Utah's Karson Voiles inspired by father in winning American Ninja Warrior city final

SALT LAKE CITY — As over 250 of Karson Voiles' friends, family and students filtered into Ogden’s Cine Pointe 6 movie theater on Monday night for an American Ninja Warrior viewing party, they thought it was going to be business as usual.

They were there to watch Voiles, Utah’s own American Ninja Warrior ninja star, take on the Tacoma city finals. Voiles had made it to the national finals in Las Vegas in the last four seasons he’s competed in and the sizeable group figured they were about to see him make it for the fifth straight year.

“They just kind of figured, just another season,” Voiles told KSL.com. “They didn’t know it was that big of a deal. They always expect me to do well. It’s more like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’”

Or maybe they knew — or at least thought — they were about to see something a little special.

“There weren’t enough seats,” Voiles said.

That seemed appropriate. It ended up being more than just another run, another city finals, another season.

Voiles finished in second in the city finals episode that aired on Monday (it took place in May) and then went on to win the power tower competition, effectively winning the episode.

The power tower obstacle pits the two top competitors in a head-to-head race across suspended rings and ladders. Voiles pulled away early in the race and won convincingly.

It was the highest Voiles, who owns Ninja Warehouse in Ogden, has ever placed in an American Ninja Warrior competition. His previous high was fourth in the Denver city finals in 2017.

The victory gave Voiles more than just bragging rights, too.

In 2015, 2017 and 2018 (Voiles didn’t compete in 2016), the West Haven resident didn’t just make Las Vegas for the national finals: he advanced to the second stage, too. In the three times he’s made it to the second phase of the finals, he’s fallen on the second-to-last obstacle.

By winning the power tower race, he was awarded a safety pass, allowing him a re-do in case of another fall in Vegas. The finals will begin airing on Aug. 26.

“That safety pass is huge going into Vegas,” Voiles said. “I fell at the end of stage two three years in a row … The safety pass, for me in particular, is a big deal.”

As Voiles made his way through the course in Tacoma, his wife Kami held an iPad up to allow Voiles’ father Brian, who was video chatting, to see his son compete.

That moment showcased Voiles’ motivations and also how much Ninja has helped him. Kami Voiles was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor last year and his father suffered triple-organ failure.

His father was to a point where the family said their good-byes, but “I’m still here,” Brian Voiles said in a featurette on the broadcast. “I’m really grateful to be alive to enjoy my kids and grandkids.”

Even as an adult with children of his own, Karson Voiles felt the same desire he did as a youngster: He wanted to make his dad proud. As his father watched from Utah, Karson Voiles did just that.

And with so many trials — including his own stomach condition — he’s found that training and competing has helped him push through.

“It’s the way I vent; the way I can decompress,” Karson Voiles said. “A good workout for me is how I cope.”

Plenty of good workouts have pushed him to Vegas yet again. And based on his city finals performance, he might need to get a bigger theater for that viewing party.

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