Carol Pippin, Belinda Church, and Teri White: An Inside Look At the FXU Pole Society

I sat down with the FXU Pole Society committee members this week and learned a lot about the benefits of pole fitness, the stigmas surrounding it, and how these women deal with the steoreotypes and discourse surrounding pole. President Belinda Church, Vice President Carol Pippin, and Secretary Teri White were all nice enough to take time our of their day to have a chat with me. 

Belinda is 21 and is a Libra, Teri is 19 and is a Pisces, and Carol is 20 and is a Taurus. 

HC: Where are you from and how is it different from Falmouth? 

CP: Hampshire— it’s a county in the south of England and it’s full of nice rural towns and villages. Falmouth is better because of the sea and the fresh air; there’s a kind and welcoming atmosphere and everyone’s creative and I like how everyone here is in our age range. It’s my ‘right enviroment’ and I feel more comfortable here versus being in a town of ‘adults’— it’s more comfortable here. 

BC: Berkshire; it’s quite rural but it feels different from Cornwall. It’s halfway between London and Bristol and it’s metropolitan. People here are a lot friendlier which is nice. It’s nice being a student here ’cause the locals are friendly which I think just has to do with it being Cornwall. People don’t really talk to each other that much at home. At home, you don’t really develop as much a bond with your neighbors like you do here. 

TW: I’m from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. It’s quite a big town– bigger than Falmouth and it’s very historic. People are very friendly and there’s a sense of patriotism (in a nice way). I’m quite close to the sea at home; Falmouth is a bit smaller but it feels more like a holiday location. It feels like a home away from home since they’re both very similar but totally different at the same time.

HC: What courses do you all do?  

CP: Acting at Falmouth. 

TW: English at Exeter. 

BC: Geography at Exeter. 

HC: What societies are you in or how are you involved in the uni other than Pole Soc? 

BC: I’m in the Horseriding Society and GeogSoc.

TW: I’m in the Running Society and the English Society. 

CP: Right now in 3rd year I’m only involved in the Pole Soc, but in 1st and 2nd year I was a part of the Climbing Soc and the Surf Soc. I tried yoga and I didn’t enjoy it that much.

HC: What are some of the stereotypes you have to deal with when you tell people you do pole fitness or are in the Pole Society? 

(pictured: Carol Pippin on the bottom, Belinda Church at the top.)

CP: I’m oblvious to it and I don’t see it but I think we’re too happy and excited to show off what we can do and showing off our society. There weren’t any negative comments even though people might’ve been thinking them. We’ve got so many different people from different courses with different personality types doing it and it’s amazing. I don’t think there is any stigma associated with pole on this campus. 

TW: A lot of people think that women do it to attract men. 

BC: People think that it’s a woman’s sport. People think that pole fitness is real sexy but you don’t feel sexy doing it. 

HC: How is pole fitness beneficial physically and mentally?

CP: On a physical level, its’s really good for your core and toning your muscles. It gets your heart pumping and keeps you fit and healthy, all the while not feeling like you’re ‘working out’. It makes you feel better about yourself because you’ve put in the hard work and overcome your boundaries. I’ve also found that pole has improved my flexibility and balance.

BC: It’s good in a fitness sense because you build your strength and balance and technique. It’s completely changed how I feel about my body. So instead of thinking about what it looks like, it’s focusing on what it can do. 

TW: It builds your flexibility and stamina and self confidence. 

(pictured: Teri White bottom left, Carol Pippin top centre, Pole Soc member bottom right)

HC: What are some tips you have for people who want to start pole fitness?

CP:  Give it a go. If you’re too scared then take a friend with you or even just sit and watch one of the classes because everyone starts in the same place and everyone starts to develop strong friendships. If you’re really frightened about being judged and you have the money you can buy a private session with a teacher. 

TW: Just don’t be nervous. Just try something new. 

BC: Everyone starts at a beginner level and don’t be scared just do it and see what happens. 

