Aly Larson makes the seemingly impossible look easy. The 2023 graduate of Corner Canyon High School and Draper resident has spent years mastering the arts of aerial silks, contortion and foot archery. She performs professionally at public, private and corporate events and appeared last December in a circus in Wyoming. This summer, viewers can watch Larson compete on season 17 of “American Ninja Warrior.”

“I like exposing people to things they’ve never seen before,” she said. “I love performing and the audience interaction. When I perform, I feed off of the audience’s energy. When they go crazy, I feel like ‘they want to see more!’”

Larson has achieved her dream of becoming a professional foot archer and circus performer through years of hard work and dedication. “I started out with dance,” she said. “That lead me to a skill set of strength and flexibility.”

About 10 years ago, she began her study of aerial silks at a local studio. “Silks were my introduction to everything circus,” she said.

In 2018, Larson saw a contestant on “America’s Got Talent” shoot an arrow with her feet and was inspired to try it. She learned to stand on her hands, acquired a toy bow and arrow set and started practicing. It took about five years of training for her to master and perfect the feat to perform it professionally. “I did it for the talent show at Corner Canyon,” she said, “Those were good memories!”

Currently, Larson is the only professional foot archer in the state of Utah and performs at events both in  and out of state. In 2022, she was in a halftime show for the Utah Jazz. Last fall, she was a mid-show entertainer at the TEDxSaltLakeCity conference. Most recently, she performed in ZirKiss Entertainment’s “Cirque Dream Story,” a holiday-themed circus show in Gillette, Wyoming.

When she was 13, Larson had the opportunity to compete in “American Ninja Warrior Jr.” “It was a good experience,” she said. “I like to try new things. Recently, I had another opportunity to apply and got accepted. I will be in season 17 which will air this summer.”

The “American Ninja Warrior” competition was taped last fall in Las Vegas. Larson competed in a quarterfinal course with six obstacles. She is keeping mum on the outcome until the program airs.

Larson’s younger sister, Arianna, is also a skilled aerialist on the silks and is a figure skater. Their mother, Maritza Larson, said, “It’s been an exciting journey. It makes my heart very happy to see them happy.”

“Aly has always been very athletic,” she explained. “Both my girls tried every single thing--soccer, ballet, hip hop. We’re always telling them to believe in themselves and don’t be afraid of falling or failing. We always said ‘try it’ when they were little. We encouraged them to be inspiring and encouraging to other kids.”

When she is not performing or training, Larson is completing coursework at the University of Utah to become a physical therapist one day. “Time management helps me to succeed in school and athletics,” she said. “I train almost daily and balance that with my school work. I’ve always been drawn to a career in athletics and find physical therapy very interesting.”

Larson also loves music and has taken up deejaying, but “circus work” is her passion. She wants to build her career and perform as long as she can.

“I really like how I can have fun while doing something that’s athletic,” she said. “I love when I have little girls come up to me after a performance. I love being someone’s inspiration.”  

“American Ninja Warrior” season 17 will premiere on NBC in June 2025. λ