Pole’s position
By Milt Higgins
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| Moss & Reyes at Teazers Pole Fitness Dance Studio, Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added Golf and Rugby to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, but another growing sport which requires physical strength, artistry and determination, proceeds to gain attention for its inclusion in the games-pole sport.
The Pole Fitness Association first petitioned the IOC for pole sport to become an Olympic sport for the 2012 Summer Games in London, according to CBS News. The IOC denied their request to compete in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero too.
“The difference between gymnastics and pole sport,” said Tor’keese Moss. “ Gymnastics uses horizontal bars and pole sport uses a vertical ‘bar’(pole).”
Moss, the owner of Teazers Pole Fitness and Dance Studio in Myrtle Beach, S.C. said many former gymnasts enrolled in pole classes at her studio gave her that feedback when comparing the two sports. She said gymnasts over the age of 18 came to her studio for pole sport because it’s hard to find gymnastic classes for people their age in the local area.
U.S. Pole fitness studios grew by three times (500) in a 5-year timeframe in 2013, AnneMarie Davies, founder and chief executive of United Pole Artists, said in a Los Angeles Times interview in 2013.
Pole Sport became an annual event at the 2014 Arnold (Schwarzneggar) Sports Festival held in Columbus, OH because of its growth. According to the event’s website, thousands of pole studios and gyms opened worldwide. The festival includes other Olympic sports, such as: archery, fencing, gymnastics, table tennis, tennis, swimming and weightlifting.
“Pole and dancing continue to be associated with sexuality,” said Valerie Reyes, a Pole Sport Master Fitness instructor at Teazers. “There are specific classes for sensual pole, this is not one of them.”
She said there is a difference with pole sport and those that dance in exotic clubs. She said pole sport teaches you flexibility, how to incorporate acrobatic moves, all the way down to how to keep the toes pointed when executing those moves to avoid losing points when competing. She said you won't find that in strip clubs.
Portions of the U.S. host regional pole sport competitions. The host pole association divide the contestants into gender, single dancers or duos, skill level or age group. The skill level dictates the moves allowed or disallowed according to Pole Sport Organization. Ages range from 4 in the youth category to 40-plus in the Masters.
Tor’keese Moss said she’s had competitors as old as 66 come to her studio. She said it’s not just about competing, but getting in shape and boosting confidence.
Amber Johnson, 31, broke her back when she served in the Army. She learned how to walk again. She used pole fitness for six years to get back in shape.
“This is the best shape I’ve been in since boot camp,” she said.
Johnson said she used to be timid and shy, but since conditioning with Pole Sport her confidence is at an all-time high.
On January 20 NBC affiliate WMBF-TV named Teazers Pole Fitness and Dance Studio the number one Best of the Grand Strand 2014 dance studio, further validating pole sport's growth and popularity. It competed against other forms of performing arts which required strength, artistry and endurance.
The IOC voted to include Wrestling back into the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Pole sport didn’t finish in the top three of the vote according to its website.
In December 2014 the IOC approved host cities to request an additional sport of their choosing, according to the Associated Press. The Japan Olympic organizers may request baseball/softball (both dropped in 2008) because of its popularity in that country according to the same report.
