Pole Obsession
Hosted by Felix Cane and Elizabeth Domazet, Pole Obsession takes you straight to the heart of the pole dance and aerial fitness world. Each episode is packed with electrifying stories, insider tips, and unfiltered conversations with the biggest names in the industry. Whether you’re a seasoned poler, fitness enthusiast, or just intrigued by the art of pole, tune in for a dose of inspiration, laughs, and pure obsession.
Pole Obsession
Inside the Arena: Miss Murphy, Mischka & the Art of Elite Pole
Step inside the world of elite pole as we chat with two icons: Miss Murphy, professional competitor for the 2025 Australian Pole Championships, and her coach Mishka, fresh off her historic third Miss Pole Dance Australia crown.
We dive into the coaching magic behind the partnership, Murphy’s training program, Mishka’s championship mindset, and what it really takes to compete at the highest level.
PLUS — for the first time ever, APC is moving into an arena-style theatre, and we talk all things Nationals, prep, pressure, and performance.
This is a big episode, a fun one, and a must-listen for every pole dancer aiming high.
Thanks for tuning in to Pole Obsession with Felix Cane and Elizabeth Domazet! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes content and updates on future episodes. See you next time for more pole excitement and insider insights! 🎙️✨
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Pole Obsession with me, Felix and the beautiful Elle. Thank you so much for joining us. We have the beautiful Miss Murphy and Mishka. So just a brief intro. We have um we have the current Miss Pole Dance Australia, Mishka's you just won. And we have um one of the competitors for APC who is Miss Murphy and Mishka is her coach. So we're gonna talk briefly about your system, your dynamic, how you're feeling, how you guys work together, and um yeah, and just get into your heads a little bit.
SPEAKER_03:All right, there's a lot in here. Good luck.
SPEAKER_06:Well, should we start with you, um, Miss Murphy, otherwise known as Alison, your your actual name?
SPEAKER_02:I always call you Miss Murphy now. It's just I don't think I'll ever call you Alison. I'll just always call you. I don't know why. I just saw it on paper and it went in my brain.
SPEAKER_03:Is that like a thing that I've made it now that everybody calls Mitch Kaminchka? Is that is that is that a status of that?
SPEAKER_06:Well, I think so because it's your competitor name. So that's what everyone knows. Oh yeah, that's and I don't even think a lot of people would even know your name's Alison unless they even on your Instagram it's Miss Murphy, unless they follow you, I was gonna say but Yeah, no, that's true. Yeah. Oh, okay. I'm not sure that's a good thing or a bad thing. Hello, it's like Felix and Mish both also have real names. Yeah, my name's Kimberly.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I don't I don't like my government name, so uh it's Mishka.
SPEAKER_06:Like, no, I don't. And my name's just or actually it's Elizabeth, but you know, it's Ella as well. So we've all got a few different names. It's a bold answer thing, I think. Maybe I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:I think yes.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Well, if you can choose, why not? I call I call Alison the Murph person. The Murph, the Murph edia.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. That's that's what our Zoom uh login, like what her Zoom name is, is the Murph.
SPEAKER_00:The Murph. Yeah. How did that come about?
SPEAKER_03:Was it just Alison? The Murph, Miss Murphy? The Murph? Is that just that's just not my you're the Murph. That's what my head does.
SPEAKER_06:If I hear Murph, the first thing I think about, and maybe this is because I'm old, is a Smurf. Well now that you say that, I know things.
SPEAKER_03:And now the nickname is going to evolve, and now she is she is now Smurf. Right.
SPEAKER_00:I mean I reckon if anyone could do it, it's you. Okay. You're a good character, you're a good character.
SPEAKER_06:All right, what should what should we start with? Do you want to start with your prep and what you're doing and how Mish coaches you? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Um, so I started working with Mish Gard in June, July. Um I was trying to train by myself. Um, and I think I got to a point where I was like, I I I need help. It was really impacting my head. Um, there were a lot of self-doubt of I can't do this. I'm trying to upskill, I'm upskilling to really, really scary skills. Um and I think there was like there's just a time that I need I need someone keeping me up a bum. Like telling me to get on the poll, telling me I can do it. Um it's very hard training alone. Um, because again, out in the country, there's no one else at a professional level or even here or felt ours. So um, yeah, it I and I I really was determined to really determined to place this year, to be honest. And I think last year was like, come on, just come on. So close. And so yeah, I wanted that guidance, I wanted the the help. Um, and to be able to have someone who can help unlock a lot of potential. Like I'm I'm super strong. Like people look at me and they're like, wow. Um, but I don't feel that way when it comes to home, I think. Um so yeah, that's that's how it all all started. So we did um we're just gonna do weekly drivers um online. Um when I can get to Melbourne, um, if I happen to be down that way, I'll go and say hi and we'll train. Um, yeah, so I I mean most weeks I like to try and rock out with a lesson plan um in my head of like, right, this is what we're gonna achieve. Um and then some days it's like please yell at me. Yell at me.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah. I think it's really good to have like and to um vocalize those goals. You know, like you said, like I really want to place this year. Like instead of having a wishy-washy goal, like having an actual goal, then you have someone in your corner who can like help you get to that place. Because when you're trying yourself, you see like there's just everything in front of you, right? There's so many different things that you think you need to work on that you can get distracted from, that oh, maybe I should do my costume now, or I need to work on this trick or that trick, or instead of putting the whole thing together. So to have someone outside of that to like look in and say, no, no, you just need to clean this skill up first. It's uh it's uh like yeah, like you said, like the key to unlocking everything. Um, Mish, how is how is Alison to work with? Is she a joy or is she really hard?
