Home » Santa Clarita News » Features » Santa Clarita’s ‘Grandpa Ninja’ Looks Back On American Ninja Warrior Experience At Age 59 (VIDEO)
Santa Clarita’s ‘Grandpa Ninja’ Looks Back On American Ninja Warrior Experience At Age 59
Kelvin Antoine, known as "Grandpa Ninja" on American Ninja Warrior, at Top Out Climbing in Canyon Country.

Santa Clarita’s ‘Grandpa Ninja’ Looks Back On American Ninja Warrior Experience At Age 59 (VIDEO)

At 59 years old, the man known across the country as “Grandpa Ninja” for his history-making runs on the NBC show American Ninja Warrior is continuing to prove that age is just a number.


Sponsored Articles


See the full collection of KHTS Feature Stories and Videos on hometownstation.com here.

Kelvin Antoine first appeared on the incredibly difficult obstacle course competition show in 2010, determined to break stereotypes as he went head to head with elite athletes less than half his age.Santa Clarita’s ‘Grandpa Ninja’ Looks Back On American Ninja Warrior Experience At Age 59

“I had no training at all — I just showed up,” the grandfather of eight recalled of his first taste of the spotlight on the show. “I was the first man age 51 to try out for American Ninja Warrior and get through the first obstacle.”

The experience ignited a passion in him, so he started training at Tempest Freerunning Academy in Chatsworth — where ninja greats like Flip Rodriguez and Tiana Webberley got their start — and at David “The Godfather” Campbell’s backyard gym in northern California.

“The first place I went to was Tempest Academy in the valley — that’s the first wall I climbed, and I climbed it the first day I showed up there,” he said, referring to the show’s 14-foot curved Warped Wall that appears in all qualifying and city finals courses. “(Then) I started going around with some ninjas.”

After making it to the third obstacle in qualifying the next year, Antoine returned again in Season 4 to set the record as the oldest competitor to ever make it up the Warped Wall and complete the qualifying course, securing a spot in the city finals at age 53.

Antoine’s impressive runs earned him a “Wild Card” spot in the Las Vegas national finals at American Ninja Warrior’s infamous Mount Midoriyama in Seasons 4 and 5, where he competed alongside some of the best obstacle course athletes in the country.

“That was the cherry on the whole thing,” Antoine said, recalling making it to the third obstacle of Stage 1 his first year, when his body’s momentum sent him flying off the course.

The next year he went as far as what’s called the Jumping Spider, one of Mount Midoriyama’s most challenging obstacles, which took out 42 of the 82 remaining competitors that season, according to Antoine.

Kelvin Antoine

Kelvin Antoine with fellow ninja stars, including Brent Steffensen, Kacy Catanzaro, and Flip Rodriguez.

Still, Antoine called it an honor to make it that far in the competition, both representing athletes in his age group and inspiring them to follow in his footsteps.

“It means a lot to me to be the first to open up that door to show that age is just a number,” Antoine said. “I knew there’s people out there like me, and I was very impressed to see so many people in their 50’s and over 50’s that came out (after me) and tried out for the show.”

Antoine’s love of physical fitness can be traced back to his childhood on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, where he grew up with no electricity and spent most of his time outdoors playing soccer and cricket.

He made the move to the United States with his father at 17 years old, living in Brooklyn, New York for a few years before he felt the warm weather of Southern California calling his name.

“Coming from the Caribbean islands, coming from that climate … I could not handle the cold weather,” Antoine chuckled. “So I came out here and I fell in love with southern California.”

Kelvin Antoine

Kelvin Antoine with his grandchildren.

Antoine decided to settle down in Santa Clarita, and 37 years later still calls Canyon Country home alongside his wife, Sandra, two children and eight grandchildren, who range in age from five to 11 years old.

Though he hasn’t been back to compete on American Ninja Warrior in a few seasons, Antoine keeps himself in peak physical condition by running, weight training and even rock climbing at Top Out Climbing in Canyon Country.

“I didn’t get in shape just for American Ninja Warrior — I’m always in shape,” he said.

When asked if he might return to the show in his sixties for another attempt at achieving total victory — which to date has only been achieved by two individuals, Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten in Season 7 — Antoine’s answer proved he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“Maybe one day I will surprise everybody and show up,” he said with a grin. “It’s all a mindset. If you take care of yourself and you believe that you can do something, I think it’s possible. I’m living proof.”  

See the full collection of KHTS Feature Stories and Videos on hometownstation.com here.

KHTS Features

Santa Clarita’s ‘Grandpa Ninja’ Looks Back On American Ninja Warrior Experience At Age 59 (VIDEO)

2 comments

  1. I was a co worker of Kelvin’s…some people ‘say’ their body is their temple. Kelvin doesn’t only say it..he has always treated his body as one. There are no cheat days for him….those words are not in his vocabulary.
    Miss you Kelvin
    Best Ted B.

  2. Proud Nieces And Sister Supporting You All The Way From Trinidad….CHERYL CANDICE CHLOE We Love You .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch

Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch has been writing for KHTS since Feb. 2014. She currently writes “Community Spotlight” and feature stories, and coordinates all aspects of both the”KHTS Adopt a Pet” video feature series and “Top Things to Do in Santa Clarita.” She is the creator of “KHTS Adopt a Pet” and acted as News Editor from 2019-2020, as well as Features Director and Newsroom Manager from 2016-2018. A former Valley Publications Staff Writer, Melissa was a contributor to the Santa Clarita Gazette and Canyon Country Magazine from 2015-2016. She has published feature stories with Pet Me Magazine, The Pet Press, The Signal, COC's Cougar News, and KJAMS Radio.