If you have NEVER pole danced...read this blog

Although this month's blog hop is about the sanitization of pole, I am not going to enter this into the hop.  But if you want to read other blogs on the same subject, click HERE. 

You can read my other two entries below:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-blog-hop-stripping-stripper-out.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-blog-hop-2-sanitization-of-pole.html

I have written many times about pole in the Olympics:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/03/weighing-in-on-debate-pole-dancing-in.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/05/pole-fitness-and-olympics.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/06/pole-fitness-versus-pole-dancing.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-do-you-get-pole-dancing-into.html

I also have multiple posts discussing the difference between sexy pole dancing and pole fitness or pole sports:

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

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/01/stripper-versus-pole-dancer-debate.html
  
http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2012/06/pole-fitness-versus-pole-dancing.html

A conversation in the Pole Dancing Bloggers group about International Pole Sports Federation's anti-doping policy for the World Pole Sports Championships (which is a requirement for pole to one day be considered for the Olympics) motivated me to write this post.  Whether we call it pole dance, pole fitness, pole erotic, pole artistic, pole exotic, pole sport, pole entertainment, circus acts, aerial arts, or anything else, aren't we still dancing on a pole?  At the same time, is it wrong that those who want to get pole sport into the Olympics need to distance themselves from those who dance in 8 inch heels?  Likewise, is it wrong for those who dance in heels to be offended by that distance?  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.


Anyway, if you have NEVER pole danced before...but have thought about trying...what draws you to it?  Is it the sexy side?  The dance -- whether you love ballet, jazz, hip hop or modern dance?  The athleticism?

And if you haven't tried pole dance, but REALLY WANT TO, what is holding you back?  

Just curious!  Please leave comments below. 

How do you get pole dancing into the Olympics?

Recently, the Pole World Sport Championship was held in London (right before the kick off of the Olympics) to show that pole IS an Olympic-worthy sport.  So it got me wondering how, exactly, you get a sport added to the Olympics.  It turns out that just really, really, really, really wanting it isn't enough!  There is a long freaking process to follow before a sport can even be considered for the Olympics.

According to Olympic.org: 

How does a sport become Olympic?

To make it onto the Olympic programme, a sport first has to be recognised: it must be administered by an International Federation which ensures that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter. If it is widely practised around the world and meets a number of criteria established by the IOC session, a recognised sport may be added to the Olympic programme on the recommendation of the IOC's [International Olympic Committee] Olympic Programme Commission.

Apparently, some sports first go to the World Games, although it is not a requirement:

Some of the sports that were on the program of the World Games eventually made it as Olympic sports (such as triathlon) or have been Olympic sports in the past (like tug of war). Participation in past World Games is included in the evaluation criteria used to select new Olympic sports adopted by the IOC on August 12, 2004. However, with the current position of the IOC to limit the Olympic Games to 10,500 participants, it is unlikely that many of the World Games sports will be elevated to the Olympic sports.

According to wikipedia, here is how an Olympic Sport is considered:

A sport or discipline may be included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world, that is, the number of countries and continents that regularly compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport's prevalence. The requirements for winter sports are considerably lower than for summer sports since many fewer nations compete in winter sports. The IOC also has lower requirements for inclusion of sports and disciplines for women for the same reason. Following the addition of women's boxing in 2012, and women's ski jumping in 2014, there will be no Olympic sport for men only in those Games, although women are still barred from several disciplines (but on the other hand, there are women-only disciplines, such as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming).

^{.  .  .}

These criteria are only a threshold for consideration as Olympic sport. In order to be admitted to the Olympic program, the IOC Session has to approve its inclusion. There are many sports that easily make the required numbers but are not recognized as Olympic sports, mainly because the IOC has decided to put a limit on the number of sports, as well as events and athletes, in the Summer Olympics in order not to increase them from the 28 sports, 300 events and 10,000 athletes of the 2000 Summer Olympics. No such limits exist in the Winter Olympics and the number of events and athletes continue to increase, but no sport has been added since 1998.

