Women in Ninja event returns to Edmonton this September as official world finals qualifier

Women in Ninja (WIN), the foremost all-female obstacle-course event in Canada, is bringing its premier competition to Edmonton for the third consecutive year — and this time, it's an official world finals qualifier.

The event takes place September 12–13 at Fitset Ninja (11511 120 Street), an indoor gym dedicated to the sport. It's open to ages five through 50. Top performers can qualify for the ninja world finals in Pennsylvania.

Kelea Ravyn-Robertson, WIN's founder, started the event because the show she loved — American Ninja Warrior — didn't have properly adjusted courses for women. "It's almost like the guys are racing to be fastest to the buzzer," she said. "But for the most part, you see for the women it's the fastest to the fourth or fifth obstacle." As a mother of three daughters, Ravyn-Robertson was inspired to create something that catered to all women equally. She contacted her friend Megan Budway, who competed on the show and created a U.S. competition called NinjaFemme. Together they launched WIN.

Ravyn-Robertson has been embedded in the sport for years. She sits on the executive board for the sport's world finals and has watched, trained, coached, and participated in competitions. "It's kind of like I lived and breathed it," she said.

The event has been held at West Edmonton Mall for the past two years. Changes in the women's game have already become noticeable in official tournaments, with course differences implemented across competitions worldwide — a shift Ravyn-Robertson credits partly to WIN's growth.

In just three years, sign-up numbers have grown significantly. Year one had only 74 athletes; this September's event will host 150. Many of these women will qualify for the world championships. "We wanted to incorporate it and make it known in this community, and grow this cool sisterhood," said Ravyn-Robertson.