Pole champ to contest national title

POLE aerialist and performer Bethany Finlay will defend her national title at next month’s Australian Pole Championships at Melbourne’s Federation Square.

The athlete is a two-time Australian professional champion, and runs her own school, Aerial Dance Studios Ballarat.

Aerial Pole Academy’s Elizabeth Domazet is director of the Australian Pole Championships and said there are only two people in Australia who have ever won the title twice.

“Beth has been invited all over the world to compete and do workshops. She is by far one of the best pole dancers in the entire world,” Domazet said.

“Anyone from Ballarat who’s able to come along and support her will be blown away by what she’s capable of doing. She can backflip off the top of the pole and do insane things you’ve never seen before.

“She is an incredible world-class athlete who trains a lot, and if you ever get the chance to see her, it’s mind-blowing what she can do.”

Finlay and her routines have a high profile on social media, with more than 728,000 followers on TikTok, and 195,000 fans on Instagram. Many of the championships’ competitors are fitness influencers like her.

“Beth is Ballarat’s number one social media influencer. There is no one more famous in Ballarat as far as social media goes, so that’s impressive, and all from her pole dancing,” Domazet said.

“It’s great for us to have her at the championships, but it’s also really good for Victoria and for Ballarat to have a local person as a national champion.”

The Australian Pole Championships will be held on Friday, 2 December at 7.30pm at The Edge theatre, with the categories of professional, group, battle, and amateur set to be contested.

The meet is the largest of its kind in the country, with 500 entries every year, and is the most prestigious pole competition in the world.

“We are pleased to bring this event back to Melbourne after what has been a tumultuous couple of years for the fitness and event industry,” Domazet said.

“It’s been running for 13 years and the competitors, if they win a title with us, are recognised around the world. It elevates their status as a pole dancer.”