KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A woman here in East Tennessee will travel across seven time zones to compete against the best in the world in an event called pole sport.
It began in strip clubs and adult establishments as pole dancing. Then it went mainstream with pole fitness classes. Now it's a legitimate athletic competition.
Much like rhythmic gymnastics, pole sport combines strength, grace and athleticism. Ann Jennings is an instructor at Sheer Inspiration Pole Fitness in the Old City.
She is also a biophysics research assistant at Oak Ridge National Lab.
"Everyone at work has been super supportive," she said.
Ann Jennings is one of four women on Team USA headed to Finland for the POSA Pole Sport World Championships. She has a GoFundMe account to help with expenses for travel to the event the first weekend in December.
She said, "You're judged on your technical scores so you start off with 75 points and each time you flex a foot, your legs bend, you have a bad angle, there's a judge sitting there marking off each time you do something wrong."
The athletes wear minimal uniforms to allow for maximum flexibility. At competitions, there's also an artistry score based on stage presence, musicality, and dance as well as a difficulty component.
"I have to send in 10 tricks in the order I am going to do them in my routine. So if I don't do those tricks then I will get deducted for it," she said.
It's a sophisticated judging system for an acrobatic sport that evolved from pole dancing at strip clubs.
Watching Ann practice you get a sense of the strength needed to perform the tricks and the grace required to string them together.
Growing up, before earning her masters degree in biophysics, she excelled in ballet and gymnastics. That training is a firm foundation for pole sport.
"There's the girls that came from gymnastics and the girls that came from the stripping world, and so trying to integrate the two together is interesting to see," she said.
Ann Jennings has won many medals since embracing the sport about four years ago.
Amateur:
- 2016 PSO Southern level 3 championship 1st
- 2016 PSO Southern level 3 entertainment 1st
- 2016 Georgia pole Fitness Classic 1st
- 2017 PSO Triangle level 4 championship 2nd
- 2017 PSO Southeast level 4 exotic 2nd
- 2017 PSO Southeast level 4 entertainment 2nd
Professional:
- 2017 Georgia pole Fitness Classic 3rd
- 2018 Arnold Classic Open 2nd
- 2018 PSO Southern Pro Championship 1st (qualified for PSO US Nationals)
- 2018 North American Pole Dance Championships International Elite 3rd
- 2018 Georgia Pole Fitness Classic 2nd
- 2019 MN pole Fitness Classic 2nd
- 2019 PSO Triangle Pro Championship 2nd (qualified for PSO US Nationals)
"Everybody is going to be at their best at this one," she said.
Thirty five people qualified. The top 10 will make it to the finals.
"I just want to do the best that I can do at this point but it is definitely more intimidating than a normal competition," she said.
It's an international competition featuring an athlete from East Tennessee.
A couple years ago, the Global Association of International Sports Federation granted pole sport "special observer status." That is a critical first step to one day becoming an Olympic event. Pole Sport will not, however, be part of the 2020 Olympic Games.