At USA Ninja Challenge Santa Maria, the equation for playful fun is a little bit of jumping and swinging plus cargo nets, ropes, and rings. Add in lots of safety padding, and it equals the perfect space for emerging ninjas to train.
The Santa Maria gym is a locally owned and operated franchise of USA Ninja Challenge, a growing business that has dozens of locations nationwide. It provides curriculum and training for locals to run their own gyms, like Djibril and RaShawna Coulibaly. The couple opened their doors at the Town Center mall in December 2025.
Parties, camps, and more
Register for classes at USA Ninja Challenge Santa Maria by visiting ninjasantamaria.com. The gym is located at 371 Town Center East, space H64, in Santa Maria. Call (805) 268-7795 for more details.
Open to ninjas from 4 to 17 years old, the hour-long classes have a ratio of eight students to one instructor, and six students to one instructor for the younger groups. Djibril and RaShawna were trained by USA Ninja Challenge, and they recruit athletes from the community to become instructors, too.
“The one thing we look for is absolutely a passion for working with children,” Djibril said.
He’s been a soccer coach for 20 years and enjoys watching students develop their skills and confidence. Years ago, he noticed young players were lacking a fundamental physicality. Djibril wanted to bring back the multi-dimensional movements he experienced while climbing trees and horsing around as a kid. Watching American Ninja Warrior led him and his wife to discover USA Ninja Challenge.
RaShawna has a background in teaching music, but now as a gym owner, her passion has expanded to seeing kids grow athletically and build greater self-esteem.
“It’s just a joy to see them conquer something and figure things out on their own,” RaShawna said.
USA Ninja Challenge categorizes different types of movement that students practice in class, which can all be modified to meet the needs of individuals. As ninjas progress through the obstacles in each level, they move up and receive a T-shirt to celebrate their achievement. They graduate when they’ve completed all the levels.
Ninjas improve mentally just as much as physically, the owners said. Obstacles increase self-confidence, help kids focus, and develop problem-solving mindsets.
“This is open to absolutely everybody,” Djibril said. “What we are trained to do, and what we train our instructors to do, is to really meet the kids wherever they are and try to help them progress from there.”
Closer to summertime, the couple plans to start classes for ninjas as young as 2 1/2 years old with accompaniment by an adult. Learn more about camps, parties, and membership registration by visiting ninjasantamaria.com.
Highlights
• The city of Santa Maria updated its online platform for community members to report nonemergency issues. Users can notify city departments about graffiti, abandoned vehicles, streetlight issues, and more. The city improved the service’s Spanish translation and location mapping. Neighborhood Connect is available at cityofsantamaria.org/connect.
• Lompoc Parks and Recreation’s annual father-daughter dances will be held in the evenings on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. Dancers will enjoy refreshments and games at the Anderson Recreation Center (125 W. Walnut Ave.) from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Doors will open each night at 5 p.m. for photos. Tickets cost $30 per couple and $15 for an additional child. Visit cityoflompoc.com/recreation to purchase tickets.
• The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County reminds Central Coast residents that they have until Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. to submit comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) draft proposed program for offshore oil and gas leasing. Under the proposal, BOEM would permit up to 34 offshore lease sales across 1.27 billion acres of federal waters, including six new potential sales off Northern, Central, and Southern California. According to the League of Women Voters, these areas haven’t seen any newly executed offshore leases since the Reagan administration. Submit comments via regulations.gov for Docket ID: BOEM-2025-0483. Find more information at boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/national-program/national-ocs-oil-and-gas-leasing-program.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in January 22 – January 29, 2026.