Pole workout proves popular

Angela Houck, owner of The Pole Power Studio in West Ocean City, teaches a class. / ERIC DOERZBACH/THE DAILY TIMES

OCEAN CITY -- Angela Houck will get you to climb 12 feet on a shiny silver pole, high enough to slap the roof of her studio, in eight weeks or less.

In the four or so years since she's been teaching pole dancing for fitness, every single one of her students has gotten to the top of her Pole Power studios, where they snag one of the silver markers -- affixed to the ceiling -- and sign the black surface.

Houck's flawless success rate is part of the reason she's been named the East Coast's best pole dancing instructor for this year. Her two locations in West Ocean City and Salisbury were named the best studios, as well, by Pole Dance International Magazine, a trade publication for the tight-knit pole dancing subculture. The magazine makes its judgments based on nominations and votes from students who have taken to the poles. Houck says most of her pupils are 30 to 50 years old, but she's had students who are 18 and 80.

Some of Houck's students say they come to the hardwood-floored building in West OC with mirrored walls and poles raised all around the room to gain, or regain, some self-confidence. Others enjoy the camaraderie that comes with the all-female workout, and a few are looking for a new and challenging exercise method to break up the monotony that sometimes comes with more traditional fitness measures. For some, it's all three.

Houck was a critical care nurse who gravitated toward pole dancing when she was trying to get back in shape after having two children. She gave up nursing to open her first studio in 2007, in hopes she could help other women feel the mental and physical transformation she found in dancing.

"We have a lot of girls who come in here who are in 'Mommy Mode,' and I think seeing their faces when they begin to rediscover and get in touch again with who they really are is what made me fall in love with teaching," Houck said.

During Houck's hour-long classes, in dim lighting with high-paced music, the women sweat and share laughs while they watch themselves work in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

"It's really just hanging out with the girls and having fun," said Coleen Catrino, who has been taking classes for about three years.

"This is much more personable than a gym," added Terri Street after she'd just completed her first session. And the ladies applauded wildly when Nina Wheeler climbed to the roof after completing only two sessions.

"This is just something new and something fun," Wheeler said.

Houck says many are hesitant to come in the door due to a stigma that equates pole dancing with stripping, she says. Once they're in the studio, they're often self-conscious about pole climbing, but the feeling usually dissipates after a session or two, when they really start to get into it.

"I think everyone who comes in here is a little intimidated at first, but after a while they all leave with more confidence," says Sandra Kerstetter, one of Houck's co-instructors.

It's addicting, Houck says, because there are so many facets and moves that can be learned, and once a woman masters one she often wants to advance to the next.

Houck says she's optimistic about the elimination of the stripper stigma. It is nearly non-existent in many other countries, and in some more urban parts of the United States, she said, to where it isn't uncommon for men and children to get pole-centric workouts. A recent issue of Pole Dance International even featured an article on the future of pole dancing fitness for children.

"I think the goal is to get people out of that typical mindset (regarding pole dancing)," Houck said.

"It's not like the gym. It's a challenging and rewarding type of exercise, and we'd like to push thought it in that direction."

Houck doesn't offer under-18 or co-ed classes, but said she'd consider involving men if interest was shown. On occasion, usually around Valentine's Day, she'll convince some guys to give climbing a shot. They usually leave admitting it's a more difficult and physically demanding practice than they'd thought, she said.

Houck is holding an open house Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 at the Salisbury and West Ocean City studios, respectively, and new eight-week sessions begin Oct. 17.

 

OC fans find lots to 'like'

Facebook, Twitter feeds a hit with visitors

OCEAN CITY — By the end of September, nearly 362,000 people had clicked the “like” button on Ocean City’s official Facebook page.

That’s about 30,000 more people than were physically in town for Fourth of July weekend, when the year’s population hit its highest point. It’s also more clicks than any of the other resort destinations in the region can boast — by a long shot, in most cases — according to Andy Malis, president of MGH, a Baltimore-based advertising firm that has been creating campaigns under contract for the resort for years.