SPEAKER_03:Just the worst images. Um Allison is very self-driven. Um, so it's it's pretty cruzy, to be honest. Um, because I know that I will rock up and there's things that have already been practiced and it just needs refining or it just needs like, oh, try this or whatever. So, you know, like it is it's easy and exciting to work with Allison because you know, it's not kind of like I mean, look, I've done this too. I've been there to this person for Lisa D, my coach, where she'll be like, all right, how's this going? This thing from last week that you said you'd train. And I'm like, I didn't have time. Um but generally Allison is always on it. Like she's she'll come rock up and and you know, maybe it maybe a trick still hasn't fully connected, but it's it's been worked on, you know, like and it's yeah, there's there's also a lot of just it's it's very easy to go, oh, why don't we try to do this thing and then try it? Okay, no, let's let's move on to something else. Like it's it's just yeah, easy to work with. She's great, she's she's she worked hard, and that you know, I think there's there's something always to be said for natural talent, which Allison certainly does, but it's how hard someone's gonna work at something. Like this is this is a hard gig, it's hard work. So if you don't put in the hard miles and and do the painful shit, then you know you probably won't get the result that you want. And sometimes you still don't, but yeah, like Alison isn't afraid to work hard, that's for sure. Oh, thanks. I worked very hard today, I swear. I did, and it's and I like I I think we we work similarly, like when it's you know, and and I feel what Alison is saying. Like, I used to train a fair bit by myself, but now I really need my coach because I'm 36 now, and like it's it's hard to do full runs of a routine, like even in the lead up to Miss Poll. It was just I would always go out into the waiting room and be like, who can yell at me for four minutes, four and a half minutes? Can someone please just help me? Because I'm tired and I just it's it's really hard to to build the to grab onto that energy and and do a full run for me at the moment. It might have just been this routine because it was quite high energy as well, but yeah, it's I think um it it really helps to have someone there to be like, come on, do the thing. If and you're like, do it again, do it again, like everything starts, it's okay. Yeah, and and to have someone go, yeah, you're fine, you can do it, let's go. And then I don't know, all of a sudden you can do a thing. Yeah, it's it's definitely helped. Um, I think if if anything, it's helped my kids, very much helped my kids of being the the perfectionist, the overthinker, the person who is just wants to refine things, get things perfect. Um and yeah, helped with a getting rid of a lot of self-doubt that I can do things. Yeah. What's your self-doubt? Um, oh god, I have a deep question. The self-doubt is that it's how does one of my people do like that? There's there's so many incredible performances, and I think it's probably actually only taken me to WAPC, like after WAPC, I had a very, very big mindset here. Of like, I'm I'm just someone going out having a prep and doing my best. Um, yeah, if I'm in the running, yeah, cool, that's great. Um, but at the end of the day, I'm just getting out there to do my best. And so the doubt came from, yeah, but you're doing your best, but you also want to win, and you also want to do really well. Um, and it's that perfectionist of wanting to wanting to do the best that I can, but it's still falling short of the part of me who's an ultimate competitor and still get really good scores. Um I think that's where the the self-dap came from. Um, yeah, it was a perfectionist. I'm just not believing that in myself, but because of that perfectionism. Um, but after WAPC, it was it was weird. Um, I like I didn't have a very good run at WAPC. Like I failed twice. But yet people were still coming up to me, like in the bar area. Like I came from uh backstage and I was looking for my friend who had gone over with me, and it I could not stand still without somebody, some some person coming out to me and saying, Oh my goodness, your performance was incredible, absolutely amazing. And like I was just standing there and I'm like, I need to, I need to move, I need to hide, I need I feel so uncomfortable. Um but I think that really made me realize um that there are a lot of people around me who think I can do this, and so it's now time that I start believing in myself that I can.
SPEAKER_06:Why did you feel uncomfortable when they were coming up to you?
SPEAKER_03:Um the because I'm I guess I'm not really used to used to that. Like uh there's just all these people coming up to me saying I'm amazing. Like, don't put me on a pedestal. Just let me hang out. Um but I think that it's also something uh pretty amazing about uh WA was a very, very friendly state to compete in. I love competing over there, everybody was so nice, but and um it was actually just wonderful for people to share that kind of. So yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. I mean, you all three of you have that, like people coming up to you every time you're at a poll event, recognizing you, telling you how great you are. I mean, you should suck that up.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I don't know why we I don't know why we don't, but yeah, when it makes people like, oh, I really like this thing that you do, I'm like, oh, but I'm just a little poo. I don't know.
SPEAKER_06:It's so crazy to me. Like, I know that you all three get it. And then you just you all have, and I know that you all are reasonably well, have this crazy self-doubt. Even even you too, Mission Felix, like, what the hell is that?
SPEAKER_02:I am just a realist. No, but um, I think, I think I know what you're talking about, which is like um when I was younger, not so much now, now I have a lot more um, a lot less fucks to give, but when I was a lot younger, um, you just compare yourself to everybody else and you lose yourself in that comparison. So instead of seeing your strengths as your strengths, your strengths get muddied and you just look at everybody else's strengths and you think, I can't do that. So I'm I'm not good. And instead of like focusing on what good at, what you're good at, what you can bring, how your uniqueness makes you um uh special and unlike anyone else, you want to be more like other people because their things that they're good at are unachievable to you. So it look like look from your perspective, um, your things are uh like Spatch Cop Eagle are easy for me. So because I feel like they're easy, um they they're not a challenge to me, so they don't feel challenging. So they I I feel like I'm not putting on something difficult when I'm doing them. Yeah, yeah. Looking at it will be like, oh, it's hard. Yay. Um, but for me, it's and I've been doing the same thing for 20 years now. The same two moves for 20 years, so I got over it very quickly. Because apparently you could you'd only need two. Um and and yeah, but but you get into this mindset where you're like, I need every single trick and I can't do every single trick. And so if I can't do every single trick really, really well, then I'm not the best pole dancer in the world, and and that's not good enough for me.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I definitely agree with that because particularly like by the time we get on stage, everything is so well rehearsed, everything is perfect, and so what we put on stage is like to us is basic because it is boring, it's become boring, and it and it should be, it should be.
SPEAKER_02:That's that's that's where the mastery is, you know. That's where like I I'm also a very low risk taker, so I won't put something on stage until it is boring. Um, but I mean, I know that of myself now, and I know I'm I'm old, you know, I'm over 40 now, so I'm not gonna start learning any crazy new tricks. So the tricks that I have are the ones that I'm gonna retire on. Um, and I just sort of accepted that that I was like, you know what? That's fine. Nobody does a spatch cook like I do, and I'm fine with that. And nobody does your tricks the way you do them, Mish. Nobody does your tricks the way you do them, Alison. Like there's there's nobody that moves exactly the same as you. And so those things, you just fucking own them. That's right.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So what do you think that Mish has helped you with the most?
SPEAKER_03:Uh yeah, the the the mindset, as you've spoken about, but also the the the fitness. Um, and then that comes from the come on, you can do this. Like a little eruption. I do sometimes feel horrible when you finish a run, and I'm like, all right, say five, do it again.
SPEAKER_05:And she'll do it again.
SPEAKER_03:She will do it again.
SPEAKER_06:It's just you can't do it anymore.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, pretty much. I mean, there's ever every run after that just gets less and less, and I get more gruffy and toffee and puffy as I'm trying to do it, but uh but I I think also Mitch has helped me unlock I guess my own my own individuality as a performer. Um, it used to be very much a you look like you've been trained by Megan B. And so I've been trying really hard to break that. Um, not in a in a way of Megan B, she's amazing, but I need to find my own way and who I will be known for. Um yeah, I think that that is um another thing that she's helped me with.
SPEAKER_02:That's one of the things that really um I think people in WA noticed was that you are so unique. You know, now you're moving in your own way and and and really holding the stage in your own way. And that's you know, one of the things that made you stand out is that you are so yourself. And yeah, so I think that's you're right.
SPEAKER_01:Agree.
