71-Year-Old Pole Dance World Champion Defies Age, Stigma, and a Hip Replacement
Mary Caryl Serritella is a world champion pole dancer and one of the sport’s oldest competitors. At 71, she stands out not just for her colorful costumes and killer moves, but for defying age on a gravity-defying stage. Based in Los Angeles, the mother keeps up her hobby even after a hip replacement, delivering award-winning routines that look effortless on stage. “When you compete you improve,” she told Daily Mail. “It makes you think about the level of work more intensely and you learn more.” Her 2023 world title in Italy came after years of hard work and, at times, personal cost— including some friends unfriending her on Facebook because they couldn’t wrap their heads around her new passion. Despite that backlash, Serritella trains about three times a week and remains committed to a discipline that blends artistry with athleticism.
From a Skeptical Hometown to the World Stage: Starting Pole at 57
From a skeptical hometown to the world stage, Serritella’s journey began with a leap at age 57. She took her first pole class at 57 and, aside from some amateur gymnastics in high school, had no formal training in the art. She immediately got the “bug” and now practices roughly three times weekly, though she says she never goes to the gym. She jokes that her two standard poodles and a couple of five-pound weights in a home studio keep her moving. Her diet is not restrictive; she even keeps cookies on hand and says, “I’m not one of these people that is a fanatic… restrictive dieting just makes you neurotic.” Earlier this year she judged a contest in Tucson and prepared to perform as Professor Trelawny in a Harry Potter–themed showcase in Denver. She recalls a frostier welcome in her hometown of Minett, North Dakota when she started pole dancing.
Four Golden Rules to Bloom Later in Life
Serritella credits four guiding rules that keep her blooming in her seventies, including after a hip replacement five years ago. “Drink lots of water,” she explains. “I see people my age looking so puffy and you just want to flush it out with plenty of water.” “Second is you have got to move; that keeps everything rotating and you will feel the benefit.” “Third on my list is simple: Be happy,” she adds, noting that many people—especially women—lose themselves amid work and family and need to treat themselves with care, finding the things they love so they can pull from that box of happiness when times get tough. “Whether that’s a hobby or buying that dress or lunch with your girls.” Her final rule is generosity of spirit and time, which she says will distract you from any woes or pole-related aches and pains. “You’re going to be sore in muscles you didn’t know you had,” she warns, along with possible “pole kisses” or bruises from missteps. Still, she insists it’s worth sticking with it—she recommends at least six classes—and facing fear with practical workarounds. For Serritella, the rewards extend far beyond the physical: “I see it like we are a rose on a branch and we’re all blooming. You can do things to extend the bloom, but it is designed to wither and die.”
