JEFF
Gym Manager
Head Coach
Jeffrey graduated from UB with a bachelor degree in Psychology of the Arts. He has been training as a ninja athlete for five years, loves to compete, and hopes to one day be on American Ninja Warrior! He has been working with kids since he was 16 years old as a leader in his boy scout troop and continues to mentor scouts. Quick to offer motivation and support, his kind and gentle coaching style has guided many young ninjas from recreational-level to competition-ready. He loves knowing that he is training kids to become the strongest ninjas they can be!
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Favorite Obstacle: Stars
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"I love the sport of ninja warrior because it is such an inspiring and motivating environment. Everyone is trying to help every ninja be the best they can be."
NATE
Head Coach
Nate is a long time coach at Hybrid. He can often be found assisting in our more advanced classes and is also a coach for our KOL division. He loves the supportive community and positive sportsmanship that ninja offers. His favorite part about being a coach is watching the kids improve both their ninja skills and confidence. Outside of the gym, Nate is an Iron Worker and a car enthusiast.
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Favorite Obstacle: Laches
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"I love watching our young ninjas struggle to accomplish their goals during training, working harder and harder - until they achieve the skill they've been working so hard to master."
ANDY
Coach
​Recently married and soon to be a father! Andy is an accountant by weekday and a ninja by weekend! He loves how quickly ninjas can put their body weight into motion and teaching kids to overcome obstacles. He also enjoys weight lifting, mountain biking, jet skiing, camping, and laughing with friends. His favorite advice to give is to "find your passions, set goals to achieve them, put the work in and you will get there. Hard work will never go out of style."
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Favorite Obstacle: Warped Wall
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"I think it's amazing how we can teach kids that it is possible to make it up a wall that is more than twice our height with the right technique!"
MERCEDES
Summer Camp Coordinator
Coach
Mercedes has her bachelors degree in Sports Management and is currently a graduate student at Medaille College, majoring in Organizational Leadership. She is new to the ninja world but has experience coaching softball with young girls. She thought that many of the obstacles at Hybrid were intimidating at first, but learning to do them has been a lot of fun. Outside the gym she continues to play softball and enjoys watching football. Go Bills!
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Favorite Obstacle: Laches
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"I love seeing the face of a young ninja after they overcome an obstacle they used to struggle with!"
JACOB
Coach
Jacob graduated from Buffalo State with a bachelor degree of science in Technology Education. He loves skiing in the winter and playing soccer in the summer. He started working with kids as a soccer coach in West Seneca. And he has also worked as a teacher's aide during the summer at BOCES. Jacob loves the atmosphere the Hybrid Ninja Academy gym brings and right away felt invited into the ninja community with open arms.
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Favorite Obstacle: Devil Steps
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"I love the strength, challenges, and dedication it takes to succeed in ninja!"
RYAN
Coach
Ryan is a high school student and is no stranger to ninja warrior! He has been a competitive ninja since he was 11 years old and has racked up an impressive amount of awards. His commitment to training and dedication to the sport make him a promising young athlete and coach. He really enjoys coaching our littlest ninjas. in his spare time, he enjoys baseball and playing with his dogs.
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Favorite Obstacle: Laches
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"I really like helping kids out, even if we're competing against each other, and cheering everyone on."
KOLBE
Coach
Kolbe is a high school homeschooler who originally fell in love with the sport by attending homeschool classes at Hybrid. He is now a competitive ninja and holds the ninja community in high regard. Kole is always willing to help out and eager to learn more to become the best coach he can be. In his spare time he really enjoys reading, working on computers, and gaming. During the summer, when hes not at the gym, he loves to spend time at his family's lake property boating and camping.
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Favorite Obstacle: Warped Wall
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"My favorite part of ninja is that it is competitive but everyone is still supportive of each other"
JACK
Junior Coach
Jack is a high school student and has been doing ninja for the past 5 years! He can often be found assisting at our weekend signature classes or camp over the summer. He loves competing and getting to challenge himself with different courses. His favorite obstacles are aerial and upper body challenges. Jack enjoys coaching because he likes watching our younger ninjas improve their skills.
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Favorite Obstacle: Peg Board
SYDNEY
Junior Coach
Sydney is a high school student and has grown up in the sport of ninja! She watched her dad compete on American Ninja Warrior and has had a presence every step of the way as the HNA we know and love came to be what it is today. She is now a competitive ninja herself and travels to competitions across the country. She loves the satisfaction of completing a good run and appreciates the supportive nature of the ninja community - everyone is rooting for everyone to do their best! Sydney has been coaching and working with kids since she was in middle school and also coaches for our KOL division. Outside of the gym, she likes to play football and hang out with her friends.
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Favorite Obstacle: Anything aerial, she loves to fly!
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PEYTON
Junior Coach
Peyton is a high school student and an all-around amazing athlete! She is a regular on the the competitive ninja circuit, traveling to competitions across the country. Her favorite part about ninja is how everyone supports each other and is always cheering each other on. Outside of the gym, she competes in Spartan and Savage competitions and is also a member of the cross country and track team.
Favorite Obstacle: Laches
ALEX
Junior Coach
Alex is a high school homeschool student and a new coach at HNA. He was a natural ninja from the start! Alex started in homeschool classes and then soon after, participated and excelled in our KOL division. He's now a competitive ninja and frequently travels with our Hybrid Strong team to ninja comps across the country. Alex loves ninja because it's something he's good at and he looks forward to helping other kids learn new skills. Outside of the gym, he enjoys working with his dad's company renovating houses.
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Favorite Obstacle: Devil Steps
LUKE
Junior Coach
Luke is a high school student and a new ninja, yet has quickly fallen in love with the sport and environment at HNA! He looks forward to eventually competing. Luke is great with kids and will be working our summer camp program. Outside of the gym, he plays varsity soccer and lacrosse.
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Favorite Obstacle: Warped Wall
JOSH
Administrative Coordinator
Josh is a graduate of SUNY Oswego with bachelor degrees in Wellness Management and Business Administration. He is new to HNA but not new to working around kids, he is an Eagle Scout and has been active in the scouting community for many years! You'll often see Josh's friendly face behind the desk greeting kids and parents as they arrive at summer camp. He coordinates all of our summer camp registrations and communications with parents of our campers. Outside of the gym, Josh loves to camp and is a sports enthusiast - playing or watching!
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Favorite Obstacle: Wing Nuts - he's new to ninja but says he is motivated to master the aerial obstacles!
JEN
Scorekeeper
Jen is our KOL and competition scorekeeping extraordinaire! She was born and raised in San Diego and has a teaching degree. She moved to WNY in 2011, and is now a stay-at-home mom with three ninja kids. She is a jack of all trades, a second degree black belt and instructor in Mohk Fang Li Do Gung Fu, a trivia nerd, loves reading, baking, crossword puzzles, cross-stitching, and watching movies.
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"I firmly believe that if a scorekeeper or referee doesn't do her best to call a run fairly and with no bias, then the integrity of the sport is lost. I want ALL kids to know that when they come into this gym they are getting my full attention and the most accurate score I can give them; regardless of their background, time in the sport, or home gym. If the kids know that I always call it as fairly as I can, then their run results speak for themselves. The pride they feel at the end of the day will be well-deserved and truly earned."