PAPER TRAILS: Little Rock teen on 'American Ninja Warrior Junior' premiere; Arkansas' most popular candy?

HUDSON PRODUCTION: At school, Hudson Humphries is a Catholic High freshman and a member of the wrestling and physical fitness teams.

In his off time, the 14-year-old from Little Rock is a ninja.

Hudson can be seen participating in the series premiere of American Ninja Warrior Junior. The spin-off of the popular NBC series American Ninja Warrior will debut at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Universal Kids cable network (formerly Sprout; visit UniversalKids.com for channel listings).

Show description: "American Ninja Warrior Junior celebrates real kids taking on the iconic course with dedication and skill. Nearly 200 boy and girl Junior Ninjas from across the U.S. will face off on ... Ninja Warrior obstacles, including Sonic Swing, Tic Toc, Spin Cycle, and the Warped Wall." Three final winners will be named champions.

Mother Judith shares that Hudson "has been a fan of the show, the adult show, for five years or more. And about two to three years ago, he started competing; he went to a ninja camp up in Kansas City ...."

Hold up. Ninja camp?

"They're all over now," Judith says. "There are ninja gyms popping up almost every week." Everywhere, it seems, except the Little Rock area. So the family built one in the backyard.

At ninja camp, Judith says, "It became his 'thing.' And that's what we do now -- we travel all over the United States doing ninja competitions."

Upon hearing about the show, Hudson applied, submitted videos and was selected. Shooting took place in July in Los Angeles.

We catch him after school for a quick chat.

Hudson says about the show, "It was a great experience. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ... It was probably the coolest few days of my life."

Beyond the activity, he says he likes the camaraderie: "It's a great community with a lot of good people. They're always encouraging you to do better and to work harder, even if you're competing against them."

And speaking of competing, Hudson must go. This ninja has wrestling practice.

DANDY CANDY: Want to be the best trick-or-treat stop on the block? CandyStore.com produced a map of the "Most Popular Halloween Candy State-by-State."

The candy that supposedly makes Arkansans most jolly: Jolly Ranchers.

Really? Because those of us who prefer chocolate to lame hard candy think that choice is pretty Dum Dums.

Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 10/07/2018

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