SPEAKER_06:Working. Yeah. Now I think um a few years ago, especially at VPC, because there's a lot of coaches in Victoria. We saw, I would say about two, maybe three years ago, we saw a lot of um competitors come out as a mini version of a previous professional competitor. And we could really tell who every one of them was coached by. And I think after that year, it kind of was in the feedback. And then I think it started to change, and you guys started to get a few different coaches, which really helped. I think more than one coach is a really good thing because different coaches will see different things as well.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, different coaches will bring different things out in you as well. And I think that you know, people work better with you, you never know who you're gonna work well with until you try, if you know what I mean. Like some people really click with their coach, some people don't, and you don't know if you don't shop around a little bit, like audition.
SPEAKER_03:It also, I mean, um, I'll use my coach Lisa D as an example. I know my limitations, she knows her limitations. I needed to have some sort of um Cory in Miss Poll that both of us were like, um, and she was like, You need you need Miss Sang, you need Amy Sang. And I was like, Okay, yeah. And I I was like, Oh, she's competing, but I messaged, I was like, Hey man, would you are you competing? Like, do you would you mind if we did a session? She was like, Yeah, let's go. Because again, that thing of you know, if someone had asked me that I was competing uh against that Miss Paul for help as well, they're not gonna move like me, the same thing we spoke about before. I can't move exactly like Amy sang. She is, you know, god of the cool dancing. Um, you know, so it yeah, it's that thing of go to other people's, get help from other people, because Lucy D and myself don't move like Amy sang. And we were both like, yeah, I need help. So do it because it helps you grow and it helps you, you know, it's one of those things where I also really enjoyed doing um those sessions with Amy. And I said, you know, after Miss Poll, can we do more of these just so I can upskill myself and move in different ways that challenges my brain? Because, you know, it's I'm not done yet with with how I move and how I want to keep on expressing myself with dancing. So yeah, it just it helps you to keep growing as a dancer.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I love that. And I think a good coach will say things like that. Like a good coach will say, Look, I can help you with this, this, and this. But if you want dance, I reckon this person's gonna be great. Or if you want dynamic, go over here because they're so good at dynamic and they're gonna be able to help you with that. So I think that's just a good coach that does that.
SPEAKER_03:When you want to learn how to dance really cool, Alison, go to anything. I I I that's one thing that I um I'm really trying hard to work on for APZ is my dancing. Um, so I mean, if they're the most improved for you know, dancing, that's me. I guess we'll see soon enough, eh?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, it is so soon as well. I've got to put my tickets actually. I haven't done that yet.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, ticket. I haven't booked mine yet and I'm running it. So how about that?
SPEAKER_03:We've got to get I've gotta get mine. Oh no, Elizabeth's not there. What old? Legit.
SPEAKER_02:Don't worry. Elle Elle will be like, she'll be running it on a phone like that.
SPEAKER_06:Oh no. I didn't go to two of them this year. I didn't get WI and Oh no, we we handled it. We handled it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we did it. You did it. It's looking very good. It's like this podcast. You did most of it.
SPEAKER_06:I just show up on the day and I'm like our podcast.
SPEAKER_05:Exactly what happened.
SPEAKER_06:I did most of it. Felix showed up on the day and goes, let's go, guys. Everyone. Very good. Accurate. That's it. So what are you looking forward to the most, Alison, for this comp?
SPEAKER_03:Um, there's a part of you that wants to say the stage, but I'm loving and hating it at the same time. Oh, I know. So great, isn't it? In the round. Yeah, it's um, oh, but I I guess I am really looking forward to performing in front of certain family and friends who have never seen me perform before, which is yeah, super special, super exciting. Um, but yeah, the stage has been a blessing and a curse at the same time. Um a blessing in the sense of, oh damn it, I'm on my wrong side. Well, it doesn't matter, I'll just perform for these people now. But then it's been a curse in the sense of, well, you know, trying to choose choreography and moves that look good from every angle. Um, and then also like I have a costume reveal, so where the hell do I put that on stage to actually give the most impact and show everyone? Um, yeah, it's and then also training in the studio. Um, you know, depending on where you are, there's holes in the way, or it's um there's a mirror. Um, I think the mirror has been the hardest thing because I trained personally away from the mirror because you don't have a mirror and you're distracting and you're performing. But now, you know, I've I've got one combo facing one way, combo facing the other, and just trying to ignore the fact that there's a hunger on a fail. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I do actually think that because it's a hunger game themed routine and being in an arena, it's quite appropriate. So I've made sure and hope hopefully it's conveyed to choose dance choreography that really emphasizes that as well.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. For those listening that don't know, so APC will be in an arena-style theater this year. So there'll be audience all around, like a full circle of audience around the competitors, and there'll there'll be judges on two sides, and they'll be on the open sides of the trust. But we have audience all around. So really, there's no bad angles, so that's a good thing. Did you ever perform in an arena? Yes. Oh, what a case.
SPEAKER_02:Tell me, tell me that always. So I was uh the Michael Jackson arena uh world tour, the immortal world tour was an arena show, and we the cake that I was performing on was right out in the middle um of the arena. So, and most of it, to be honest, most of the show was up on the um on the poll. But uh really I found it not too difficult um because once you're up there, like audience is just everywhere and you you just can't not take them in with you. So it was really cool. Like when we had, especially the big arenas, which were like 30,000 people, I was floor to sky people. So they were just everywhere. Um but tips would be definitely, I think um what can be off-putting at first is direction, obviously, because we're used to having a front and a back. So to just have some very clear visual cues, um, I usually take the truss, but when you're in around, it's difficult because the truss looks the same from two angles. So, and you don't have the back or the front to to um um mark which is front or back. So um for me, it's to find something on the ceiling or on the floor that will mark like where I am, um, just because otherwise, if I land somewhere and I look back and I'm like, oh, wait, where the heck is the pole? So it's just really finding um landmarks in the in the in the auditorium itself that can help you to figure out where you are. So when I would do my run for um in APC, if I was doing it, I would um spend most of my time just visually getting used to um how it feels rather than trying to do the tricks or trying to, because you know your body can do the tricks. Um I would spend my time orientating myself, making like just checking things out, looking, looking, looking, saying to myself, okay, that's great. But if it's dark, what if I come on here and the pole is here, there's a bit of tape there, or even the truss, like the truss doesn't move. So the truss has that weird bit of tape there. I know that's front left or that's front ladder. So just find just finding my visual um map would be my most important thing. And then making sure that throughout the um performance, if I land wrong, to make sure that I've balanced it out on the other side. So if you have taken every angle of your performance into um um uh if you've taken it all into account, then if you land to say the same um same side twice, that you balance out and land something else to the other side, because otherwise you're essentially creating a front. Um but yeah, I think it it's not as bad as it seems. I feel like once you get in front of the audience, it can't, it's it, you, you, you can't, it's you can't not look at them. They're all around you, they're everywhere. So I think the actually being on stage with the audience is is kind of it's really fun because the energy comes from all around you. So that's that's easier. It's always going to be a little bit more difficult to find like the front or find a spot. But once you have it, it's it's not too bad. It's okay.
