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Sacred Heart surgeon bringing Ninja Nation to Spokane

Ninja Nation has inked a deal with a Sacred Heart surgeon and his wife to make Spokane the first city in the Northwest to host the business, which includes obstacle courses. (Courtesy of Ninja Nation)
Ninja Nation has inked a deal with a Sacred Heart surgeon and his wife to make Spokane the first city in the Northwest to host the business, which includes obstacle courses. (Courtesy of Ninja Nation)
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

A Spokane surgeon who previously competed in American Ninja Warrior has inked a deal with Colorado-based Ninja Nation to develop an indoor arena that features obstacle courses like those used in the popular television show.

Dr. Alexi Matousek, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, and his wife, Sarah, have signed a deal with Ninja Nation, company spokeswoman Marliese Balek said.

“Right now, they are looking for real estate locations,” Balek said of the Matouseks.

Ninja Nation has five indoor arenas and seven mobile courses operating in Colorado, Texas, North Carolina and California. Fifteen others are in development, founder Wayne Cavanaugh said in a news release.

Balek said the mobile courses are designed to set up in various locations

“We are thrilled to be expanding into Washington for the first time,” Cavanaugh said. “Spokane is a flourishing city, and we are confident that Alexi and Sarah are the perfect partners to help us lead the way in our expansion efforts in the area.”

Efforts to reach the Matouseks were unsuccessful. But Balek, the company spokeswoman, said her understanding was that the couple were seeking to open an indoor facility and a mobile facility.

Founded in 2017, Ninja Nation provides facilities for adults and children to play, train and compete by overcoming obstacles.

That same year, Alexi Matousek reached the finals of American Ninja Warrior in Cleveland. While competing on the show, he met Geoff Britten, who is the director of Ninja Nation Equipment Group.

“I met Geoff in Philadelphia during the filming of season eight of American Ninja Warrior,” Matousek said in the news release. “I have the utmost respect for him and his devotion to the Ninja sport and community. The immense support provided by Ninja Nation and their incredible franchise model makes owning a gym possible for us.”

The Matouseks operate a nonprofit navigation program in rural Haiti that guides illiterate and extremely disadvantaged patients through the process of surgical care. They hope to partially support that effort through profits from their Ninja Nation locations.

“We both have lifelong commitments and experience in global health and fitness,” Sarah Matousek said in the release. “Everywhere we go people are excited about having a Ninja Nation arena in (the) community.”