No Limit Ninja Of Farmingdale Rebrands After Coronavirus Hardships

FARMINGDALE, NY — When Anthony Giallanzo opened Ultimate Ninja Warrior in Farmingdale in mid-2019, his business was off to a good start. He could not have anticipated the months-long coronavirus pandemic shutdown that followed in March 2020.

There were struggles for the fitness center and playground even after reopening. People were afraid to go to the business because of the pandemic despite stringent cleaning protocols and temperature checks.

Giallanzo said his business did not regain its momentum until September 2021, as he took to crafting lawn signs for another source of income. Ultimate Ninja Warrior of Farmingdale persisted, and in October 2022, rebranded to No Limit Ninja.

The rebranding and expansion was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday at 121 Carolyn Boulevard. The ceremony only happened because Giallanzo would not give in when things looked grim during the pandemic.

"It's just always been in me to find a way to make it through in life and in business," Giallanzo told Patch. "It also puts a smile on my face to see the children, the hundreds of children, who come through here. That we've managed to stick it through. And how we are still able to have kids come in here and have a great time. It feels really good to be able to still offer that and not have to close up like a lot of businesses did."

No Limit Ninja offers programming mostly aimed at children, but it does offer adult training and team building, too. Recreational classes are offered six days a week, as well as minicamps when children are off from school. The fitness center also offers birthday parties and coaches who go to schools to run events. The ninja course can also be seen at select Town of Oyster Bay outdoor events.

Coaches working outdoor events was one way No Limit Ninja kept afloat in the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus shutdown, according to Giallanzo.

Joe Garcia, president of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, recalled meeting Giallanzo at the first ribbon cutting — when Ultimate Ninja Warrior opened. Then the shutdown happened.

"You barely got started and it was over," Garcia said at the ribbon cutting. "It would've been really easy to just say 'forget it' and go back to finance. But small business people, we're so hard headed, we will work 90 hours a week so we don't have to work 40. You found a way through it. You were making signs, you're out at 4 in the morning putting birthday signs in front of people's houses."

Giallanzo said he is "really thankful" he is able to provide an outlet for people to have fun and get fit.

"It's just seeing people walk through — children and adults — and the face that they make when they see what we have," he said. "The excitement and the laughter. It's what helps me go through the day."

No Limit Ninja has a second location opening in Yonkers around April and is targeting a third in New Jersey.