Fervent gyrating with the music, toned bodies flexing with each movement and glistening, slick with sweat, the sweet smell of crisp dollar bills sticky against naked skin &- sound like a typical Friday night at the strip club with the boys?

Well sorry guys, but pole dancing isn’t just for private viewing at the lounge anymore. It’s a competitive sport &- a sport that should be part of the 2016 Olympics, mostly since it was already denied for the 2012 Olympics.

Pole dancing is no longer taboo or a dirty little secret that is kept underground. For a few years now, pole dancing is becoming widespread, and I’m not just talking about their legs.

It’s a workout class at many gyms. It’s a fitness video your mom got her hands on. It’s a bachelorette party activity. It’s a legit sport, according to the World Pole Sport Federation.

It isn’t like these women aren’t athletic. Because they most certainly are. It takes muscle and strength to be able to pull your entire body up a pole only using an arm, or a leg.

So why not let these athletes into the Olympics?

Some people might argue the sexuality of the sport and the scantily-clad costumes. But honestly there is not a single difference between pole dancing and figure skating when it comes to that.

Figure skaters frequently wear cleavage-bearing tops that are bedazzled so much you can’t tell if you are looking at a sexy skin-tight dress or if someone is holding a CD that catches just the right sunlight to actually blind you.

They also generally flail their legs about, giving the audience frequent crotch shots. I wonder if they also prepare for that sort of thing with vajazzling to match their outfits.

It’s the same thing. If that is the only reason pole dancing isn’t allowed, then maybe figure skating should be cut because that is hypocritical. It is a double standard, and the only reason its fine for figure skaters is because there are too many implications and negative connotations associated with the words “pole dancing.”

The World Pole Sport Federation has held a world championship each year since 2009, with more than 25 countries competing.

Then there is the fact that there is already a gymnastics competition in the Olympics, logistically pole dancing is kind of like gymnastics, just with the pole vertical instead of horizontal.

The professional pole dancers of the world should be able to compete against the world’s best to see where they stand.

They work their little fannies off. Why not pay them back with some gold, silver and bronze?

They work just as hard as the other Olympian athletes &- if not harder.

So next time you’re in the dark depths of a strip club, sipping your Jack and Coke, staring up at blonde hair and dangerous curves you could crash your grandaddy’s minivan on, twirling on the pole don’t think of her as an object or a piece of meat to sink your teeth into. She’s an athlete.

She could be the next Olympic gold medalist.

You can reach Cassie Kolias at [email protected]