When I started pole I knew one thing,
I liked tricks.
When I was teaching myself at home using YouTube videos I always saw "insert trick name here Tutorial."
I learned spins and I taught myself tricks and this was what I knew.
Over time I became known as the trickster and I identified with that name.
As more and more time went on I started being told in various ways by various people that I "wasn't a dancer" or "I need to work on my dance" or "you obviously hate the floor/floorwork"
I started to believe this and make it my reality.
I said things like "I HATE floorwork" "God why can't I just WALK to the other pole?"
It got to a point where I took an opportunity to perform in front of hundreds of people I know and love and I just wanted to use it to "own up" to "my style" as just a trickster who didn't like or know dance.
In March I performed at Elevated Art and the moment I saw the video I had a huge smack of a revelation.
"This actually isn't me" is what came through my mind.
I did a freestyle this July and it was to a song I could ACTUALLY dance to unlike my last performance (that song was picked subconsciously I'm sure so that I couldn't dance to it) and it looks like a different person performing.
I have advanced and improved and worked on learning new floorwork and flow but the reality is that it was inside of me all along to move more like I do in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVf8Lcd51nE&list=UUOzr4ir6Fx6L3PvRh6_79Aw
My point is don't just be the kind of pole dancer or performer that people tell you that you are. They may be right or people may accurately point out/highlight your strengths but we are never just one thing.
-You change constantly
-You are always learning new things and learn new ways to move your body and be aware of it
-Your song/mood/audience/etc changes the way your body moves
-Your experiences change the way you move
-Just because you have a certain background doesn't mean that is the only thing you can be (gymnast, ballerina, industry worker, etc)
-Try to find you and don't pigeonhole yourself because so much more can be unveiled and learned and changed
Many pole dancers have their style and it's present in their movement and walk and performances and I believe that we have our own notable styles but our poling is never the same :)
<3
Love you all
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Pole Trick: The Phoenix
I heard about this move a long time ago because a teacher at my studio had been struggling to get it for years.
The first time I saw this move in action was when the gorgeous Sergia Louis Anderson did it in her winning performance at the 2013 U.S. National Pole Competition.
Link>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9rSUud8PmQ (2:10 she does it, but I recommend watching the whole performance because she is just flawless).
Watching my friends struggle with this move who were more experienced than me I figured I wasn't even going to try it for awhile until I felt I was advanced and strong enough.
Then I wanted to get it.
I went to the UK to train with Sarah Scott (check out this beauty if you haven't: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscottperformer) and I injured my wrist the first day but she gave me numerous fabulous tips and preps for it and I wanted to badly to start training it.
Due to a few other injuries it wasn't until about a month or so ago that I finally started to work on it, and I finally got it. (Granted it was not beautiful, my lines are awful and I dead lifted a bit into it more than I would have liked but here is the video: http://instagram.com/p/nZBc4xJ--B/ (and my incredible friend Erica cheering me on - still makes me want to cry because of how beautiful her support is for me). However, this journey was not a good one.
The Phoenix for one is a really difficult concept. The attention and things that have to be in place for it to work out, as far as I understand, are many. For instance:
You have to get enough swing/distance when you go around the pole,
you have to wait at a certain time before you push into the bottom arm,
you have to push your chest out,
you can't have too much grip or too little,
you have to (if you do it properly), bring your legs up straight (or at least one),
you have to push into the bottom arm and pull with the top arm,
you have to look up,
you have to turn your hips and chest up,
you have to keep the bottom arm bent,
you can't drop your butt down when you swing around (keep your hips high),
etc etc etc.
I can't tell you how many teachers I have gotten tips from, how many stars they have gotten tips from, how many tips I've had to learn on my own, gawd.
There are a LOT of intricate little things that make this move work. Even after getting it three time that day I went back to try it and I didn't get it.
Most importantly about this journey was that I injured myself - pretty much every time I practiced it.
One of the worst parts I think about this trick is the shoulder. I have heard of a lot of people, and a lot of famous polers, injuring their shoulder from this movie and I did too. If you don't push your chest out and get your back muscles working for you, then your shoulder takes a lot of pressure and strain and if you are doing this move improperly and doing it trying to power through just the shoulder over and over and over again, pain and injury will arise. My friend explained the "crunching" noise and feeling in her shoulder that I am too familiar with.
I hurt my shoulder every single day I was practicing this move besides the day I finally did it properly, even when I knew that I needed to push my chest out and use my back.
I also hurt my wrist from swinging on it so many times, not to mention the constant chafing and dragging of your top wrist around the pole over and over again.
I am honestly a little fearful and worried for my friends and students who will attempt this move in the future.
Everyone wants to get it but the cost everyday that I tried maybe wasn't worth it.
I feel like people are going to want to get this move too early on before they understand the mechanics, and even when I knew about them I still got injured, a lot. And when it comes down to it, I really don't know if anyone can get this move without failing so many times before it clicks in their own body what they have to do.
The overall theme of this post is that this trick is dangerous and scary. There are so many important parts that need to happen all at once and when you don't do them properly injury is all too easy to come across.
Beautiful tricks like this though are something we all want to be able to do, and stars that make it look so effortless and beautiful and this keeps us others from understanding the reality of what can go wrong.
I do like this move, I think it's beautiful, but I don't know if I want to encourage it for my students until they are far into their pole careers because the injury from it is just too easy to produce.
The first time I saw this move in action was when the gorgeous Sergia Louis Anderson did it in her winning performance at the 2013 U.S. National Pole Competition.
Link>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9rSUud8PmQ (2:10 she does it, but I recommend watching the whole performance because she is just flawless).
Watching my friends struggle with this move who were more experienced than me I figured I wasn't even going to try it for awhile until I felt I was advanced and strong enough.
Then I wanted to get it.
I went to the UK to train with Sarah Scott (check out this beauty if you haven't: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscottperformer) and I injured my wrist the first day but she gave me numerous fabulous tips and preps for it and I wanted to badly to start training it.
Due to a few other injuries it wasn't until about a month or so ago that I finally started to work on it, and I finally got it. (Granted it was not beautiful, my lines are awful and I dead lifted a bit into it more than I would have liked but here is the video: http://instagram.com/p/nZBc4xJ--B/ (and my incredible friend Erica cheering me on - still makes me want to cry because of how beautiful her support is for me). However, this journey was not a good one.
The Phoenix for one is a really difficult concept. The attention and things that have to be in place for it to work out, as far as I understand, are many. For instance:
You have to get enough swing/distance when you go around the pole,
you have to wait at a certain time before you push into the bottom arm,
you have to push your chest out,
you can't have too much grip or too little,
you have to (if you do it properly), bring your legs up straight (or at least one),
you have to push into the bottom arm and pull with the top arm,
you have to look up,
you have to turn your hips and chest up,
you have to keep the bottom arm bent,
you can't drop your butt down when you swing around (keep your hips high),
etc etc etc.
I can't tell you how many teachers I have gotten tips from, how many stars they have gotten tips from, how many tips I've had to learn on my own, gawd.
There are a LOT of intricate little things that make this move work. Even after getting it three time that day I went back to try it and I didn't get it.
Most importantly about this journey was that I injured myself - pretty much every time I practiced it.
One of the worst parts I think about this trick is the shoulder. I have heard of a lot of people, and a lot of famous polers, injuring their shoulder from this movie and I did too. If you don't push your chest out and get your back muscles working for you, then your shoulder takes a lot of pressure and strain and if you are doing this move improperly and doing it trying to power through just the shoulder over and over and over again, pain and injury will arise. My friend explained the "crunching" noise and feeling in her shoulder that I am too familiar with.
