By Katy Savage
Ninja warriors are coming to town.
Allyssa Beird and Joe Moravsky, who compete on the NBC television show “American Ninja Warriors,” are making a special guest appearance for the inaugural WreckTangle Championship at Killington Resort Sunday, Oct. 7 from 12-3 p.m.
Morvasky, 29, has been competing on the show for the past six years. He lives and works as a meteorologist in Connecticut but when he’s not busy predicting the weather, he trains himself to compete.
Morvasky is known as the “The Weatherman” on the American Ninja Warriors show.
“It’s grown a lot and it’s become a sport now more than ever,” Morvasky said in a phone interview.
Morvasky played basketball, baseball and soccer in high school. After college, he was looking for a challenge to keep active.
Now Morvasky travels throughout the country to promote ninja training, visiting leagues, special events and camps.
Morvasky, who is also a skier, is eager to come to Killington.
“To come up there and have the opportunity to do what I love—to be part of something like that up at Killington— I thought it’d be cool,” Morvasky said.
Killington’s WreckTangle Championship is open to anyone aged 7 or older. The competitors will be in one of eight different age groups and race through the new Woodward WreckTangle (Killington’s ninja obstacles) for the fastest time. If you fall, race officials add a minute to the time.
The Woodward WreckTangle came to Killington earlier this year.
The Woodward WreckTangle was installed at Killington earlier this summer and opened in June. It has 10 elements.
The first, called side steps, where participants jump from one slanted tile to the next, is regularly seen on the TV show.
The WreckTangle also features a balance beam, suspended monkey rings, a trampoline and a zip-line. The last obstacle is a vertical wall climb.
“It’s one of those things like the Spartan Race or the Tough Mudder where you challenge yourself and just want to keep challenging yourself,” said Rich McCoy, who is organizing the event at Killington.
The resort has invested about $6 million in summer activities over the past five years to increase summer visitors.
McCoy said the WreckTangle addition to Killington’s Adventure Center has inspired children to persevere through challenges.
“You’ll see some kids try (obstacles) nine, 10 times until they get it,” McCoy said.
“You see the determination in their faces. Usually we’re there, cheering them on.”
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American Ninja Warriors Allyssa Beird and Joe Moravsky will be in town for the inaugural WreckTangle Championship at Killington, Sunday.