 . . .

In order for a sport or discipline to be considered for inclusion in the list of Summer Olympics sports, it must be widely practiced in at least 75 countries, spread over four continents.

If you would like to read the entire Olympic Charter (dated July 8, 2011), please click HERE.  

Here is a response posted on of those random question websites: 

According to Chapter 5, Section III of the Olympic charter [pdf], every edition of the Olympics must include all "core" sports. These core sports are chosen by the Session upon proposal by the IOC Executive Board. In the summer, they must include at least 25 of the sports governed by the following 28 federations:

<sup>- International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
- International Rowing Federation (FISA)
- Badminton World Federation (BWF)
- International Baseball Federation (IBAF)
- International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
- International Boxing Association (AIBA)
- International Canoe Federation (ICF)
- International Cycling Union (UCI)
- International Equestrian Federation (FEI)
- International Fencing Federation (FIE)
- International Association Football Federation (FIFA)
- International Gymnastic Federation (FIG)
- International Weightlifting Federation (IWF)
- International Handball Federation (IHF)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH)
- International Judo Federation (IJF)
- International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA)
- International Swimming Federation (FINA)
- International Union of the Modern Pentathlon (UIPM)
- International Softball Federation (ISF)
- World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)
- International Tennis Federation (ITF)
- International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
- International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
- World Archery Federation (WA)
- International Triathlon Union (ITU)
- International Sailing Federation (ISAF)
- International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)</sup> 

All of these except baseball and softball are currently part of the core.

In winter, the core includes only the sports governed by the following seven federations:

<sup>- International Biathlon Union (IBU)
- International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT)
- World Curling Federation (WCF)
- International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
- International Luge Federation (FIL)
- International Skating Union (ISU)
- International Ski Federation (FIS)</sup> 

The Olympic Committee also recognizes a number of other sports; the committee session at which the host city is selected can also specify that some of these sports are to be included in that edition of the games, but only up to a maximum of 28 sports (which gives quite a bit of leeway in the winter games).

For a sport's governing body to be recognized and hence be eligible for inclusion in the games, it must be in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code; but the final decision rests solely with the committee as determined by a vote.

Baseball and softball have been removed from the games as of the 2012 edition; this opens up two slots. Those slots will be filled by golf and rugby sevens in the 2016 and 2020 games, bringing the total back to the maximum 28. Golf and rugby are not, however, part of the core, so they could be dropped as early as the 2024 games.

So, there is a lot that needs to happen before pole can be recognized as an official Olympic Sport.  I know the International Pole Sports Federation is working hard to make it happen.  As for the 75 country requirement...let's start taking a poll.  I can gather data based on who clicks on my blog, so I know I get a lot of readers from around the world.  Please post a comment below with the country (you can include city/state/etc.) in which you live and share this with your other friends around the world so we can show that pole IS worldwide! Oh yeah, and which sport(s) would you remove to make room for pole?

P.S. on 7/31/2012: I brought this up on Facebook and did the math.  If Olympic events are decided 7 years in advance, pole has only one year to "prove" itself to get into the 2020 Olympics.  Realistically, that means pole may not even have a fighting chance until 2024 (although someone did mention that pole made the short list in 2009, so maybe it is closer than I thought).  Anyway, 2024 is 12 years away, so that would make the current age of a future pole Olympian about...8 years old?  Possibly younger.  What do you think about that?

Oh, The Sexy Has Been Broughten...or Something Like That

Last week, I posted about UPA's Bringing Sexy Back Week.

Today, I present to you my video:



I believe that "sexy" means different things to different people.  I don't really think I embody the popular sense of the word.  But what makes me feel sexy is being comfortable in my own skin and being able to turn down the lights and dance like no one is watching.  This free dance was kind of hard for me because I had a few people in the studio watching while I taped it.  I also felt like I danced a little stronger in my first attempt, but I slipped a little during a spin then laughed, so I scrapped that one.  I taught class then filmed my second attempt between classes after I was all sweaty.  I was a little more tired but I also think that helped me slow down a little bit (and I feel like I still need to slow down even more).

