Kansas City American Ninja Warrior fans, who is ready for ANW Season 9? They are all set up in front of Union Station. Filming will be Monday April 24th and Tuesday April 25th. The competitors have been selected; they are just putting the final touches on the course.
If you have some free time, go check out the American Ninja Warrior course. There are some road closures (http://www.unionstation.org/ has the details), but you can still park in the Union Station Parking garage in the back of the building. If you exit on the 3rd level you end up by the course. Spectators can see the course (stay outside of the fence) from the Liberty Memorial or inside Union Station (go up the elevator to the 3rd floor). IT is a pretty large setup that takes up the whole front parking lot. Definitely something to see for anyone interested in American Ninja Warrior.
Another way to experience the course, if you were not selected to be a contestant, is to be a tester. I had the opportunity to be a tester last weekend and it was a pretty fun experience. This is not testing to be on the show, which involves an online application and video submission due at the beginning of the year. Visit for more https://www.anwcasting.com/ details. A tester helps the crew of the course test individual obstacles. They are looking for males and females of different sizes to try the obstacles. Then the crew may make small adjustments to the obstacle angles, handles, difficultly, etc. You never know how it will end up for the official show. 
I was invited to be a tester from someone I know at Apex Climbing Gym. They have a ninja warrior training facility and offer ninja warrior classes. After being selected, you receive an email with all of the details of being a tester. While they told me what to bring and where to go, I didn’t know what to expect. I went to two testing sessions. One had about 10 testers and the other one had over 30 testers. The crew gave directions, then let us know which obstacle we would start with. Everyone who wanted to do that obstacle got in line, and tried it out. They the crew would take us to another obstacle. You never know how long we would be at that obstacle before moving on. To get the whole experience, make sure to watch all of the testers and see how they do the obstacles with different technique. Also, cheer on the testers and see how everyone helps and coaches testers from the sidelines.
Overall, I would say being a tester is the next best thing to being a contestant on the show. You get to try out your skill on the course, experience the atmosphere and have some fun with like-minded individuals. If you ever get the opportunity to be a tester, then try it out and have fun!
If American Ninja Warrior is coming to your town, check out http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/American_Ninja_Warrior to apply to be in the audience.
