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Last page in the booklet that came with my Xpole Xpert under the TROUBLE SHOOTING header:
Clean your pole with a glass cleaner or similar non abrasive cleaner. NEVER use water. Use a clean, smooth cloth to both clean and dry the pole tubes. Do not clean with an oil or spray such as WD40 or similar.

I think the WD40 thing was for the old screw together ones. Don’t use Water Displacement 40 on your X-joint pole.

I haven’t taken mine down for a real cleaning. I just used glass cleaner on everything when I put it up. I’m curious why you can’t use just water on it.

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Only 5 months?! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif You can do a CAR! Most people would consider that advanced.

You look like your having a blast on the pole. I wouldn’t worry about if your "good enough" but if you meet the requirements. I say go for it and just have fun!! Your video was enjoyable and showed more moves and skill than other amateur competitions of your level I’ve seen. However, some of them they limited the newbies in what they could do (no superman, adv plank, shoulder mount, or the like).

The only negative I have for you is that you looked like your were struggling to get into some of the moves. Like using the bottom of your foot to help get into an invert and climbing with the bottom of your feet. If the competition requires shoes you wouldn’t be able to do those moves how you are now. You should really work on climbing without using the bottom of your feet. But January is another 2 months away and you totally have the time to work on that.

Cute routine. Go for it! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

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One of my X-joints locking pins was out too far and I couldn’t get it to fit in any of the pole pieces. I had one usable one and didn’t need the bad pin one for the extension so no big deal. I called Xpole on it anyway just encase I move and need to use the extension. They told me to tap the locking pin a few times with a hammer, try it again, tap, try, etc as needed. I don’t have a hammer to try it, but I’m nervous that I’d tap it too far in and have the issue everyone talks about. It is quite the complex device, but it just seems like they could have better solutions. Why is the locking pin not locked in place on the Xjoint?

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I mean this totally neutral, not commenting on how people placed at all. Does anyone know how was this contest scored? I ask because at one point the host asked the judges to explain how they were scoring and KT Coates said "I don’t know." https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif Did she just kind of freeze up on the spot or was there really not a set way to score? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif I hope the contestants had guidelines even if they weren’t shared with the audience.

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I’m really curious what the dimensions of that mount are. If we assume those are 1 inch screws then maybe the mount has a little over a 2 inch diameter. Standard US joist is 2in, I’m not sure about vaulted, so I’d be interested to know if all the screws make it to the joist. Also assuming a 1in screw with say a 1/4in thick mount + 1/4in drywall (sometimes 1/2in), it leaves you 1/2 to 1/4 inch left to grab into the wood. Considering when they hang 1/4in drywall they use 1in screws, I’d get some longer screws, at least 1.5in. If that mount didn’t get all screws into the joist, I’d go even longer into the wood and get some heavy duty drywall mount screws, like EZ-Anchor.

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…
Of course in the end…it comes down to the fact that we can never ENFORCE any of these standards as there is no governing body to do so.
…

OSHA? Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and health. The pole is a work place, but I couldn’t find anything about stripper or dance poles on their website osha.gov. OSHA does have industrial hygiene standards that might help with the cleaning part. It might work for strippers or people teaching classes, but OSHA doesn’t cover self-employed and I have no idea how strippers and pole teachers file their taxes. Dancers in competition aren’t employed by the competition so no help there. If OSHA were to regulate poles, the competition could at least advertise they’re OSHA compliant.

Yes OSHA is overkill and US only. But it would help to validate pole if the government recognized it and gave it some standards. Until there is a pole governing body, its an idea. /shrug

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I have a huge problem with this too.
Short version:
Can you lift yourself into an invert from the floor without using your legs?
No – If your using your legs jump/kick to get up from the floor, how do you expect to do that from the top of the pole where there is no floor?
Yes – I have no idea, I still can’t aerial invert.

Long version:
The studio I went to taught a kick/jump into the inverts so from the ground inverts were easy. You get confident and don’t build the right muscles to do the invert the right way. Its not possible to kick/jump from up the pole so I could never aerial invert. Make sure your studio is teaching it right by checking out online lessons.

Non-pole move advice:
Save future disappointment and don’t expect to get everything in your first few classes learning it. And stop looking at what everyone else can do and judging yourself based on it, everyone is different. I did this and felt fat and stupid after every class until I quit and am now relearning everything at home and having a blast.

