IPSF Executive Committee

President - Katie Coates
 

KT has been a major influence in the pole  industry for over  20 years and is a pioneer and leading authority in  the push to get Pole Sports recognised as a sport and eventual inclusion into the Olympic Games. She has also been a  leading figure in pole training and coaching programmes, creating the  fist fitness programme for pole and now the first coaching programmes for pole. 

She has be instrumental in raising  health and safety standards within the pole community from both a  coaching and competition perspective. As President, Katie oversees the Federations, Competitions, Trainings and Marketing  committees as well as co-ordinating the day to day tasks associated with  running of the IPSF.

Vice-President - Bianca Scholten

Bianca was involved in the pole industry in South Africa for a number of years as a student, instructor, studio owner, competitor, and at national federation level, before moving to Germany. Bianca was one of the first IPSF qualified judges in South Africa (and in Africa), and qualified as the first Head Judge in Africa. Bianca has head judged various international competitions, including the IPSF World Pole Championships. Bianca joined the IPSF as a member of the technical committee in 2015, and took over as the Technical Director in 2016, responsible for all pole and aerial codes and trainings (including COP trainings, Judges trainings and Head Judge training). Bianca took on the role of Vice President of the IPSF in 2017, and continues to serve as both the Vice President and the Technical Director.  

Bianca is passionate about pole fitness and pole sports, and enjoys pushing herself and her students, taking every opportunity to learn.  The need for a consistent and transparent system is what drew Bianca to the IPSF in the first place; the drive for recognition as an Olympic Sport is one that Bianca is excited to be involved in.

General Secretary - Lies Cuisinier

Lies has been the general secretary and an integral part of the IPSF since 2015. Born and living in Malawi, she is also passionate about judging and is a certified IPSF judge since 2015.

Lies became very passionate about pole sports after university and has worked together with her fellow IPSF colleagues towards Olympic recognition and taking care of important administrative tasks. She hopes to continue adding value to committee and the sport for many years to come.

Worlds Coordinator - Cindy Cooijmans

Cindy is an internationally certified Pole instructor and Head Judge from the Netherlands. She had been with the IPSF from the start. Over the years she was an active part of the technical and judges committee and created the drawings for the Code of Points.

Now her focus is on organising the IPSF World Championships to a high standard.

She has been judging, voluntering and helped with the organisation for the Worlds since the first World Championships in London 2012.

Judges Coordinator - Giota Chalki

Giota lives in Ioannina, Greece. She has been involved in the pole industry since 2014 and was one of the first IPSF qualified judges in Greece.

She is an MSc Computer Engineer and a PhD candidate in the field of Educational Technologies with a specialization in Online Courses.

Giota hopes to grow the recognition of pole as a sport internationally. She has judged in National and international Pole Championships.

Competitions Coordinator -

Sara Noble Lumholdt

Sara has been an Pole Instructor since 2010 and after that she started a company containing 4 pole Studios in Sweden (2012-2018).

Sara became an IPSF qualified judge in October 2015, Judged the WPSC in London 2016 and has been a certified judge since then. She took a gold medal in the Swedish Pole Championship in 2014. After that she has been a part of organising the Swedish Nationals. She has also been a commitee member of the Swedish Pole Federations since 2014 and sits today as the federation president. 

Sara has also helped out on different Committees in the IPSF such as technichal team, federation team and Safety guidelines during the pandemic.

Anti-Doping Chair - Andrea Avila

Andrea Avila was born in Colombia, she started pole dancing in 2013.

As a Sports Medicine Physician, she has been interested in the growth and profesionalization of the sport. She is part of the executive committee of the IPSF and is working on the anti-doping program for the Federation. 

Training Coordinator - Yana Sivirina

Having ten years of experience in international teaching, Yana has enough enthusiasm and patience to deliver ideas and helping instructions to people of different ages. 

She began pole sport in 2013 and strives to combine the sporting component with her choreographic and musical education. 

Yana is glad to be part of IPSF team and to help the organization grow and develop.

