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."
Favorite Obstacle: Warped Wall
"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
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!
Favorite Obstacle: Laches
"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.
Favorite Obstacle: Devil Steps
"I love the strength, challenges, and dedication it takes to succeed in ninja!"
JOSH
Coach
Josh is a graduate of SUNY Oswego with bachelor degrees in Wellness Management and Business Administration. He is an Eagle Scout and has been active in the scouting community for many years! Josh is new to the competitive ninja circuit but enjoys the challenges of mastering new obstacles. He loves working with the kids on new skills and watching their confidence grow. Outside of the gym, Josh loves to camp and is a sports enthusiast - playing or watching!
Favorite Obstacle: Wing Nuts - he's new to ninja but says he is motivated to master the aerial obstacles!
SYDNEY
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.
Favorite Obstacle: Anything aerial, she loves to fly!
PEYTON
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
TIM
Coach
Tim started coaching in 2017 when he started his own volunteer fitness program coaching all ages on fitness and wellness. Tim also coaches Soccer for SYI ages 7 and under. His favorite classes to teach are army boot camp, HITT, Kick Boxing and of course, Ninja! He also enjoys mixed martial arts, running, biking, hiking, fishing and camping. Tim is a father of 2 sons who compete in Ninja throughout multiple States. Seeing their dedication and progress inspired Tim to want to coach Ninja and be a part of the Hybrid family!
Favorite obstacle: Cliff Hanger Lache
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.
Favorite Obstacle: Devil Steps
TONI
Administrative Manager
Toni is married and mom of two awesome kiddos. She was a Behavioral Specialist for individuals with disabilities for 10+ years before joining the Hybrid Ninja Team. When not working, she loves to be outside enjoying time with her family and dog. Toni's passion is rescuing dogs. She and her family foster through a local rescue organization. Her children are both competitive ninjas and are familiar faces at HNA!
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.
"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."