After Jacob passed away, his mom, Sarah, decided that she would train for and hopefully compete on American Ninja Warrior because Jacob never would. She had never considered training for an upper body challenge like this because she had surgery on both shoulders at age 18 and was told not to compromise those joints or do too much over-your-head type of exercises. In spite of that, she began to do some traditional strength training in mid-October. Sarah heard about the Real Life Ninja Academy in Windsor, CT when Ms. Elizabeth told her about a commercial she heard on the radio, two weeks before it opened. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Sarah had her first opportunity to play on Ninja obstacles. 

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At the end of the first class, Sarah shared with Coach Joe Dubuc her motivation for coming to the gym that day. She told Joe that she didn't think she would be ready to compete on the upcoming Season 9 of ANW, so she didn't submit an application. A few classes after that, Joe told Sarah that he spoke with a Casting Director who said she'd have a good shot at "getting a call" if she submitted an application. Joe and Coach Jess helped Sarah film the video portion of her application; Joe even let Sarah wear his shoes because they're the best for getting up the warped wall. And with that, Sarah submitted her application for Season 9 of American Ninja Warrior.

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In the months following, Sarah trained at the Real Life Ninja Academy two nights a week. She competed in her first which was hosted by RLNA on April 1, 2017. In the beginner competition, Sarah didn't do very well, failing on a balance obstacle she'd faced many times. But in the experienced competition later that day, Sarah placed third among the females, some of whom had competed previously on American Ninja Warrior.

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Two days later, Sarah "Got the Call"; American Ninja Warrior was inviting Sarah to compete in Cleveland on May 8 for the City Qualifiers round. The Cleveland episode of Season 9 aired on July 10th, 2017 at 8:00pm on NBC. Sarah and her family couldn't be happier with the production of the piece that ANW put together about Sarah, Jacob, and their family. (You can watch the clip below!) Everyone on the crew and set of American Ninja Warrior and all of the Casting Producers and camera- and sound-people were amazing and so kind. The other ninjas that competed in Cleveland, in other cities, those that didn't get the call - the entire ninja community - have all been so supportive and welcoming. It is truly another family that has welcomed Sarah and the Poulins with open arms.