Preoccupied by pole!

dizzykitty19951263 started this discussion · 5/11/2015

Hey everyone! I'm new to Studio Veena and to pole dancing. I've been going to pole classes for two weeks now and am really enjoying it so far :) I've been watching heaps of awesome youtube videos, reading forums and pretty much researching everything pole related. My question is, does this ever wear off? I'm a uni student and have heaps of assessment coming up but all I can think about is the next spin I'll learn on pole or the next awesome song I'll do a routine to. I have to miss a lesson tomorrow due to an assignment that I just need to get done but I'm not happy about it, haha. How does everybody work their every day life in with pole? Thanks heaps, Dizzy Kitty

13 replies

Jenn1989 · 5/11/2015
It hasn't worn off for me! The kinds of videos that I like to watch has changed though. Before I started, I watched only the super advanced stuff because it was mind-blowing and those moves seem so crazy and impossible before you have an understanding of how they actually work. Now I prefer watching stuff that is closer to my own level because I can realistically learn from it and appreciate even the simpler moves. I watch more stuff here than Youtube now because I like seeing people learn and progress. I also can't listen to any song ever without creating a routine to it in my head, lol. I feel bad when sometimes I totally don't realize someone is talking to me because I'm putting pole combos together.
kittyface · 5/11/2015
Hehe, I love this question :) My response is probably way longer than you expected, sorry if it's a bit of a novel o.o I've been poling for about 1 1/2 years, a bit longer. I always really liked it, but my real pole frenzy - like, think-about-it-all-the-time frenzy - didn't really start until about a year in, when I got my basic invert/outside leg hang. That was a big win for me because I came into the sport with NO upper body strength, and once I got that I started to feel like I could really work on what I wanted to do. I had felt really stuck and kind of hopeless up to that point, which did ruin some of my enthusiasm, but after that I really took off and started *getting* things. That was the point when I really knew this was my passion. One thing I can say for sure is that I've dabbled in so many different things throughout my life - fitness-related and otherwise - but absolutely none of them has stuck the way pole dancing has. I tried some dance classes (as well as music, science, art, etc.) when I was younger, but everything felt way too strict and structured for me and any real joy I got out of it was sucked out by the strictness of it. Zumba/biking on my own wasn't super structured, but I never felt like I was building towards anything I could identify. Pole dancing, on the other hand, is the perfect balance of structured teaching and self-guided play. I never feel like the structure of learning sucks the joy out like it did for everything else, but I have enough guidance so I can learn safely and feel the difference in my own body every day. I am stronger, more flexible, and more body-aware than I ever dreamed I could be. I can do things with my body that I never thought possible for me. I never thought I would end up realizing that my big passion in life is the wonderful mix of dance and acrobatics that is pole, but I did, and it's *awesome*. That's why I definitely see this being a lifelong passion and not a fleeting interest for me. Hopefully that made some sense, and perhaps some of that resonates with you :)
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@Jenn1989- I totally agree! At first I was in awe of all of the crazy advanced stuff which is what drew me to pole. Now, I'm finding it really encouraging to see other people's progress on Studio Veena :) Somehow, finding this site reminded me that real, every day people do pole and I find it super inspirational. Haha, I totally get what you mean about thinking about routines when people are trying to talk XD @BabyDragon- Thank you so much for your reply :) I really relate to having tried a lot of different things but never really finding my niche until I tried pole. I was never really a team sports kind of girl, I boxed for a little while, I swam, I sung competitively and I'm still an equestrian.I'm so happy that you've found your life long passion and I'm hoping I've found mine too :D
Casi · 5/11/2015
It hasn't ended for me either! I've been poling a year and two months and I'm still completely addicted and thinking about it constantly. Case in point, I've currently been injured for a month with at least a few more weeks to go before I can pole again, and yet I still find myself checking in here daily to read posts and watch videos, I do tend to completely throw myself into new things that I love, but pole does seem to be particularly sticky, for the reasons babydragon mentioned. It's so rewarding to see how consistent practice pays off and to see yourself constantly learning to do things you never thought you'd be able to. My only worry is how much time I'll lose to injuries from overdoing it! Enjoy!
