Business & Tech

American Ninja Warrior Competitor Closes Bridgewater Gym

Impacts from the pandemic and a significant rent increase have caused Mike Neeham to close VertiQuest Gym in Bridgewater after 6 years.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — After six years of passing on his Parkour and obstacle course knowledge, NBC’S American Ninja Warrior and Flemington local Mike Neeham is closing his training gym, VertiQuest Gym, in Bridgewater.

"We can't THANK YOU ENOUGH for the many years of support and amazing times at VertiQuest Gym! We have had so much fun building this INCREDIBLE community of like-minded people with an enthusiasm for fitness through movement and play. It is all because of you that we have been able to keep the great times rolling here, even through a pandemic," wrote Neeham on vertiquestgym.com.

The gym's lease is coming to a close at the end of the year and instead of renewing Neeham decided to close. VertiQuest Gym was located on 1 Easy St in Bridgewater - right off Route 22 and near Route 287.

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Neeham said VertiQuest suffered years of financial struggles since the pandemic and then was hit with a "very unfortunate large increase in our rent estimate for renewal."

However, the closure doesn't mean the end for Neeham. He added that they "will be looking for ways to restart this amazing gym in another location, hopefully nearby."

Find out what's happening in Bridgewaterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Updates on a future location will be posted on vertiquestgym.com.

"Thank you for making all of these years the most fun and rewarding experience we could have ever imagined!" said Neeham.

This gym had been a dream come true for Neeham as he saved up money for 10 years and then spent seven years designing the obstacles himself and finding the perfect location before opening in 2016. Read More: Train Like a Ninja Warrior in Bridgewater

Neeham was a walk-on on the competitive obstacle course show and from seasons 4 through 7 he made his presence known. He got the second-fastest time on a course three years in a row and the fourth-fastest time in his third year. He also made it to the Vegas qualifying stage three years in a row.

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