Why Miss & Mister Pole Essex (MMPE)?
I had been toying with the idea of entering a competition for the past year or so however I didn't find the right level. My instructor at the amazing Pole and Tone in Romford, Essex suggested MMPE as a perfect first competition.
The logic I believe was to do with the fact that there was no video entry required. Several pole competitions ask you to submit a video entry, alongside the entry fee, as submission of an application.
Potentially you out together a routine, put in all the money and hard work and quite possibly you may not even get into the live competition.
Also MMPE was a new version of the well established Miss & Mister Pole Scotland. The organisers decided to branch out down to Essex. This will be due to the fact that the event is run by a pole school Up Yer Pole.
The fact this was a new competition made me feel slightly less pressure than had it been a well established one such as Pole Theatre UK or Miss Pole Dance UK. The fact I could have seen the previous winners and the level of the competitors would have been even more daunting.
Song Choice
I love listening to music and every time I heard a song I liked, I'd think whether I could dance to it. At first I chose an amazing Latin American song which was full of energy. I was thinking of all these cool, sexy salsa moves I could do then after chatting to Sue, we agreed it would simply be too fast paced for my first competition.
Next I remembered us playing around with a few dance routine moves to Na Na Trey Songz in class about a year ago. I remembered I liked the beat of the song. It's a good mix of being a little slow at point but so upbeat.
The routine had to be less than three minutes long so luckily a colleague was kind enough to cut the music for me to just under 3 minutes. It was really good to get the music cut slightly in the middle as there's nothing worse than finishing a routine when you know the music has to be faded out.
Choreography
Now I had the music, I just needed a routine to it! Although we had a few basic moves to begin with that was it.
As I entered as Student Intermediate, I was restricted with some of the moves I could include in my routine. Although I have mastered a few more advanced moves (such as Jade splits and Janiero) I didn't feel confident enough to compete at Advanced level.
I had an idea of one combo of moves however showing this to my very talented friend Jade Bensilum (who has competed and won heaps!) she explained this was a very basic combo that most of the judges would have seen a million times before. She helped me put together a variation of the combo and it worked amazing for my first invert combo.
Getting the right mix between pole moves and floor work is a fine art. I felt my routine had a nice balance however I felt more confident with my pole moves than the floor work. If I could have improved anything more, it would be the floor work.
I think what didn't help me was the fact that I only allowed myself less than three weeks to put together a routine and nail it. Due to holidays and general life, I didn't time the competition well. This worked well for me in the end, however I did feel a tremendous amount of pressure for those three weeks.
*** As a point of clarification, I want to confirm that my routine was wonderfully choreographed by my incredible pole instructor, Sue, at Pole and Tone. I am entirely grateful for all her hard work with prerparing me for this competition.***
Mind, Body and Soul
Speaking of pressure, not only did I feel the pressure but my body was in absolute bits. I was training pole five times a week leading up to the competition. Not only did we have to put a routine together, I needed to memorise it and nail it so quickly.
My body wasn't able to recover from the bruises. I also wasn't eating so well (coco pops isn't a suitable dinner!).
Not just the physical pressure on my body but the week leading up to the competition the nightmares started. These ranged from showing up on stage naked to slipping right off the pole.
Look the part
Now I had a song, a routine(ish) and plenty of pole kisses, it was time to sort out what to wear. Lucky I had spoken to a lovely costume designer called Hannah of HL Designs prior to going on holiday and she sketched me a lovely outfit.
I was trying to design between black and silver or black and red - thank god I choose silver! On the day another contestant had on a very similar design by my designer in black and red. It pays to let your designer know the competition as hopefully she would have swayed me towards silver if she had known about both our outfits.
I received my outfit in plenty of time ahead of the competition so I had the chance to have two practice run's wearing it.
Hair and make up was a big concern of mine. I knew kind of what I wanted, I just couldn't quite find the picture of it. I didn't have a practice of my make up but thankfully on the day it looked ace. My sister, Tammey, did an incredible job - thank you!
The big day
The night before the big day, I went out for a family meal. This was a bit risky (food poisoning) however it was really nice to spend the evening taking my mind off the competition. I did say to myself I would only have one glass of wine however three went down a treat and I slept like a log - thankfully I woke up without a hang over.
I spent the morning trying to remain calm and do my usual routine. I walked my dog and had some breakfast of hot cross buns. Again my breakkie could have been more nutritious however that's what I fancied (and had in the house!).