I hurt my shoulder every single day I was practicing this move besides the day I finally did it properly, even when I knew that I needed to push my chest out and use my back.
I also hurt my wrist from swinging on it so many times, not to mention the constant chafing and dragging of your top wrist around the pole over and over again.
I am honestly a little fearful and worried for my friends and students who will attempt this move in the future.
Everyone wants to get it but the cost everyday that I tried maybe wasn't worth it.
I feel like people are going to want to get this move too early on before they understand the mechanics, and even when I knew about them I still got injured, a lot. And when it comes down to it, I really don't know if anyone can get this move without failing so many times before it clicks in their own body what they have to do.
The overall theme of this post is that this trick is dangerous and scary. There are so many important parts that need to happen all at once and when you don't do them properly injury is all too easy to come across.
Beautiful tricks like this though are something we all want to be able to do, and stars that make it look so effortless and beautiful and this keeps us others from understanding the reality of what can go wrong.
I do like this move, I think it's beautiful, but I don't know if I want to encourage it for my students until they are far into their pole careers because the injury from it is just too easy to produce.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Love the Process
Not even a year and a month ago when I started pole I told myself something I am grateful and proud of all of the time:
"I am in for a very difficult, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, beautiful journey."
I knew even before I could do a spin on the pole that I was in for a lot of work and a lot of struggle and a lot of joy.
I go through phases like I'm sure many pole dancers do where I either get a ton of tricks at one time, I feel like I can get no tricks at all and I have probably peaked or at least have a lot of work ahead of me, or I am getting some tricks but not all of them.
I went through a minute in December where I realized that I had accomplished so many strength moves and tricks that now it was time to learn the really scary and hard stuff...
The fonji and reverse fonji, the back flip, the aerial cartwheel, the kamikaze, etc.
I was willing to learn all of it, but since they are all so much more intimidating I couldn't get them like I had been getting other moves in the past.
I wasn't getting them right away and I felt like I hadn't been able to achieve any new moves that I had been working on for a long time.
I started to feel frustrated, as I have in the past in various other periods,
but I always remember what I told myself.
I accepted what was ahead of me and when I realize that it's part of the process, I learn to love what I hate.
I learn to understand that each thing that is more difficult to learn is all that much more special when I can do it.
I have a million tricks that I want to work on right now and all of them are going to take more time that I would like to get them, but I am accepting of this fact and believe that I can get all of them someday.
It's easy to get upset and want to bail and want to dip out of training all of the time.
Sometimes it's okay when you are frustrated to step away for a little while until you can come back. I have realized that when I am frustrated after doing an hour of training and feel tired I really need to just get some food in me and breathe for a few before I return.
I just want to remind all of my polers that we all go through shitty stagnant and unhappy experiences in pole, but if you keep at it you will get a move and suddenly that feeling disappears. And in the mean time - be proud of what you have already achieved.
Also if you feel like you aren't doing that great, I recommend just free styling - finding yourself through losing yourself and being proud of dancing to a whole song that no one could ever dance like you to.
The fact that you pole at all is incredible and requires a great deal of strength and passion.
Be proud of all of the little things you forget about, because if you pole, you probably kick ass ;)
"I am in for a very difficult, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, beautiful journey."
I knew even before I could do a spin on the pole that I was in for a lot of work and a lot of struggle and a lot of joy.
I go through phases like I'm sure many pole dancers do where I either get a ton of tricks at one time, I feel like I can get no tricks at all and I have probably peaked or at least have a lot of work ahead of me, or I am getting some tricks but not all of them.
I went through a minute in December where I realized that I had accomplished so many strength moves and tricks that now it was time to learn the really scary and hard stuff...
The fonji and reverse fonji, the back flip, the aerial cartwheel, the kamikaze, etc.
I was willing to learn all of it, but since they are all so much more intimidating I couldn't get them like I had been getting other moves in the past.
I wasn't getting them right away and I felt like I hadn't been able to achieve any new moves that I had been working on for a long time.
I started to feel frustrated, as I have in the past in various other periods,
but I always remember what I told myself.
I accepted what was ahead of me and when I realize that it's part of the process, I learn to love what I hate.
I learn to understand that each thing that is more difficult to learn is all that much more special when I can do it.
I have a million tricks that I want to work on right now and all of them are going to take more time that I would like to get them, but I am accepting of this fact and believe that I can get all of them someday.
It's easy to get upset and want to bail and want to dip out of training all of the time.
Sometimes it's okay when you are frustrated to step away for a little while until you can come back. I have realized that when I am frustrated after doing an hour of training and feel tired I really need to just get some food in me and breathe for a few before I return.
I just want to remind all of my polers that we all go through shitty stagnant and unhappy experiences in pole, but if you keep at it you will get a move and suddenly that feeling disappears. And in the mean time - be proud of what you have already achieved.
Also if you feel like you aren't doing that great, I recommend just free styling - finding yourself through losing yourself and being proud of dancing to a whole song that no one could ever dance like you to.
The fact that you pole at all is incredible and requires a great deal of strength and passion.
Be proud of all of the little things you forget about, because if you pole, you probably kick ass ;)
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Pole Anniversary!
Today is my very first pole anniversary!
One year ago today I walked into the doors of Boulder Spirals in Boulder Colorado into a room with 4 girls wearing booty shorts and sports bras, climbing 14 foot poles.
I was nervous and enthralled all at once.
I took an intro to pole class with my friend, and the amazing and beautiful platinum blonde Colfax Chrissy taught us our very first class. She was wearing blue brazil shorts and clear 7 inch high heels.
I was instantly hooked and knew that I had to come again.
Two weeks later I bought my very own pole and set it up in my house.
I remember asking my sister to take photos of me whenever I started feeling more confident and she soon got tired of how often I wanted to capture new moves because I just kept learning them everyday.
Since the day I went to Boulder Spirals I have looked up pole tutorial videos, studied pole stars, watched competitions and performances, and have devoted my entire life and energy into pole.
What I eat, who I hang out with, what I do with my time, why I work out, and what I have dreams for all surround pole.
Never in my life would I have imagined having such a powerful thing to come out of no where and change everyday of my life forever.
I am so grateful that I came to Boulder because I know that I otherwise wouldn't have probably heard about pole for another 15 years.
I couldn't imagine anything else coming into my life that could be better or make me happier and healthier.
This pole world has the best people I've ever met.
It's a community of mostly women who are supportive, and loving, and caring.
I feel more confident, strong, healthy, and happier than I ever have in my life.
I am so excited to continue to grow, to meet more people, to discover, and to bring more people into the amazing lifestyle.
These are some of the first photos on the pole I ever took:
One year ago today I walked into the doors of Boulder Spirals in Boulder Colorado into a room with 4 girls wearing booty shorts and sports bras, climbing 14 foot poles.
I was nervous and enthralled all at once.
I took an intro to pole class with my friend, and the amazing and beautiful platinum blonde Colfax Chrissy taught us our very first class. She was wearing blue brazil shorts and clear 7 inch high heels.
I was instantly hooked and knew that I had to come again.
Two weeks later I bought my very own pole and set it up in my house.
I remember asking my sister to take photos of me whenever I started feeling more confident and she soon got tired of how often I wanted to capture new moves because I just kept learning them everyday.
Since the day I went to Boulder Spirals I have looked up pole tutorial videos, studied pole stars, watched competitions and performances, and have devoted my entire life and energy into pole.