There is a battle being waged on Facebook.  This week, I have seen Pink Pole Power's posts about bringing elegance daily.  I don't know if it is directly in response to UPA's Bringing Sexy Back Week, but the timing would indicate that it might be related.  (Side note: even though I started this sentence talking about waging war...I didn't mean to indicate that Pink Pole Power was the one waging the war.  I am referring to some conversations I've had with other people on Facebook.  No disrespect meant to PPP, I love them!)

My friend brought up on Facebook that she was tired of hearing about the pole fitness versus pole dancing debate.  She personally wasn't interested in the sexy side of pole dance but she liked that pole dance was versatile enough to embrace all types of dance.  But she also didn't like the debate because she thinks everyone should be accepted.  I don't want to blame the Olympics push, but there are definitely some groups that would like to see a little bit of a divide so that they can distance themselves from the strip club roots.  And I feel like this debate will continue to happen, along with other growing pains, as our industry becomes more mainstream.  There will be those who need and want pole dance to be more like gymnastics -- very tricks-based and not sexy whatsoever.  And there will be those who remember the roots of the sport -- and actually dancing around a pole. 

I am not saying there is not room for every kind of pole dance.  But I do not believe that this debate will be going away any time soon.

I know the quote from Claire at The Pole Story has also stirred some controversy:


If for some reason, the idea of your dancing being connected to the strip club scene is upsetting to you, if you desperately need to distance what you do from what those “other girls” do, if you truly believe that you are doing this because it’s just a really good workout, then I strongly suggest you spend some time thinking about why you chose pole dancing.  Because there are a million ways to get fit without putting on six inch stilettos, a bikini and swinging sensually around a pole.

So what about those girls who don't wear six inch stilettos and tiny bikinis?  What if you don't dance "sexy" at all?  While I understand that dancing in shoes, or dancing sexy in general, is not for everyone, I don't believe Claire means specifically that every single pole dancer has or will strap on six inch stilettos and dance like a stripper from a rap video (and, I am not speaking for Claire here, I am only telling you how *I* took her quote).  To me, she is saying, if the stigma attached to pole dancing bothers you so much, maybe you should find another source for exercise.  

So the debate continues.  I know I am instigating it by continuing to write about it.  But the topic interests me and the number of people reading these posts seems to indicate they are interested as well.

Please tell me how you feel about the debate.  Be kind to your fellow pole dancers, though!  Every type of pole dancing is accepted here!

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?

Pole Fitness and the Olympics

There has been a push lately to separate "pole dancing" and "pole fitness" so that pole can be included in the Olympics (and I have been working on a post about the difference between different types of pole dance).  That separation would also somewhat relate back to my post about children and pole dancing. 

The lovely Valentina from Pole Dance Italy has written an article about pole in the Olympics and has translated it to English for us.  Thank you, Valentina!!!

This is the original post in Italian: http://www.poledanceitaly.com/2012/05/pole-dance-olimpiadi/

Do we really want pole dancing at the Olympics games?

Forget high heels, sparkling costumes and crazy choreography ! We go to the Olympics.

Reading newspapers or press releases of associations in favor of pole dancing to the Olympics, sometimes it occurs to me that this race at the Olympics has done more to elevate the value of the pole dance and make a clean break with the environment of strip club instead of being   recognized for its educational value and the high level reached by sports athletes.

Just watch this video to understand what we mean when we say that pole dancing is a sport.

To bring pole dancing at the Olympics, maybe it's time to stop for a moment and start from the bottom. The national and international organizations should be united for once to find common standards, which would structure the discipline from the basics. This does not mean that the organizers of the many championship around the world are not working good, instead, that means we have to have a common goal and to lay the groundwork for achieving it.

To better understand what is missing to pole dance to make the leap, we looked at the regulations of one of the sports that we think comes closest: gymnastics. Visiting the site of the International Gymnastics Federation FIG is in fact possible to download the technical regulations, found HERE, which we consulted.

