HOUSTON — A Houston woman’s at-home pole dancing workout took an unexpected and costly turn when the pole struck a fire sprinkler, sending water pouring through her apartment and into a neighbor’s unit.
Asha Gilbert said she was recording herself in her living room on July 6 while following a pole dance fitness tutorial.
As she started to spin, the top of the pole came loose from the ceiling and slammed into a fire sprinkler, triggering a sudden burst of water that sprayed across the room.
“Immediately, I’m in shock because I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this cannot be happening to me,’” Gilbert said.
The pole had only recently become part of Gilbert’s living room setup. She said a coworker had given it to her just three days before the mishap.
“He was like, ‘Hey, I have this pole, I’m giving it away. Do you want it?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely I want it,’” Gilbert said.
However, when Gilbert and a friend set it up, they did not secure it with a ceiling anchor. Instead, they depended on the pole’s tension between the floor and ceiling to hold it in place.
“It wasn’t even a thought that it could possibly hit the sprinkler,” Gilbert said. “We were more worried about it hitting a wall.”
Much of Gilbert’s furniture was ruined, and she had to move to a different apartment.
She said the water also seeped into a downstairs neighbor’s unit.
“I explained everything, and she was very, very cool and understanding, and I appreciated that,” said Gilbert.
Gilbert’s original Instagram post has already racked up more than 700,000 views. While she’s comfortable with the temporary fame, she said she wishes pole dancing didn’t get such a bad rap.
“You have to be very strong, a strong upper body, strong core to be able to do it, and I just wish people understood that it doesn’t just have to be sexualized,” she said. “It can be looked at as a workout and a great workout at that.”
That said, Gilbert said her days of in-home pole dancing are over.
“They are done. For now,” she said.
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