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Actually asked about the allergy thing to try and get a better idea of what grade titanium they are using. So its interesting that the titanium gold can trigger allergies.

I used to be a huge do-it-yourselfer. If I were not in an apartment I probably would have assembled my own pole from the hardware store and got it electroplated or chrome plated. I still really want to find a shop that does electroplating and ask about the pricing lol.

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but the TG finish tends to wear off after a certain amount of use..

https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif I was just about to order a TG for myself. Whats the surface of the pole like after the TG wears off? Just a color fade or does the grip change too?
I wasn’t going to get a chrome because I read somewhere that the finish peels off.

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I would start with yoga elbow stands against the pole.
First the shoulders, this might be the secret muscle your not thinking about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxgS0IAsOTY&feature=channel Just holding yoga dolphin for awhile will work your shoulders. This shows pushups to build up your shoulders even more.
Then work into the core part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyZz45gyBmM&feature=channel

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Yoga is great too. For a lot of the same reasons as pilates. I had an awesome yoga teacher that taught yoga pole. Specific yoga poses that would use a wall or ball prop that used the pole instead. It took yoga to a much more intense level and helped with alignment on the pole, especially hand/elbow stands. I recommend it.

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I’ve polished and relearned tons of moves from DVDs and online that I thought I learned in the studio. The studio I went to didn’t even have consistent naming between classes or teachers. I was very afraid of the Iguana too…because they called it "the suicide" or "<teacher’s name> suicide"!! I can get into the Iguana (I like that name better) without a problem, but the shoulder mount still scares me.

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1.What country are you located in: USA
2. What operating system is on your computer: Windows 7
3. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the video performance on your computer: 10
4. What web browser did you use: Firefox
5. What kind of phone do you have: Motorolla Droid (Android 2.2 with default browser)
6. Did the video work on your phone: Yes, but not in browser, had black box where video should be, had to click to download it to phone first.
7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the video performance on your phone: 8
8. How does the performance of the test video compare to the performance of current StudioVeena.Com video:
9. Please provide any other comments regarding your video experience:
Had buzzing sound on the phone video at every volume level. On computer had to turn up speakers very loud to hear the buzzing.

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All I will say is that I am very surprised that they opted to go this route after the fiasco that was Pole Star.

And, no, I am not voting.

What happened with Pole Star? Might help with some perspective on the online voting.

Edit: Went statistic finding. At the time of this posting:
Competitor / Votes
Shelly Lamb (38.4 %) / 333
Wendy Rust (14.5 %) / 126
Alicia Heaney (47.1 %) / 409

Shelly Lamb(happydance) and Alicia Heaney(RaquelleStarr) have Vote for Me threads on this forum.

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Now: $359 with option to spin.
OR
Now: $289 to not spin, save the $70.
Later: Want to spin and spend another $359.

Going with titanium gold prices listed on the Xpole website, studios/websites have deals. Purely from an economic view if money is an issue. I haven’t used a spinning pole, I regret getting a stationary only at my last place. I’m going spinning next time, just in case if I feel the need to try it, I actually can.

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Demonia/Pleaser/Funtasma are the same company.
I found Demonia boots at Hot Topic once. I think Hot Topic is also owned by Gap lol

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Haven’t used that Markstaar pole that you linked, but just looking at the bracket used, it might be a pain. First off you’re screwing it in. The studio I used to go to had poles with that kind of bracket screwed into hardwood floors and into the ceiling. Might just be that studio, but the screws would come little by little. Forget about putting your foot anywhere near the pole on the floor. Not an expert, but lets say that average ceiling joist is only 2in wide, your pole is 2in diameter, obviously with the ceiling bracket like that, all 3 screws are not going into the joist. Which means wobbly pole and falling powdered drywall and screw from the hole where that last screw went it, but didn’t actually attach to anything. Again, just my experience with poles in the studio I *used* to go to and only looking at the bracket. I have never used a Markstaar pole.

However, I have used a Lil Mynx at home. The single screw into the middle of the ceiling joist does very well. It was only after using it for 2 years and monthly taking it down/putting up that I started to see a little wobbling and the surface around the ceiling mount start to get damaged. The screw had slipped out slightly, I just tightened it back up and it was fine. I had never checked or tightened it in the 2 years before that time, I probably should have.