Local dancers 'stoked' to take top spots in Pole Stars contest

Pole dancers Libby Winehouse, 28, (bottom) and Scarlett, 29, won two out of four categories in this year's Pole Stars New Zealand competition. Photo/Andrew Warner

Two Tauranga women who lead otherwise normal lives polled top of their tier winning two national awards in this year's Pole Stars New Zealand competition in Nelson last weekend.

Libby Winehouse, 28, and a fellow local competitor who goes by the stage name Scarlett, 29, competed in the advanced national event for the first time and came home as winners in two out of four pole fitness categories.

Pole fitness is an increasingly popular new fitness trend where women twist and turn their bodies up a fitness pole where they can balance, and hold different poses or tricks to increase their fitness level.

Libby took out the top spot in the Trickstar category and Scarlett won first place in the Freestyle Battle category.

"It's a whole lot of glitter and boobs," is how Scarlett described the competition.

The categories ranged from "sexy" to artistic and gymnastic-type performances.

"We're really stoked with coming back with a win, especially from little ol' Tauranga," said Scarlett.

The two women, who have been involved in pole fitness for three years, lead unassuming lives.

You have to have a high pain threshold because your skin rubs and twists on the pole and it's almost like a really bad Chinese burn.

Scarlett, pole dancer

By day, Ms Winehouse is an accountant and Scarlett is a beekeeper.

The pair represented The Studio Tauranga, a pole fitness studio, which competed against 30 other pole fitness groups throughout the country.

The competition meant the women trained five days a week in the three months leading up to the event.

They performed their own routines where they spun and climbed around a pole using nothing but their body strength for about four minutes.

They made swinging from a pole look effortless, but sheer body strength, confidence and a high pain threshold was needed to navigate up and down a pole.

"You have to have a high pain threshold because your skin rubs and twists on the pole and it's almost like a really bad Chinese burn," Scarlett said.

The girls agreed one of the biggest catalysts for doing pole dancing was to have confidence.

"People also use it to get a bit more confidence in them," said Ms Winehouse.

She said it was awesome to highlight the sport in New Zealand and encouraged other women to join and take the challenge.

"I encourage girls to come along and get involved, you become insanely obsessed with it."

Earlier this year, two Bay women from The Studio Tauranga won their categories in the New Zealand National Amateur Pole Performer competition.

Kirsty Carter took away the performer (or beginner) level award while Jenny Benfell won the intermediate level award at the competition in Christchurch.