POWELL — Ninja blood runs in the Yee family.
Brother Dylan Yee and sister Sydney Yee grew up watching NBC’s American Ninja Warrior in their Powell home.
Enamored by the strength, speed and agility of the warriors on TV, the duo would replicate their moves on the furniture in the house.
“We always would climb around the house, see what we could do to replicate the ninjas. I would say my parents got a little annoyed at that,” Dylan said.
Now, as a 17-year-old rising senior at Olentangy Liberty High School, Dylan has competed on the show twice and once on American Ninja Warrior Junior.
Meanwhile his sister Sydney, an 18-year-old incoming freshman at Ohio State University, has competed on the show four times, and once on American Ninja Warrior Junior.
Season 18 is airing now. Dylan made it to the Central Regional Finals course where he lost competing against two other ninjas on the same course, which is new to the show.
And Sydney did not make it past qualifiers, but she was a finalist on season 16.
Sibling rivalry is nonexistent to the Yees
Both competed on seasons 17 and 18 together, but rather than a heated sibling rivalry, they were each other’s biggest cheerleaders. That’s been true their whole lives.
“We’ve always been really close,” Sydney said.
The similarities between the two go back years. Both were Boy Scouts, took some of the same advanced placement classes in high school and competed in track and field. Both are musicians — Dylan plays cello and Sydney plays violin — and both are members of Mensa, the world’s largest and oldest high-IQ society.
Then, 10 years ago, they added another shared interest: training to become ninja warriors at Movement Lab Ohio in Worthington. They still train there three times a week.
Sydney is the known as the ‘Sly Ninja,’ a nickname that stems from her initials, Sydney Lynn Yee. She made history as one of the youngest ninjas to compete.
“By the time I turned 15 is when they lowered [the age limit] to 15, so I was one of the youngest people competing on my season,” Sydney said.
Dylan became the ‘Happy Ninja’ because even when it’s crunch time, Dylan always wears a smile.
“When I went to like all these different competitions, everyone would see me smiling and happy, so they were like, ‘Oh, you should become the Happy Ninja.’ Because even on the course when you’re supposed to be serious, I was always energetic and happy,” Dylan said.
No signs of stopping
Their happy, supportive energy is why they keep returning to the show as two of the 240 selected out of the thousands who apply.
“Everyone wants everyone to succeed. It’s not like a rivalry sport type thing. Even if I hit a buzzer, I still want my competitors to hit a buzzer,” Dylan said.
Dad Ken Yee said behind the scenes, the ninjas all give tips to each other on how to best navigate the course.
“It’s not easy to get on, and to keep repeating too, but they keep getting invited back. So we’re very grateful,” said mom Christina Yee. “We call them our American Ninja Warrior family; everybody is so loving and so supportive.”
Dylan said the show has brought him humility for those very reasons. He doesn’t expect to return every season, but he’s always grateful to be there.
Sydney said the show has helped her gain confidence through seeing how she presents herself on and off the screen.
Sydney will study pre-nursing at OSU with a goal to get into the nursing program sophomore year. Dylan has his eyes on Georgia Tech University for chemical engineering next year.
Regardless of where they end up, neither have plans to give up their dreams of becoming the next American Ninja Warrior any time soon.
Both submitted their applications to be on season 19, and hope to hear back soon.
