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 Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete

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FN2000x

FN2000x


Join date : 2009-11-22
Age : 34
Location : City Of The Dead

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PostSubject: Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete   Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete Icon_minitimeAugust 14th 2010, 11:52 pm

Now, I left this website for an undisclosed reason, but I had no where to turn for this, and figured it would make a great critical thinking question. Concluding my experience watching Ninja Warrior 25 (Sasuke 25) I noted something in the back of my mind that literally just pissed me off. Before I get into it though, for those of you who do not know what Ninja Warrior is, it is a series of obstacles spanning over 4 stages, that test's and pushes the limits of the human body to their limit. The obstacles have changed over the years (1997, to 2010/11 for Sasuke 25/26). Most changed come when a person rises to the top of the final stage, a grueling rope climb.

Now getting back on track...... Ninja Warriors first winner came in 1999 during Ninja Warrior 4. Kazuhiko Akiyama cleared the 15 Meter Rope climb in 24 seconds. Pretty impressive considering you have 30 seconds to do so. Since he won the every stage got a make over, as with every winner. All obstacles became harder. With Kazuhiko being named the first person to achieve total victory, he was crowned Ninja Warrior's first Grand Champion. Pretty prestigious in Japan. The stages gradually got minor changes in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stages, adding the cliff hanger, in which you have to move across with just your finger tips on a piece of wood, and pass 2 gaps to the end, a pipe slider to a swing gap to advance to the final stage.... a lot tougher than what Kazuhiko had to deal with. Kazuhiko never returned to the final stage. The final stage got a change. A spider wall in which, you wedge your legs on the walls, and move up the walls with your hands and feet for 12.5 meters, to a rope climb for 10 meters, with 30 seconds to do so, a lot more challenging then the original. In Ninja Warrior 17 (2006), Makoto Nagano became the 2nd grand champion, achieving total victory with the spider wall variation of the final stage. More changed to the entire course ensued, making the final stage yet again even harder. The final stage changed the spider wall, to the "Heavenly Ladder", a 13 meter ladder climb, to a 10 meter "G-Rope" climb (Bungee cord, stretched as you climbed pulling you down making it harder). In Ninja Warrior 24 (2010), Yuji Urishihara achieved total victory, and became Ninja Warrior's 3rd Grand Champion. Now in Ninja Warrior 25, all the stages were changed, and one incident I noticed made the entire course impossible to beat, the Ultimate Cliffhanger. But that is not the point.

Through out the entire 5 episodes, Makoto Nagano and Yuji Urishihara were being named the "Grand Champions" of Ninja Warrior. Where is Kazuhiko Akiyama on the list of Grand Champions? Yes, Kazuhiko Akiyama won on a substantially easier course then the other 2 winners, but yes, he did win, and was crowned the FIRST Grand Champion. It sounds to be like he is being demoted, or dishonored even, as if his course is considered "too easy" and no longer "Grand Champion" worthy. He has not achieved as much success as Makoto since his win (Makoto before his win, almost won twice, and after his win almost twice more, appearing in the final stage 5 times in his life), leaving Kazuhiko to never return to the final stage. But on his FIRST and last time entering the final stage, he became the first Grand Champion. Yuji Urishihara has made it to the final stage 2 times, his first attempt on Ninja Warrior 22 almost winning, his 2nd attempt winning Ninja Warrior 24.

Through all of this banter, the real question to you all is, do you think it is fair that Kazuhiko Akiyama is not mentioned as being a "Grand Champion" anymore, even though he was the first out of three Grand Champions to achieve total victory?

Discuss.
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ƒoxƒire667

ƒoxƒire667


Join date : 2010-06-29
Age : 30
Location : USA

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PostSubject: Re: Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete   Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete Icon_minitimeAugust 16th 2010, 11:37 pm

With the victory you are given the title of grand champion, and so should it stay.

