What does pole mean to you?
As part of a recent Pole Sports competition we asked our students to tell us what pole means to them.
There answers are truly personal and inspiring.
If you are thinking of giving pole a go, trying to find your pole spirit again, looking for a motivational pick me up then check out the stories below!
“What pole means to me:
Fun, satisfaction, the most powerful antidepressant I’ve tried, something to look forward to constantly, and feeling like what my body can do is awesome.
As a kid I saw other kids swinging and climbing and was too scared to do that but wished I could. So having the chance to do that now and being more excited than scared, is lovely. It’s also nice to realise I’ve gone from the first lesson where I was too wimpy to let my feet leave the ground in a fireman spin, confused as to how the motion of a spin works at all, and thinking maybe pole wasn’t for me, to now feeling like I need pole to breathe.
I always liked the look of gymnastics but it sounded too strict, pressurising and serious the way it was coached. Pole takes hard work and dedication but the atmosphere is really fun and the combination of that with music, dance and gymnastics mixed together is amazing. I love the fact you can pole and achieve moves you never thought would be possible for you, without having any gymnastics experience.
I like the feeling of getting stronger, and the satisfaction of achieving something that took ages to get. If I’m having a bad day, I feel so much better as soon as I start poleing, and during that time I’m not thinking about anything else.
The amusement of getting stuck wrapped round a pole in a weird position or being told ‘and now just… let go’ when letting go feels like a really bad idea tongue emoticon However then feeling impressed with your own body when you finally let go and realise your body is a lot stronger than you thought it was.
Unlike running or swimming laps which feels so repetitive and dull, I get really excited about pole and when my body is aching in a nice ‘I worked out way’ later, I am surprised as pole doesn’t feel like what I associate with exercise.
What inspires me about pole: Watching people add such a range of dance styles and personalities to the pole, incorporating acting or even comedy into the mix. I am also inspired by the confidence, strength, flexibility and grace of those performing moves that look like an illusion defying gravity.”
Becca
“Pole to me means confidence and happiness. It means feeling comfortable in my own skin, and loving it. It means that I can take a step back from the pressure put on me and just appreciate the beautiful, strong and graceful organic machine that my own body is. And if I’m not that graceful at first, it’s still a start. It means being proud of progress, and appreciating every little inch more I can deadlift myself, and every second more I can hold myself up. Pole, to me, means loving myself. It means loving and supporting anyone who’s with me, testing themselves in the studio.
It’s taken years for me to start loving who I am, and pole has played an enormous role in the process.”
Astrid
“Pole to me means finding myself spinning and climbing on my pole every time I enter my bedroom even if I get up in the middle of the night! It means being happy to be covered in bright pink tape and bruises! It means asking my husband for a crashmat for my birthday and dragging him to competitions. Most important it means having a laugh, building strength, losing weight and making friends!! #TeamTempest“
Mandy
“I’ll keep this as short a possible about what pole means to me…
I got into pole via an ex-girlfriend who was a poler. When we were out, she’d do some street pole and I was amazed by it and naturally wanted to try. So I was shown how to invert and managed to do it straight away (Well, sort of ha). I then took to doing some private lessons with her.
During this time, we went through a very bad break up and I was thrown into a pit of despair and didn’t want to do anything or see anyone. But I enjoyed pole and thought I’d attempt to keep it up as it made me feel good about myself and I enjoyed it as a way of fitness as I just get bored at the gym.
So I was in a predicament, I could either continue going where I went before and potentially bump into my ex, or try somewhere new. As Durham was closer for me than Newcastle, I got in touch with Tempest and enquired about attending a class (Bearing in mind I’d only ever done one on one classes so to turn up to a class full of women (Strong and amazing women at that) was nerve racking to say the least (Especially due to the things that had been happening in my personal life).
But the class was fantastic and I was made to feel welcomed by everyone and obviously kept going back and after 9 months of doing pole, it’s completely changed who I am and for the best. My fitness and strength has come on leaps and bounds and I’ve started to appreciate and enjoy my own body. Then there’s the confidence thing, I can imagine it being hard for a woman to turn up to a class full of other women and very intimidating, but being a man is probably harder… After the months of doing pole though, it’s made me much more confident as a person which is just amazing and such a blessing.
At first, pole was something for me to do to help me get over some one and now for me, pole is a way of life in a sense. I don’t know what I’d do without it and I can only dream big for things that I want to do and where I want to be in the future. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing people such as Gillian, Sam and Anita, who have pushed me when I have a no-can-do-attitude and made me progress to do things I had only dreamt of doing in the past. I can’t wait to see where I am in a years time and what I’ll be doing. All I know, is that I’ll definitely be upside down and loving life! #TeamTempest“
Keith
Many thanks to everyone who took part!
#teamtempest
