Nick Hanson, the "Eskimo Ninja" of American Ninja Warrior, was in Wrangell last week to talk about his life and how he wound up on television. He is pictured here at the Wrangell High School gym, sharing his story.
Hailing from the village of Unalakleet, Nick Hanson is probably best known as the "Eskimo Ninja," a regular contestant on American Ninja Warrior. He has competed on the TV show, running through a series of obstacle courses and physical challenges, since its seventh season in 2015. His most recent participation in the show last year, season 11, saw him make it to the first stage of the finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his four years on the show, going on five, Hanson has represented his family, his town, and the state of Alaska on national television.
He stopped in Wrangell last week to talk about his background, his career as an athlete, and what has motivated him to push himself so hard.
"Every time before I get on a course I think about why am I doing what I do," Hanson said. "People ask me 'Do you get nervous before you get on Ninja Warrior?' Yeah, big time. But then right before I go, I think about you guys, like Alaska, Alaskan communities, especially the youth, young men, young women that might be watching."
Hanson moved to Unalakleet when he was young, around six-years-old. He has native heritage from his mother's side of the family, he said, and from his father's side he's Italian and Scottish. Growing up, he was bullied a lot for looking white. One day in the third grade, after being bullied particularly hard, he said that the best way to deal with the bullies was to get heavily involved in school activities and show everyone what he was really like.
"I'm at the ocean, I'm kneeling down, I'm washing myself off and I'm looking at my reflection thinking 'what is it going to take?' Kind of like Mulan, except I didn't start singing," Hanson said. "So that day I decided, 'you know what, all these boys are in sports, I'm still going to join sports' even though I was too scared to for the last year and a half or so. I'm going to do it anyways. Some of these boys, well one of the boys, I should say, was on the student government. 'You know what? I'm going to be on student government.'"
Hanson participated in all kinds of sports, including basketball, cross country, wrestling, volleyball, skiing, and the Native Youth Olympics. Through sports and other school organizations he turned his bullies into friends, he said. After high school, he competed in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics and the Arctic Winter Games. He also became a teacher in Unalakleet.
Adversity did not end at childhood bullying, however. Hanson talked about his home life growing up, where his mother struggled with alcoholism. She has been sober for many years, he said, but it was a challenge to grow up with. On top of that, as the years have gone on Hanson said he has lost several friends and people he grew up with to suicide and alcohol-related deaths.
"I've lost a total of 15 alcohol-related deaths and suicides, classmates and teammates," he said. "Some girls, some boys. Mostly men, young men."
These losses dragged him into a dark place, Hanson said, but it was an eighth grader suggesting he try out for American Ninja Warrior that helped pull him back out. He wanted to be a good role model for the youth of his community, he said, but he was not sure what to do.
"I had to figure out what am I going to do to be a role model for these kids," he said. "I don't have anybody to ask for advice any more, I don't have anybody. I thought I'd lost everything. This eighth grader said 'Man, I think you should try out for Ninja Warrior!'"
Learning about the show from this kid, watching YouTube videos of the competition, and building a Warped Wall (one of the obstacles on the show) was a moment of epiphany for him, Hanson said. It was a match made in heaven. This was something he could be good at, and something he could use to inspire and motivate people around him. So, he sent in an application video of his participation in the native games, and he was accepted for the show in 2015. Ever since then, he has participated in each season of the show and has gotten a little farther in the competition each year. Now, he said, he is traveling on this tour of Southeast Alaska to share his story and motivate others.
"If you are struggling, I'm not going to say quit," he said. "If you drink alcohol or do drugs, or something like that, and you're in this room right now, I'm not going to tell you to quit. I never will tell you to quit, I'll never say cold turkey, be done, because it's hard. It's going to take time. I will say try. I will never say not try, I will say try. I will say do your best. I will say be the best person that you can be, because that's all we can do, every single day."
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