The people who like the page see Ocean City’s frequent updates, posted mostly by city and MGH staff, on its Facebook newsfeed. Updates promote events like Sunfest and Winefest on the Beach; keep residents and visitors privy to emergency information; and sometimes are just for fun, like on Sept. 29 when a status urged fans to post some of their favorite beach photographs from the summer.

No matter what the subject matter, the updates almost always get a smattering of user comments.

“It has served as a very good tool of outreach for people who are interested in what’s going on in town,” said Ocean City spokeswoman Donna Abbott. The town also has an official Twitter feed, too, where many of the same information is posted to nearly 3,000 followers. And Mayor Rick Meehan is embracing Twitter with his own account.

The virtual fan count grows daily, and so far Ocean City has blown most of the other vacation destinations in the region out of the water with its grip on social media and other online marketing efforts, Malis said. The town began taking social networking sites seriously four years ago. Since then, Ocean City’s social media presence has grown exponentially, to the point Malis thinks it will be hard for other towns to ever catch up.

So what good comes of all the tweeting and posting? Tourism Director Deborah Turk said social media use is critical and calls it one of the greatest tools in the town’s marketing arsenal.

“Social mediums have become a full-time job, and I really credit (MGH) with being on the cutting edge of knowing what’s coming next,” Turk said. “We’re always one step ahead, and never ever behind, which is a good place to be.”

Social media outreach is low-cost, and it allows city officials to monitor feedback immediately. Both are huge advantages in marketing, said Ryan Goff, MGH’s director of social media.

“Our large networks are like an ongoing focus group,” he said.

“You get to see what people are saying about things going on in Ocean City, so it’s a two-way communication avenue,” said Abbott.

MGH often submits recommendations on using the social media megaphones to attract more visitors to the area. Visitor acquisition and retention have been at the forefront of council discussion and action in recent months. It has become a rarity for meeting agendas not to include at least one item pertaining to the subject.

Among MGH’s recent ideas is a “check-in” mechanism Malis hopes to add to the resort’s official smartphone application. The feature would use a phone’s GPS sensors to allow people to announce they’ve showed up at a bar, restaurant or other business. The idea mirrors one brought to prominence by the Foursquare app and Facebook’s check-in feature.

Each time a person “checks in” to a participating business, they would be alerted to any special deals at that business, and they would also be automatically entered in a drawing for a free week’s vacation to take place in 2013, according to Malis’ proposal to council. The idea would need council approval to be included in a proposed “Summer of Thanks” campaign.

Turk said she sees more and more people using existing check-in features and anticipates a positive response if Ocean City decides to include it in its app.
It can be good for individual businesses, as well.

“This location stuff is really giving exposure for a lot of these businesses that might not have otherwise gotten it,” Goff said. “You’re able to see how many friends have been to a place, and they can leave tips and recommendations, so it’s an engaging way for people to discover things.”

People use mobile devices to access the Internet much more now than in the recent past, Goff said, so to focus on smartphone-friendly tools can be beneficial.

“People just aren’t tethered to their computers anymore,” he said.

People are also plugged into more sites and programs, so the town has to cross-post things simultaneously to its Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr accounts.

The convenience factor is appealing to Nicole Ciarapica, a Greenbackville, Va., resident who gets all her resort news from the Facebook page. She sees an update on her news feed most days, she said, which is how she found out about an unexpected tornado that hit the 75th Street area near her grandparent’s condo in September.

“I found out and called them, and I was thankful for that information,” Ciarapica said. “It’s an easy way for me to find out what’s going on rather quickly.”

Ocean City’s Chamber of Commerce has followed the town’s lead by setting up its own Facebook and Twitter they use to publicize events, deals and specials for its members. Social media marketing is pushed to people who have opted in to the information by liking a page or following a feed, which is helping replace cold calls or random mailings, said Chamber Executive Director Melanie Pursel.

“It’s someone who has expressed interest, so you know they really truly want to receive info about what’s going on with the organization,” she said.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14