Woman wants to raise money with a little pole dancing

Carol Lubke could try bake sales and garage sales to raise the $1,800 she needs -- the stuff a suburban wife typically might do to support a cause she believes in.

Lubke has another idea.

Pole dancing.

As in exotic dancing --spinning, climbing and inverting on a pole.

But she isn't looking to collect dollar bills one at a time from lonely men.

She's hoping for $10 gifts.

And the audience likely will be women interested in trying a new exercise and supporting breast cancer research.

There'll be no need for what happens at Pole-athon to stay at Pole-athon, organizers say.

"It's pretty G-rated," said Kristin Hubbard, the personal trainer who owns Tease Workout in Naperville where Pole-athon will happen.

On Friday, Tease Workout will host an open house that invites attendees to try the workout for themselves. Pole-athon runs 6 p.m. to midnight. Admission is $10 and proceeds will fund Lubke's entry in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Lubke, a nurse from Aurora, tried Hubbard's classes about a year ago as a way to spice up her exercise regimen of running and weight lifting.

She wasn't sure at first, but she stuck with it and found that not only did she get a great workout, but it was a way to explore another side of her personality.

"Her classes and what she teaches really makes me feel good about myself," Lubke said. "I feel it brings out the sensual side of being a woman."

Hubbard, a personal trainer, heard about pole dancing fitness programs on television, then took classes in New York and Los Angeles before starting her own classes, she said.

Incorporating principles of Pilates, yoga and exotic dance, pole dancing helps with strength training and flexibility. And there's no denying that it's sexy, even as a form of exercise.

"There is a very sensual aspect to it," Hubbard said.

Women who overcome their self-consciousness to take on pole dancing are often well-rewarded, she said.

"We encourage them to really love their curves," she said. "When you leave class, you're feeling very powerful, very energized."

For Lubke, the feeling reminds her of her reaction to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer that she completed in June. It's a feeling the nurse, who has cared for scores of cancer patients, wants women battling the disease to feel, too.

For this year's event, Lubke raised the required pledge through garage and bake sales. And as soon as she completed the walk, she began planning how to fund the entry fee to join the next walk in May, she said.

"I have to raise $1,800 to participate in the walk. It all goes to research, treatment and education," said Lubke, a 15-year health-care professional who works at Countryside Care Centre in Aurora.

"My big thing is education, self breast exams."

If you go

What: Pole-athon

When: 6 p.m. to midnight Friday

Where: Tease Workout, 1841 Wehrli Road, Naperville

Cost: $10

Details: (630) 901-9697 or teaseworkout.com