What I eat, who I hang out with, what I do with my time, why I work out, and what I have dreams for all surround pole.
Never in my life would I have imagined having such a powerful thing to come out of no where and change everyday of my life forever.
I am so grateful that I came to Boulder because I know that I otherwise wouldn't have probably heard about pole for another 15 years.
I couldn't imagine anything else coming into my life that could be better or make me happier and healthier.
This pole world has the best people I've ever met.
It's a community of mostly women who are supportive, and loving, and caring.
I feel more confident, strong, healthy, and happier than I ever have in my life.
I am so excited to continue to grow, to meet more people, to discover, and to bring more people into the amazing lifestyle.
These are some of the first photos on the pole I ever took:
Thursday, January 30, 2014
2014 Pole Goals!
Here are my goals for 2014!
Please tell me yours too! <3
-Compete
-Dead Lift 100% of the time I attempt to
-Shoulder Mount jump (from decently far)
-Kamikaze
-Brass money press up 100% of the time I attempt
-Split overs
-Middle splits
-Aerial cartwheel without touching foot to pole when upside down
-Aerial twist/spin/swing to invert
-Phoenix
-Anastasia swing > to twist > to sit drop
-Sarah Scott's Invisible Wall
-Non-stop pike dead-lift headstands 100% of the time
-Reverse Fonji
-Birds of Paradise
-Go to Pole Expo in Vegas
-Go to Gravity First in Mexico
-More free-styling
-Dead lift hand stands
-Shoulder mount round the worlds (whole way - I get about 75% of the way and bail)
-Get stronger, get my six pack ;)
Here it is!! it's subject to change but I have a lot of training head of me that I'm super stoked about!
Please tell me yours too! <3
-Compete
-Dead Lift 100% of the time I attempt to
-Shoulder Mount jump (from decently far)
-Kamikaze
-Brass money press up 100% of the time I attempt
-Split overs
-Middle splits
-Aerial cartwheel without touching foot to pole when upside down
-Aerial twist/spin/swing to invert
-Phoenix
-Anastasia swing > to twist > to sit drop
-Sarah Scott's Invisible Wall
-Non-stop pike dead-lift headstands 100% of the time
-Reverse Fonji
-Birds of Paradise
-Go to Pole Expo in Vegas
-Go to Gravity First in Mexico
-More free-styling
-Dead lift hand stands
-Shoulder mount round the worlds (whole way - I get about 75% of the way and bail)
-Get stronger, get my six pack ;)
Here it is!! it's subject to change but I have a lot of training head of me that I'm super stoked about!
Monday, January 27, 2014
What Pole Can Do for You and Misconceptions People Have About Starting Pole Dancing
Today on Instagram a beautiful girl told me that she wanted to do pole but she said:
-She has never danced before
-She has little upper body/core strength
These are two common ones. And here are more that I hear:
- "I am not coordinated"
- "I don't feel sexy"
- "I'm not comfortable being sexy or dancing"
- "I'm not strong/I can't even do a pull up"
- "I'm not flexible"
- "I'm too fat/overweight"
etc. etc. there are many different ones.
What non-polers should know is that
1) Most people have at least some (if not all) of these thoughts before they try pole
2) You do not need to be a dancer, or strong, or flexible, etc, before you try pole, POLE GIVES YOU THESE THINGS (if you want them ;) )
I was not strong when I started. I was not flexible. I never danced. I never expressed sexy movements in public. I couldn't do pull-ups my whole life.
Pole does not expect things from you. Pole is there to help you get what it is that you want. And, pole is a tool you that allows you to express who you are.
I am not a dancer. I never have been.
I was a gymnast from ages 5-12, and after that I played every generic sport and eventually stopped those to follow music (which I gave up on quickly).
Before I started pole I had spent over 5 years doing no physical activities and I never worked out besides the occasional run.
I am okay with not being a "polerina" or even a good dancer.
I can dance, and I will. I find it can be fun and I enjoy occasionally dancing in heels and putting a sexy choreography together.
But all in all this is not my true style.
My style is my personality and it's what my strengths are (what I feel are my strengths are).
In my case I like strength, and what I see as cool tricks, and intensity.
(Intensity is subjective. A simple stare can be intense. It just fit with the moment of that sentence.)
I of course want to, and can work on and improve upon, my dancer skills and be better at them.
But in general I like my style and I'm happy with it.
My point being - you don't HAVE to be ANYTHING when it comes to pole.
Pole allows you to be who you are.
It opens you up by building your confidence and providing a framework through which you can test out various styles until you find your own.
I know famous polers who are not flexible and never care to be.
I know pole dancers that only will ever wear high high heels and/or only do spin pole.
I know experienced polers who just won't even attempt certain tricks because they don't want to.
These polers have found what it is they want from pole and they don't need to be anything other than what they want.
Since I started pole I am stronger, more confident, more flexible, and still progressing on every realm because pole is motivating me - it's a tool helping me get to these goals and it's allowing me to learn things I wouldn't have otherwise known.
The general statement is:
Try pole.
It will give you a means to express who you are, and show you things about yourself that you wouldn't otherwise discover.
You don't have to be strong, or athletic, or flexible, or confident or whatever.
I urge everyone to give it a chance because I know the magic it has had on me and so many other people.
We have a supportive, loving, caring and fun community of beautiful women (and some men) that want to help you succeed and find yourself.
Also, I'm always here for advice, help, questions, whatever :)
If this made you want to pole, please tell me (I love to hear it).
And please share this with your friends - I want to continue to break down the misconceptions that people have that keep them from trying it out because it really is magic hidden in plain sight that you can't understand until you experience it for yourself.
If you are still nervous to try it - bring a friend and don't come with expectations, just enjoy the fact that you are experiencing something new :)
<3
-She has never danced before
-She has little upper body/core strength
These are two common ones. And here are more that I hear:
- "I am not coordinated"
- "I don't feel sexy"
- "I'm not comfortable being sexy or dancing"
- "I'm not strong/I can't even do a pull up"
- "I'm not flexible"
- "I'm too fat/overweight"
etc. etc. there are many different ones.
What non-polers should know is that
1) Most people have at least some (if not all) of these thoughts before they try pole
2) You do not need to be a dancer, or strong, or flexible, etc, before you try pole, POLE GIVES YOU THESE THINGS (if you want them ;) )
I was not strong when I started. I was not flexible. I never danced. I never expressed sexy movements in public. I couldn't do pull-ups my whole life.
Pole does not expect things from you. Pole is there to help you get what it is that you want. And, pole is a tool you that allows you to express who you are.
I am not a dancer. I never have been.
I was a gymnast from ages 5-12, and after that I played every generic sport and eventually stopped those to follow music (which I gave up on quickly).
Before I started pole I had spent over 5 years doing no physical activities and I never worked out besides the occasional run.
I am okay with not being a "polerina" or even a good dancer.
I can dance, and I will. I find it can be fun and I enjoy occasionally dancing in heels and putting a sexy choreography together.
But all in all this is not my true style.
My style is my personality and it's what my strengths are (what I feel are my strengths are).
In my case I like strength, and what I see as cool tricks, and intensity.
(Intensity is subjective. A simple stare can be intense. It just fit with the moment of that sentence.)
I of course want to, and can work on and improve upon, my dancer skills and be better at them.
But in general I like my style and I'm happy with it.
My point being - you don't HAVE to be ANYTHING when it comes to pole.
Pole allows you to be who you are.
It opens you up by building your confidence and providing a framework through which you can test out various styles until you find your own.
