While many students were lounging on the beach this summer, sophomore Luke Filar, was busy in Costa Rica competing in a 3k OCR world race as a part of Team USA.
OCR is split into multiple categories, some races were competed as a team, while others were solo races. The races consist of 20 plus obstacles that participants must work through.
Filar started ninja, a race in which he faces obstacles every couple of seconds, when he was 10 years old. This eventually inspired him to join OCR, a race in which you face obstacles every couple of minutes, when he was 13.
OCR is like Ninja but adds a running aspect, which attracted Filar to the sport.
“I found out about it online and liked that it was running and ninja,” Filar said.
His first competition was the Abominable Snow Race, and after he had been pretty successful there, he became hooked. This competition eventually led him to his first world championship in Belgium last fall. Since then, Filar has placed first in the U17 pentathlon in Colorado Springs, 5th in the amateur division for Ninja Warrior at UNAA worlds in California, and most impressively, he placed 1st at the OCR Worlds in Costa Rica.
These results don’t come without hard work. Filar practices about eight hours weekly, which will increase as winter approaches. Part of what drives all of his hard work is his motivation, which comes from wanting to improve.
“My motivation to continue to work hard is to become a better me. Just learning new things, doing the best I can at all of them, and enjoying it [is my goal],” Filar said.
As students prepared to return to school in late August, Filar received an exciting call. After applying for the first time, Filar was selected to star in the 17th season of American Ninja Warrior. A school send-off was held on Tuesday, Sept. 24 before he headed to Las Vegas to film the competition. Filar will compete on Thursday, Sept. 26, but his episode won’t air until spring.
