Travis Allen Schroeder (トラビス・アレン・シュレイダー) served as a Salvage Diver in the United States Navy at the time of his two SASUKE attempts.
He made his debut in the fourth competition. There, he managed to score the top time of the day in the First Stage and impressed many by powering his way all the way to the Third Stage. There, he reached the Pipe Slider, but he pushed the pipe too violently, which resulted in the pipe separating from the track, resulting in disqualification. He and Ebihara Masakazu are the only competitors to do this. Actually, he wasn't notified about this disqualification, hence he continue his run and actually able to make Pipe Slider's jump. This was confirmed by Travis not being wet when doing the interview at the aftermath and the fact the second pipe was seen at the end of its track. The interviewer then mentioning "It was a great job, but, it's not really in an accepted way, so, I am very sorry to tell you that", further indicating that he did finish the Pipe Slider's jump. It is commonly believed that if he hadn't been disqualified on the Pipe Slider and had cleared the stage, he could've been the first American to achieve Kanzenseiha, as Navy training involves heavy amounts of rope climbing.
He then returned in the fifth competition, expected by many to make it to the Third Stage again. He said that he already studied his movement during the previous tournament and that he already train his grip and running, but mentioning that he didn't train pipe sliding. However, turns out, the renewal made him ran into problems, specifically the new Jump Hang as he get tangled on the net, which used up a lot of time. He also took two attempts on the Soritatsu Kabe (which no one in that tournament was able to beat it on the first try). Ultimately, he stunned many when he ran out of time on the Rope Climb later in the stage. Despite mentioning in his interview that he would like to attempt SASUKE again someday, he hasn't competed since.
While Schroeder retired after SASUKE 5, his partner, Kevin Lee, was a competitor in SASUKE 6.
Travis is, to date, one of only three Americans, to complete any version of the Cliffhanger, the others being Kane Kosugi (Cliffhanger Dansa) in SASUKE 8 and Drew Drechsel (Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger) in SASUKE 32.
The spelling of Schroeder is not certain. Pronounced SHRAY-der, Ninja Warrior spells his last name "Schraeder," but "Schroeder" is the more common spelling and G4 is not a reliable source on SASUKE competitors' names. Since his appearances on SASUKE, it has been confirmed that his name is spelled "Schroeder".
Results
| SASUKE | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 94 | Failed Pipe Slider (Third Stage) | Disqualified. Pull the pipe off its track. |
| 5 | 91 | Failed Rope Climb (First Stage) | Time Out. One of four to attempt Rope Climb in the tournament. |