I know famous polers who are not flexible and never care to be.
I know pole dancers that only will ever wear high high heels and/or only do spin pole.
I know experienced polers who just won't even attempt certain tricks because they don't want to.
These polers have found what it is they want from pole and they don't need to be anything other than what they want.
Since I started pole I am stronger, more confident, more flexible, and still progressing on every realm because pole is motivating me - it's a tool helping me get to these goals and it's allowing me to learn things I wouldn't have otherwise known.
The general statement is:
Try pole.
It will give you a means to express who you are, and show you things about yourself that you wouldn't otherwise discover.
You don't have to be strong, or athletic, or flexible, or confident or whatever.
I urge everyone to give it a chance because I know the magic it has had on me and so many other people.
We have a supportive, loving, caring and fun community of beautiful women (and some men) that want to help you succeed and find yourself.
Also, I'm always here for advice, help, questions, whatever :)
If this made you want to pole, please tell me (I love to hear it).
And please share this with your friends - I want to continue to break down the misconceptions that people have that keep them from trying it out because it really is magic hidden in plain sight that you can't understand until you experience it for yourself.
If you are still nervous to try it - bring a friend and don't come with expectations, just enjoy the fact that you are experiencing something new :)
<3
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Why Pole "Fail" Videos are as Important as the Successess
The other day the lovely Heidi Coker
( Heidi's FaceBook Fan Page)
posted a pole video of nothing but repeated unsuccessful attempts of trying to get into a move.
Here is a link to the video:
Heidi Coker's "Crash and Burn" Video
I believe that as we see photos and videos of the beautiful talented people in our pole community, it is far too easy to see them as superior beings and to feel like we are not on "their level."
I get such inspiration from Sarah Scott's strength videos and Anastasia's performances, but what really gives me joy, (and it sounds wrong without context), are the fail videos.
I say "fail" loosely.
Pole in one sense is probably at least 50% fails.
We need strength and loads of training and repetition in order to become the polers we are.
It's a lot of fucking hard work and pain, and there are more unsuccessful moments than we would like to remember or experience. (Hence the title "Sweat, Blood, and Hot Pants.")
But speaking generally, the videos, especially of championship winners and famous polers where they are working hard to get moves, where you can see them struggling, these are as necessary for the pole community as well as inspirational award-winning performance videos.
These videos show us that our idols still have to work hard and struggle.
We may know this in our heads, but seeing it is a whole other experience
We can have visual evidence that they don't always succeed, just like the rest of us (those of us who aspire to be like them).
Dirdy Birdy's Fonji "Some Successes and Some Fails" video is what gave me the true inspiration to get my Fonji - I didn't have to get it the first time - or the first handful. If she can't do it right away, that means it will be difficult for me as well. If I didn't see this, I would have been more frustrated than I was when I tried because it seems like it should be something everyone can do.
We can become disillusioned in our world that things are easier than they really are because how graceful and painless our lovely stars and idols make them look.
Not to mention that the painful moves are more easy to get - I think - than say the ones like Birds of Paradise that require some intensive flexibility which means we need a whole other discipline to be working on at the same time rather than getting into the move/pose alone.
Thank you Heidi (and Dirdy Birdy) for sharing this video of multiple falls - not every poler wants to share their unsuccessful or un-perfect videos for reasons I completely understand as well,
but I will remember these videos on my continued pole journey of frustration and unsuccessful attempts in the future.
<3
( Heidi's FaceBook Fan Page)
posted a pole video of nothing but repeated unsuccessful attempts of trying to get into a move.
Here is a link to the video:
Heidi Coker's "Crash and Burn" Video
I believe that as we see photos and videos of the beautiful talented people in our pole community, it is far too easy to see them as superior beings and to feel like we are not on "their level."
I get such inspiration from Sarah Scott's strength videos and Anastasia's performances, but what really gives me joy, (and it sounds wrong without context), are the fail videos.
I say "fail" loosely.
Pole in one sense is probably at least 50% fails.
We need strength and loads of training and repetition in order to become the polers we are.
It's a lot of fucking hard work and pain, and there are more unsuccessful moments than we would like to remember or experience. (Hence the title "Sweat, Blood, and Hot Pants.")
But speaking generally, the videos, especially of championship winners and famous polers where they are working hard to get moves, where you can see them struggling, these are as necessary for the pole community as well as inspirational award-winning performance videos.
These videos show us that our idols still have to work hard and struggle.
We may know this in our heads, but seeing it is a whole other experience
We can have visual evidence that they don't always succeed, just like the rest of us (those of us who aspire to be like them).
Dirdy Birdy's Fonji "Some Successes and Some Fails" video is what gave me the true inspiration to get my Fonji - I didn't have to get it the first time - or the first handful. If she can't do it right away, that means it will be difficult for me as well. If I didn't see this, I would have been more frustrated than I was when I tried because it seems like it should be something everyone can do.
We can become disillusioned in our world that things are easier than they really are because how graceful and painless our lovely stars and idols make them look.
Not to mention that the painful moves are more easy to get - I think - than say the ones like Birds of Paradise that require some intensive flexibility which means we need a whole other discipline to be working on at the same time rather than getting into the move/pose alone.
Thank you Heidi (and Dirdy Birdy) for sharing this video of multiple falls - not every poler wants to share their unsuccessful or un-perfect videos for reasons I completely understand as well,
but I will remember these videos on my continued pole journey of frustration and unsuccessful attempts in the future.
<3
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Bigger is Better?
Has anyone else noticed that almost all of the pictures for
advertising,
magazines,
websites,
blogs,
competitions,
etc are of all of the
1) most flexible moves or
2) the hardest or
3) both?
And I swear this has just become more and more real over the last year...
Sometimes when I see a photo of someone just someone standing next to a pole I feel like I can breathe.
I don't literally feel like when I see someone standing next to a pole for a photo "well I can do that, I'm comfortable."
But when I see some crazy ass move on a book, or a magazine, or a website, I almost feel like "in order to be good I need to be able to do this right.now." (Maybe this is just me and I am giving you some insight into how I get moves so quickly - I get this anxiety about how I have so much to learn and do in pole and I feel I need to know it as soon as possible, and this motivates me to train really hard.)
Don't get me wrong. If you know me you know I love the crazy ass, difficult, flexy pole moves and I want to be able to do every.single.one.
Well - except for the freaking knee hold. I never want to try that shit again.
I also understand polers doing workshops and advertising themselves they need to express without words that they are experienced.
I am not at all bashing difficult pole trick photos, I have tons and tons and I love them when I see them as well.
I know a lot of people really hate the idea of pole being in the Olympics (and that is a whole 'nother... 10 blogs worth of writing and thoughts there) and I'm not giving my opinion about pole in the Olympics right now,
but one person in particular has told me that pole in the Olympics means that pole will only really mean that the people who are relevant are those who are young, strong, and flexible.
I kind of feel like in a lot of ways we are already moving towards that style now.
Perhaphs since it's more my style than dancing in heels is I surround myself with photos and videos of this type of poling, (My photos are increasingly of difficult tricks. Not me standing next to a pole. Maybe I am a part of this trend...)
but I also feel like simplicity in pole - actually dancing or just moving around the pole on the ground or simple photos is increasingly less revered as doing a move like the Anastasia (even though this requires stupid flexibility so I get the merit).
I just hope all forms and styles of pole continue to be celebrated.
Small thought -
and that is all for today <3 :)
advertising,
magazines,
websites,
blogs,
competitions,
etc are of all of the
1) most flexible moves or
2) the hardest or
3) both?
