When not in a lab coat, University of Wisconsin graduate student and aspiring American Ninja Warrior contestant Zachary Kemmerer is climbing, jumping or running around the UW campus.
An athlete his entire life, Kemmerer is no stranger to physical activity. He was a top wrestling recruit after graduating high school and a member of the wrestling team at University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his undergraduate degree. After graduating from Pennsylvania, Kemmerer found his passion for biochemistry and received his master’s degree from Villanova University.
“I’m trying to make memories, try new things and be the best person that I can,” Kemmerer said. “I really strive to be the total package individual.”
When Kemmerer came to UW last year, a colleague introduced him to climbing at Boulders Gym, where he started to open his eyes to new possibilities. Finding the experience fun, Kemmerer continued climbing and also joined a UW parkour team.
Coupling his newfound interests with his athleticism, he started to see tangibility in taking his extreme sports activity to another level.
Working through the logistics was a concern, Kemmerer said, since graduate students are not allowed to have jobs other than their lab work. But after getting the thumbs up from his department, Kemmerer embarked on his path to become a contestant on the hit TV show American Ninja Warrior.
“People come up and ask me about it, but I feel like I’m getting more attention now even though I’m the same person and just as athletic as when I got here,” Kemmerer said. “Even when I take the elevator, I get some grief for that because people think I can just scale the wall.”
Kemmerer tries to train during “off peak” hours of the day, in order to avoid the busyness that can overwhelm downtown Madison.
Kemmerer said the university is a playground, and a bulk of his training happens around the Mosse Humanities Building. Other places include the Medical Sciences Building and Steenbock Memorial Library. He also said there is good set of rails he uses in front of the building next to the Red Gym.
But training for a national competition and the workload of a graduate student does present its challenges. Kemmerer said it is hard and he has a lot of obligations to his research. Plus, Kemmerer is in the second year of his program, which he said is usually the hardest.
Throughout the juggling though, Kemmerer said parkour and climbing have provided him with outlets to express a sense of discovery he said has always been a part of his character.
And his character on the show is what Kemmerer wants people to see, he said. Part of the auditioning process includes contestants being able to sell who they are to not only the show, but to the viewers at home. Contestants submit a video documenting their athletic ability, but more so their story and why they’re interesting enough to be on the show.
“I would love to represent the university on a national stage,” Kemmerer said. “It’s just been an unbelievable experience coming out here and trying these new things and going down these different routes. I’m meeting a bunch of people and I’m proud to say this is a life worth living.”