I decided to buy myself some Rescue Remedy to help calm my nerves. I tried it a few days before to make sure I didn't feel sick after taking it and although I'm not sure whether it had any affect, I still took it on the day.
After arriving at the venue at the registration time, I got my hair, make up and costume on. Initially people were not really mixing with each other so I stuck with a fellow competitor from my pole school.
It's so important to make sure you fully warm up. I spent a good hour doing some light cardio (jumps, squats) to warm up following by stretching. This was also the first time I'd ever used an X Pole stage so I had the chance to have a little play around on one.
Show time
After what felt like an eternity, it was show time. Being in the first category I was fourth on stage. I decided I wasn't going to watch the competitors before me. I think it would have made me far too nervous. Hearing all the audience cheering was nerve-wracking enough.
As I was introduced onto the stage, I walked down the stairs and that was my 'oh my god!' moment however as soon as I took my position on the pole (directly next to my friends and family) it was time for me to get into the zone.
As soon as my song started, I felt the flow. I was enjoying performing so much that I think I had a huge grin on my face most of the performance. I remembered all my moves however I did have a couple of little hiccups.
My biggest one was the fact my prop money fell out of my shorts. Luckily however I managed to amend my floor work to still scoop up some of the money to use and strut off towards the other pole. My next issue was to do with getting off the stage onto the floor to be able to do a backwards roll. If I had the chance to practice more on the stage, maybe I would have been smoother however no such luck.
Other than these two minor details, I carried on with the performance and loved every moment of it. When I took my bow and walked off stage, I was smiling from ear to ear. I literally wanted to go back on and do it all over again!
Now what?
After performing there was a lot of waiting around! I performed about 4.15pm however they didn't announce the winners until nearly 10.00pm. I waited upstairs with the other competitors until Emmie (the other student from my school) competed then we decided to sit downstairs and watch the other competitors.
Due to my outfit, I couldn't really put any trousers on so I was sat wearing my shirt. I'm so glad I decided to wear a shirt as it was a little long so at least gave me a little coverage.
Although I bought some snacks with me, it wasn't enough! The venue didn't have any catering facilities (missed a trick there guys) so I was getting a little hangry. I wish I'd packed myself the yummy chocolate spread sandwich I intended to make.
And the winner is...
By the time the winners were announced, my parents had left. My friends were all getting quite bored with waiting around too, in fact even some of the competitors had to leave.
When they asked us all to line up, we were not sure whether to be wearing just our costumes or not. I thought it looks better anyway, although some were worried it was a little presumptuous.
My category was announced first. Being my first competition, I honestly didn't expect to place. Of course I dreamed I would but never actually thought I could. I joked to Emmie just before the announcement that if I don't get called third then I had no chance.
They started the announcements "and in third place for Miss & Mister Pole Essex 2017 Student Intermediate category is... Becky Oddy". I was floored!! I would love to have seen my face as it was announced - I literally couldn't believe it.
Soon my excitement kicked in and I went forward to collect my sash, glass trophy, certificate and medal. I was hoping for a cheeky goodie bag too but I certainly had my handful already.
I was completely made up that I'd placed - I truly never expected it. I wasn't even disappointed when they announced second and first place.
Next I was more nervous for Student Advanced category. Having watched how powerful and flawless Emmie's performance was, I honestly expected her to also place. It was a really difficult category as there was some truly unique performances so I was so sad for Emmie when she didn't place.
One of the reasons why I didn't even consider entering as Advanced was because I knew most of the people in the category would have competed or performed before. It makes a real difference having that experience.
Overall, my experience of my first competition has been positive. Maybe I'm saying that because I placed but I also think about how much fun I had whilst performing.
I've learnt a lot from entering MMPE and I will ensure I allow myself much more time to prepare for my next competition. I have submitted a video entry for a competition so fingers crossed I haven't wasted an entry fee and will get a spot.
For now though I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped me with this first experience.
Thank You Roll Call
Susan Hasting - Incredible Pole Instructor at Pole and Tone.
Jade Bensilum - Amazing friend and pole dancer.
Tammey Farquhar - Hair, make up and best sister.
Emmie - Perfect pole companion.
Mum and Dad - For watching your innocent daughter pole dance.
Lovely ladies from Pole and Tone - Supporting your fellow students.