And I swear this has just become more and more real over the last year...
Sometimes when I see a photo of someone just someone standing next to a pole I feel like I can breathe.
I don't literally feel like when I see someone standing next to a pole for a photo "well I can do that, I'm comfortable."
But when I see some crazy ass move on a book, or a magazine, or a website, I almost feel like "in order to be good I need to be able to do this right.now." (Maybe this is just me and I am giving you some insight into how I get moves so quickly - I get this anxiety about how I have so much to learn and do in pole and I feel I need to know it as soon as possible, and this motivates me to train really hard.)
Don't get me wrong. If you know me you know I love the crazy ass, difficult, flexy pole moves and I want to be able to do every.single.one.
Well - except for the freaking knee hold. I never want to try that shit again.
I also understand polers doing workshops and advertising themselves they need to express without words that they are experienced.
I am not at all bashing difficult pole trick photos, I have tons and tons and I love them when I see them as well.
I know a lot of people really hate the idea of pole being in the Olympics (and that is a whole 'nother... 10 blogs worth of writing and thoughts there) and I'm not giving my opinion about pole in the Olympics right now,
but one person in particular has told me that pole in the Olympics means that pole will only really mean that the people who are relevant are those who are young, strong, and flexible.
I kind of feel like in a lot of ways we are already moving towards that style now.
Perhaphs since it's more my style than dancing in heels is I surround myself with photos and videos of this type of poling, (My photos are increasingly of difficult tricks. Not me standing next to a pole. Maybe I am a part of this trend...)
but I also feel like simplicity in pole - actually dancing or just moving around the pole on the ground or simple photos is increasingly less revered as doing a move like the Anastasia (even though this requires stupid flexibility so I get the merit).
I just hope all forms and styles of pole continue to be celebrated.
Small thought -
and that is all for today <3 :)
Sunday, January 19, 2014
My First Pole Crash: Color Me Humbled.
So during a photoshoot yesterday I fell for the very first time in my pole career.
It was a pretty traumatic moment.
My mind started playing out my biggest fear - that I may not be able to pole again.
I am humbled by my experience because ...
As a poler I get injured - a lot.
I legitimately always have at least 3 injury-type things going on at any point in time.
None of them are "major" in the sense that I am literally going to ruin myself forever for being on the pole when I have these injuries. I don't pole when I feel something is serious or going to last a long period of time, or even cause me future pain.
But I have "injuries," like my ribs come out of alignment because my muscles are strained, and sometimes I have random pains in various parts of my body.
As polers, with the amount of abuse we put our bodies through, we tend to block out painful events and just try and wait out injuries.
None of these issues besides my ribs are ever reoccurring which I am grateful for.
I have been grateful and lucky because I have had injuries that are not severe or going to cause me chronic pain (which is not something every poler can say).
When my back started hurting and my ribs were bugging me this summer I stayed away for a little while but I kept coming back.
When I almost pulled my shoulder in December, I was off pole. For serious. For the first time.
I didn't do a single pole trick until I was healed.
That experience alone made me feel blessed for my luck and I had to realize that I need to actually step back to heal myself sometimes. That this can actually happen to me.
As a very passionate poler with big dreams, I train a lot.
As much as I can really.
Because of this I need a lot of body work and I don't always give myself the rest that I need to.
I however, have not had anything more serious than a shoulder injury that kept me away from the pole for 3 and a half weeks.
Being away from pole depresses me at any point in time when I am injured, and I have thought about the possibility of being so injured I will never be able to pole again.
This scares me more than almost anything.
When I fell on my shoulder and knocked the bone out of place yesterday (I still cringe every time I think of it)
I have a freak-out moment every single time.
This fall has made me realize something else other than: yes, I can be injured, and yes to the point where I need to stay away from poling for an extended, painful, length of time.
This struck something deeper.
Lately I have been feeling like I have been getting tricks right and left, and this streak has made me so happy because I was frustrated for a minute in December feeling like I wasn't really getting any moves.
But my crash made me realize that I need to stop flying and rather breathe through my experiences.
I am so eager to learn and to bust out tricks and get strong and improve and advance and perform.
I know that my biggest flaw as a poler is the inability to slow things down.
Slow moves down. Slow the process down. Slow my transitions down. You name it.
My teachers always tell me to, and I actively have to think about it in order to act upon it, and it's still the biggest struggle I have.
When I came out of my position the other day I wasn't thinking about the situation, my position, my body, and I fell - hard.
I have inverted a million times and there comes a point when you have done the same pole move so many times that you no longer even think about what you are doing or how you need to get out of it. You don't think you need to because it's just second nature by that time.
I learned that this is the wrong way of thinking the hard way.
I will never dominate pole - it will always be dangerous and deserve constant respect.
I always remind myself that my body is a temple.
I love my body. Flaws and all.
I eat well, I sleep often, I try and be good to myself.
However, I love pole so much that I often forget to take care of myself and I put pole first.
I don't take the time to remember that this is the one and only body I will have forever.
My drop reminded me that pole is a very scary and very dangerous sport.
I would say that non polers don't really understand, but I clearly forget and don't always understand as well.
The best polers in the world fall and get injured all of the time.
We hold ourselves up with the smallest amount of skin possible on a fast-spinning vertical bar in high heels 10 + feet up in the air.
This is very blatantly something that deserves extreme respect and attention and it's so easy to forget.
My point is that this experience has humbled me.
I am reminded that I am human.
I break very easily.
Pole is a very dangerous sport that deserves respect and that it is too easy to forget this.
I always tell myself I need to go slower, but now the universe has screamed at me, telling me that I can't keep brushing this need off like I have been for so long.
Always know where your points of contact are, and always know how you are going to get out of a move the safest way possible.
As a teacher I am almost overly protective of my students and making sure they are safe - but this is a practice I need to place on myself as well.
Crashes happen and injuries are pretty much inevitable in this lifestyle.
I hope that my experiences of injury are nothing any of you beautiful other polers ever have to experience.
My goals for this year are to take things more slowly, and allow myself to heal when I have injury because of everything I have explained above.
What we can do with our bodies is empowering and incredible, but we will never be able to defy gravity like we sometimes believe.
<3 <3 <3
It was a pretty traumatic moment.
My mind started playing out my biggest fear - that I may not be able to pole again.
I am humbled by my experience because ...
As a poler I get injured - a lot.
I legitimately always have at least 3 injury-type things going on at any point in time.
None of them are "major" in the sense that I am literally going to ruin myself forever for being on the pole when I have these injuries. I don't pole when I feel something is serious or going to last a long period of time, or even cause me future pain.
But I have "injuries," like my ribs come out of alignment because my muscles are strained, and sometimes I have random pains in various parts of my body.
As polers, with the amount of abuse we put our bodies through, we tend to block out painful events and just try and wait out injuries.
None of these issues besides my ribs are ever reoccurring which I am grateful for.
I have been grateful and lucky because I have had injuries that are not severe or going to cause me chronic pain (which is not something every poler can say).
When my back started hurting and my ribs were bugging me this summer I stayed away for a little while but I kept coming back.
When I almost pulled my shoulder in December, I was off pole. For serious. For the first time.
I didn't do a single pole trick until I was healed.
That experience alone made me feel blessed for my luck and I had to realize that I need to actually step back to heal myself sometimes. That this can actually happen to me.
As a very passionate poler with big dreams, I train a lot.
As much as I can really.
Because of this I need a lot of body work and I don't always give myself the rest that I need to.
