People often ask me how I got into Pole fitness. It was actually a friend of mine who decided to have a pole dance lesson included as part of her Hen do which became the start of my pole journey. I have to say it was such a laugh and really got us all doing things we never thought we’d ever try. As most of us were mothers with excess weight and little confidence, to then be dancing round a pole, doing spins and feeling good about ourselves was an excellent achievement for us all. After this event I then found a local pole dance class – Pole2Pole – to begin regular lessons in Pole fitness. I started my lessons in February 2009 and from then on I was completely hooked.
Pole fitness is the first form of exercise that I have ever really enjoyed. I’ve tried many gyms around where I live but I find that I get bored or lose motivation very quickly and it certainly costs a fair bit of money, whereas with pole dancing I cannot wait to get there and be put through my paces and pushed to try new things that I never thought I would be capable of. Since starting pole dancing I have become fit and strong and have gained loads of confidence. I would say that I am fitter now at 40 than I’ve ever been throughout my entire life.
One of the many other aspects of Pole fitness that I love is all the wonderful new friends I have made. Many of the girls I met when I first started doing Pole fitness were beginners too and are still in the class with me today. We have all become very close friends and have watched each other grow and improve and get fitter as time has gone on. We also encourage each other to push ourselves and try things we wouldn’t normally do, for instance pole dance competitions.
I have to say if someone had said to me three years ago that I would be entering pole dance competitions I would’ve laughed at them. But then in November 2010 I entered The Essex Pole Dancing Competition (In-House) run by Pole2Pole and held at Capones Nightclub in Benfleet, Essex. All the instructors at Pole2Pole were really supportive of everyone that entered the competitions. The great thing was that all of the competitors worked together, helping each other to get the routines right and make improvements here and there. This happened despite the fact that we were competing against each other. That’s how supportive the Pole industry can be. I didn’t place anywhere in the competition but I really loved the fact I had done it and survived. I’d never felt so nervous in all my life, but it was worth it and a real achievement for me personally to do a routine in front of an audience.
I then entered the same competition the following year in 2011. I did more lessons and practised a lot to really improve on my fitness and strength. I was still nervous but having done one competition already, I knew what to expect. This time I couldn’t believe the fact that I actually won The Essex Pole Dancing Competition (In-House). One of the judges came up to me afterwards and said they couldn’t believe how much I had improved and how much more confident I was since the previous year. I was so proud of myself for doing something so scary but exhilarating at the same time. I also loved the fact that all my pole girlfriends were so happy for me.
Having won the Essex competition I am automatically entered into The British Isles Pole Dance Champion 2012 competition being held at The Civic Hall in Grays, Essex this year on Friday 19th October 2012. I am already working on my routine for this and cannot wait for this next challenge. Pole fitness has opened up a whole new world to me and I feel that anyone who is looking for a new and exciting challenge to either boost self confidence, get fit or just to meet new people and to have a laugh, I would definitely recommend Pole fitness to you.
I’d like to say I owe a lot to my husband who has always been so supportive and put my pole up at home for me to practise on. He has also put up with my ramblings on about moves he knows nothing about and how excited I get when I conquer a new move or how frustrated I get when it isn’t going according to plan. Either way, he has seen the positive effect this has had on me and continues to support me on my continuous pole dancing journey.
