How would I describe a weekend at Polecon? If you have never been, I will try to put into words what this experience is like. First of all, when I returned to work on Monday morning, my brain was yapping away on repeat with: “Polecon, polecon, polecon…” in a way that was hard to shake off.
Now I understand the draw of other conventions such as Comic-Con and Anime Expo. It’s like hanging out with your tribe for a few days doing that “thing” you all are passionate about (nerds).
With Polecon, it’s watching new tricks and combinations of moves during the showcase and thinking, “Hmm, I might be able to do that too” or “not in a million years will I pull off an Iron X, but I love to see it in person!”
That’s what’s so impressive about Polecon…seeing live pole moves in real time! If you’re like me, you may spend chunks (and I mean devoted chunks) of your existence watching pole videos on TikTok, IG and YouTube (and bookmarking ideas to try).
Realistically, how likely is it that you will get to attempt even a quarter of those favorited videos?
Yet, at Polecon, our brains and eyes are presented with live scroll feeds of everything we wished to try and clicked the button to save for later.
It’s like the slot machines in which we watch in awe as the next combination of moves is presented to us. We’ve gotten into the habit of being wowed, so who is going to provide the next big hit to our dopamine sensors?
Since February, performers began brainstorming and practicing routines for May/June. This is not an easy task. Having performed three times now at my local studio, I can attest to the mental and physical challenges of developing a routine where an average person may question your sanity.
Not to mention the brave souls who sign up for the freestyle category (I know they must have some idea of the tricks and flow to perform).
Regardless, Polecon performers have my respect and admiration just by being part of the tribe and together we can all be “nerds” for a weekend.
Stay tuned for more thoughts from my Polecon 2025 experience.
Poles & Places 