I however, have not had anything more serious than a shoulder injury that kept me away from the pole for 3 and a half weeks.
Being away from pole depresses me at any point in time when I am injured, and I have thought about the possibility of being so injured I will never be able to pole again.
This scares me more than almost anything.
When I fell on my shoulder and knocked the bone out of place yesterday (I still cringe every time I think of it)
I have a freak-out moment every single time.
This fall has made me realize something else other than: yes, I can be injured, and yes to the point where I need to stay away from poling for an extended, painful, length of time.
This struck something deeper.
Lately I have been feeling like I have been getting tricks right and left, and this streak has made me so happy because I was frustrated for a minute in December feeling like I wasn't really getting any moves.
But my crash made me realize that I need to stop flying and rather breathe through my experiences.
I am so eager to learn and to bust out tricks and get strong and improve and advance and perform.
I know that my biggest flaw as a poler is the inability to slow things down.
Slow moves down. Slow the process down. Slow my transitions down. You name it.
My teachers always tell me to, and I actively have to think about it in order to act upon it, and it's still the biggest struggle I have.
When I came out of my position the other day I wasn't thinking about the situation, my position, my body, and I fell - hard.
I have inverted a million times and there comes a point when you have done the same pole move so many times that you no longer even think about what you are doing or how you need to get out of it. You don't think you need to because it's just second nature by that time.
I learned that this is the wrong way of thinking the hard way.
I will never dominate pole - it will always be dangerous and deserve constant respect.
I always remind myself that my body is a temple.
I love my body. Flaws and all.
I eat well, I sleep often, I try and be good to myself.
However, I love pole so much that I often forget to take care of myself and I put pole first.
I don't take the time to remember that this is the one and only body I will have forever.
My drop reminded me that pole is a very scary and very dangerous sport.
I would say that non polers don't really understand, but I clearly forget and don't always understand as well.
The best polers in the world fall and get injured all of the time.
We hold ourselves up with the smallest amount of skin possible on a fast-spinning vertical bar in high heels 10 + feet up in the air.
This is very blatantly something that deserves extreme respect and attention and it's so easy to forget.
My point is that this experience has humbled me.
I am reminded that I am human.
I break very easily.
Pole is a very dangerous sport that deserves respect and that it is too easy to forget this.
I always tell myself I need to go slower, but now the universe has screamed at me, telling me that I can't keep brushing this need off like I have been for so long.
Always know where your points of contact are, and always know how you are going to get out of a move the safest way possible.
As a teacher I am almost overly protective of my students and making sure they are safe - but this is a practice I need to place on myself as well.
Crashes happen and injuries are pretty much inevitable in this lifestyle.
I hope that my experiences of injury are nothing any of you beautiful other polers ever have to experience.
My goals for this year are to take things more slowly, and allow myself to heal when I have injury because of everything I have explained above.
What we can do with our bodies is empowering and incredible, but we will never be able to defy gravity like we sometimes believe.
<3 <3 <3
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
My Time with the Lovely Sarah Scott in the UK
Due to the fact that I was screwed over by the airlines - 5 days with Sarah turned into two days and an hour.
The first day I got there it was late and we had to run errands to make up for my lost luggage, so we didn't have time to pole. We went to the house and I met her hunny Adam Barr and her doggies. I went to sleep to wake up early the next day.
When I woke up Sarah was starting to cook breakfast - sweet potato pancakes. So amazing.
We got the keys to her friend Amy's (UKPPC winner 2012) pole studio, Studio 22.
This studio is AMAZING. It has 3 floors for awesomeness. One floor is for dancing, another floor is for aerial work like Lyra and fabrics, and the last one is for pole and it had two separate rooms.
The first day of pole I was jet lagged and didn't sleep much, but we managed to do six hours of pole in that one day.
We worked on some advance tricks and dead lifting techniques.
We took a break in the middle to get food and go shopping.
We went back for more pole, and later we went to the gym with Adam.
A guy who worked there started talking to Sarah about handstands and within minutes all of us were doing handstand walks and handstands against the wall with only one arm.
We then went home to eat and sleep and I was supposed to catch up on my sleep but I ended up staying awake until 1:00am on FaceBook and had an alarm set for 7:00 the next day.
We took a break in the middle to get food and go shopping.
We went back for more pole, and later we went to the gym with Adam.
A guy who worked there started talking to Sarah about handstands and within minutes all of us were doing handstand walks and handstands against the wall with only one arm.
We then went home to eat and sleep and I was supposed to catch up on my sleep but I ended up staying awake until 1:00am on FaceBook and had an alarm set for 7:00 the next day.
The next day I woke up and holy F was I sore and exhausted. My back, arms, thighs, calves, and especially my obliques were so sore.
Laughing and moving was a challenge.
I was so tired and sore that we didn't get another 6 hours of all new stuff in at the studio, but we managed to get six more hours of review, practice, and some new tricks in.
At the end both of us were doing our own thing, and it was my favorite time of the whole trip. Hanging out and poling with Sarah Scott as friends and polers was an amazing moment :)
We went home to eat and we were up until late again just hanging out in her kitchen with Adam.
The last day we only had an hour to pole before we had to drive two hours to the airport. By this day I was stupid tired and still ridiculously sore. We did some review and muscle memory and hanging out at the studio before we had to leave.
My trip overall was incredible.
I met my idol and trained with her privately.
She taught me tricks and strength moves I knew I needed to learn from her myself.
She taught me healthy things to cook and ways to plan out meals.
She told me things about herself, about pole, and about competitions I would only be able to learn by spending this time with her.
We had a handful of things in common as well. She called us "twinsies" when the similarities got past 5. :P
-We both danced to a Glitch Mob song for our first performance
-We both have the same style of pole and liked the same tricks
- Our pole playlist was incredibly similar
- We were both in the same place in our splits
- We both had the same thoughts on flexibility
- We both have long dark hair ;)
-We both danced to a Glitch Mob song for our first performance
-We both have the same style of pole and liked the same tricks
- Our pole playlist was incredibly similar
- We were both in the same place in our splits
- We both had the same thoughts on flexibility
- We both have long dark hair ;)
She will always be my favorite poler, and my ultimate fitness and pole inspiration.
I can't wait to learn from her again.
I have always had a confidence around my poling, but after that trip I feel changed.
Now more than ever I feel not like I "can" do moves and tricks and performances, but rather, I WILL do them.
I feel strong and advanced and ready to dominate any trick (at least the ones that don't require extreme flexibility until I gain that as well ;) )
I'm super happy I had this experience. It's by far one of my favorites if not THE.
<3
I can't wait to learn from her again.
I have always had a confidence around my poling, but after that trip I feel changed.
Now more than ever I feel not like I "can" do moves and tricks and performances, but rather, I WILL do them.
I feel strong and advanced and ready to dominate any trick (at least the ones that don't require extreme flexibility until I gain that as well ;) )
I'm super happy I had this experience. It's by far one of my favorites if not THE.
<3
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
My Adventure from Hell
I went to the UK this week to train with my pole idol, Sarah Scott.
The journey to get there was literally a vivid nightmare that I lived and it's too ridiculous not to share.
I first flew out to Phoenix for my best friend’s bachelorette party and her wedding.
Both were awesome and fun. I was honored to be the maid of honor ;)
The week was busy though, I hadn’t slept more than 6 hours in over a week and I usually need 9+ hours of sleep.
My boyfriend and I bought a hotel in Phoenix to spend some time together while in Phoenix, but the only time we got alone was us just sleeping since were were so busy and tired.