SPEAKER_03:All right, I'm taking all those notes. Thank you.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, as long as you know which one's static, which one's spin, you're good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And if not, just hold on and see what happens. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god, can you have you can just fry into a double phoenix and just fling off? Nope.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, next one.
SPEAKER_06:I'm gonna go to the next one. And that's we've seen before though, I don't know if you guys have seen, but I remember there was one national comp, not mine, but one um that they didn't lock the poll. So it was actually on they were both on spin. This is years ago now. I reckon it must have been, I don't know if you know me, even if it might have been before your time.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I've I've seen that overseas when I was watching competitions overseas, and it was kind of I'm glad the competitor stuck to their guns because they they did this really cool start, and I was I was in it, and she went to go and do her combo, and she she was like, it's spinning, and it shouldn't have been spinning. And someone ran on stage, like did the little X lock and was like, Keep going. And I was like, What? The music moment has passed, and she was about to keep going because she was shocked that someone would even say, There you go, you're good to keep going. But then she was like, No, you're like my whole combo's done now because within the music, and yeah, I just thought the audacity to to stuff it up, run on, flick it once she's probably lost the chance to do seven types of tricks that she had already planned, and then go, off you pop. We're not gonna start the music again. All good.
SPEAKER_06:They did. Yeah, no, no. Well, this one she just kept going, so she did her static combo on spin. Yeah, it was a big comp. And I was like, and then afterwards, we're all looking at each other because I was in the audience at you, and I was like, that was definitely on spin, right?
SPEAKER_03:It depends on think mover, it depends on the dynamics of it. Because if I went off to do my static. Combo and it was a spin combo, I would die. Yeah, I would absolutely die.
SPEAKER_02:If I went to do any sort of static on a spin combo, you would not even know the difference.
SPEAKER_00:Probably zero dynamic. Zero. All good.
SPEAKER_02:She's doing her normal thing, but it's not spinning.
SPEAKER_06:All right. Well, I think that we can't have Mitch here without talking about her massive win, right? We have to talk about it. So what would you like to ask, Felix? Because you're the only other person that in the entire world that's ever done this. How cool are we, Mitch?
SPEAKER_03:Or so cool, but also cool with self-esteem. I was like, she's gonna do it. It was funny. Some people were like, what was Felix like? I was like, well, she's she's actually the best. And I think she's anytime I've chatted to her, she's just like, yeah, I get it. But yeah, I thought I thought that maybe like I think they thought that you'd be like, hmm, that sounds.
SPEAKER_01:I'd be like, hmm, Mishka, zero, zero, zero. I could be the only one who's done it three times.
SPEAKER_03:And I was like, no, Felix is like the sweetest pixie in the world. And she's always like, yay, you did a thing.
SPEAKER_02:But how good? Three times. Three times you did that. And I think, I mean, yeah, but like, okay, I mean, not quietly, but like when I did it, people weren't as good at pole dancing. When you did it, people are much better at pole dancing, competition's a lot higher. So I feel like your achievement is much greater than mine. Um and and it took, it took, it took any human 20 years to do to, you know, to win it three times again. So it's like, that's huge. Do you know what I mean? Like that's a huge thing, and you should be really, really proud. Um you're welcome. Congratulations.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you very much. Yeah, it was it it's cool. Like I we spoke about it before we started this podcast. I am never any good at, and particularly this one, actually. Um, so last the last time I won, I felt like I could remember pretty much everything that happened on stage. And on this one, I knew a couple of things had stuffed up, which you know, I also handled better because normally if I stuff up, I'm like, ugh, the worst. I'm terrible, I'm a pleb. Um, but I knew a few things had stuffed up, but I just kept going. But all I could remember is when I removed my bottoms and threw them into the audience, all I could visually remember was someone grabbing them up. And I thought, but that's all I could remember. So much must have gone wrong. I don't even know. All I had in my vision was someone leaping out and grabbing my pants. Um and and the fact that they looked so excited. So for a moment I was like, but that's all I could remember other than ah, skin, you slip, that wasn't so good. And yeah, so I I just had this little panic moment where I just thought maybe that was all shit.
SPEAKER_05:It wasn't all shit.
SPEAKER_03:Um can it? Yeah, so thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Um Alison, were you watching uh Miss Pole there or on live stream?
SPEAKER_03:Oh I I um was on a cadet activity, so I haven't seen it. I but I you know watched the Instagram story time and time again, like trying to get the updates and all that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it's so exciting. Were you so happy for Mish? Oh, of course. I was yeah, jumping for joy, but also had no doubt. Yeah, I know, right? Yeah, powerhouse.
SPEAKER_03:She's just you're just like I always have the doubts though. So you know, you never know. You never know what's gonna happen, and that's just true, true.
SPEAKER_02:Like you could you could literally fall out of every single thing that you tried.
SPEAKER_03:Probably that's it's that mindset, I guess. Because yeah, some you might just have a shit day and just nothing works. And this one was tricky for me because I mean you can't say no to chili rocks, can you? But I probably shouldn't have been in the opening. Um, especially given that everything was already kind of running late and I was the last on. I think I think by the time I was on, I think it was 11:15 and I've I'm just tired, you know. Like, so it was a lot of energy to give, and the way the day worked out, like normally backstage I can close my eyes and have a little snooze and just or if if I'm not sleeping, I'm just you know, mindfulness. Um, but yeah, it was like do your tech run. Okay, now do the opening tech run. Shit, put some makeup, go do the opener, go get your hair and makeup done, which took the first half interval and the first two competitors in the second half. It's time to warm up. Oh my god, now you're on stage. Yeah, yeah. That's so simple. Yeah, there wasn't any time to to stop and breathe. Um, but you know, at the same time, that's just that's life. That's you if you're a professional dancer, suck it up. But I probably should have said no to the opener. It's okay. That was amazing. That was just like watching history all come together. Yeah, the last 20 years, and just everybody was so happy, so like proud, and it it I think it's one of those moments where I've watched um live streams or watched it on Instagram and just been like yeah, but I was there in the audience, so that would be you would have you would have seen the the statue.
SPEAKER_05:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my that was so funny too because that's the first one I've like my dad's always I'll come see you one day. And this year I was like, Well, I've got your tickets, all right? So you're you're not gonna, it's not it's not all words this time, dad. You're coming to see me for the first time at Miss Paul Australia, and then I can hear it backstage. They were like, Oh, they're gonna do like a naked statue in a naked jade. And I was like, Oh my god, my dad's in the audience. Oh, is it mortified or like nothing? It was just like, wow, I don't know, flexible. I think he was maybe further back as well, and you know, he's in his 70s now, so I don't think the eyes are that great as they used to be. So hopefully it was just a bit blurry.
SPEAKER_06:Might have had a heart attack if it was a bit closer.
