It is almost four years now since I first walked thru the
doors of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness and took my first pole dancing class. I had
no idea what to really expect and I was totally stepping out of my comfort
zone. But, it was that day that I found a new group of amazing people and a
continuing growing group of friends in this amazing community.
What I loved about this community was that it was so
accepting. Here I was a somewhat over weight, awkwardly shy guy and none of
that mattered to anyone. If I was there to learn pole, that was all that
mattered. As time went by, their simple acceptance actually boosts my
confidence. As my confidence grew, I put myself out there more in the pole
community. And it just seemed to grow from there.
Now, here is something that really amazed me. I went to my
first Pole Expo in Las Vegas sometime in my second year of poling. It was kind
of a last minute decision. Here I was with pole dancers from across the country
and around the world and I still felt the same. This same acceptance that I
felt from my pole studio, I was getting it from these complete strangers. That
feels pretty amazing!
Pole Expo also was a hub of who’s who in the pole industry.
The pros, there to perform and instruct. The pole business, clothing, poles,
grip aids and everything else pole related. I got to meet so many of them! I am
lucky that I have an awesome friend that had already worked hard at making a
lot of these great connections. But I can say, it was great to feel this since
of respect that came from all of these people when I met them! I felt it with
the Bad Kitty owners, Jack and Trisha, or Joel at Mighty Grip. Or when Josiah
Grant gave me my stage name and when Zoraya Judd was helping me invert in her
workshop. Even getting to sit down with Suwasit and have lunch. Best way to
describe it, they made me feel like I was someone, the same respect that they
gave to the pros, they gave to me and that feels pretty amazing! And each Pole
Expo, that experience has continued to grow.
All of this continued, even after Pole Expo. I can’t say how
great it feels that I have been able to go to these people for support in my
AIDS LifeCycle fundraising I have been doing the last few years. The pole
community has helped me raise some major money in the fight against HIV and
AIDS, from either monetary donating directly or donating product for the
fundraisers.
I guess what I am getting at is that I have always felt that
the pole community was every accepting. It didn’t matter where you came from,
what you looked like, what abilities or disabilities you had. If you had the
heart to pole, they had the heart to help you achieve your goals. It always
felt like a group that was always united together and there to help everyone.
It was a group that was united as one family and supported
everyone.
I wish it would stay that way.
