Long Island's Luke Lowell-Liszanckie makes finals of 'American Ninja Warriors'

As a child, Shelter Island’s Luke Lowell-Liszanckie became fascinated with the parkour-like athletics of the competitors on TV’s “American Ninja Warrior.” Between then and now, the type of obstacle-course competition known as ninja has grown to where the 23-year-old — who competes in the two-hour Season 17 finale which begins Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC/4 — can contemplate making a professional career of it.

“As a kid, I was always climbing and just being ‘always off the ground,’ as my parents would describe me,” Lowell-Liszanckie says. “So when I first saw the show, I was, like, ‘That's what I’m supposed to do. That's what I'm going to do one day.’ ” Following that dream, “I've been coaching for a couple years now and competing at the elite level” through such organizations as World Ninja League and Ninja Sport Network. “My goal is to coach and perform as a professional athlete for as long as I can.”

Originating as a Japanese TV competition, “Sasuke,” in 1997, ninja — in which men and women race though obstacles that might be described as giant, highly stylized jungle gyms for adults — gained traction in the United States through the authorized version “American Ninja Warrior” in 2009. Originally shown on the now-defunct cable network G4, it came to NBC with Season 6 in 2014.

A type of “obstacle sport” such as triathlon-like obstacle-course racing and multiday, nonmotorized-transport adventure racing, ninja differs from the similar-seeming parkour, Lowell-Liszanckie says. “The obstacles are set up in a gym and designed to challenge the athletes in specific ways," he explains, "whereas parkour is more about movement through an urban setting, getting from points A to B as fast as possible.”

While not yet a recognized sport by worldwide governing bodies, ninja made a major step toward this in 2021, when the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) granted World Obstacle (FISO, for Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles) observer status, the first step toward recognition — a process requiring at least 40 active-member national federations from at least three continents, among other things.

For Lowell-Liszanckie, being chosen to compete in the show's televised Las Vegas qualifiers was “amazing. I submitted a three-minute video application last year, telling my story about being from Shelter Island and how I've trained in the sport for years and how this has always been my dream. And toward the end of August, I got a call and it was one of the greatest moments of my life.” And with rare distinction for a rookie, he made it to the finals.

Making the trip with him were his father, David Liszanckie, a food distributor and a former chef at restaurants including The Bell & Anchor, in Sag Harbor, and Fresno, in East Hampton; and mother Nell Lowell, a Sag Harbor teacher. (His aunt and uncle Sunny and Jim Liszanckie owned the Riverhead Diner & Grill from 2017 to 2021, when the 89-year-old institution closed due to the COVID pandemic.)

The third of four children, Shelter Island High School graduate Lowell-Liszanckie had attended SUNY Plattsburgh for a time until leaving to pursue a competitive ninja career. “I've been very blessed with how supportive my parents have always been with my passion for ninja and for the things that I'm into,” Lowell-Liszanckie says. “And they've always wanted to see me on the show.”