We got a ride to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport where we intended to spend some time together for a few hours before our flights.
Someone at the airport told us that we could go through our separate securities and meet back up afterwards. So we went to our separate securities without saying goodbye and then discovered that we could actually NOT meet back up.
We said goodbye on the phone and we flew our separate ways.
On my flight I got stuck next to a woman who was sick and coughing the whole 2 hours and I was terrified that she was going to get me sick days before my intensive training.
After I landed in Newark New Jersey the fun really began.
My phone was dead and I walked a mile around the airport looking for an outlet.
What kind of hell of an airport doesn’t have outlets?! I finally found a woman in the middle of a busy hallway holding her phone into one in the middle of the airport. I called Logan holding the cord up and sitting on the ground trying to not get stepped on.
It was eventually time to get to my gate which had a flight to London set for 9:00PM and boarding was meant to be at 8:15. At 8:15 there was an entire flight of people sitting at my gate on their way to Dublin - their flight hadn’t even arrived yet.
At 8:30 their plane wasn’t close.
At 9:00 my flight was pushed back to 9:30.
At 10:00 the Dublin plane still wasn’t there.
My flight was pushed to 10:15.
10:30.
The Dublin group’s plane finally arrived and they moved to another gate.
11:00 PM a United crew member announced that they were looking for our plane and they were looking for a pilot to fly us out but we would be getting our plane soon.
11:30 they told us if we don’t get a out of there by 11:45 we would be cancelled.
12:00 they said they found our plane and we would be leaving.
12:15 they moved us to another gate.
12:30 still nothing.
1:30 they said we were getting on board in a few minutes.
2:00am - the flight was cancelled.
They told us that we could not get our bags until after 6:00am in the morning.
They gave us a number to call for a new flight.
I called it and I was on hold for an hour.
A rude woman answered and told me the next available flight would be me leaving on the 8th. The day was the 5th. Uh. Fuck you.
I told her I was going to cancel my flight and find another with a different airline.
Logan stayed up past 2:00am in Colorado trying to help me find a hotel, a way to get there, and a new fight.
At 2:15am I was in the airport and I found a flight for $1,000 for the 6th that would put me in London on the 7th.
I’m missing a whole day for nothing.
Logan called a hotel and told me to get a free shuttle to the hotel and they would put me up.
I walked outside to find the shuttle at the lower level of the airport where a security woman told me I would be picked up.
After waiting in the cold at 2:45am I asked a man where to go. He told me to go back upstairs and wait.
I walked upstairs and asked a mean large security guard where to go. He told me simply ‘stand outside and wait for the bus.’
Not knowing what to do or what bus to look for, I stood outside.
A bus came and I asked the driver if it was the correct one for me.
He told me yes and I got on a bus that was creepily empty.
I was taken to some random ass building where the man told me to wait outside for a shuttle.
I called the hotel Logan had called earlier that told him there were vacancies and to arrive and just ask for a room.
To be sure I called beforehand and they told me there were none.
I called another hotel - they had vacancies and would send a shuttle. The first good news all day.
I paid $200 for one night in a hotel. I had no luggage, face wash, toothbrush or anything.
The next day I checked out and got back to the airport.
The man driving the shuttle from the hotel dropped me off at the terminal building where I had my new flight.
Then I realized my luggage was in an entirely different terminal of the airport and I needed to go there first, then come all the way back and check into the new terminal of the airport.
I took an air train all the way to the other terminal.
I didn’t see my luggage so I got in line to ask about it.
After an hour of standing in my only shoes I have had, 6 inch boots, I finally spoke with a woman.
At first she told me that the airline lied when they said I could get my bag at 6:00am. She said that since there were already hundreds of random bags they weren’t even going to get around to the newest ones for days.
Then she scanned my baggage tickets and told me that “oh wait,” my baggage was probably already in London. WTF? Thinking I had one good thing happen, with a little hope I took an air train all the way back to the terminal where my new flight would be.
I walked back and fourth, up and down an entire airport terminal twice looking for the counter for my airline and finally went up to a woman asking where it was.
She said something weird, like “it wasn’t there yet”? And didn’t tell me anything else.
I went to an airport bar to hang out for awhile until I could get checked in and what I assumed was I was waiting for my airline to set up their counter.
After waiting two hours I got an e-mail from Expedia telling me my itinerary for my flight leaving on the 10th had changed and I needed to call them.
Trying to stay calm I called the number and a man who kept saying my name wrong checked my flight and told me it was exactly how it should be. Just praying he was right, I hung up the phone.
Two hours later I went up a level to find my carrier and there was a line out of the door.
I waited in line for 40 minutes to get to the counter and when I did the man asked if I had bags.
I told him that “no, they apparently left without me”.
The worker next to him stopped and told me that baggage is never supposed to leave without a person and that it’s doubtful that my baggage was in London.
Devastated once again I shuffled off all across the airport to my security line.
After I passed through security where they practically made me take off everything I was wearing and take out almost everything in my bag and put it in a separate bin, I waited another 3 hours in a waiting area because my flight was delayed 45 minutes to get onto the new flight.
After getting on the plane I knew I had to train the next day, so for five and a half hours I tried to sleep to no avail.
We landed in Iceland where it was 6:00am, I was exhausted, and I tried to not fall asleep until my next flight.
I then got on my flight to London and it was an hour late taking off.
We sat on the plane for unknown reasons for such a long time.
Then we flew out and I finally passed out for about two hours. At least around the times that I wasn’t being woken up because of a crying child.
I finally landed an hour late and when I got off the plane I had to walk a mile through the airport to find that I needed to stand in a HUGE line just to get into the UK.
I waited in line an hour to get through the border process and by then Sarah had already been waiting by then 2 hours for me to get out of the airport.
When I got downstairs finally I looked for my bag and found none.
I went to the United Baggage Claim to ask them and a man tried calling over to the other terminal with United Bags for half an hour and no one picked up.
He told me to go to the other Baggage Support for the Iceland Air carrier because I was on their airline last, it was their responsibility. WTF?!
I waited in line for 40 minutes with Sarah waiting outside for me, parked in an expensive parking garage, to talk to someone.
A man with an accent I could barely understand asked me some questions and told me it could be days.
He then told me I should expect my bag the next day about mid-dayish.
I left, having made Sarah wait 3 hours by that time, after being bothered by some man when I was leaving about why I had no bags.
We had to drive 2 hours back after I already made her wait, and since I had no baggage we had to run to the store so I could buy all of my toiletries that I didn’t have.
By that time it was really late and we had no time to do pole at all so a whole second day was entirely wasted.
It has been a whole other day and no bags have arrived and we have gotten no calls or e-mails.
We checked online and it turns out that my purple bag has been found but it won’t be here until the day I leave, and my other bag has not been found.
I had to buy all new clothes today and only get one more day to pole with Sarah Scott.
5 days turned into 2 and I want to burn every single airline and airport to the ground.
I’m super grateful that I am finally in the UK and looking on the bright side. I got new clothes, I’m with my idol training privately, I’m safe, etc etc. But MOTHER FUCKER! How I didn’t LOSE MY SHIT I will never know. I think if it wasn’t for Logan looking after me and knowing where I was going, heads would have rolled.
Sigh.
A more positive post after I return from the Magic trip to the UK! <3
The journey to get there was literally a vivid nightmare that I lived and it's too ridiculous not to share.
I first flew out to Phoenix for my best friend’s bachelorette party and her wedding.
