can do? Stuff like that. I answered that when I was 22 years old I could crush an apple in my hand and now that I`m 44 years old I can only crush a brown banana. I think they liked that I answered something funny and then they sent me the directions which is the final stage of the interview process.
Of course I want to do it again but since I`m a foreigner and I didn't do to well the first time around I don`t think they will call me again even though I sent an email asking for a second chance. I actually made a video of me doing some strength stuff and some agility training. Some pretty cool stuff, I`m hoping they will be impressed and ask again.
I sent him another message saying this:
Wow, thank you very much for answering. I run another Sasuke/Ninja Warrior board here: sasukemaniac.proboards104.com/
Would you mind if I posted your response there? Also, if you have time would you be interested in sharing your story there?
Just a couple more questions if you have time: Did you meet any famous competitors there? How long did you stay at Midoriyama? Do you remember anything else from that day? Where certain people failed and what not?
Either way, it was very cool to talk to you, thank you.
He responded with two more messages:
No problem if you want to post it. I`m not on everyday so sometimes questions might take a few days to answer.
I stayed until the end of the first stage with my daughter Rosemary. The second stage is only for people who made it and not for others to see. I met all the foreigners and spoke with them quite a bit when they weren`t on their bus. The Olympic wrestler [Henry Cejudo] was the guy I spoke with most. He was a great guy as was his cousin (red, white and blue bandana).
I shook hands with Nagano and spoke with a few others. When Brian O. completed the course with .6 left on the clock the crowd was going crazy for 5 minutes afterward. That was awesome. When Levi completed his run the crowd was stunned and showed no emotion. I kind of felt guilty for not cheering for him but like everyone else I was in shock at what he did and the time that he did it in. Luci got a lot of cheers from the crowd and was a bit unfortunate that she didn`t grab the rope. Mark was a shocker when he fell on the barrel. I can remember Luci asking me what it felt like to grab the barrel and I just said wrap your arms around as much as possible and you`ll be fine. She did and Mark relied on strength and you saw what happened to him. I think if he comes back next time he will have a good run. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed afterward but still smiled and had fun.
There has been an old man probably 54-55 years old that has been doing Sasuke for years [Kenjiro Ishimaru] and this year he made it to the slide/rope catch [Flying Chute] near the end of the first stage. He is a person that I admire more than anyone else. He is so humble but a fierce competitor. We sat near each other while watching everyone and I couldn`t stop watching him and his wife. They seemed to have so much pleasure doing it and it made me realize how special Sasuke really is. I didn`t speak with him but there were a few mutual nods of the head and smiles that made me feel like he was a good guy.
Really cool story by him. I invited him here, and it seems like he signed up, so we'll see if he wants to answer more questions. I can't thank him enough for the information he's given already.
Hello, are you THE Brian Philip Harlow? The one that competed in Sasuke 21? If so, would you mind answering some questions, I'd love to know about your experience on Sasuke.
First, how did you get on the show? What did you do?
Second, how did you do on the show? It showed that you got fast-forwarded when you were on the Pole Maze, but it didn't show you failing any one obstacle.
Finally, how was the whole experience?
If you can, thank you for answering. Many of the people in the community would love to hear your story.
This was his response:
Yes I competed in Sasuke 21. I was #7 in the line up and it was a tremendous thrill to stand on the stage. I fell on the Jumping Spider like 60% of the people did. I actually missed the mini tramp and landed on the padding thus not able to spring up. I had a little trouble on the pole maze. When I approached the pole I noticed that there was a 6 inch high by 1 foot wide lip just before you jump to get the pole. It is hard to see on TV but if you can somehow zoom in on that spot you`ll see it. Anyway, I stutter stepped and didn't hit the pole with a lot of speed. I struggled to get back to the mat and that is all they showed on TV. After I made it through the maze there was a whole bunch of people following me and telling me to hurry up. I don`t think I panicked but I had a lot of adreniline (sp) and I think I just over jumped the tramp.
How I got on the show, I sent in a few photos of me and wrote a letter in English and had someone translate it into Japanese. I did this three times and I think they were sick of me sending mail so they called me and we went from there. I had to do some strength tests and fill out an application too. Some crazy questions: who do I admire, is there something you can do that no one else can do? Stuff like that. I answered that when I was 22 years old I could crush an apple in my hand and now that I`m 44 years old I can only crush a brown banana. I think they liked that I answered something funny and then they sent me the directions which is the final stage of the interview process.
Of course I want to do it again but since I`m a foreigner and I didn't do to well the first time around I don`t think they will call me again even though I sent an email asking for a second chance. I actually made a video of me doing some strength stuff and some agility training. Some pretty cool stuff, I`m hoping they will be impressed and ask again.
I sent him another message saying this:
Wow, thank you very much for answering. I run another Sasuke/Ninja Warrior board here: sasukemaniac.proboards104.com/
Would you mind if I posted your response there? Also, if you have time would you be interested in sharing your story there?
Just a couple more questions if you have time: Did you meet any famous competitors there? How long did you stay at Midoriyama? Do you remember anything else from that day? Where certain people failed and what not?
Either way, it was very cool to talk to you, thank you.
He responded with two more messages:
No problem if you want to post it. I`m not on everyday so sometimes questions might take a few days to answer.
I stayed until the end of the first stage with my daughter Rosemary. The second stage is only for people who made it and not for others to see. I met all the foreigners and spoke with them quite a bit when they weren`t on their bus. The Olympic wrestler [Henry Cejudo] was the guy I spoke with most. He was a great guy as was his cousin (red, white and blue bandana).
I shook hands with Nagano and spoke with a few others. When Brian O. completed the course with .6 left on the clock the crowd was going crazy for 5 minutes afterward. That was awesome. When Levi completed his run the crowd was stunned and showed no emotion. I kind of felt guilty for not cheering for him but like everyone else I was in shock at what he did and the time that he did it in. Luci got a lot of cheers from the crowd and was a bit unfortunate that she didn`t grab the rope. Mark was a shocker when he fell on the barrel. I can remember Luci asking me what it felt like to grab the barrel and I just said wrap your arms around as much as possible and you`ll be fine. She did and Mark relied on strength and you saw what happened to him. I think if he comes back next time he will have a good run. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed afterward but still smiled and had fun.
There has been an old man probably 54-55 years old that has been doing Sasuke for years [Kenjiro Ishimaru] and this year he made it to the slide/rope catch [Flying Chute] near the end of the first stage. He is a person that I admire more than anyone else. He is so humble but a fierce competitor. We sat near each other while watching everyone and I couldn`t stop watching him and his wife. They seemed to have so much pleasure doing it and it made me realize how special Sasuke really is. I didn`t speak with him but there were a few mutual nods of the head and smiles that made me feel like he was a good guy.
Really cool story by him. I invited him here, and it seems like he signed up, so we'll see if he wants to answer more questions. I can't thank him enough for the information he's given already.
I'll even blog about him if he wants 
