Thursday 16 September 2010

Breaking Pole Dancing News - Press Release

In light of today's media coverage of the Debbie Plowman pole dancing accident that occured in December last year I have decided to share with you the official press release from the Pole Dance Community (pasted below). I will write again very soon with feedback from last night's Protest the Pope meeting and news about Sundays Union Street Action Day.

Stay Healthy

Sam x

Pole Dance Community (PDC) official response to breaking news about Debbie Plowman's pole dancing accident.

The Pole Dance Community (PDC) - UK's pole dancing advisory body - would like to respond to recent news stories about a lady being paralysed during a pole dancing class. The incident highlights the dangers of pole dancing, the importance of finding a professional pole dancing instructor and the necessity to use safe equipment.

Whilst the PDC accepts that injuries can occur whilst partaking in any sport, the risk of injury will be limited if attending a PDC approved pole dance school as these schools follow a strict code of conduct*. All PDC instructors have a minimum of 3 years pole dancing experience and are required to have professional indemnity on top of basic public liability cover. To provide additional reassurance for pole dancing students the PDC offers free personal accident cover to student taking part in our grading scheme - the Advancement and Accreditation Programme (AAP).

In addition to the PDC code of conduct all PDC schools/instructors have access to ongoing debates about safe practice as well as articles and resources about topics such as correct pole dancing clothing, safe spacing between poles, grip aids, and other important safety issues.

We would urge all individuals thinking of taking up pole dancing as a fitness regime to think seriously about where they go to train and to look for the PDC Approved logo when choosing a school.

X-pole pole dancing pictureIndividuals should also be selective when choosing equipment as there has been a lot of concern over cheaper pole dancing poles which are designed as novelty items and are not suitable for the high impact use that modern fitness pole dancing puts upon them. There are good professional poles such as X-Poles but individuals should be advised to check that they get their pole from a reputable source such as the PDC or direct from the manufacturer, Vertical Leisure Ltd. Other retail sources, particularly online shops, have been known to sell fake x-pole products which have been deemed highly dangerous due to cheaply manufactured plastic parts and sharp metal edges.

In Debbie Plowman's case there seems to be nothing to suggest that any individual was at fault and the incident was a genuine accident however the injuries sustained must be devastating for everyone involved; Debbie, her family, Debbie's pole dancing instructor and her fellow students. PDC Approved pole dance school Vertical Dance is setting up the Debbie Plowman Happy Faces charity.

The PDC hopes that Debbie's case does not dissuade others from trying the modern fitness pole dancing phenomenon as it is a great way to keep fit if carried out in a safe environment. In actual fact, cases like Debbie's are statistically rare and most students suffer no more than the odd bruise.

The PDC Team.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

So who is the 'team' behind the Pole Dance Community then? Can you name some names? What makes it an 'advisory body' representing the entire pole community?

sam@theartofdance.co.uk said...

Hi Anon,

The PDC is now represented by 90+ pole dancing schools who make decisions based on the majority voice.

You can see the list of schools on the website.

There will be big meeting on 21st November prior to the poledivas finals where all will be invited to learn more about the PDC and to allow individuals to submit ideas about how it should progress.

Sam x

Susanne said...

Does this mean that if the school she was attending were PDC approved, she would not have broken her neck?? I do not think so. Very sad to see you trying to sell your product off the back of such a tragedy.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean by 'represented'? Do the 90 schools run the pole community site? Are they the 'team'?

sam@theartofdance.co.uk said...

FAO Suzanne

You have completely misunderstood the PDC press release and I am deeply offended by your suggestion that we are trying to financially benefit from Debbie's terrible accident.

FAO Anon

The admin team who answer e-mails are separate from the Community which is the 90 schools and it is the schools who make decisions about insurance and the code of conduct etc.

Sam x

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry I'm still unclear as to how this pole community advisory body works. If it is indeed a committee of schools which meet regularly (or at least their representatives) to discuss & agree stuff, surely this process should be transparent? Representatives & community decision-makers should be listed on your website, along with meeting minutes etc etc. Otherwise how are we to know this is not simply a site set up & run by one person? Therefore making it obsolete as an 'advisory body'.

sam@theartofdance.co.uk said...

Hi Anon,

Perhaps you should come along to the big PDC meeting in Manchester on the 21st November. Full details will be posted on the PDC website.

We choose to keep the PDC members forum private so that our members can chat freely about the issues that affect them.

I would suggest that if you have any further questions or queries that you direct them to info@poledancecommunity.co.uk as this is my personal blog.

Sam x

Carol said...

Interesting points by the PDC. In the ideal world, no accident would occur if these guidelines were followed. However, in the real world, accidents are truly inevitable, no matter what. My heart goes to the lady who got paralyzed from pole dancing.