Both were awesome and fun. I was honored to be the maid of honor ;)
The week was busy though, I hadn’t slept more than 6 hours in over a week and I usually need 9+ hours of sleep.
My boyfriend and I bought a hotel in Phoenix to spend some time together while in Phoenix, but the only time we got alone was us just sleeping since were were so busy and tired.
We got a ride to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport where we intended to spend some time together for a few hours before our flights.
Someone at the airport told us that we could go through our separate securities and meet back up afterwards. So we went to our separate securities without saying goodbye and then discovered that we could actually NOT meet back up.
We said goodbye on the phone and we flew our separate ways.
On my flight I got stuck next to a woman who was sick and coughing the whole 2 hours and I was terrified that she was going to get me sick days before my intensive training.
After I landed in Newark New Jersey the fun really began.
My phone was dead and I walked a mile around the airport looking for an outlet.
What kind of hell of an airport doesn’t have outlets?! I finally found a woman in the middle of a busy hallway holding her phone into one in the middle of the airport. I called Logan holding the cord up and sitting on the ground trying to not get stepped on.
It was eventually time to get to my gate which had a flight to London set for 9:00PM and boarding was meant to be at 8:15. At 8:15 there was an entire flight of people sitting at my gate on their way to Dublin - their flight hadn’t even arrived yet.
At 8:30 their plane wasn’t close.
At 9:00 my flight was pushed back to 9:30.
At 10:00 the Dublin plane still wasn’t there.
My flight was pushed to 10:15.
10:30.
The Dublin group’s plane finally arrived and they moved to another gate.
11:00 PM a United crew member announced that they were looking for our plane and they were looking for a pilot to fly us out but we would be getting our plane soon.
11:30 they told us if we don’t get a out of there by 11:45 we would be cancelled.
12:00 they said they found our plane and we would be leaving.
12:15 they moved us to another gate.
12:30 still nothing.
1:30 they said we were getting on board in a few minutes.
2:00am - the flight was cancelled.
They told us that we could not get our bags until after 6:00am in the morning.
They gave us a number to call for a new flight.
I called it and I was on hold for an hour.
A rude woman answered and told me the next available flight would be me leaving on the 8th. The day was the 5th. Uh. Fuck you.
I told her I was going to cancel my flight and find another with a different airline.
Logan stayed up past 2:00am in Colorado trying to help me find a hotel, a way to get there, and a new fight.
At 2:15am I was in the airport and I found a flight for $1,000 for the 6th that would put me in London on the 7th.
I’m missing a whole day for nothing.
Logan called a hotel and told me to get a free shuttle to the hotel and they would put me up.
I walked outside to find the shuttle at the lower level of the airport where a security woman told me I would be picked up.
After waiting in the cold at 2:45am I asked a man where to go. He told me to go back upstairs and wait.
I walked upstairs and asked a mean large security guard where to go. He told me simply ‘stand outside and wait for the bus.’
Not knowing what to do or what bus to look for, I stood outside.
A bus came and I asked the driver if it was the correct one for me.
He told me yes and I got on a bus that was creepily empty.
I was taken to some random ass building where the man told me to wait outside for a shuttle.
I called the hotel Logan had called earlier that told him there were vacancies and to arrive and just ask for a room.
To be sure I called beforehand and they told me there were none.
I called another hotel - they had vacancies and would send a shuttle. The first good news all day.
I paid $200 for one night in a hotel. I had no luggage, face wash, toothbrush or anything.
The next day I checked out and got back to the airport.
The man driving the shuttle from the hotel dropped me off at the terminal building where I had my new flight.
Then I realized my luggage was in an entirely different terminal of the airport and I needed to go there first, then come all the way back and check into the new terminal of the airport.
I took an air train all the way to the other terminal.
I didn’t see my luggage so I got in line to ask about it.
After an hour of standing in my only shoes I have had, 6 inch boots, I finally spoke with a woman.
At first she told me that the airline lied when they said I could get my bag at 6:00am. She said that since there were already hundreds of random bags they weren’t even going to get around to the newest ones for days.
Then she scanned my baggage tickets and told me that “oh wait,” my baggage was probably already in London. WTF? Thinking I had one good thing happen, with a little hope I took an air train all the way back to the terminal where my new flight would be.
I walked back and fourth, up and down an entire airport terminal twice looking for the counter for my airline and finally went up to a woman asking where it was.
She said something weird, like “it wasn’t there yet”? And didn’t tell me anything else.
I went to an airport bar to hang out for awhile until I could get checked in and what I assumed was I was waiting for my airline to set up their counter.
After waiting two hours I got an e-mail from Expedia telling me my itinerary for my flight leaving on the 10th had changed and I needed to call them.
Trying to stay calm I called the number and a man who kept saying my name wrong checked my flight and told me it was exactly how it should be. Just praying he was right, I hung up the phone.
Two hours later I went up a level to find my carrier and there was a line out of the door.
I waited in line for 40 minutes to get to the counter and when I did the man asked if I had bags.
I told him that “no, they apparently left without me”.
The worker next to him stopped and told me that baggage is never supposed to leave without a person and that it’s doubtful that my baggage was in London.
Devastated once again I shuffled off all across the airport to my security line.
After I passed through security where they practically made me take off everything I was wearing and take out almost everything in my bag and put it in a separate bin, I waited another 3 hours in a waiting area because my flight was delayed 45 minutes to get onto the new flight.
After getting on the plane I knew I had to train the next day, so for five and a half hours I tried to sleep to no avail.
We landed in Iceland where it was 6:00am, I was exhausted, and I tried to not fall asleep until my next flight.
I then got on my flight to London and it was an hour late taking off.
We sat on the plane for unknown reasons for such a long time.
Then we flew out and I finally passed out for about two hours. At least around the times that I wasn’t being woken up because of a crying child.
I finally landed an hour late and when I got off the plane I had to walk a mile through the airport to find that I needed to stand in a HUGE line just to get into the UK.
I waited in line an hour to get through the border process and by then Sarah had already been waiting by then 2 hours for me to get out of the airport.
When I got downstairs finally I looked for my bag and found none.
I went to the United Baggage Claim to ask them and a man tried calling over to the other terminal with United Bags for half an hour and no one picked up.
He told me to go to the other Baggage Support for the Iceland Air carrier because I was on their airline last, it was their responsibility. WTF?!
I waited in line for 40 minutes with Sarah waiting outside for me, parked in an expensive parking garage, to talk to someone.
A man with an accent I could barely understand asked me some questions and told me it could be days.
He then told me I should expect my bag the next day about mid-dayish.
I left, having made Sarah wait 3 hours by that time, after being bothered by some man when I was leaving about why I had no bags.
We had to drive 2 hours back after I already made her wait, and since I had no baggage we had to run to the store so I could buy all of my toiletries that I didn’t have.
By that time it was really late and we had no time to do pole at all so a whole second day was entirely wasted.
It has been a whole other day and no bags have arrived and we have gotten no calls or e-mails.
We checked online and it turns out that my purple bag has been found but it won’t be here until the day I leave, and my other bag has not been found.
I had to buy all new clothes today and only get one more day to pole with Sarah Scott.
5 days turned into 2 and I want to burn every single airline and airport to the ground.
I’m super grateful that I am finally in the UK and looking on the bright side. I got new clothes, I’m with my idol training privately, I’m safe, etc etc. But MOTHER FUCKER! How I didn’t LOSE MY SHIT I will never know. I think if it wasn’t for Logan looking after me and knowing where I was going, heads would have rolled.
Sigh.
A more positive post after I return from the Magic trip to the UK! <3
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