SPEAKER_03:I know we're doing this podcast, and I'm like, well, actually, Felix King, you killed my father. Um uh is this a dad-friendly comp or really dad-friendly comp? It's it's A P C it's a dad-friendly comp. Oh, this one is this one is when I talk to my family about you know like this year I tried to get I tried to enter um Miss Poll as well. Um was on the bucket list, but yeah, it just didn't end up getting there. Um, but yeah, that was that was public-sized as a that's not a bad friendly pump.
unknown:No.
SPEAKER_06:Nah. Nah well, look, some dads like it. Some dads don't have a heart attack. Some some dads think it's very exciting, actually. I'm a bit scared now because Felix is also doing a show at AP. So God knows. You never know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01:You never know.
SPEAKER_02:Gracie says to me afterwards, she goes, Oh Felix, I cried in your spatchcock. And I go, oh, and she goes, no, the second one. I was like, ah, laugh.
SPEAKER_05:It's just so funny.
SPEAKER_00:I can't see that everyone's talking about. So stupid. So stupid.
SPEAKER_03:It was excellent, it was great. And I I just I just seem to remember saying backstage, I was like, well, like she cannot. There's so much butthole against this. And then my friends also had said that's labia majora and menorah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it was like all the labias.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it was iconic. It was it was iconic. I loved it.
SPEAKER_02:Female Anatomy 101.
SPEAKER_06:But you weren't the only one. Let's just put that out there. You weren't the only one. Candace came out and did it before you guys even did any work. She was doing cart, we'll take it. Yeah, yeah. It was all happening. And Candace is also helping NAPTES, I'm also scared about that.
SPEAKER_00:I don't think you should put the two of us together.
SPEAKER_06:I need to put Candace somewhere else, I think.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, listen.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you don't come. Me and Candace will help handle everything.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, can you imagine?
SPEAKER_02:We'll we'll make sure that everyone's got the right uniform on, the costumes are covering the right things. Absolutely. That we can be in charge of that.
SPEAKER_00:Oh boy.
SPEAKER_06:Can you imagine if I had you do that to the modesty police? That'd be a whole different cult, wouldn't it?
SPEAKER_01:Are those pants necessary? Quite a lot of coverage here, isn't there?
SPEAKER_06:Oh no, it's all good, Alison. Your dad will be fine, your mom will be fine. Yes. Don't panic.
SPEAKER_03:Unfortunately, no, but I will be uh tuning in to all the updates. I've done when uh what's the specific date on that? I think I might be in Alice Springs or Darwin actually.
SPEAKER_01:Alice Springs? What are you doing there?
SPEAKER_03:I'm teaching and I'm gonna melt. I'm so nervous. Um, I had some students that came and did workshops when I was in Adelaide and they were like, We're gonna we're doing workshops with you in in Northern Territory. And they said, Oh, are you staying somewhere? Like, have they booked you like a motel, hotel, whatever with a pool? Or just I don't know. They're like, you have to you have to have a pool, otherwise, yeah, you won't survive. And I was like, What? So I'm a bit nervous. Hopefully, there's a pool because apparently I will not survive if I can't have a little dippy-dip.
SPEAKER_02:Cold shower? Do they have that? Do they have shower? Or do they have shower? I mean, I don't know, Felix. Do they? You know what I mean? Like ambient temperature of the water isn't cold.
SPEAKER_03:Probably not her. Oh my lord. But also, yeah, I know Allison will she will slay. She'll be in her little zone on the night and she'll she'll she'll kill it. She's gonna be good. She's gonna be aggressive, she's gonna in the right way, the right amount of aggression. You kind of, I don't know, like depending on the routine. I always feel like side of stage, you've got to be like, smart bitch, kicking a dick, you know, like you've gotta be a little bit, a little bit like, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna sink my teeth into this, and otherwise you're too chill. There was I have a distinct memory, rambling, sorry, Al, but there was one time side of stage VPC where I was yawning, and I I all of a sudden had this overwhelming like, oh, I'm so tired. And I was like, no, oh my god, I've timed everything incorrectly because I think I'd hit my peak of adrenaline far too soon. And then side of stage, I was like, I'm so exhausted. And yeah, I think I just I don't think I got through one of the combos completely either.
SPEAKER_05:And yeah, anyway, I remember, yeah, I remember it.
SPEAKER_03:So make sure you time it correctly, Alison. All right, we'll speak about this later in our next session. Uh it's even if I am, it's actually probably makes me nervous. I'm such a nanna. Like my heart is at five, and uh perform like at 9 30, 10 o'clock. Oh my god, it's hard. It's really hard. Well, that's if you're lucky, because you could be one of the last ones. I think we need to start a campaign where the professionals perform first, and that's true because the professionals are older. Yeah, older. Professionals are normally older, and the amateurs are young and sprightly, and they have more energy to give.
SPEAKER_02:And they haven't earned their early night. You need to earn an early night.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I'm for it.
SPEAKER_03:I've done I've done like one or two. Well, I usually put it into my you know training regime, like in the week leading up or um the week before comp of training late at night. Yeah, smart. It's hard.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah, yeah. The systems are doing different things at that at different times, so it is smart to do that.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Well it's good if you can have a little nap, like Mish said, that sometimes she'll try to get a little nap before she goes on. Because that just a 20-minute nap really wakes you up. I think that's just a yeah, a really good advice if you can like lay in the corner somewhere, or if your hotel is close by.
