BassAddict started this discussion ·
What category do you think pole falls under? Similar to gymnastics, its acrobatic, it takes a lot of work. It is also part dance. would you consider it an extreme sport? Just curious.
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Angie La ·
My doctor calls it an extreme sport, and he takes this into careful consideration for all things when treating me. ;) It makes me proud to be considered as doing an extreme sport, as well as having such a great doctor, haha.
mikkixx ·
I don't know... I wouldn't call gymnastics an extreme sport! :P It's extremely taxing on the body, but most extreme sports don't actually need that much all-round fitness, they just give you a massive adrenaline rush from height/speed/risk of death e.g. hang-gliding, bungee jumping... But then again, my boyfriend is an aspiring basejumper/proximity flyer, so anything I do is pretty lame by comparison! :(
I call it extreme dancing :)
It can be. I will tell you that when I did Americas Got Talent, I had to sign a Dangerous Acts waiver before I could be booked for a city.
The question came to mind for me when I was thinking about when people ask me how I got such bad blisters or bruises. I dont want to tell everyone in the world that its from pole. Not everyone needs to know that ya know? So what would I call it? Extreme sport did come to mind but I wasnt sure if it was fitting enough. I thought about saying dancing for a second but thats not really my focus in this art. Thanks for the answers fellow polers :)
Tell them aerial arts.
Angie La ·
When someone continutes to pry me after I giggle and do a shrug, saying "well you'll have that sometimes"... I tell them it is nothing serious. If they are standing there like they are expecting me to explain why I have not left my husband for grabbing me so hard (hehe, arm pit holds) then I tell them I am a vertical acrobat. Most often this is when I say that I pole and tell them to "Google it" while I try to contain my laughter from all of the possible images that started flooding. 😁 I will say, it was MUCH easier for me to talk about it once my body changed and my arms really began shaping up. Most have asked me if they can come try! I have heard the great ones say to wear your bruises proudly, but it is hard when you are not sure how to explain a "taboo" sort of hobby. It's summer time so traces of our pole lives are bound to surface when we are wearing our new bare-all bikini and just spent the greater part of the week practicing supermans or knee holds. Once pole became such a big part of my life, what has helped to make me feel so great, I noticed started to not worry about what other people thought anymore. I don't owe anyone an explination and those who know me best let me have my fun, and some have even come to try it out! I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who are not so shocked by my means of fitness since there has been much more hype about it in the last 2 years than ever before. It is a personal decision, but I don't feel you would be lying if you said you do extreme sports. And certainly if they wanted more information, I would just say we could talk more about it another time. Some people may be really interested where you are getting your awesome physique! I'd hook 'em up with the secrets and tell 'em about SV. 😉 Other people are just being nosy...I don't have the patience to entertain those people. Hope that helps!
Wiley ·
I'm not sure if I consider extreme, but I think the average person would consider it extreme! I don't tell people that my bruises are from pole dancing.. I used to get dirty looks when I mentioned that I do pole. Oddly, it is the conservative looking older ladies that are fascinated by it, while the seemingly open-minded people are weirded out! Such as my boyfriend LOL 🙁 I know I should care less what people think.. I started rock climbing and bouldering, so luckily I can tell people that my bruises are from that instead. The inner thigh bruises are still hard to explain though, hehe 😁
I have started using elbow guards from drugstore which help to prevent bruises on my fore and upper arms.
JenLFG ·
i think so! :)
The answer to this totally depends on two factors: 1) what the definition of extreme is, and 2) whether we are talking about what most people do, or whether we are talking about what is possible at the highest levels of the sport. As mikkixx said, if extreme means something that gives "you a massive adrenaline rush from height/speed/risk of death" then for most practicitioners the answer is no, but for the possibliities at the highest level of the sport, the answer is yes. For example, there are drops that require you to roll over away from the pole or let go entirely, like a backflip down the pole, and drop a considerable distance. If, alternatively, extreme means "extremely difficult" then the answer may be no for some levels, but is definitely yes for the more advanced levels of the sport. (Assuming we have defined "extremely difficult" by some objective metric, such as a combination of time, effort, and talent needed to learn something) So, overall, yes, I would say that pole is an extreme sport.
At a certain level pole can be an"extreme sport" if you are approaching it as a constant series of aerial passes with death-defying drops, holds & contortions I suppose...It's still aerial dance for me though. I think for most women who do this, it isnt about the extreme rush of the tough moves but about self-expression so I guess they wouldn't view it in that way! I guess that now I am in the advanced learning classes at the studio most of what we learn could be classed in that way...so I might not be above describing it that way to some folks who might not understand the appeal in any other way ;)
Yep I just say "I do aerial arts, like the circus!" not 100% true but for some people it's better to leave it at that ;)
Thanks girls for all the responses you have helped me with how to handle that situation, I love how interactive this community is :)
I've been struggling with this recently too. Usually I don't care and will tell anyone and everyone about pole dancing, but I recently broke my toe and have to wear one of those special shoes. Which brings me to work. My coworkers all know, and that's fine, but I work at a public library with LOTS of kids and they all want to know what happened. So far I've just been telling them I was doing a handstand and whacked my foot on a wall, but their questions have started getting more in depth. I think I'll start going with aerial/circus arts.
