Pole Fitness versus Pole Dancing

There has been some talk lately about differentiating between sexy pole dance and Olympic-minded pole fitness.  I spoke by e-mail with my friend, Rita from Russia, about the varying degrees of sexy on the pole.  She said in Russia they have several styles:  Pole Fitness, Pole Sport, Pole Artistic and Pole Exotic (a cross between Pole Artistic and Erotic Pole Dance -- undressing is not allowed, heels are okay, vulgar moves are forbidden).  Insofar as the conversation between Rita and I went, I would put stripping in the "exotic" category.  I think, for this post, my break down is a little more simple, even though I can understand what she means with each of those categories.  For this post, I am talking about pole dance and pole fitness (which would be the same as pole sport to me).  I am sure the line is different for every single person, so I write here about MY opinion about the difference between pole fitness and pole dancing.  I am sure yours may be different and you are welcome to leave any comments below on where you draw the line.

I have talked about stripping and pole before, although in this post, I am not talking about stripping.  I do, however, understand that even though stripping is in pole dancing's roots, some people really do "need" to differentiate stripping from pole dancing for their own personal reasons. 

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/02/stripping-vs-pole-fitness.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/01/stripper-versus-pole-dancer-debate.html

I feel like pole fitness competitions or showcases usually leave the six inch stilettos out.  They seem to be more tricks/contortion-based.  And I feel like pole dancing competitions should encompass the beauty of the dance, sexy or not, and may or may not include shoes (perhaps this is where the difference between pole art and pole exotic might come in).

Long ago, I weighed in on the Olympics debate by saying, I didn't care.  And I still don't care.  You can read that post HERE.  I support those who want to get pole into the Olympics, but it's not my personal cause.  However, the pole fitness cause is near and dear to the hearts of those wanting to get pole into the Olympics. 

Recently, I posted a blog from Pole Dance Italy about getting pole into the Olympics.  You can read that post HERE.  I excitedly posted it on Facebook and tagged KT Coates, a pole fitness pioneer from the UK, who is leading the charge to get pole into the Olympics.  I thought KT would be happy to have another ally on the Olympics front.  I'm confused about what exactly happened, but KT was not happy with our post.  She kept telling us how disappointed she was with our negativity.  We still don't know why she was so upset.  Most likely it was simply because Pole Dance Italy didn't cite her as the pioneer of attempting to get pole into the Olympics in their article.  However, you can't assume that someone in Italy knows that someone in the UK is passionate about a subject, even in this day and age of over-sharing on the Internet.  I was really saddened and disappointed by the exchange on Facebook.

Anyway, putting that aside, I wanted to post about the World Pole Sport Championship, scheduled to take place in London this summer.  You can check out their website HERE.

The organization description reads:

JUST days before the start of the 2012 London Olympics, the world’s finest pole sports athletes will come together to compete for the title of the first 2012 IPSF World Pole Sport Gold Medal Champion. 

Since its arrival on the mainstream fitness scene, pole fitness, as a sport, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of its athletes and has doubled in popularity annually across the world.

Far from being just about pole dancing, pole sports or ‘vertical gymnastics’, requires strength, athleticism, creativity, and grace.  And pole sports athletes across the world are ready to get their sport recognized by the greatest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games.

Hosted by the International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF), it’s hoped that this year’s World Pole Sport Championship, to be held at the York Hall Leisure Centre in London on July 19th and 20th, will serve as the foundation of the future of pole sports as an Olympic competition.

There are three separate categories in which competitors can qualify for: Women’s Singles, Men’s Singles, and Doubles.  The top athletes of each category will be awarded the International Pole Sports Federation’s gold, silver, and bronze medals.   

The IPSF is an organization for promoting athletic competition in pole sports and uniting pole sports athletes around the world. Its aim is to make pole sports more prominent in the sports community and to get pole sports competitions in major global sporting events such as the World Games and the Olympics.   

In addition to the competition, they will be holding a summit:

The IPSF is holding a first ever International Pole Sports Summit at the competition where everybody is invited to share ideas on the pole sport Olympic movement and ways to improve, support, and promote it. This is a golden opportunity for athletes, international and national organizers, and pole enthusiasts to exchange information on their experiences. This will help the IPSF to govern the pole sports movement in order to achieve our shared goal of Olympic recognition for pole sports.

So I would now love to hear everyone's opinion on the difference between the various types of pole.  Which type do you prefer?