'American Ninja Warrior Junior' Featuring Woodstock Preteen

WOODSTOCK, GA — "American Ninja Warrior Junior" is returning at 7 p.m. Saturday on Universal Kids to see which kid will take home the trophy for its second season. And the winner might be your neighbor.

Tate Allen, 12, of Woodstock, proved his strength and ability last spring when he competed in the semi-finals for age group 11-12 of "American Ninja Warrior Junior."

Now, the series will debut a new episode of its second season at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Junior ninjas from across the U.S. will face off on head-to-head courses alongside season one reigning champions and fan favorites in three age brackets: 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14 year-olds, including Allen.

New to the course for season two are 10 American Ninja Warrior obstacles including the Shrinking and Floating Steps, the Little Dipper, Spider Walls, Double Tilt Ladders, Crazy Cliffhanger, the Block Run, Flying Squirrel, Wingnuts and Skyhooks.

Three final winners (one per age bracket) will ultimately be crowned “American Ninja Warrior Junior” Champions on June 13.

Junior Ninjas competing in the second season:

Ages 9-10

• Barrett Eads – Tomball, TX
• Bella Palmer – Woodbury, MN
• Daniel Woods – Wellesley, MA
• Riley Cvitanich – Springfield, OR

Ages 11-12

• Holden McNeil – Simi Valley, CA
• Iris Flink – Minneapolis, MN
• Sabrina Levine – New York, NY
• Tate Allen – Woodstock, GA

Ages 13-14

• Carson Edwards – Cypress, TX
• Mazeiah Andrade – Perth Amboy, NJ
• Sierra Heflin – Salt Lake City, UT
• Sophie Shaft – Canton, MI

In Allen's first episode that aired last October, episode 6, he won three races, earning him an advancement to the semi-finals.

Allen attends The Kings Academy in Woodstock, has two brothers and enjoys all sports, especially American Ninja Warrior Junior. He heard about the show through his coaches at Ninja Quest Fitness, and wanted to be on the show because he loves ninja and competing.

"I have had a lot of support and encouragement from friends and coaches as well as other members at Ninja Quest," Allen said. "I have also had a few local newspapers and magazines write articles about my involvement with ninja. Even my school newspaper wrote an article, which was cool."

Allen said the best part about being on the show was being able to compete against other ninjas and making a lot of friends from all over the country that he's still in contact with.

"It was very challenging facing many great competitors," Allen said. "It was also very challenging participating in the many interviews I had and learning how to answer questions and be on camera. I trained six or seven days a week, both in my backyard and at Ninja Quest. A lot of my training included running speed courses because on the show you race others."

Allen said it was cool being one of 64 kids in his age group of 11-12 last year. There were 192 kids total in all the age groups.

"It was an honor to get picked, and I was so thankful for this opportunity," Allen said. "I learned how to compete under lots of pressure, participate in various interviews and how to keep composure in the midst of the competition."

Allen continues to participate year-round in competitions all around the country.

"I loved my experience on American Ninja Warrior Junior and I hope to be invited back for season two," Allen said. "I love the support of the ninja community and how everybody encourages you to do your best and to try new things. I love all the friends that I have made and the opportunities to travel around the country. I also love pushing myself to the limit and seeing what I can accomplish."

For more information and local channel listings visit UniversalKids.com.