Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
PLEASANT GROVE — Sept. 26 is a day Jenedy Paige won't soon forget, but this time around, she hopes it will bring more joy than sorrow. This year, the day will be spent competing on the "American Ninja Warrior" stage in Las Vegas in memory of her son who drowned 13 years ago at the age of 3.
"My son's name was Victory Morgan, and he drowned in a swimming pool," Paige recalled. "He was riding his tricycle and the bike went in. When it happened, we were thrown into every parent's worst nightmare where you call 911, and you watch the paramedics work on your son, and you just keep wondering when you're going to wake up."
The accident happened in 2011, and Victory spent the next seven weeks in the hospital before losing his battle. It was a couple of days after he died when Paige found a way to cope with the grief: She went running.
"I was a casual runner until my son passed away, and then once he passed away, running took on a different life for me because it became a means for me to process stuff," she said. "My son passed away on a Saturday, and then I went to church on Sunday, and then Monday morning I got up and I went for a run. The weight of grief is so real and so heavy, and I just needed all these different ways to help carry it. Running went from something that was just kind of moderately enjoyable for me to being something that was therapeutic."
Paige began running longer distances including the half marathon, and as she regained a fitness level that she hadn't experienced before, she felt her body and mind wanting more. She joined a local gym to gain some upper body strength and then was introduced by a family member to bouldering. The act of conquering obstacles awakened something in her that would propel her into a world she didn't know existed.
"I had never bouldered before, and I fell in love with the idea that you have this problem that you have to solve, and you get stronger as you face your problems," she said.
Getting stronger in the face of adversity became a way of life for Paige, and she wanted to exemplify it not just for herself, but she had a burning desire to help others who may also be struggling. One day about six years ago, she said that she had a thought pop into her mind that she couldn't explain.
'Maybe God was trying to tell me something'
"I was at the gym, and I had this thought in my mind saying, 'You should apply for 'American Ninja Warrior,'" Paige recalled. "It was so strange because literally my only qualification for applying for 'American Ninja Warrior' was that I had watched 'American Ninja Warrior.' And so that thought was just absolutely insane to me. I just kind of pushed it aside, but then it was so weird because I'd go back to the bouldering gym early in the morning, and the thought just kept coming back.
"This was not my idea because I did not want to do it," she continued. "I grew up a very religious person, and I just thought that maybe God was trying to tell me something. So I literally said a prayer that I never thought I would ever offer. And that prayer was, 'God. I have a feeling that I should apply to 'American Ninja Warrior.' Is this something you really want me to do?'
She said the answer was "yes."
"I had spent enough time developing a personal relationship with God that when he told me to do something, I knew I should listen. I thought that maybe there would be a casting producer who would read my story, and it would mean something to them and maybe that's why God is asking me to do it," Paige said.
It turned out that someone did take notice, and in April of 2019, 34-year-old Paige got the call to be on the show in Tacoma, Washington. She described being intimidated as she waited for her turn to compete as "just a mom" surrounded by elite and even professional athletes. She said it was then when she felt a nudge from her son, Victory.
"As I went to the starting line, all of a sudden, I felt my son who passed away, and it was totally unexpected," she said. "I didn't expect to feel him there, but all of a sudden I just felt a voice say, 'Let's do this, Mom.' I feel like all of my hesitancy and the fear kind of left at that moment."
Paige was able to make it all the way to the fourth obstacle, which she learned was quite the accomplishment, not just for a rookie. Unfortunately, due to the editing process, her run wasn't aired on the show. And with it not being aired and her story not being shared, she started to wonder why God was asking her to compete.
For the next three years, she continued her goal of being on the show, and each consecutive year, she would apply and get the call to compete. And each year when it came time for the show to air, she would be notified that her run would not be shown on television. And then a difficult run last year, with a fall early on, devastated her.
A shift of perspective
As each year went on, and as Paige continued to improve upon her physical strength, she started to notice that her mental and spiritual strength was growing as well. Also an accomplished artist, she grew her professional studio and honed her craft.
In May of this year, one of her art pieces was featured in a video on YouTube by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The piece was an image of hands catching a falling sparrow as a "tribute to God's love for her and her family."
She said that as she has strengthened herself, she has grown closer to God and has been better able to understand what she describes as God's purpose for her.
"I was actually devastated last year," she said. "I remember going to my hotel room and just sobbing because I just felt so robbed. And then I felt God be like, 'Oh, wait, did you think this was about a TV show, Jen? Yeah, look at you. You're a totally different person. You are so much stronger. I care way more about the development of an individual than I do about a TV show.'"
With a shift in perspective, Paige decided to apply for the show one more time. This time, it was for her. Little did she know that when she got the call this past summer saying that she had made the cut, that she would be met with another message from God.
She would be competing on Thursday, Sept. 26, which would be the 13th anniversary of the day her son, Victory, fell in the pool.
"When they called me and told me that my run day was Sept. 26, I knew it was a message from God," she said. "There are a lot of other days in the year, and to have it on that day feels really beautiful and poetic, because I draw a lot of inspiration from my son, Victory."
While the verdict on whether or not Paige makes it to the buzzer on "American Ninja Warrior" will take several more months, Paige said that Victory will always be hers.
