'American Ninja Warrior': Clemson graduate to compete on NBC show

Verdale Benson doesn't shy away from a challenge.

It's why he served in the United States Army. It's why he became a physician assistant. It's also why about nine months ago he started training to become a ninja.

An "American Ninja Warrior," that is.

The 37-year-old Pendleton native and Clemson graduate recently learned his training paid off. He's going to compete on Season 10 of NBC's "American Ninja Warrior," which features hundreds of athletes trying to make it through difficult obstacle courses.

"I was the kid that climbed trees — it was natural for me," Benson said. "I took the class and I was hooked: 'This is my calling. This is what I've got to do.'"

Benson applied for the show in December, definitely not expecting to make it. He said he was shocked when he finally received the call in early February saying he'd be a part of the competition.

"I called my wife and told her and I was like, 'Well this is it. It's here,'" Benson said. "I'm already a driven person, but it's so much easier to get out of bed in the morning and train. It's like, 'It's not even hypothetical anymore, man, you’ve got to get up.'"

Benson trains five days a week, often twice a day, and focuses on high-intensity interval training and body-weight calisthenics. He works out at a gym specifically for American Ninja Warrior-wannabes and veterans in Concord, California, where he and his wife now live.

Thousands have competed on the show since it first aired in 2009, but only two people have ever completed the courses and won. Knowing that fuels Benson. 

"This really applies to anything in life — are you willing to put up the time?" Benson said. "I want to be a champion, and you can't go about this halfway if you want to be a champion."

The sport's draw is a blend of mental discipline and physical stamina, he said. Being able to do countless pull-ups and endless push-ups will only take a competitor so far. 

"It's not just being strong," Benson said. "You really have to approach each problem like a puzzle. It's like chess, right? You’ve got to think several moves ahead in order to reach your goal."

Growing up, Benson lived and went to school in Pendleton. He spent weekends and summers in Clemson and later earned his undergraduate degree in microbiology at the university. 

After Clemson, he joined the United States Army as a medical service officer and served in Afghanistan from 2004-05 and Iraq from 2006-07. He earned the combat medic badge and a Bronze Star for his service, and said his time in the Army kept him physically fit after college.

Shortly after he returned home, his father passed away. It was heartbreaking, he said, and incredibly difficult, but it inspires him each day.

"I had always played with what my passion was — I loved health, I loved science, I loved medicine," Benson said. "My father passed away from poor health and that kind of lit the spark to make a difference."

That spark led Benson to pursue his master's in medical science at Emory University to become a physician assistant. It's now his full-time job and his passion, he said — aside from ninja, that is. 

Benson said he has been dreaming about ninja obstacles, and the upcoming competition is always on his mind. Season 10 of the show premieres on Monday, June 12 at 8 p.m. on NBC, though Benson's competition and taping will happen on March 6 and 7 in Los Angeles.

"We're all training hard," Benson said. "What I just need to do is get out of my own head, get out there and have fun."

Follow Georgie Silvarole on Twitter @gsilvarole, or send her an email at georgie.silvarole@independentmail.com.