HC: Can everyone do it? 

CP: Yes.

BC: Yeah.

TW: Yep. 

HC: What’s your response to people who say pole fitness is unfeminist or hypersexualises women?

CP: I tell them “its my body and I do what I want”. Second, pole dancing and pole fitness are different things. I’ll tell them “you give it a go” so that they’ll see how difficult it is and see how sexy they’ll feel. You do pole to empower yourself— it’s for me and just for me. The bruises we get are empowering. It’s not easy and if anyone says that to me I’ll tell them to try it. 

BC: You can do pole fitness with clothes on if the pole is coated and you can still do the same moves and spins and tricks. It can easily look oversexualised because we don’t always have a lot of clothes on because you need the grip. 

TW: I think feminism is a choice and I think telling someone they can’t do pole fitness because it’s ‘unfeminist’ is unfeminist.

HC: What are some of the things you’ve learned after being at uni for a for a little over a year?

CP: That’s a tricky question because unis in general are different around the country but Falmouth is most different. This uni doesn’t judge and you can be whoever you wanna be and you don’t need to care. There’s so much support from friends and other students or the academics. If you’re willing to find support it’s already there for you. I’ve learned that you don’t need to pretend to be someone that someone else is going to like. I’ve learned that what other people people think of you is none of your business. You learn quickly what needs your time and what doesn’t need your time.

BC: I learned to prioritize myself. If I make myself happy first then I can start to think about other people.  

TW: Indepence mainly like doing things on my own and ‘adulting’.

HC: What is your favourite part about pole fitness?

CP: How it’s a free gym— once you’ve bought a pole it’s basically a free membership. It’s flexiblitly, balance, momentum, strength, core, and cardio all in one and you can even set levels for yourself.

BC: Learning something new and getting a picture of it.

TW: I like that it’s a good workout and it’s fun.

HC: If you could be any animal what would you be?

CP: I’m a cat. Definitely. I love cats.

BC: A horse because I love horses. I’ve always wanted to be a horse.

TW: I have a pug and I think he’s my spirit animal. He’s so lazy and chubby and everyone loves pugs.

HC: What’s the most bizarre thing that has happened to you at uni?

CP: Because I work as a senior student ambassor I got to hang with Dawn French and had lunch with her for a week. Also, one time we were to class and there was a climbing wall outside the Compass and we climbed up it even though we only had 20 minutes to get to class. Also pole fitness in a church.

BC & TW: We did pole fitness in a church.

HC: What’s something that you’re looking forward to?

CP: I’m not looking forward to graduating. I look forward to a thing that’s in the moment and I’m easily pleased by the little things and I like to live in the now. When it’s uni related, I don’t know; I don’t have a big picture. I know my graduation will be fun but I don’t want that day to come because in the real world you don’t hang with people your age. On campus there’s a lot of you on in one space. In the real world, adults treat you like a baby because you’ve just graduated and you don’t know the ‘unspoken rules’ of the adult world. 

BC:  I look forward to passing on the Pole Soc to next years committee because we’re still quite new and I’m looking forward to seeing how it progresses because we’re looking to get other aerial fitness in. Maybe in a few years Pole Soc will be more than just Pole Soc— it’ll be the Aerial Soc.

TW: I hope I could do pole fitness outside of uni. I have a vision of me with abs and with them I could do anything on a pole.

HC: If you had the option of trying out a different society, which would you choose and why?

CP: If there is a self denfense society, I would love to try that out. And Doc Soc since it’s really cool because you can find out what’s going on in the science-y world which is cool.

BC: I really wanna try paddle boarding and I think it’ll be a really good exercise and it looks really nice in the summmer.

TW: I think Ballroom Soc and Horseriding sounds fun.

Thank you so much to Belinda Church, Teri White, and Carol Pippin for sharing their experiences from being in the Pole Society and from being a student on Tremough Campus.

Go and follow the Pole Fitness Society @fxupolesociety on Instagram and Twitter! 

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