ANDRE'S STORY

Aerial arts in 3 words: Massive. Mental. Expansion.

I’m trained as a gymnast but when I saw my friend Sam post a video of her pole routine I immediately had to try it.

My very first pole class was unbelievably fun all the while being extremely humbling. I knew that pole dancing required upper body and core strength, but not to the degree that it ACTUALLY does. Like for REAL real. Whoever said pole is just for girls must have been talking about the most badass girls possible.

Gymnastics and pole dancing actually have A LOT in common. Both sports require athleticism, flexibility and spatial awareness. The only difference between the two is the apparatus, which, believe it or not, actually isn’t too far off from uneven and high bar.

In all honesty, I hate working out. Lol. Like, the thought of going to the gym makes me sick, but I still do it anyway. Im a committed person and I like to stick with the things I start. What keeps me motivated is that pole is as much a mental game as a physical one. And for me, its something I can focus all my energy on in that moment.

So, after I’m done pouting in the locker room or making excuses in my head about why I don’t want to do it, I warm up with light cardio [emphasis on LIGHT, because I also hate running] hit weights, throw in some calisthenics and then finish it up with stretching.

Competitions won: CPC ‘17 Exotic L4, Silver // CPC ‘18 Men’s Qualifier, Gold