SPEAKER_00:Even just 10 minutes of breath work um can make a huge while we sit. Meditate. Meditate is great. Do you guys meditate?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. I do not. I think my my brain wanders too much, but yeah, for me, like backstage is just close your eyes, listen to the music that you enjoy, or just or just listen to whatever's happening around you, you know, like it's but just just kind of just breathe. Just slow your heart rate, chill out. If you fall asleep, great, make sure you have an alarm on. That would be terrible. You slept in your cold. Backstage can be chaotic, and there's all different types of energy backstage. Yes, the nervous energy, there's the calm or the excited energy, then there's you know, maybe there's someone who didn't have a great tech run, so they're a bit moody, and I'm I'm in the corner, just it is it is one thing too, yeah. And I think you don't need me to say this, but I'll say it out loud anyway, because it's good for other people to hear. Um, I think in the past, you know, I've I've heard people kind of say, Oh, this isn't really talking about super friendly backstage. And I'm like, I'm not an asshole backstage, but I'm also not there to be everyone's friend backstage. I'm I'm there to just relax, chill out, do my thing, get on stage, get off, and and like you don't need to be drawn into the big excitement that some people need. Some people need to be like, what's exciting, and I'm so excited to be here and I'm making friends, but you know, like I'm that's that's not how how I operate backstage, and it's not how a lot of people operate backstage, so it's important to not feel like you have to give that energy if it's not what you're feeling. Yeah, and like I've had the same reputation. Um like people made comments to me in Tazi. They're like, oh, you're you're really nice, you're friendly. Yeah, I'm not a bitch. I just don't want to talk to you because I guess the way that I the way that I have been able to, I guess, stay calm in the zone is think of it, think performing like a job. Like I've got a job to do. I've been home. So fuck off, leave me one. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. No, I I agree with you. I'm the same backstage. I get I get quite nervous before I go on. For I've always been a nervous performer. So if I can't have my own space, it makes me more anxious if people are talking to me, trying to interact with me, asking me questions, it feels like too much. So I have to go into quiet land and and uh ignore everybody else. Um, but yeah, and so I think it's important on both, like on both sides. Like it's important as a performer that you know you can do that and it's totally fine. But also if you are backstage with performers to let them have their space and their process and do it however they want to do it. And it's nothing personal. Um and especially in like with competitions on events where it's just one night, it's never judge a person by by what they, you know, unless it's something like punching Bobby in the face. I think we have judge them for doing that. But you know, don't judge people's interactions with you too quickly because like there's nerves, there's stage right, there's yeah, there's all of these other things that are going on in this high emotional state that everyone's in. So it's not a it's not a good way to measure people's personalities, I don't think. Um, so yeah, that's that's a good good point to make.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. I think a lot of the amateurs are more chatty because they're possibly, I don't know, they haven't been in an environment like that in a big competition so they're nervous and they want to talk to people about it. But whenever I go backstage, it's usually professionals are doing their own thing, or they're just in groups of one or two amateurs quite often in big groups talking to each other, braiding each other's hair and fixing each other's makeup and all that sort of stuff. So I think that that's quite different. And I know you guys know that at IPCA, we often try to put professionals in one room, amateurs in another, group in another, and battle in another, and we do that for a reason because there is so many different energies. Depending on the theorem we've run it, it is all around the trade. So they're all really different in how much space you've got. I think that there's a really big difference between the competitors and how they interact. And I think as a competitor, it's just nice to just you know, give people like me their space, give them their space, and then you know the ones that want to chat just go over there. But I think most professionals are like you three and want to sort of be in their zone and run their routines because you it's a big deal. Like you've trained for not one year, not six months, you've trained for years to get to that level and to get on that stage. And you've got three and a half minutes. That's it, and it's done.
SPEAKER_03:So you have to. And and I I will definitely not like I used to be that person that did so many competitions in a year because you get your get your experience, but you know, now it's like I'm not I'm not going out underprepared for a show. So you need to make sure, like so. I'm if I'm doing a show, I'm I'm doing it, I'm not going like, oh, what works out? Better better get my shit together, which which sometimes happens if you're when you're an amateur and you're doing six comps a year, which I think is far too much. But you know, that does not happen for me anymore. So if I'm doing a show, I want to do it correctly and I need to have that correct prep as well, you know. So it's yeah, you if you've prepped appropriately for it, you want to make sure that your head backstage is in its appropriate space so that you can go and do the thing you need to do, you know.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, that's it. So are you gonna do any more comps? Are we done or not done?
SPEAKER_03:I I mean, I'm I'm not done. Like right now, my body's like, done, but it's it's not. I um I irritated uh my right meniscus uh because of the kips and things uh in this poll. And so I just need to I need to go strengthen, but also I always tend to find that I lose strength prepping for a comp because I don't do as much gym and I'm not doing as much playtime on the poll. It's just it's just prepping for this show, which is only X amount of movements, still a lot of movements, but it's not the same as when you get to play and explore. So yeah, I mean I'm doing poll icon next year. I had a panic attack. I was like, have they announced that? And I just said it out loud that they've announced that. Um, yeah, and again, like I guess I I if I have an idea, I I want to put it on a stage. So I I'm not out of ideas and I'm not finishing comps going, wow, that was really hard. I I never want to do that again. So yeah, she's she's she's getting older, but you know, she's not done.
SPEAKER_02:It's Australian number four. You know, I Kim Chia was like, I have a vision for you, Mishka.
SPEAKER_03:Four crowns, and I was like, after three. I went, All right, that's enough.
SPEAKER_02:And as soon as she said it, I was like, Oh yeah, maybe one on each arm and one on your head, five, why not?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, it's so bad. But yeah, we'll see. It's gotta come with a really uh good idea, which lately has proven to be quite unhinged. That was quite an unhinged routine, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, where did that come from? I love the end, that was my favorite. I was like, oh, she went there, amazing.
SPEAKER_03:That was so annoying. I wanted them to black out, but instead I was just his head hanging in a guillotine. And then four seconds later, they were like, oh, oops, he's blackout. Yeah, my my head um is a little bit unhinged, Al, if you if you ask me where that's from. I just I just heard I'll listen to my music and envision things, and the reason I wanted to be Marie Antoinette was because I kept hearing money, and I was like, imagine if I had my tiny chihuahua in a powder wig in my arms and two buff men in powder wigs with no tops, and I was I was Marie Antoinette dancing like honey cardi B. But it all started with me envisioning my chihuahua in a powder wig.
SPEAKER_00:So there you go.
SPEAKER_03:It's a little bit unhinged up in here, but that's okay. Back to our toys. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring a dog onto the stage with a powder wig, but maybe next time.
SPEAKER_06:No, well that's been they've had they had an eagle one year, they've had a snake, right? They haven't had animals before.
SPEAKER_03:That is true, but they've never had a juniper. She is a lot of energy.
SPEAKER_06:Somebody take the poppy.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, she's she's a bit chaotic. And then my other dog is 15 and he he looks like a chupacabra now. Like he's he's really on his last leg. So I think it would be too shocking for him to like have that loud music, and he's got his milky eyes, and he's got this saggy neck, and he's got like those, you know how he's got like old man spots all over his body.
SPEAKER_02:The little tongues go out aside.
SPEAKER_03:He's actually like he's a bit of a jump scare at the moment, actually. This is this is this is not good for content for it because it's a podcast, but this is slash.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, look at him! He does have sideways tongue. I love him.
SPEAKER_03:And there's there's no seeing in those little eyes anyway.
SPEAKER_06:He looks like a crazy little cutie.
SPEAKER_02:Oh my gosh. I have a place in the I love uh uh ugly cute. Ugly cute is my favorite type of cute.
SPEAKER_03:He is ugly cute, yeah. Like, and and you know, sometimes he tries to climb the mountain, which is the bed with the blanket, but he's just so small, he'll climb and be like, oh no, and he falls backwards off the mountain, like that's just a blanket in a pile. I mean like oh big man, because his big name is big man, he's he's 1.3 kilograms, by the way.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, is he? Oh tiny. Oh, that's so little. Three kilos, and he was tiny, so 1.3 is nuts. That's two hours, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's a two-hour cross, but he's yeah, obviously he's very old, so he's also not eating as much. Yeah, it's very sad times, but he's also had a good life. It would have been even better in a powder wig, but not today. Not to be not dream.
SPEAKER_06:Maybe you can push him out next year in a pram or something. Oh, you can't compete next year, can you?
SPEAKER_02:No, no, that's true. Opening. Just bring the bloody powder wig back and stick him in and be like, fucking happening.
