Here in Florida, unless you are new to the community or live under an aerial sports rock, you have most likely heard of the Florida Pole Fitness Championship (FPFC). Every year, the incomparable Allison Sipes (link) organizes the premier competition in Florida, right here in Orlando. Competitors from all over the country audition with a video submission, and only the top few finalists in each category move on to the stage round. Cari has been a long-time supporter and sponsor of the event. Swag bags, grip, workshops with the judges and guest performers; Lotus gets involved in many ways.

This year, Lotus Fitness Studio was everywhere at FPFC. Most of the backstage crew were Lotus peeps, helping run the show, keep performers organized, assisting with the music, running social media for FPFC on Instagram, pretty much anything you can think of, we were there! Even the pole cleaners were Lotus regulars.

Our studio also proudly provided three competitors. In the semi-professional division, Becky Klipin wowed us with a Mulan-inspired piece including sword dancing and a startling hair cut right in the middle of her routine. Also in semi-pro, Alejandra Oliver commanded the room with a firey piece that featured belly dance elements. In the professional division, Paige Anderson (yours truly) unraveled a mystery in a Sherlock Holmes inspired piece.

The three of us trained for months, grabbing up any spare studio time we could squeeze into our schedules. Thanks to Cari’s eternal patience and support, we felt welcome and encouraged by everyone at our home studio. Brittany Bate helped all three of us develop our ideas and themes, and work out our choreography. In my mind, she is the ultimate MVP for how Lotus did at the competition. She did so much to hone our routines into what they became, and I’m pretty sure we could all hear her voice in our heads, screaming at us to point our toes.

At the end of the evening, Alejandra took home a medal for Most Athletic in Semi-Pro, and this was her very first competition ever! Becky was crowned Semi-Professional Champion and Most Artistic, which means she goes Pro next year. I ended up FPFC Champion of 2018. I’m still so pumped for Becky and Alejandra, and honestly in shock at how I placed. We all worked so hard for so long, and bonded with each other and many other students during the process. I was struck by how much support we got throughout the process. Thank you to all of our Lotus family.

On a personal note, there is a strange bitter-sweetness to earning the gold this year. FPFC has been a massive part of my pole journey. The Florida Pole Fitness Showcase was my very first on-stage performance ever in 2013, and I’ve competed at FPFC every year since then (except the year I had a kid). It has been a huge motivator for my training, giving me a focus to push myself harder and further than I ever thought I could go. If you are even remotely considering a competition, I cannot recommend this one enough. I have had a fantastically positive experience every single time. The competitors are always so great backstage, and there is a unique atmosphere of camaraderie. Next year, I am honored to be invited back for one last time to the FPFC stage as a guest performer, and then… that’s it. Competing for FPFC will no longer be part of my pole life. Obviously, I will still attend as many as I possibly can, but my career as an FPFC competitor is now over. I am so proud of how far I’ve come, but so much of it is because of this competition. I am eternally grateful to Allison for the opportunity. (Note: Technically, there is no rule stating that the FPFC Champion cannot go back in the future. I am choosing for this to be my last FPFC competition.)

If you are an aerialist, I highly –highly—encourage you to consider competing, especially for an FPFC event. It can be an amazingly fulfilling experience and through competition, you can really surprise yourself. And Lotus is one of the greatest places in the world for helping you blossom on stage. See you in the air!