Jeffery is working on his bachelor's degree in Psychology at UB with a minor in counseling. 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 he has been teaching at Hybrid Ninja Academy since 2017.  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."

Matt loves the challenges that the sport of ninja allows, offering a workout both physically and mentally.  He has been working with kids for many years, and he is also a college student at Buffalo State studying mechanical engineering.  When he's not at HNA he enjoys playing hockey and soccer, fishing, and working on cars. 

 

Favorite Obstacle:  Devil Steps

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"My favorite part about working at the Hybrid Ninja Academy is training the kids, and watching them grow as a ninja. Seeing them struggle to do an obstacle one week and then overcome it the next week is so great because I love seeing the kids progress."

​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!"

Anthony is in his senior year of high school and has plans to attend Buff State next year.  He has been coaching and working with kids since he was in middle school, starting as a volunteer at the Lancaster Youth Bureau.  He really enjoys working with the kids at Hybrid Ninja Academy and finds it to be very rewarding to watch young ninjas conquering obstacles they never thought possible.

 

Favorite Obstacle:  Rumbling Dice

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"I love that the sport of ninja involves ever-changing obstacles, so that you never know what you're going to get. It makes training all the more fun."

Jacob is currently studying Tech Education at Buffalo State.  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.  He 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 and challenges and dedication it takes to succeed in ninja!"

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!"

Ryan is a high school student and one of The Academy's junior coaches. But he 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. And in his spare time he also enjoys baseball and 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 is a high school homeschooler and another one of HNA's junior coaches.  He enjoys working at The Academy because each day brings something exciting and new.  He 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 electronics, and spending time at his family's camp on the lake.

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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."

Cristina is a daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, auntie, community organizer, cancer survivor, student, teacher, and all around lover of life. She attended Canisius College and has a BA degree in Psychology with minors in Animal Behavior and Zoo Biology. She's worked with zoo animals, companion animals, with early childhood populations, and the gerontological community... and a million other things in between. She currently homeschools her two boys and organizes a large homeschool cooperative nearby.  They have been regulars at HNA for many years!

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"I love that Ninja Warrior is less about ninja vs. ninja than it is ninja vs. the course.  And the ninja community is there to celebrate both personal milestones and, hopefully, when the course is conquered! It allows for such a positive atmosphere, especially for kids."

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."