Federations Chair - Paulo Kummel

Coming soon

 Ethics Chair
 

Please apply

Federations Team - Marni Kehm

Marni Kehm was born in Canada, raised in USA, and currently resides in Switzerland.  She is a graduate of Smith College with a B.Sc. in General Engineering and Music and from the Universität Stuttgart with a M.Sc. in Process Engineering. 
 

Marni began pole fitness in 2014 and has since then been involved in the Pole Sport Industry. After becoming more involved, Marni has developed a passion for the sport, which has led to her position within the Federations.

Her role ensures that all IPSF athletes are properly and effectively represented from all IPSF Federations and also acts as a connection to the IPSF Executive Committee.

Ethics Officer - Dimitra Kourmatzi

Dimitra is an attorney at law (registered to practice law in both Greece and England) specializing in international law (including human rights).  Her educational background has been supported by studies in the areas of Human Resource management , risk management , human rights and international organisation studies.  She has completed two master degrees in law (LSE and University if Athens Law School)  

She first became acquainted with the pole industry in 2013 as a student and from there onwards has worked on behalf of many organisations to assist them in dealing with athletic law related matters. 

Technical Committee -

Alison Ballard

Alison has been a member of the IPSF since 2019 heading up the federations team. She has been both a competitor as well as a judge and head judge at IPSF competitions. She has been involved with her local federation since 2018 and has been doing involved with pole and aerial hoop since 2014.

Technical Committee -

Szilvia Molnar

Technical Committee - 

Lydia Bassal

I’m from México city and I’ve practiced polefitness  for almost 5 years.

I’ve been judging for 3 years in Off seasons competitions, Nationals, international and in the last World Championship. 

I’ve worked as social media manager and currently I’m in the Spanish Federation “Communication Department” 

I’m working hard on the recognition of pole as a sport internationally to see it at the Olympics. 

cycles.

Technical Committee -

Maya Mircheva

Maya was born in Bulgaria, but is currently based in Germany where she developed interest in pole sports. Since 2015, she has been running her own studio and prepares athletes for IPSF competitions. That is when she found out about the federation and developed interest in contributing its activities. Maya has been a member of the technical committee since February 2017 and is also a certified IPSF judge.

Beside pole sports, Maya graduated at the National Sports Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she obtained her Bachelor degree in sports sciences. She specialized in gymnastics, and more specifically trampoline and is a nationally certified trampoline judge for the last two Olympic cycles.

Technical Committee -

Erika Gonzalez del Pliego Revila

Coming soon

Honorary Member  - Kate Whitley

2010 - 2017

Kate has been involved in the pole industry since 2008 and joined the IPSF as the Ethics Chair in 2010. Becoming the Vice-President in 2011 has meant she was an integral part of IPSF from the first World Championships to where the federation is today in 2017.

She firmly believes in the goal of Pole being a sport represented in the Olympic Games and has worked tirelessly in all areas of federation development to achieve that goal. Kate has now retired from her position as Vice-President but will continue to support the IPSF on administrative matters.

Honorary Member - Florenza Pizanis

2012 - 2015

Florenza is a professional dance teacher/ballet master, choreographer, pole dance instructor and Rhythmic Sports Gymnastics trainer and judge. She has also worked in two competitive sports at national and international levels (up to Olympic qualifications) and has seen the outcome of faulty judging systems and the harsh politics that go along with it. Florenza has experienced firsthand, the effect inconsistencies and injustices can have on hard-working and determined athletes of all ages. She would like to help prevent much of this happening in its infancy and is works on the IPSF standardised scoring system and intense and comprehensive judges training to ensure consistency for all athletes.

Honorary Member - Tim Trautman

2009 - 2012

Tim helped create the IPSF in early 2009 to take pole sports to the ultimate level, the World Games and the Olympics. In 2006 he joined with Lizz Schofield to create Studio Soiree in Salt Lake City, Utah which became hugel successful.  In early 2009, he assisted in the creation and operation of the Pole Fitness Association and started the PFA's Olympic Committee to study what it would take to get pole sports into the Olympics.