Reading the FIG Technical Regulations, 2012, we focus on six aspects that we believe are the most important bases from which to start. The list that follows, is not the absolute truth, but we believe might be the beginning.

Athletes Level
As a very young sport, there aren’t still some specific levels to divide the athlete. In other sports, the levels are often assigned by the age of athletes. If we think of the soccer chicks, newcomers, young, students, juniors and the spring. A regulatory system that regulates and organizes levels, would be useful to unify the championship as well as address training courses in the pole dancing school. In the future it could also mean that the championships will no longer be accessible to everyone as it is now, but limited to age groups. Anyway to overcome this shortcoming, we must find common rules for the certification of the level of athlete.

Elements and Combinations
About this we all know that in any city you go you find a different name for the trick and elements and combos on the pole. Every school, every nation, every region and city uses different names to call the trick, take for instance the Scorpio (reverse and engage with the outside leg) and Gemini (reverse and engage with the inside leg). We all agree? Of course not. It is therefore necessary a common standard for the names of elements and combinations.

Qualifying
In gymnastics championships qualifiers are different according to the discipline. Often, however, are composed of different competitions, held over several days, with the elements and combinations established, or selectable by the candidates on the basis of codes drawn up by organizations. At present the majority of the qualifiers for the national and international championships, is done by sending a filmed choreography that is evaluated by a jury other than that it will judge during the competition. Without going into details of the working of qualifications in gymnastics, we understand that we need common rules for the selection to the championships. Although participation in the future will be bound to send a video, we might think of having two choreographies one with a combination of fixed elements or combo and the other one with elements selectable by the participants from a list of possible combinations. In this way the judges can be impartial and evaluate the technical and executive ability of the athlete.

Evaluation of competing
In some pole dance championships there are two categories under which athletes can participate: Pole Art where is judged the more artistic side of the performance, and the Pole Fit in which it is judge the side more gymnastics. We have to forget it and switch to an evaluation method based on common and precise standards, among which:

    ~ Codes of scores;

    ~ the definition of the value of each element, or combination of elements in an exercise;

    ~ the classification of penalties for performance and execution errors;

    ~ the requirements relating to the composition of the routines, whether compulsory or optional;

    ~ the classification of errors of composition and the penalties applicable;

    ~ the deductions for misconduct, errors, contraventions of the Technical Regulations or any other provisions

This list is not exhaustive, refers to some of the markings on the FIG Technical Regulations 2012, but represents a minimum codification  required in the evaluation methods of participants in competitions of pole dance.


Judges
Who are the judges and what skills they have to judge the athletes, we read in the FIG Technical Regulations 2012: “In order to act in any of the judging capacities, it is necessary – except in the case of members of the Executive Committee acting on the Jury of Appeal – to possess the judges' brevet of the FIG currently in force and, where so required, the classification appropriate to the judging function in question.”

It should be noted that in many disciplines to get the judge brevet, you must have practiced the discipline in question and sometimes to have gained a national or international competition. At the time the judges in pole dance are pole dancers  (international or national champions), the representatives of the federations or celebrities in dance or in the show industry. If we stick to FIG regulations, it must be created an institute for the issuance of pole dance competition judge brevet and define minimum standards of access.

Poles
In the majority of the pole dance competitions are usually used two poles, one in static and one in spinning mode, positioned at a distance between the one and the other of 2 or 3 meters, with a size ranging from 38 mm (Australia) to 50 mm (United States), chromed steel as the X-Pole, and with a height ranging from 3 meters to 4 meters. The type of pole used is critical, athletes have to train on the pole that will be used in the race and know exactly the location and height of them.

We are of course leaving out many other fundamental aspects, but we believe that those presented in the article are sufficient to open a constructive debate on the subject. We would also like to see the international organizations to sit down together and develop common standards valid worldwide. In Italy we are ready and willing this to happen, and take part in the change.

So, what about you guys?  Are you ready for pole in the Olympics??