Meet the Team

The People Behind the Obstacles.

Ultimate Ninjas Academy Naperville is a family-owned business run by people who genuinely love working with kids. Small classes, trained coaches, and a team that knows every child by name.

Meet the owner

Melissa Rogers

A former collegiate dancer at Michigan State University, Melissa's love of movement continued as she found her way to practicing and eventually teaching yoga in Sydney, Australia. Years later, her two children became super fans of American Ninja Warrior, which eventually brought their family to Ultimate Ninjas Naperville. In 2017, Melissa and her children began their ninja careers as a family. As her and her aspiring ninjas were training and competing together, Melissa found her home in coaching ninja. For the next few years she traveled the country with her two children, who were competing at the national level in this fast growing sport, while continuing to coach and mentor many aspiring ninjas in the Chicago area. In 2021 she got to support her daughter Cecily when she competed on American Ninja Warrior Junior.

After observing growing interest from younger and younger ages, Melissa created a mobile preschool ninja program in 2018. Lil Beast Ninjas, named after her daughter's ninja name, offers programming in preschools in the western suburbs of Chicago that introduces this growing sport to the littlest of ninjas. This venture led her and her business partner to develop a preschool program at Ultimate Ninjas. The creation of this program is what would ultimately become Ultimate Ninjas Academy. With 7 years of ninja coaching experience, as well as working under 8 time ANW competitor and 6 time national finalist, Jesse Labreck, Melissa was the perfect fit for opening Ultimate Ninjas' inaugural Academy location.

Melissa, her husband Jeff and their two children James and Cecily, live in Naperville and are so excited to bring this vision to their community. Ultimate Ninjas Academy is a true family business with everyone involved. They look forward to meeting you and your family!

Angie Michuda

Manager

Angie is thrilled and honored to be a part of the FUN at Ultimate Ninjas Academy alongside Melissa! To be a part of a brand new gym for little ones is the perfect opportunity for her to bring two of her greatest passions together: early childhood education, and physical fitness! She holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in Family Community Services (young child emphasis), and has been a preschool teacher for the past fifteen years. She has also previously worked in children's programming with Lifetime Fitness. Throughout those years of teaching, her passion for fitness and exercise grew, and she has since participated in countless endurance events. She loves collecting new medals! In addition to those two passions, she is also the proud owner of a self-named photography business since 2014.

Her and her husband Steve, along with their two children, Luke and Cora, have lived in Naperville for the past 15 years collectively, with a small stint of about 5 years in Las Vegas, NV in between. They love to explore, travel, play sports, and be outdoors whenever possible. Recently, they have also added a new chocolate lab puppy to the family named Frisco.

Angie has always admired the strength and determination of anyone who can take on the challenge of learning and completing Ultimate Ninja obstacles, and she looks forward to incorporating more of that into her personal fitness routine as she embarks on this new journey! She couldn't be more excited to teach your child(ren) the basic and introductory fundamentals of ninja and skill building, all while growing confidence, and having FUN along the way!

How we coach

What Our Coaches Bring to Every Class.

We hire for temperament first, technique second. The best coach isn't the one who knows the most obstacles - it's the one a shy 4-year-old decides to trust.

Trained for young kids

Our coaches specialize in ages 9 months through 8 years. That's not a wide net - it means they understand what 18-month-olds need versus what a 7-year-old can handle.

Small classes, real attention

We keep class sizes small so coaches know each child by name, notice when they're struggling, and celebrate when they break through a challenge.

Gentle encouragers

Coaches don't push. They create the conditions for kids to push themselves. Nervous kids aren't rushed. Every child works at their own pace.

Development-focused

Physical skills are the vehicle. The real goal is confidence, focus, persistence, and the kind of grit that transfers to every other part of a child's life.