She's the Canberra Capitals basketball star moonlighting as a pole dancer, but Carly Wilson says her unusual pre-season routine can be the secret to success this year.
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And before you think of pole dancing stereotypes, WNBL life member Wilson wants to break down a barrier to prove her new hobby is much more than its reputation.
Wilson is using a 12-week pole dancing course to improve her core strength ahead of the Capitals' WNBL campaign, opting to pack away her basketball and stay away from the court to refresh after 293 games in the league.
The 16-season veteran is reluctant to talk about her unique training schedule due to the stigma attached to pole dancing.
But after revealing the only time she had missed a WNBL game was because of a pole-dancing hamstring injury in 2007, Wilson hopes to convince Capitals coach Carrie Graf to use her routine as a legitimate pre-season activity for her teammates.
"There is a stigma attached to pole dancing that isn't fair. It's not the right stereotype," Wilson said. "I haven't told a lot of people about it and that I do it. But now I'm involved in it, I want to help out the sport.
"People hear pole dancing and think a certain thing, but actually the people who do pole dancing properly are out-and-out athletes. I'm not at that point ... the strength and flexibility is amazing. I haven't played any basketball this off-season. But this is going to help me.
"I've been in the WNBL for so long now, but this is going to help me because it's something different for me. And when you do pole dancing you appreciate the skill."
Wilson is set to sign a new contract with the Capitals in the coming days and join a strong Canberra roster that already includes Lauren Jackson, Abby Bishop, Hanna Zavecz and Stephanie Talbot.
The 31-year-old hasn't played basketball since the end of the Capitals' disastrous 2013-14 season.
Instead, Wilson has opted to test herself at pole dancing to refresh her mind after more than a decade in the semi-professional league.
Wilson revealed her pole dancing hobby in an effort to promote the Miss Pole Dance ACT heats at the Woden Hellenic Club next Friday and encourage doubters to watch before judging the sport.
Wilson started pole dancing seven years ago in Perth. But on one of her first trips to the studio, she tore her hamstring off the bone while trying to do the splits.
She missed five months of basketball and was too embarrassed to tell her coaches how she acquired the injury.
But seven years later, Wilson, a Commonwealth Games and world championship gold medal winner, is finally comfortable with her love of pole dancing.
"People should go along to Miss Pole Dance ACT, they'll be absolutely blown away ... you wouldn't believe the things these women can do, jaws literally drop," Wilson said.
"When I tell people I've been doing it, the first thing they ask is can I show them something. I took [Australian Opals forward and former Capital] Marianna Tolo along to my presentation.
"Maybe I can get her involved. I am going to try to push to get a pre-season Capitals session at the gym, it's cross-training so hopefully Graffy lets us.
"I've done basketball and weights my whole career, but I'm still quite weak when it comes to the pole. It is going to transfer to basketball."
- Miss Pole Dance ACT heats will be held at the Woden Hellenic Club on July 4. Doors open at 6.30pm, show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $50.