SPEAKER_03:You can just do an ornament like an ornament in it. It's just time for the murph to go out and be slay. And slay she will. I feel like at some point my my stage name is uh the yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, and I feel like you've got all of WA rooting for you as well, because like we just adopted you. We were just like, yeah, she's one of us now. Oh, I love that. Yeah, it's really cute. Everyone's always asking about you. It's really cute. Yeah, yeah. You're one of us.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, well, that one's I I I I just love competing over there. Everybody was so kind, and the that was the weirdest scene that I don't think it's ever happened to me. I came off stage after doing my tech run, and I had two of your students come running up to me, being like, Teach us your ways. My mom, um, yes, of course.
SPEAKER_02:Um for you tomorrow. And you did it, it was so lovely of you. You were just like, Yeah, on my day off, I'll come and train you, sure. And they were like, She's gonna teach us. They were so they were like starstruck and like awe-inspired all at the same time. It was so sweet. And they're still they're like, Do you know what they said to me? They're like, Felix, remember that flip that you did where you dislocated your knee? And I was like, uh-huh. They go, Allison told it to us. She did it really well. I'm like you. Better than you, essentially, is what they were saying. I was like, good.
SPEAKER_05:Most excellent.
SPEAKER_00:What did you dislocate your name?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, I was just like, I was trying to do flips, remember? Um so I decided I was like, oh, I should just probably teach myself how to do flips, right? I'm not, I shouldn't be a flipper. I'm like, I've got like loosey goosey everything and zero history of flipping. But I'm like, yeah, sure, this seems safe. Anyway, I don't know. I think I had baby brains still. And um, what was it? I think it was I can't remember. Is it a brass monkey flip? No, I can do a brass monkey flip. L, thank you very much. Um sorry about it.
SPEAKER_03:I just got this image of your hypermobile body flipping over and just like crumpling into like a puddle.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's pretty much exactly how it happened. I like landed on my feet but dislocated my knee. Anyway, I was like, I'm an idiot. The good Lord blessed me with other gifts. Like, I don't need flips. Thank you for reminding me. Um it was some sort of some sort of shoulder mount. Yeah, maybe a trap thing, and then a it was like I'd done it 10,000 times, and then I just did it one time and I dislocated my knee. And then I was like, finished with flips, dynamics not for me. What's control my leg?
SPEAKER_03:I thought the split looked amazing though.
SPEAKER_01:The split bit was fine. It's the everything else I'm not great at.
SPEAKER_06:You all have astrays, even though.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_06:A lot of us all had really bad injuries. Like Miss, you broke your back one year.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, I did, yeah. That was um that was like repetitive like backflipping and um things that I just wasn't strong enough for when I when I had a tiny booty, and then uh so therefore I got stress fractures in my spine and yeah, then I just got really strong and got a bigger bum, and now everything's all good. I swear the key to life, a good life, big bum. You don't have a big bum, if If you had a big bum, you would not have dislocated.
SPEAKER_02:If I had a big bum, I would not have dislocated my knee. You are absolutely correct. I have no crease now. A crease that's gone like when I was in my 20s, I had no bum, it was up here. And now I have like less bum, but it's like a sack with a no bum used to be, and it's just like dripping down on the back of my side. Oh, I know what you mean. So basically, yeah, I should get a bigger bum. So that fixes that, just fill it up.
SPEAKER_06:Really hard though. You've got to squat all the time and you've got to do squat all the time.
SPEAKER_01:Do you do it?
SPEAKER_02:I don't build bulk, like I don't bulk up. I just get leaner. I just get leaner and leaner and leaner.
SPEAKER_03:It would make your muscles like your muscles stronger, though. Like there would still be function behind it. Like, and look, to be an I I think it takes a long time to build brigie. Like it's it's long, consistent training that kind of sucks because it's not pole dancing, but it's the shit you gotta do. Otherwise, like for me, I mean I'm not a Felix Kane hypermobile human, but I do have some hypermobility. And as soon as I stop gymming for several weeks before a routine, I feel like I just start pulling apart a little bit, is the best way to explain it. I just feel like things might be a bit more, I'll go to take a step and my knee goes to hyperextend, and I'm like, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so yeah, like it's just unfortunate. Like I don't I don't want to go to the gym, but if I don't, I start noticing things that are not great, and I I want to hopefully not end up like my mum who's who's a super hypermobile being. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's important for longevity to do the cross-training. Like, and I think everybody who's a little bit older and pole dancing, you can't get everything that you need on the pole. Like, you have to have some something else that you do to help to keep your body even, stable, going for the next 10, 20, however many years you want to do poll. Like, I certainly don't do as much poll now as I did when I was younger. If I polled the way that I was younger now, I probably wouldn't walk. So, like, there has to be a balance, you know.
SPEAKER_03:I had to make that shift into going to the gym because I didn't cross-train my amateur year. Um, I used to be a gym goer in my very early 20s. Um, yeah, and then when I started poll and started full-time work, yeah, it kind of went away. Um, and then I had to make a very big switch because all of a sudden I competed in BPC, an amateur, one, and then kind of realized that if I wanted to be competitive in the professional world, I had to do something about things. So and got a I got a strength coach. So I have a um, he's not a TT, his name's uh Matt from Complete Strength. And I trained him um, well every week I send him videos, he checks my technique, he does, um, he tailors the program specifically for what I'm working more on in polls. So I'll send him the tricks that I'm working on and like, right, this is what I'm working on. Okay, so we're doing very specific cross-treating in the gym. Um these gatherers. I I feel like you're just a natural beefcake, mate. I didn't realise that. Because for me, like there's some people that just naturally are just little beef queens, but um, it takes me a bit of work in the gym to be a beef queen. Oh, I think there's a little bit of that in my in my in my jeans. Like I've always very much been the like big broad chest, big shoulders kind of kind of gal, but nah, it was definitely Matt who unlocked the the strength in them and all right.
SPEAKER_02:The beef queenliness. Yes.
SPEAKER_03:I think that's what the the the the bit comes into the bitch.
SPEAKER_02:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like fine.
SPEAKER_02:I mean that was a good little segue. Don't forget to cross-train, guys.
SPEAKER_03:It's so important, and like I I definitely yeah, echo the the think about the um injury. Like, yes, I had one injury this year. Um, was I constantly injured in my previous years? Yes. Um would have I like my skill capability be where it is um 100% would be like yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_06:I think that's an important thing to say. Also, you're all three of you um at a at the top end of poll. It's difficult to get to that end and not have any injuries. No, you stop it.
SPEAKER_05:You are you can't just find it.
SPEAKER_01:I can't be like literally, but I think 20 years ago, Al.
SPEAKER_03:Like But it doesn't matter, Felix.
SPEAKER_05:We still look at your shit and we're like, ah, she's a movie, look at the light, I can open my legs.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I know, but bitch, I could never everybody wants to mean and know my strengths. I just keep doing the same damn thing over and over again.
