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SPRINGDALE — You would need proof to find a school with better views than Springdale Elementary.
"This place is amazing," said Nicholas Coolridge. "You can't really take a bad picture here. This is beautiful."
But for those who grow up here it's easy to take for granted — especially with so many distractions inside.
Coolridge, also known as "Modern Tarzan," and Travis Brewer are ninjas on the television show "American Ninja Warrior." They visited students at Springdale Elementary to encourage them to get outside and play.
"We're fighting the cell phone age," said Brewer. "We're really fighting that technology."
"There's less and less going outside and playing," said Coolridge.
Brewer and Coolridge are trying to motivate kids to go outside, play and gain confidence to achieve their goals.
"My passion in life is really to work with kids and inspire kids to be a ninja or be anything they want to be," Brewer said.
"When you bring that body here within 20 feet of me, and the kid is shouting next to you going, 'Look at those muscles,' you know that you have made an impression," said Edyth Lang, a teacher at Springdale Elementary.
For some students, it was the first time ever trying to do a trick like rolling frontwards or backwards onto a soft mat.
"Confidence is such a key thing, and to build that confidence, it's just going for it a little bit," said Coolridge.
One student had so much confidence that after the show, he got on top of a picnic table to try to do a backflip off of it. Once he got on the table, he decided not to attempt it.
But it's a start.
"As you get better and better, your confidence gets stronger and stronger," said Coolridge.
Now, with a bit of advice from Brewer and Coolridge, many of these kids can't wait to grow up and be strong.
"I'm drink a lot of milk everyday, so I love milk and it makes my bones stronger," said 8-year-old Lukas Buttram.
"Getting bigger and muscle-y and using your upper body strength to do all the stuff they did here today," said 10-year-old Scout Serna.
All it takes it getting outside and trying.
If you want to get kids to pay attention, ninjas help. Brewer guarantees kids will enjoy it.
"The kids think that playing video games and virtual reality is fun, but I can guarantee you, actually playing like a ninja and playing outdoors is more fun than any virtual reality you'll ever do.
And when a ninja guarantees something, even kids listen.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas
