... And, Finally Back... (The Finale)

It's time to announce the winner of the 2013, Capital of Texas Pole Championship, Doubles Partners award. Ta dah! We won!!!!! The announcer says, "Lisa and Patrick," and for a few seconds Lisa and I are just standing there as if our ears were clogged. It finally hit, WE WON! What an amazing feeling! We walk up to the front, where we get showered with gifts, a trophy and sash. It was way too much to process. To be honest, I'm still not sure what happened right after that. I really think I was in shock the whole time. All that work paid off!

But how did we win, when no one was really clapping?

Well, as the night was winding down, we were getting stopped by so many people saying we did a great job, and how moved they were. Apparently, our performance was so emotional, people wanted to cry more than clap. Now, coming from the person who has been practicing to this song for so long, I felt zero emotion. I was damn near sick of this song.

So here we are... A title under my belt, and ready to take on future endeavors...

And, here is our winning performance:

... And, Finally Back... (Continued)

With two weeks before the competition, I started to feel the pressure. A lot of, "What ifs?" were swirling in my head. I started to think about what other people do to help relieve themselves of the pressure, and prep for such events that involve performing. I really didn't know what I could do to help me.

On a recent trip to the dentist, I was told that I had a cavity, more than likely due to the gobs of gummy candy I consume in a week. I'm not lying about this, I swear I eat more in a month than a person should have in a year. Finally, it hit me, "give up candy!" That's it! I would give up candy for the next two weeks, and treat myself once I had finish my routine. It was a perfect plan.

Competition day is here, April 6, 2013, the moment of truth. Lisa  and I arrive at the venue, and they had set up a huge room for all the competitors to prepare, warm-up, practice, etc. Lisa and I spend our time going over some things, using the spare poles to practice a few moves. It was a pretty productive use of our time, and then the other contenders start to roll in. Oh crap! These women, beautiful, strong, talented... They started doing some fancy tricks in preparation for their routines. Lisa and I look at each other with this, "well, let's just go out there and have a good time at least" face. Ha, ha, we knew our routine was more dancey, and less tricksy, so this just reaffirmed our doubts, we were not winning this one.

I would've thought the nerves would hit me, but they never really came. To be honest, all I thought about for the most part was the huge stash of candy I had hiding in my bag. The candy deprivation really worked! To hell if we won this pole competition, at the end of the night, I still win these bags of candy. That's all that was running in my head.

Performance time! We get our call to head to the side stage, and we wait as this amazing duo are just killing, getting people to cheer and holler. It's hard not to look, but I try my hardest to divert my eyes from the scene, because I'm sure it would've just been a mind spank to see what they were doing. It's finally our turn, we go up on stage, in front of 300+ people, and do everything just like we practiced. It went really fast, too fast, I didn't even get a chance to process anything. There wasn't much clapping from the audience, yet I wasn't bothered by that. I'm getting my candy! Where's my candy??? Seriously, that's what I was doing, thinking about candy.

I get my sugar fix, and we get to breathe. We hang around the theater patiently waiting for the awards portion at the end of the night. I wouldn't say we were eager to got up on stage for the awards part, judging by the lack of applause we had received. At the end of the night, we finally get called on stage for the presentation of awards. Lisa and I find our way to the back, hiding our faces. They had two awards to call out that evening, a "crowd pleaser" award, and the big, champion award. The crowd pleaser award goes to the amazing women who went before us, and I could see why, they had the audience making noise the whole time. I heard they were killing it!

And then...

...And, finally back...

Alright, people. I suck at keeping up with these things. I guess it's my job that hinders my time. I spend eight hours, Monday through Friday, looking at a computer screen. When I get home, a computer is the last thing I want to look at.

Let me recap you all on what's been going on. I'm still poling, and I love every bit of it. It's so sick that it's all I think about these days; just sitting at work thinking of a cool trick, or combo to try. I'm finally understanding a little more about how my body and balance works, and I think there's that moment I've been waiting for, where I can link the connection between my body and the trick. Whether, or not, I can do it is a different story.

Back in January, a very strong poler in the Houston pole community, Lisa, asked me if I would like to do a doubles routine on the pole for some open house, at a pole studio. To much regret, (not really) I was unable to commit because I had planned a trip to DC and NYC, and it would've been hard to practice with vacation on my brain. I'm saying not really, because I was still at a point where I was not feeling confident in my pole skills. I declined the offer, but asked to keep me in mind for future prospects, in hope she would never ask me. Ha, ha.

Lo and behold, in February, Lisa comes to me with the idea of doing a performance for a small-scale competition: The Capital of Texas Pole Championships, in Austin, Texas. With high hesitation, I accepted the offer, not knowing what to expect. I think most of my fears were pacified when she clued me in that this was the first year this particular competition was being held, and that it would be small-scale. I figured this would be perfect for getting performance jitters out of the way. Plus, this was a "two birds with one stone" situation, because not only would I have to perform in front of people, but also compete in front of judges.

For the following two months, Lisa and I worked very hard to meet between our hectic schedules to work on our routine. We had several ups and downs, omissions and additions, bumps and bruises. I even kicked her in the face at one point; sooooooo embarrassing. The competition was April 6, 2013, and as we got closer to the date more details started to emerge about our fellow doubles competitors, and the venue.

The doubles aspect is fairly new to the Texas Pole scene, so we figured we'd probably only compete against 3 other teams, or something like that. Turns out, including us, there were SEVEN teams, also including another co-ed team. To top off that terrifying news, we find out there were some serious teams we were being pitted up against. These are some real, serious girls going full force, who have so many gravity-defying tricks under their belt. After Lisa and I heard the news, we had that, "we are getting spanked" look.

We brush it off, and continue practicing, only to hear word that this first, annual competition, is getting bigger reception and they venue would need to change to fit more people. It turns out the venue that was originally planned for the competition was too small, and a bigger one was sought out, for 300 people! 300 people!?!?! I thought this was going to be "small?" Adding to the hurt, it turns out the show is sold out. This is supposed to be my first, ever, entry into the performance world, and it has to be in front of 300 people! Dear God what have I done?

To be continued...

About Me: Where I Started

I haven't gotten around to this because I'm awful about keeping up with a blog.

Where I started ...
I started taking pole classes back in January 2011. I was looking for ANYTHING that didn't involve me going to a stinky gym to lift weights. I had just finished my second week of ballet classes that month. Yes, ballet classes, I don't discriminate, and neither should you. So, a friend of mine told me about a pole class she had went to with her friend, and for some reason her friend backed out and she need some buddy support. I figured, "I've already tried ballet, it's not like I can't be any more adventurous," and I agreed to go.

We end up riding together to class. I was extremely nervous, and I think most of it was because I knew this wasn't going to be a co-ed type of situation. So. we arrive at the studio, with the outside dressed brightly in neon lights, and the inside filtered with red lighting everywhere. Sure enough, I'm the only male in class. I think my biggest fear was that I was going to get looks from everything in there, asking, "Why the hell is he here?" We meet our instructor, Sierra, and she greets us with a smile, and helps us get situated. I struggled! Struggled like no one's business! "This pole crap is HARD," I thought. So, by the end of class, I've found that I've sweated like I've been running a marathon, so a workout was accomplished. On the way home, my friend and I discussed our experience in class that evening, all of which were positive from both of us. We agreed that we will continue to go to class to see where this could take us.

Thankfully, I found a Groupon for that very studio the following week, and totally hooked myself up with some discount classes. It had been love since then. I tell people that my friend got me into it, but secretly, I like to joke that Groupon was the matchmaker in all this.

I continue going to this studio for a whole year. Learning new spins and eventually inverting. That was a big feat for me, as the idea of being upside down has always scared the Rice Krispies out of me. I refused to back down from this, so I just kept working hard. And, it just so happens that I found a video of my first invert attempt!

After finally inverting, I eventually moved on to other tricks. I had built such an amazing support system within the pole studio, that I felt like anything could be accomplished. The funny thing is that my friend, who introduced me to pole eventually stopped going, and I stayed. The pole studio owner, the instructors, and all the classmates seemed to be quite welcoming to a guy in class. I really feel thankful for this, because I still find that men are not getting as much consideration for showing an interest in pole. I still consider myself lucky.

And so began my pole journey ...

Shirts vs. skins ...

Last week was the first time, ever, I had taken my shirt off for a full class session. Yes! I've been poling for one year, and eight months, and this is the first time!

Okay, so I wanted to start this off with that awkward opening because it really is an issue for class: shirts vs. skins. I can understand the feeling of not wanting to take off my shirt, I have always been self conscious about my body. I was quite the chubster when I was younger, and all throughout my twenties I had a soft midsection. When I first started taking pole classes, I would wear a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. That was fine for a month or so, but it did eventually get in the way, with all the loose parts of clothing. Eventually, I moved on to ribbed tank tops, which was a drastic improvement. Everything seemed to be form-fitted and no loose clothing got in the way.

So this goes on for a months, and months, and months, until I finally start taking spinning pole classes. Oh man, talk about a completely different ball game. First off, you definitely need more strength on a spinning pole, than you would on a static one. Well, last week, I am in class working on an amazing little combo and I just kept sliding. Part of me knew that if I was going to get this, I would have to go at it bare chested. I flung off my shirt, and wouldn't you know, it worked! All this time, I had been struggling with moves, but was always so hesitant to release the one thing that was hindering me from succeeding.

I guess my point to the story is that I had battled with this inner demon of showing my midsection, and it took me so long to discover that my self consciousness was only holding me back. I still see other people dealing with it in class also, but not that many. It seems like I was the only one who kept holding myself back.

This "epiphany" has taught me a few things:

1. Pole is about discovering your body and your mind.
2. No one is watching your stomach (or love handles in my case).
3. The more skin, the  better- you will stick easier!
4. You'll have a less sweaty shirt at the end of class.

In conclusion: A word of advice, get over yourself, and just take off the damn shirt. It will make pole life easier.

Patrick

What to Wear: Covering the Necessities

This is an interesting topic, especially for those of us who are a tad modest. If you are the least bit familiar with pole, and you’ve seen the videos, you know what we wear. The women in a bra and panty type situation, or the men in nothing but a pair of skivvies, This may seem a bit off-putting. I can honestly say, even I was a skeptic about the validity of skin exposure. That’s where most of  the “stripper” stigma comes from I would assume. It wasn’t until I actually took a few classes that I realized it’s pretty much essential to bare some skin. Pole can definitely be a “less is more” situation.

            I remember my first class; I wore some knee length gym shorts and a t-shirt. I survived just fine for the first few classes in that attire. I started  over a year and a  half ago, so my memory is fuzzy, but I recall the first few lessons being all about spins. I would, however, recommend that if you do choose to go that route you at least wear shorts that you can roll up a bit, because you will, at the very least, need the back/side of your knee skin. Eventually, I realized that I was getting nowhere in average gym shorts, so I had to reconsider what I wore.

When I first started pole I was very much a Modest Marty. The idea of exposing thigh was traumatic for me, so I continued using gym shorts, rolling them up higher and higher as the moves called for more and more skin contact. If you do this you will see that heavily rolled-up shorts will do nothing for you but make you look silly. 

 Looking back from my experiences, I want to leave some advice, by providing better alternatives:

1.     Running shorts – A very good option for the modest. They provide decent leg exposure, provide enough loose fabric, and come with a snazzy lining to hold all your naughty bits in one place. Where these shorts could be a potential problem is during advanced moves where the loose fabric could possibly get in the way with hand placement. Even with running shorts, there is a possibility of having to roll up the legs a few times, but totally manageable.

2.     Women’s Gym Shorts – Yes, sir, I said it, “women’s gym shorts.” This is what I usually wear to pole classes, when I’m not poling at home. Most women’s workout wear tend to focus on more form-fitting clothing, and usually shorter leg lengths. You can usually find women’s gym shorts for cheaper than men’s clothing, which is even better. If you are at all feeling insecure about rolling up at the lady’s department of a sporting goods store, just hold up a piece of paper and pretend like you’re shopping for a lady friend. Or, if you actually have a lady friend to go with you, they could definitely provide a decoy for your shopping needs. That’s what I did; I had my friend Michael (girl) come with me. She stood by me while I looked for what I could handle. Ha, ha!

3.     Compression Shorts/Dance Shorts – Things like UnderArmor fall under this category. As you can imagine, compression shorts are tightly fitted around your body, but offer some decent leg coverage. These are pretty good because there isn’t any loose fabric getting in the way at all and you can pretty much guarantee that everything, and I mean everything, stays in place.

4.     Undies! – Yes, dancing in your underwear is 100% acceptable when it comes to pole. Just so we are clear, I’m not referring to boxers, those won’t work. I’m talking about some form fitting boxer-briefs or briefs. Now this may scare you, but when you get to the point of advanced moves, you will be thankful for the minimal coverage and more bare skin. I usually tend to wear this at home. Just as a side note: if you choose underwear, please make sure they are clean and not ratty looking. That’s just not right if you come rolling up to class in busted underwear.

5.  Leather pants - I can't vouch for this, but I do believe you can sport some leather pants that offer a decent grip compared to your legs. Just keep in mind, you're going to be do a lot of physical activity, so it may be too hot. Personally, I think they are too expensive, too hot, and not any less embarrassing than our other options.

Some key points to think about when looking for pole clothing:

·      The more skin exposed, the better; you’ll need the thigh skin

·      Whatever you choose, make sure you have good “twig-n-berries” coverage

·      You aren’t the only one who may feel vulnerable, most others will be exposing skin too

·      You are there to learn, just like the rest of the class, and it’s highly unlikely people are staring at “you”

·      You will quickly learn that you will get warm, fast, as it’s a legitimate workout

·      Try whatever works for you. If you don’t like it, then switch to something else!

You have to keep in mind that you are there in class with others who want to be in class. It may feel like people are looking at your body in an explicit way, but it’s really not the case. Students tend to be just as exposed and focused, so they have their own crap to deal with. The studio owners should’ve already weeded out any perverts who are there to stare at bodies. From my experiences, most studios clearly state policies that prevent such occurrences from happening.

Relax, you’re going to be doing so much fun stuff that you aren’t even going to care what your attire is.

Not A History, But An Introduction to Pole Dancing for Men

This particular entry has taken me forever to work on. I guess it's a little overwhelming to find such great male pole dancers/artists/athletes, and then choose which to reference for this post.

Let's start with what most of us know when we hear the words "male" and "pole dancing." For someone completely new to pole dancing, you may very well have limited references, relying mostly on mainstream media. I'm guessing that the most televised demonstration of male pole dancing would have to come from Season 6 of America's Got Talent, in 2011: Steven Retchless.

Now let me first start off by saying, nothing he just did was easy, and he did it in heels on top of that. Retchless presented a mix of strength, agility, flexibility, and grace. I commend him for presenting something new to a show that gets a lot of viewership. That alone was a brave step in the right direction towards the awareness of pole fitness and dancing. I would like to, however, make a statement to those of you who are new to pole, which is: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WEAR HEELS to pole dance. Heels are completely a personalized style, and nothing required for what you may want to do... neither are the shiny hot pants.

Before you click that BACK button, Steven also does routines without heels, just sayin:

Amazing, isn't he?

Let me repeat: HEELS ARE OPTIONAL, NOT REQUIRED!


How about we find something older than 2011. Here is a video of Dave Kahl, the Male Division Ultimate Pole Champion, at the International Pole Dance Fitness Championship - Tokyo 2009:

Notice the different styles between Retchless and Kahl. That's the amazing thing about pole dancing: it's so dynamic in the sense that you get to mold it to your own personality.


On that note, I leave you with one final video for this post, my personal favorite, Josiah "BAd AZZ" Grant:

 He's definitely a force to be reckoned with. Expect me to post more of his work in the future.

There are so many amazing and brilliant pole dancers/artists/athletes around, and I this post can only go for so long. I know I've left out some amazing people, but trust me, I'll definitely be writing about them in the future.