SPEAKER_03:Um and she does it damn well.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you very much. Uh do you know what Adj I think was worth touching on? When you guys get injured, what do you do? Do you train through it? Do you ignore it? Or do you seek uh professional assistance?
SPEAKER_03:I um I used to work in exercise rehabilitation, so I can often go, and for me personally, I'm like, I this is this is irritating, but I think it's XYZ and I'm gonna treat it accordingly when I go to the gym or do these rehab exercises usually fixes the job. However, I haven't haven't been in that role for years. Um, so I will when something's not quite right, then I will see Simone at the pole physio. In saying that, she told me off this time because I I was like, men meniscus, like, and I was right, I was like, I think it's men meniscus, and it was, but I was kind of like, yeah, I mean, it was a pain in the arse four weeks before Miss Poll, but it wasn't that bad. And if I did these exercises, then it was fine. It was just always sore in the morning, but then it I it'd be fine, and she's like, She should have seen me. I'm like, yeah, it was fine until I sent it on the day, and now it's not so fine. That's so that was that was silly. Um, but yeah, at the same time, it it was something that had progressively just gotten a little a little worse. And I was like, oh, we're a week out now, like just don't do this movement where you land on your knees, save it for the day. So yeah, I wouldn't normally condone that, but also in saying that I also feel like I potentially know a little bit better in my body what is that manageable something and what is a not manageable something. Yeah, I agree. I have definitely learned the hard way of training through things. Um, it's definitely not the thing to do. Um, I have a really, really great physio that I work with. Um, and actually, my strength coach and my physio collaborate together. So I'm going to see my physio who'll speak to Matt, and he's like, right, Allison's coming with this issue, this is the rehab, and this is what gets old with my program. Um, but my physio definitely understands that if you tell me that rest is my only option, I know it is really wrong. Um, so we alter everything around um everything else in my life except for pole. So it's like, right. So when you're at home, we're not sitting on hard chairs, we're not doing this, we're not doing that, um, you're gonna reduce this in the gym. Um, so we change everything else in my life except for pole because pulp is right now. Um, yeah, so it's really good to have it as a support system in like your coach and your physio and your coaches and your um and your family and everybody like that who I guess can you know make things work is is probably the most important thing. Um because you know, resting is not if if I have a rest and something's really, really, really, really bad. Um well most of the time if you've got an injury, rest is not the answer. Like it's actually not, you know, there's some specific injuries, yes, but like and and that's not to say like well keep on doing this hard, super hard trick that caused the injury in the first place, but you should yeah, you should be able to find the right rehab and things that that kind of allows you to hopefully continue doing what you have to do, just modified ever so slightly. Definitely, and that's like through injury is how I learnt the hard way of stop doing birds of paradise, stop trying to do a chance, you're not you're not ever you're not made that way, Alison. So stop. You're not Felix Kane, Alison Murphy.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I can't do a bird of paradise. Yes, you can. No, I cannot.
SPEAKER_03:I'm way too flexible. Too flexible. Yeah, I remember this story.
SPEAKER_01:You can still do it though, can you? I thought you could do it. But the more you push into it, the less true. So that's the more you push into it, the less stable you feel.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, no resistance.
SPEAKER_06:You know what I'm interested in? Because you are flexible. Have any of you had hip issues? Because that is something that's having, I don't know if you're aware of it, but there's been hip replacements in our industry lately because yeah, do you guys know? Yeah, there's I know a few people have had two hip replacements. I know quite a few that have had one um that have been polling for 15 or more years. Has that affected any of you? No, not yet. Probably.
SPEAKER_03:I've got that pop hip where sometimes where it just doesn't feel like it sits right and you're doing like a plie squat and then it gets that crack and you're like, oh yeah, that was a good one. Um, but yeah, like if I ever have any like hip issues, uh to me, I'm just like, make your ass stronger, okay, off you pop, and then it's it's usually better. Um yeah, I hope I mean hopefully not. I think I think mine, I've never had the strongest knees, so I need to do some solid rehab on them now, but I reckon that'll be my old lady thing. Yeah, they all knee replaced. Yeah, I think mine's a big thing. Actually, it'll be fingies because I have arthritis. Yeah, I've got a look at yeah. I've got an extra, like the reason this one's always wrapped, unless I'm teaching, is because I've got like an extra bone growth in there. So yeah, like I mean, I could get it removed, but also it doesn't stop me from holding a pole. It just stops me from fully closing this finger. Um, like I can't, like I can close on this side, but I can't with this one. So yeah, like for me, it'll probably be me to get my my um my flip the bird finger, have a little surgery or something. Not sure.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. I think we're still probably too near a sport to know what's actually gonna come out of our injuries and what we're doing to our bodies, but I definitely know shoulders, hips, knees, like just the leg hangs, you know, splits, all that sort of stuff. Um, wrists, a lot of risks if you're not doing, you know, things correctly. Um, that's sort of what's started to other now.
SPEAKER_03:It's it's kind of it's it's a little bit sad because I think sometimes some of them are so avoidable, but uh if you don't know what you're supposed to do, and it's quite expensive to go see your physio all the time, but if you don't know and if you've never grown up in that thing of okay, this feels a bit niggly, like I need to be strengthening everything around this joint, then then you don't know. And so you don't do the work, and then years later, that's you know, that that turns into a serious joint issue that needs surgery, and it's it's kind of like yeah, it's a bit sad because it's not everything is like, oh, go to the gym and fix it. Like, but but there are so many things that just go to the gym and fix it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, just go avoidable, you know, like it doesn't have to be a long-term chronic problem.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Like just I think it's I think there was is just such a disbelief though, that getting getting strong or doing size, you know, you know, that whole like, oh yeah, I just went to the physio and he gave me these exercises. Like, yeah, because that's the answer. Get strong, and that preserves the joint. That's what makes me strong.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you can't do anything if you're not strong. You can't be flexible safely if you're not strong. You can't you can't do anything safely if you're not strong. You have to be strong, you have to keep getting stronger. The more like your vocabulary as a pole dancer grows, the more your strength and understanding of your body has to grow as well.
SPEAKER_05:Exactly.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:All right, well, good chat. Yeah, on that merry note. To get hip replacements.
SPEAKER_05:You get a hip replacement.
SPEAKER_03:You get a hip replacement.
SPEAKER_01:Welcome to Paul Mental.
SPEAKER_05:Amazing.
SPEAKER_02:Well, guys, thank you so much for chatting with us. It's been super educational and informational and eye-opening, and we are so excited to see more and more of both of you on stage. Um, have the best of time and good luck, break a leg on when is it the 12th of December?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Right? Yeah, 12th of December APC final in Brisbane. In the round, the name of the theater is something I think.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, Le Voit, Lavoit. And um the tickets haven't been on sale yet. They've been on sale for VIP groups, and obviously Xbox. The tickets will go on style five at the end of this week or next to keep your eye out for tickets. How exactly?
SPEAKER_02:Well, thank you very much for listening, everybody, and goodbye. See you next time. Bye.
