Competition Pearls

I recently blogged about things I learned from judging.  It got more attention than I expected and I’m so glad that it seemed to resonate with people.  Thanks to all of you who shared/commented.  As I got to thinking about it, I realize that I have learned valuable lessons from competing too.  Mind you, I’ve come in first (Ms Virginia Amateur) and I’ve come in dead last (SPC) so I like to think I have some perspective here.  As a disclaimer, the following thoughts are derived from my own personal experience, which involves competing as a hobby and not as a job.  While some of what follows may apply to those men and women who are professional polers, my perspective is completely different from theirs.  I imagine that competing takes on a whole new light when your income and professional reputation are all wrapped up in there!

Competition Pearls:

1.     Everyone likes winning but you should have another reason to compete: Because you won’t win all the time.  Even the best in the world don’t win all the time.  In fact, you may win none of the time.  As competitors, we put a lot of time, effort, and-yes-money, into preparing for a competition.  If the only way you are going to enjoy it is if you win, you are going to be a sad puppy if it doesn’t work out that way.  There are myriad reasons for competing (more on this in future blogs) and I recommend engaging in some introspection and honest assessment of why you’re doing it.  Think about it: you’re backstage, you can hear other people competing, you have on your sparkly bikini (or whatever) and feel like you might vomit.  I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one who has thought “Why the hell am I doing this to myself??!!”.  You should have a decent answer to that question.

2.     Do your research!  There are so many competitions out there and they are all different.  They run the spectrum from sexy to sporty, from well-run and classy to sloppy and sleazy.  Sometimes it can be difficult to know what you are getting into, especially if a competition is new.  However, if possible, try to learn what you can before you sign up.  Talk to other people who have done the competition, check out the website, etc.  A “good” competition will have clear and published judging and selection criteria.  You will be able to get in touch with the organizer and get answers to your questions.  Choose a competition that you trust and one that emphasizes what you enjoy about pole.

3.     As a corollary to number 2, read the judging criteria before/while you are choreographing.  That is, read them if you care about how you score/place.  If that’s not your aim, well then obviously they are less relevant.

4.     As an amendment to number 3, consider the criteria but don’t just do what you think the judges want to see.  I’ve tried this approach and I don’t recommend it.  First, you may be wrong.  Second, and more important, you have to enjoy your routine!  If you don’t like your routine, no one else will either and, furthermore, you’ve just violated a primary commandment of pole, which is to have fun and feel good about yourself.

5.     Scores are just a number.  I wrote about this in my judging blog too so I won’t elaborate on it too much here but the bottom line is that your score is the number that reflects how well your routine met the judging criteria.  That’s it.  Not how strong or how flexible or how fluid you are.  It’s not a value judgment on your ability to pole overall.  It’s certainly not a value judgment on your worth as a person or a poler and you shouldn’t take it as such.  Sometimes the judge’s comments are helpful and sometimes they are crap but usually there is something you can take away that will help you improve.

6.     Get (good) help.  Or rather, don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need/want it.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses and having others weigh-in and contribute to your routine will only help it improve.  Ultimately, it’s your routine though so try to find that fine balance between trusting your instructors/friends and knowing when to stick to your guns.

7.     Figure out your costume ahead of time.  I’ve waited until the last minute to put together my costume.  It didn’t go well.  Also, costume/make-up/hair/etc can be one of the most fun parts of competing!  I recommend doing a full run through in your costume for obvious reasons. 

8.     Don’t put in new or shaky tricks: if they don’t go well in practice, why do we think that when we are nervous and on-stage, they are suddenly going to be fabulous?  They usually aren’t.  What’s worse, you will likely spend the rest of the routine worrying about them, which will make it less fun for you and more difficult to get into and remain in character.

9.     Commit to your character (it’s more fun and it looks better no matter what else happens):  Even if you feel silly.  Even if you fall of the pole.  Even if you fall off the stage.  If everything else goes to shit, at least you can say you stayed in character!

10. Bring a friend (or a studio!):  I’ve done competitions with friends and I’ve done them alone.  It’s way less fun when you are by yourself.  Some studios will get a group of people to attend and compete. 

11.  Last but not least, be a good co-competitor.  You’re all in the same boat.  My pole-crush Michelle Shimmy has an excellent blog post on this (http://shimmypolediary.blogspot.com/2012/04/survivors-guide-to-pole-competitions.html so I won’t go overboard.  Personally, I can’t watch anyone who competes before me but I do try to be supportive backstage.  While you don’t have to be everyone’s best friend, common courtesies are appreciated!  Also, be happy for the winners.  Who knows--you might even make friends!  (Below is a picture of the one of the Head Over Heels Competitions--photo credit Christopher Donald)