A reality show has become very real for a Putnam County woman.

Sheila Williams, of Garrison says she has been an avid watcher of NBC’s America’s Ninja Warrior since its first season. “When I saw the show… I was like this was meant for me. The kid inside me…I’ve been saying ‘Man! I can do that! I really want to do that!’ says Garrison.

Now she is a contestant in season 12. “Finally this year, I said I got to stop saying that I want to do it, so I applied for the show and when they called, I was floored.” 

It’s a show where the contestants are put through a series of difficult obstacles, grouped in four stages.

Williams got to work, spent a lot of time at the gym and running, all while raising 5 kids. “I’m very lucky and happy to have my husband. He’s such an amazing support in my life and he’s always been here and he’s like, you want to go train?  I got the kids.”
Then the pandemic made it more difficult. “Basically, all the gyms closed down…all the ninja gyms closed down.  There was no options to do obstacles.” 

With training becoming more of a challenge, Williams and her husband had to get creative, building obstacles of their own in and around their home. “My husband is pretty awesome, pretty awesome.  He built me some obstacles in the yard, front yard, backyard. We have beams in the house, so we were like what can we use in the house to train.” 

But training and actually competing are two different things. “The whole thing was incredible.  I was super-nervous of course when I saw the obstacles. I felt relieved because I knew I trained hard.” 

The person who successfully completes all four stages wins a $100,000 or shares it with others who also make it through. “That’s big as a mom with five kids to put through college.” 

Williams says she can’t reveal how she did in the show or who won, but she says just being on it was rewarding.