Kazuhiko Akiyama overcame the challenges he was given and surpassed the expectations of it's time to achieve the title, and since multiple people can retain this title, he should never be able to lose it. Kazuhiko Akiyama was a milestone in history for the Ninja Warrior competition, as a FIRST victor no less, so his reign as grand champion shouldn't be something they are trying to forget.

It would be like if just because technology advanced overtime, every step of the way we would destroy all previous models...it is unacceptable. Everything has it's place and marks something on this earth, and with advances also comes the rebirth of nostalgia from days prior. At the time, what was done was excelling the expectations, and it should be cherished that way today regardless of the additional advances made to it. It would be like forgetting Thomas Edison now that LED lights are in existence, or forgetting the Wright Brothers because airplanes have become so much more advanced...it just shouldn't happen.
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FN2000x

FN2000x


Join date : 2009-11-22
Age : 34
Location : City Of The Dead

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PostSubject: Re: Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete   Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete Icon_minitimeAugust 17th 2010, 4:46 pm

All information taken from the Wikipedia Page for Ninja Warrior

As you can see Kazuhiko hasn't had as much success as the other 2 winners, but he also suffers from an eye disease common Japan that slowly eats away your eye sight. Yes he is not as successful as he once was, but still the first person to achieve total victory, and Grand Champion status.


Kazuhiko Akiyama, a 37 year old crab fisherman.
Akiyama's Results:
Competition Start Position Obstacle Stage
2nd 100 Failed Wall Lifting Second
3rd 99 Failed Wall Lifting Second
4th 86 Total Victory (6.00 seconds to spare) Final
5th Did Not Compete
6th 100 Failed Jump Hang First
7th 99 Failed Jump Hang First
8th 99 Failed Jump Hang First
9th 100 Failed Quintuple Step First
10th 981 Failed Warped Wall First
11th 99 Failed Body Prop Third
12th 97 Failed Pipe Slider Third
13th 91 Failed Crooked Wall First
14th 71 Failed Warped Wall First
15th 81 Failed Warped Wall First
16th 71 Failed Metal Spin Second
17th 71 Failed Circle Slider First
18th Did Not Compete
19th Did Not Compete
20th 1901 Failed Halfpipe Attack First
21st Did Not Compete
22nd 20 Failed Halfpipe Attack First
23rd Did Not Compete
24th 62 Failed Warped Wall First
25th 98 Failed Warped Wall First




Makoto Nagano, a 38 year old fisherman.
Nagano's Results:
Competition Start Position Obstacle Stage
7th 87 Failed Warped Wall First
8th 41 Failed Warped Wall First
9th 61 Failed Pipe Slider Third
10th 999 Failed Jump Hang First
11th 96 Failed Rope Climb Final
12th 100 Failed Rope Climb (by 0.11 seconds) Final
13th 100 Failed Rope Climb Final
14th 100 Failed Jumping Bars Third
15th 100 Failed Metal Spin Second
16th 100 Failed Devil Swing Third
17th 99 Total Victory (2.56 seconds to spare) Final
18th 96 Disqualified on Shin-Cliff Hanger† Third
19th 100 Failed Flying Chute First
20th 2000 Failed Downhill Jump Second
21st 100 Failed Gliding Ring Third
22nd 100 Failed Slider Jump First
23rd 100 Failed G Rope Final
24th 100 Failed Jumping Spider First
25th 99 Failed Circle Slider First




Yuuji Urushihara, a shoe salesman and an Unlimited Cliffer member.
Competition Start Position Obstacle Stage
21st 72 Failed Flying Chute First
22nd 77 Failed G-Rope Final
23rd 99 Failed Unstable Bridge Second
24th 93 Completed Final Stage (3.57 seconds to spare) Final
25th 100 Failed Double Salmon Ladder Second



( the columns are inline on wikipedia, just bare with it)








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PostSubject: Re: Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete   Dishonoring A Legendary Athelete Icon_minitime

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