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@Casi- Oh no, I hope you recover soon :) I know how annoying it is to be injured and have to miss out on practices and stuff :/ I was so surprised about how quickly I began hooked on pole! I know what you mean! I never even thought I'd be able to climb the pole at first XD On another note, does anybody feel like their family/ non-pole friends are sick of hearing about it? haha
kittyface · 5/11/2015
@dizzykitty19951263 - Hey, I used to ride horses too! I just fell a lot, and I could never quite get over my fear, I think. That's why I rode for 4-5 years and never really jumped much =P I do miss horses, though, even if I don't really want to ride them anymore. Okay, I totally just realized there was a question about pole-life balance in your original post. I feel super silly and unobservant now. =P I feel super lucky in this regard because, even though my wife and I met before I started pole dancing, she's always been super supportive and proud of me. I'm always the one worrying that I'm talking about pole too much, and she's always the one reassuring me that I'm not :) I've mainly been meeting people through pole lately, so they obviously don't mind either. As for school, well... I dropped out of college and started working as a strip club dancer =P I'm afraid I can't help you much unless you're planning on doing that, hehe xD Oh, and I have the problem of thinking about combos when I really should be asleep. @Casi - Ugh, that really sucks! I hope that injury heals faster than expected and you can get back on the pole soon :)
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@BabyDragon- That's definitely one of the down sides of riding horses, haha. I've been thrown up against fences, stepped over and taken unplanned flights into piles of mud XD Due to my current horse being the devil herself and a change of circumstances it looks like i'll have to give it up though, sigh. But I'm sure pole will be just as addictive and intriguing! Aww, that's awesome that you have a supportive wife! I guess I'll just have to make some more pole friends :) It's so tempting to drop out sometimes but I don't think I'd have the physique to dance at a strip club, haha.
babygems · 5/11/2015
I'm new to pole too and I'm pole obsessed like yourself. I'm non stop on YouTube and here watching people dance and reading everything I can about pole. I've only been at this for 5 weeks but I'm in love!
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@babygems- I'm so glad it isn't just me who's obsessed, haha. I just can't believe I waited so long to give it a try!
babygems · 5/11/2015
Nor me I always wanted to try. I said to my boyfriend I want to buy a pole and he said what a waste of money I give it a week and you will b fed up and it will sit there. How wrong was he. My daughter is 7 and is pole obsessed too she comes home from school and straight away wants to pole :)
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@babygems- He had no faith, haha! That's awesome that you have your own pole! I'm hoping to get one in a couple of months so fingers crossed :)
Casi · 5/11/2015
Thanks DizzyKitty and BabyDragon! Once I knew this injury was serious-ish and not going to go away on its own, I gave in, put my arm in a sling, told my boss I couldn't do my main job for a week or two (gulp!), and started physical therapy. Weirdly, as soon as I did, I started to feel really optimistic, picturing how in a few weeks or a month i'd be feeling great and back doing what I love. DizzyKitty, I worry about the same thing, that everyone I know is sick of hearing about it. I feel like I've become a pole evangelist. I don't tell everyone I know, but when I do, I'm so enthusiastic that a lot of them want to try it. And then they introduce me to other friends with "she does pole." Still not sure how I feel about that, but I can't help being so enthusiastic. I'm obsessed and (where people aren't throwing around dumb stereotypes) proud of it. :-)
dizzykitty19951263 · 5/11/2015
@Casi- I totally get what you mean! I hope my friends don't see me as trying to convert them all to the dark side, haha XD My one problem is when people judge it. I asked my sister if she'd try it and she told me that she's just not into "that sort of thing". When I asked her what she meant she explained that she's just not a girly girl who wants to look sexy and do bendy stuff D: It's so much more than that but I just left it. Each to their own I guess :)