Ninja courses no obstacle for Bradenton 12-year-old

Once per week growing up, Country Creek’s Mila Goetting would spend the night with her family, sitting in front of the TV watching “American Ninja Warrior.”

She was amazed as she saw the ninja competitors sprint through obstacles, fly through the air like trapeze artists, and eventually claim success by pressing a buzzer on top of a 14-foot-high wall.

Goetting loved their speed, strength and stamina, and at only 4 years old, she started dreaming of becoming a ninja contestant. 

Now, instead of watching others compete in ninja competitions on TV, the 12-year-old Goetting is the one negotiating obstacle courses. 

Even as a small child, Goetting said she was the kid climbing fences and trees so becoming a ninja competitor felt natural to her. 

Along with her parents, Erin and Ed Goetting, and her 14-year-old sister Layla and 10-year-old sister Livia, Goetting now participates in approximately 20 ninja-style competitions per year. 

Although each member of the family competes, Erin Goetting said Mila has landed on the podium most often. 

She earned a silver medal for her age group in the first-ever Ninja World Cup, USA July 29-30 in Orlando. She competed against 53 girls in her age group representing 12 countries.

Photo by Liz Ramos

A wall in Goetting’s bedroom is covered in motivational posters from her family members and all her accolades which includes dozens of medals from ninja competitions. 

“Six years ago, I probably wouldn’t have thought I would get to this level,” Mila Goetting said. “The sport has grown so much. Six years ago it was a lot smaller. Obstacles weren’t as big and difficult.”

After becoming hooked on the show, the Goetting family became interested in learning more about the sport. In Chicago, where they were living at the time, there weren’t any nearby "ninja" gyms.

So when the family moved to East County six years ago, finding a ninja gym was a priority. 

In Pinellas Park, they found Jungle Gym, where Mila Goetting spends two nights per week training.

The Goettings travel across the country competing and plan to compete internationally this year at a competition in Barbados over Labor Day weekend. 

Erin Goetting said ninja training and competitions has become a bonding experience for her family.

“I literally cannot imagine our lives without having become a ninja family,” she said. “We honestly have made all of our Florida friends pretty much through ninja. When we go to a ninja competition, it’s not just going there to compete, it’s going there to be with our friends. We look forward to doing something together afterward as multiple families come together to hang out.”

Goetting makes completing obstacle courses look easy. Before hurling herself into the air, she covers her hands in chalk and stares narrowly at the obstacle head. She takes a deep breath, already knowing every move she’s about to make to successfully get across the course. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

Once off the ground, she gracefully flies from one obstacle to the next, strategically knowing the exact moment to let go of one obstacle to send herself to the next using the least amount of energy possible. 

“Some (obstacles) are long and tiring and hard on your fingers, and then others are just really fun, like a big laché where you’re flying through the air. It’s just really fun.”

In gymnastics, laché is a term the describes a move where the competitors must swing their body back and forth to gain momentum in order to transfer between obstacles.

At competitions, Goetting is a little more on edge compared to training. Between 30 minutes and an hour before she’s stepping up to the start, she’s excited, ready to take on the course, but as it gets closer to her turn, her nerves start to kick in. 

“It’s a little bit nerve-racking, but what I have to remember is not a lot of people will remember your run because they’re so focused on theirs,” she said. 

The courses are never the same, so there’s no opportunity for the Goettings to prepare before a specific competition. 

“It’s part of what’s awesome about ninja,” Erin Goetting said. “It’s always different and you never know what to expect, so the challenges keep changing. The obstacles keep changing and of course, keep getting harder.”

Mila Goetting said competing first puts her in the toughest spot. She has to set the pace for the entire competition. Once she’s completed the course, it’s out of her hands, and she has to hope no one completes it faster than her. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

The more people that go before her, the more opportunities she has to study what others are doing on the course. She watches run after run, taking in the different ways girls tackle the obstacles to see how she can save every second possible. 

At the World Ninja League competition in June, where she competed against 136 girls, she felt a sense of overwhelming accomplishment. 

“When I hit the buzzer on stage two out of three stages, I had a feeling of relief because I had never cleared stage two in a worlds course before,” Mila Goetting said. “It felt really good to hit the buzzer because it meant I was still in the running to be the world champion.”

Although it’s a competition, Mila Goetting said it’s always a friendly competition as the athletes support each other. 

At only 12 years old, Mila Goetting says the sky is the limit. She hopes to compete on “American Ninja Warrior” someday (the minimum age is 15) and possibly make a career of it as a coach.