Forget any ideas you may have about strip clubs and overtly sexual performances. I soon realised that pole dance is an intense physical challenge. It involves the pole dancer hoisting themselves up on a steel bar using only their core strength. On top of that, they perform acrobatic tricks at the same time.

Pole dance is essentially gymnastics around a fireman’s pole, with the added danger of smashing your head on the ground. Oh, and that of burning your bare skin on the pole, as the multiple red marks and bruises slashed across thighs attest too. This is not a sport for the fainthearted.

It is, however, for the warm-hearted. Everyone I spoke to at Cambridge's Pole Sports society told me how friendly and supportive the club and its members are. It was evident immediately. As pole work began after the warm-up, people instantly began giving advice to teammates unsure of their next move, helping them dismount safely and clapping them when they did well. The team’s camaraderie was almost as strong as their cores.

Pole Dance has aesthetic benefits as well. "Everyone has abs here," I’m told by one member of the team. The club has three levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Doing any level will make you stronger, but it is notoriously difficult for beginners. Even a simple spin around the pole was too much for my tight groin.

Nevertheless, neither this nor a bash on the head from one of the poles spoiled my night at a lovely, welcoming, and, most importantly, serious sports club.