Kate Riegle van West
Dr. Kate Riegle van West pioneered scientific research on poi and its positive effects on physical and cognitive function. She is the Founder and CEO of SpinPoi, a social enterprise dedicated to improving health and wellbeing through poi.
Kate discovered poi when she was working as a performer in a circus in the US and noticed the positive impact on her physical and mental health. She became curious about its benefits but when she couldn’t find any clinical studies investigating poi and health, she decided to reach out to the University of Auckland with the idea to conduct a clinical trial on the effects of poi on physical and cognitive function.
“Though at the time I had limited knowledge of the whakapapa of poi, it felt important for the first scientific research on poi to come from Aotearoa New Zealand, where poi began”. After a few short months, she had left her Harvard University job, packed her bags, and embarked on her doctoral research.
Kate greatly enjoyed the autonomy of being a PhD student, and the guidance and relationship she developed with her PhD supervisor, Cathy Stinear. "Having no background in the field of health or medicine, I was nervous to dive into conducting a clinical trial, but Cathy trusted me and believed in me from day one," Kate shares.
“It has its tough moments, but I love helping people and that’s really what SpinPoi is all about”.
“My degree has been the backbone of my career. Even though I was working with poi before starting my PhD, I was just a girl who had personal experience and stories about how spinning a ball on a cord felt good. Now I am Dr. Kate Riegle van West and I have the first clinical evidence that poi positively effects physical and cognitive function”.
At Spinpoi, her and her team support individuals and organisations in Aotearoa and across the globe, with a focus on utilising poi to improve quality of life for people of all ages and abilities. She has a very busy role, from training instructors to managing the backend of the business. There are Certified SpinPoi Instructors across 5 continents who are all sharing the therapeutic benefits of poi with their communities.
Kate encourages prospective students to take the leap and study at the University of Auckland. "Living overseas is such an enriching experience, and even if it doesn’t work out the way you thought it would, you will learn a tonne along the way," she advises.