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Competition level?
Hi everyone! I've been looking at doing the Super Shag Pole Fitness competition in Boston in September and I need some advice on levels. I did my first competition in May and competed in level 2 (Intermediate – 3 points of contact on the pole during inversions.) I've been pole dancing for a year, and didn't do horrible in the competition, and the feedback was definitely helpful. I'm starting to work on more advanced moves, but I don't think I'm an advanced poler yet.
I took lessons for about 6 months at a studio that just opened and was one of the first students, but everyone that started with me dropped out. Because there's no class at my level (not because I'm super advanced, just because no one started when I did), I'm learning things on my own and don't have a lot of guidance/coaching/feedback.
Do I stay in level 2 and play it safe, or do I go for level 3 for the experience? I don't want to embarrass myself and look completely out of place at level 3. Thoughts?
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3 Replies
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Considering that I've seen dancers in level 2 do all sorts of crazy tricks like Machine Gun and others that are definitely advanced, but not breaking the 3 points of contact rule, I would suggest sticking with level 2 until you feel completely comfortable with everything that you can do in that level. If you're not yet fully secure in tricks like handspring and Ayesha, there's probably not much point in trying level 3 just yet. You will still gain tons of experience from competing in level 2 as well, while not having to feel out of place 🙂
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What is the judging criteria? If you are being judged on the difficulty of your moves, it might be better to stay where you are comfortable rather than feel pressured to put in your most difficult tricks. I judged a L2/3/4 championships and we did have to mark people down for not having the same level of difficulty as the other competitors in their divisions. Is it a regional or national competition? Your competition will probably be tougher if it's national, so again it might be better to stay where you feel strong. Try looking at the videos of last year's competition to get an idea of where your skills might place you. One more thing: the 3 point of contact rule still leaves a LOT of room for advanced tricks! I have seen a lot of level 2 performances with some impressive stuff.
However if you just want to do level 3 for the experience and you're not concerned as much about placing, go for it! And remember even if you don't go with level 3 now, you can next time around – competitions aren't going anywhere 🙂 When I submitted for my first competition I had only been poling under a year and was mostly self taught, and I placed nearly dead last but I still loved having the experience.
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And you can still do ayshas in level 2, if I'm not mistaken, as long as you're using the forearm grip.
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