The “pump up” phase for me, should only start about 30min out, otherwise it’s too much energy wasted and I start getting sleepy side of stage. He always makes me feel like I can do the thing. If my partner is attending the show, it’s a ritual to go out in the interval or before the show starts and get myself a big squishy comfort hug. M: As I mentioned before, I’ll sometimes take a little nap time, zone out and watch animal Instagram vids, have a few light snacks, chat to my mum and my partner (those chats sometimes involve a few breakdowns, I’m not going to lie!). L: How long do you warm-up and stretch before the comp performance? Usually they're for 6pm onwards, how do you keep yourself energised throughout the day for such a demanding night? Just prior to walking out onto the stage, I’m gripping up and thinking about how no matter what happens out there, I need to be a good example for my students, and that always makes me super keen to get out there and make a show of it. I sometimes have a little backstage nap before visualising the routine again, multiple times. Driving or walking to the venue is when the nerves start pumping, but they settle after the tech run. I want to avoid sitting in the high stress zone because it’s such a big energy drain. If it’s interstate, I just try to keep my brain chill by hanging with mates. M: If the comp isn’t interstate, I’ll usually still teach in the morning before arriving at the venue. But I’ve refined the bird of paradise since my last comp, so maybe that’s the new crowd pleaser! L: Leading up to a competition, what does a day in the life look like for you? I feel like the crowd always loves a good static dynamic movement like a punchfront or flying phoenix. L: What are your top 3 crowd pleaser moves? I love slowing my movement down and being gooey and fluid, it makes me feel like a flowy seaweed. Most people see my heels style which is usually dynamic and powerful, but my absolute favourite way to dance is to flow barefoot, closely followed by heels flow. M: I feel like I have a few dance styles up my sleeve. L: How would you describe your dancing style? I can’t physically do the amount of run throughs that I’d like to be able to do, so visualising myself performing the movements to music is immensely helpful. I also find visualising to be very helpful. You’re competing against yourself to be better than your last run through or your last comp, not anyone else because you can’t control what anyone else is doing. If you concern yourself too much with comparing yourself to what everyone else is doing, you’ll turn into a ball of stress and negativity.
M: The mental side of comp prep is crazy hard to manage! But my best advice is to stay in your lane.
You’ll come back feeling more refreshed and motivated for a better session! L: How can someone who has never competed before best-prepare themselves mentally for a pole comp?
And finally, don’t overtrain! As much as you feel like you should be in the studio day in day out, sometimes you have to take a few days off. I need to cross train with gym work to keep an old back injury strong, but it absolutely keeps the rest of me together as well. I know gym isn’t for everyone, but some sort of prehab is absolutely essential. Several months prior to the comp I’ll be laying down good strength foundations and lifting heavier weights, and then closer to the comp, I’ll back off the high loads and it will become more of a maintenance program. It doesn’t always work out like that, but it’s ideal if it does! If I know what comps I’ll be entering throughout the year, I can also cater my gym program to the comp.
#MISS POLE DANCE AUSTRALIA 2019 FULL#
From there, I like to be running the routine in 2 chunks by 6 weeks out, and then by 4 weeks out, full runs. M: My preparation journey for a pole comp will usually start 8-12 weeks out, with experimenting with movement and combos.
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