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Is pole fitness suitable for teens? While pole fitness was once a controversial activity for minors, the industry has evolved into something that is not only appropriate, but highly beneficial for youth!
If you haven’t been tuned into the evolution of pole fitness, a little research will show a very wide variety in styles of pole. Sure, there are adults who practice exotic style pole, but pole fitness has expanded to include an athletic practice that isn’t any more sexual than the kids classes offered at your local gymnastics gym.
So why pole fitness, when there are so many activities for kids out there?
1.Pole is one of the only strength based sports that puts women and other non-men in the spotlight.
Even as our culture has evolved, and Title IX guarantees that folks of all genders can participate in sports, many sports programs still place men’s leagues in the spotlight. Men’s sporting events are usually more heavily attended and glorified, making men more likely to pursue and continue in sports. As a result, most femme folks do not grow up thinking of their bodies as strong and powerful.
Pole dance is culturally associated with women, has a large gender queer community, and takes a tremendous amount of physical strength. I cannot tell you how many adult women I come across that do not think they can be strong. One of my favorite parts of owning a studio is that I get to show them otherwise. It is an extremely empowering realization! I often wonder how their lives would be different had they been exposed to pole at a younger age.
2.Pole dancers have created one of the most supportive communities.
Pole dance culture has evolved to be non-competitive. Even though competitions are increasing in popularity, dancers are expected to cheer each other on and work together.
Almost anywhere you go, pole communities share the same core values of body positivity, celebrating one another’s successes, and building quality relationships. There is a culture of respecting everybody’s unique journey, so students who aren’t traditionally athletic are treated as equals at the studio.
3. Pole can become a lifelong hobby and fitness practice.
As we age, both exercise and community become more likely to fall by the wayside, and pole is a great place to meet both of these needs at once. Many sports offer less opportunities as you age, but pole is the opposite. Most studios cater to busy adults, offering a variety of classes and flexible scheduling.
Additionally, pole isn’t as hard on the body as some other sports. Take it from Greta Pontarelli, 67 year old pole star. “Older people can still do amazing things (on the pole) because it doesn’t stress the joints…so it really has tremendous longevity. I think I opened a door. There was a glass ceiling there that broke and I realized this is something that we can do well into our senior years. I hope to do it as long as I live.”
4. Pole is incredibly body positive.
Pole dancers learn to love their body for what it can do, rather than obsessing over what it looks like. Our adult student, Tiffany, explains “I wish I would have discovered it as a teen, who wasn’t even comfortable wearing shorts, to learn to accept my imperfect body and be excited that my body allowed me to do awesome pole moves!”
The world lacks safe spaces for plus size folks to exercise. The pole community is making strides in changing this by offering classes for every body. Roz the Diva is an industry leader in promoting body diversity in pole.
5.Pole is both athletic and artistic.
Before starting pole, I was not an athlete. In fact, I never played a sport growing up, since I favored music, theatre, and art. Pole is great because it is both artistic and athletic. It provides an incredible workout for artistic students, while allowing athletic students to explore their creative side.
6.Pole teaches men to respect women.
All of our classes are gender inclusive at Positive Spin, and students of all genders are given the same opportunities. Since pole is a female dominated sport, most of our instructors and our most experienced students are female bodied. It can be rare for boys to have female sports coaches, and it is our hope that this shows them that women can be stronger than them, and that this is totally okay.
Our teen pole program started in the 2017-18 school year. Our first teen student, Cayden, shares a little bit about her experience with pole.
“I got started with pole dance because my friend brought me along to her pole class, and then I was totally hooked. It’s made me feel proud of my body, confident, and like I can beat my brother at arm wrestling! More teens should do pole dancing, it’s great!”
