On August 16 and 17, it was that time again: one of the most popular ninja competitions of the year took place in Karlskron. Stefan Angermeier invited the ninja community to his legendary Infinity Zone. In addition to lots of fun and a bit of obligatory rain, a new mode awaited the athletes. Here is my recap:
When you ask the Ninjas about the competition in Stefan Angermeier’s garden, you only hear positive things. A special atmosphere, loving care from the Angermeier family, and awesome stages are part of it every year. But the most important thing for most Ninjas is the time spent with the community. Two days among friends, just like in a big family. What other competition offers that?
Once again, many ninjas gathered in Karlskron on this August weekend. The starting field was strong, ranging from well-known athletes from the show (e.g., Yasin El Azzazy, Mellli Schmitt, and Jaan Balkheimer) to the most impressive youngsters (including Jonas Elting) and strong masters. Even athletes who had announced a break or who rarely participate in competitions did not want to miss this event. This year’s competition format consisted of a total of five stages (four qualifying stages and the final). Regardless of the final, every athlete had so much Ninja time that it was definitely worth the trip. Everyone got their money’s worth here.
Day 1: No Infinity Cup without…
When I set off from Munich on Saturday (August 16), I was already worried that the weather would throw a spanner in the works for the Infinity Cup 6.0. There had been thunderstorms all night, and in the morning it was damp and the sky was dark gray. Fortunately, I was largely mistaken. The closer I got to the Infinity Zone, the brighter the sky became. Still gray, but at least bright 😉 Once all the athletes had arrived, we were able to start right away with the briefing and the first two stages. By the way: the best athlete in each stage received a bonus that allowed them to do a re-run in the final to potentially improve their score.
Stages 1a and 1b took place simultaneously. This meant multitasking for the spectators, but also plenty of action in the frames. The women started on one side and the men on the other. And the weather? It held up, even though the sky kept turning ominously dark and there was light drizzle at times. The top three men in Stage 1a were Julian Rieger, Lukas Homann, and Lukas Kilian. Stage 1b looked similar (Julian ahead of Frederik Becker and Lukas Kilian). In the women’s competition, Alina Tornau, Nicola Wulf, and Lotta Kokemohr secured places 1 to 3 in Stage 1a. Stage 1b saw a similar picture (Nicola ahead of Rebecca Dißmann and Alina).
After the first two stages, it was time for lunch with meat, vegetables, or grilled cheese, freshly prepared by the “chef himself,” aka Stefan’s dad Harald. After all, the Infinity Cup is always a family affair 🙂 For dessert, there were also cakes and muffins contributed by Tiano and his dad, among others, who come every year to watch and support. Incidentally, all catering (during the day) is on a donation basis – everyone is happy to contribute something.
The rain had been waiting for the lunch break. No sooner had the last athletes completed the stages than it started. Fortunately, it wasn’t too heavy or too long. It didn’t dampen the mood either – after all, it wouldn’t be a Stefan Angermeier competition without rain 😉 The ninjas passed the time playing games or with umbrellas in the pool 😉
Speedstage with extra length
After a slightly extended break, the competition continued with the speed stage. Wait a minute, speed stage? That’s probably what some of the competitors were thinking during the briefing. Because although the stage was fast, it was also long. However, the obstacles were exciting again and definitely doable at speed. Nicola, Alina, and Lotta secured the top three places in the women’s competition, while Julian took first place for the third time, followed by Jonas Moritz and (also for the third time) Lukas Kilian. All this took place under the watchful eye of a special guest: Max Görner, who will probably miss the entire season due to injury, suddenly appeared as a spectator in the Infinity Zone in the afternoon 🙂 It was great to have you there!
Unfortunately, Lukas Homann, who is actually very strong, was unable to compete in the speed stage due to shoulder problems. Then it was time to call it a day. In the evening, everyone enjoyed pizza and spent time together with the community, either in the pool or, for the highly motivated athletes, “playing” in a frame that is no longer used in competition.
Day 2: Wild Skills
After a night spent by many athletes in tents or campers in front of or behind the Infinity Zone, and a hearty breakfast, Sunday continued with the skill stage or skill competition. Here Stefan had once again come up with a number of challenges for the athletes, who had up to three attempts per obstacle, but only ten attempts in total. From two mini canes, they moved on to rings and UFOs to bungee ropes. This was followed by a pendulum jump, which the Ninjas had to trigger themselves. From there, they moved on to the boomerang slide, which also had to be triggered, and the balance obstacle made of tires and foam cubes. This was followed by the triangle jump before moving on to the buzzer. Not so easy, but super exciting for the spectators, and the athletes also had fun with the obstacles (at least that’s how it looked ;)). The top 3 here were:
- Jonas Moritz/Nicola Wulf
- Lukas Kilian/ Lotta Kokemohr
- Jonas Elting/Viktoria Krämer
Balance-Showdown in the Finale
After a break, it was time for the final stage. This wasn’t particularly long by Infinity Cup standards, but it was pumped up and featured what some athletes described as a “balance obstacle from hell.” This proved to be the sticking point for many ninjas. The surfboards could only be stepped on at the left and right ends, not in the more stable middle. A more than shaky affair. The top eight women and the top 15 men (actually 17, but two athletes were unable or unwilling to start) competed.
At this point, I will briefly summarize the results from back to front. Unfortunately, it was over very soon for Tim Wolf (checkpoint: cucumbers), who was actually consistently strong. What a shame! Unfortunately, seven other ninjas didn’t get much further, as the competition ended for them at various checkpoints on the swing wings. These included: Jaan Balkheimer, Adam Chadly, Marius Bender, Steffi Drach, Rebecca Dißmann, Marlies Brunner, and the incredibly strong Lotta Kokemohr, who had impressed in the qualifying stages. At Checkpoint Dismount 2, several athletes also lost their places at the front of the field (Bernhard Schwarz, Frederik Becker, Alina Tornau).
Then came the big sticking point: the balance obstacle, which was more than a challenge for many ninjas. For the women, the surfboards were also the last achievable point of the stage for the top three. In the men’s competition, seven athletes made it past this point, including Franky Schmidpeter. Yes, you heard right! Franky is becoming a Balance Pro 😉 In the end, however, only three men were able to buzz and thus decide the three podium places among themselves. Congratulations to Jonas Moritz (1st place), Jonas Elting (2nd place), and Mika Bertram (3rd place). Also: Mika is only 13 years old and the other two also just 17 and 18! The youngsters are taking over 😉
Here are the remaining places in the men’s competition (4th to 10th): Julian Rieger, Yasin El Azzazy, Franky Schmidpeter, Andy Schlegl, Lukas Kilian, Ben Buchholz, and Fabian Singer
In the women’s competition, it ultimately came down to a tiebreaker on the balance obstacle. However, the athletes had already agreed in advance to share the prize money, as they had all fallen at virtually the same point on the balance obstacle. The result of the battle on the balance obstacle was: Sina Schwarz ahead of Viktoria Krämer and Nicola Wulf! Congratulations, you power women 🙂
At the award ceremony, the winners of the individual LKs were honored alongside the day’s winners. Congratulations also to all of you whom I cannot mention by name here without going beyond the scope of this article 😉 All athletes can be proud of their performance! You are all amazing and the best community anyone could wish for.
All in all, it was (and I think I speak for everyone here) another incredibly wonderful Ninja weekend! So, once again, a huge THANK YOU to you, Stefan, and to everyone who always helps you make these great competitions possible. I’m already looking forward to next year and the Infinity Cup 7.0 😉 And till then: see you soon here on my Blog!