Go #ShuckNinja! My husband Mike Shuck is a 5th-grade teacher and personal trainer who auditioned for NBC’s American Ninja Warrior … and he made it! He’ll be traveling to Philadelphia in a couple weeks for his big chance to compete. I couldn’t be prouder or more excited and happy for him!

Read on for more ..

Press Release

Local Elementary School Teacher to Compete on National Television in NBC’s American Ninja Warrior

Mike Shuck, a 5th grade teacher at Aiken Elementary in Green Tree, will make the Steel City proud as he battles it out on the American Ninja Warrior course in the upcoming season.

May 11th, 2016: “All I need is a chance.” Those were the final words in Mike Shuck’s 3-minute American Ninja Warrior audition video, which has garnered over 10,000 views in just a few months.

Now, he’ll have that chance. From May 25th-27th, 2016, Mike — known as “Mr. Shuck” to his 5th-grade students and “Mountain Goat Mike” to his personal training clients at Pittsburgh Kettlebell and Performance — will travel to Philadelphia with his family and friends, to have his chance to shine like the ninja he was born to be.

Shuck has been training for this moment since childhood. Always an avid athlete — and obsessed with working out — he has incorporated fitness, physicality, sports, and a healthful approach to wellness into his lifestyle. From mud runs to obstacle races and more, it’s all a part of his character, as is the grit, humility, and blue-collar work ethic that is characteristic of Pittsburgh, where he was born and raised.

He graduated from South Fayette High School, moved on to Duquesne University, and now resides in Green Tree with his wife, who is an author, their 3 dogs, and their 2 cats. He also works in the community — by day, as a 5th grade schoolteacher, and by night, a personal trainer and instructor at Pittsburgh Kettlebell and Performance, an unconventional training gym. It’s so unconventional, in fact, that the owners allowed Mike to build his own “Warped Wall,” and other American Ninja Warrior stunts and obstacles so he could train in his downtime. He got the call this week that his inspiring audition video was accepted, and that he would be competing in the first round  in Philly — hopefully moving forward to the finals.

“I have to pinch myself to believe that it’s actually happening. I’ve worked so hard for this and I want to beat this course — for myself … and for the Steel City.” Check out Mike’s audition video, here: https://is.gd/MikeShuck. American Ninja Warrior will air on NBC in June 2016.

Download the PDF version, here:  PittsburghNinjaWarrior_MikeShuck.