Pole Fitness Olympics

Formally only ever seen in strip clubs, pole has transformed in recent years into a fitness phenomenon with it's own competitions and championships worldwide!

It's been interesting for us watching the way pole has developed in terms of its massive range of complex moves and the bar is constantly being set higher as dancers discover new and interesting ways of turning a simple metal pole into a piece of gymnastic apparatus. In the last ten years alone we have watched as pole slowly broke away from it's reputation as something only done by strippers and came into it's own as a sport. Pole practitioners went from being typically slim petite women to muscular athletes as more physically demanding moves were developed and more strength was required to keep up.

So much so has the discipline developed, that during the run up to the 2012 London Olympics there was even a petition for Pole Fitness to become part of the competition as a test event! Sadly, although the petition received thousands of signatures, the fact that it is still a relatively new sport and there is a lack of distinct and universal grading criteria for pole performances meant that we may have to wait a few more years until the dream of seeing pole at the Olympics is realised.

Despite that, the petition itself managed to bring a lot of attention to pole in a way that the public wasn't used to seeing, as a sport that requires strength, creativity, discipline, flexibility and co-ordination – just like every other Olympic category does. In fact, pole shares a lot in common with the gymnastic horizontal bar, so why should a vertical one so stigmatised?

Pole is also similar in a lot of circus skill disciplines, such as the Chinese Pole and Indian Pole which a lot of modern pole dance moves are borrowed from. It is strange in a sense that two very similar sports are viewed so differently by society! You'll be able to read more about the history and similarities between these art forms in next weeks blog, as it is such an interesting topic that it deserves a post of it's own.

Whilst we are in no way ashamed or embarrassed by our history and association with exotic dance, it is fantastic that pole is finally beginning to be recognised by society as a valid and challenging sport. We are incredibly proud to be part of such an exciting new movement and are proud of how the pole community has grown with the emergence of so many schools and competitions all over the world and have every confidence that one day we may very well achieve our place in the Olympics.