MORRISVILLE, N.C. -- Ultimate Ninja Warrior athletes in the Triangle got their chance to compete for the big time on Saturday.

Warrior Tech Obstacle Course Readiness hosted a local qualifier for the Ultimate Ninja Athletic Association's national championship series. Twenty athletes participated in the qualifier; the top half are eligible to compete in a regional qualifier in Rocky Mount this May.

This was the first time an event of this type took place in the Triangle, as Warrior Tech OCR only opened its doors this past March. Owner Kim Saguinsin says it's been amazing to see how much Ultimate Ninja has grown in such a short time.

"We're introducing this area to the sport from the ground up," said Saguinsin. "We're introducing it to kids, we're introducing it to teens, and we're allowing adults to actually continue the sport when there really wasn't a place to do that."

After the regionals in Rocky Mount, the UNAA Championship will take place in Texas in July.

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