Combining Adrenaline and Chores - Extreme Ironing
Maxim Trevelyan
June 2017
The last sport of this year's newspaper I present with a little bit trepidation. Because some do not consider it a sport at all, and even within the discipline itself, there are strong voices on both sides. Yes, such is the limbo fate of extreme ironing. While it may not be a sport, it is certainly very entertaining and ingenious. Extreme ironing is, simply put, an extreme sport, where people take ironing boards to most remote and weirdest locations and...iron clothes. It is described by their governing body as the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.
Extreme ironing started in 1997, in Leicester, England in the back garden of Phil Shaw. He came from of a long and hard day at work and wanted to relax. He preferred to go rock climbing, but was still hung up on his work at the knitwear factory, so to ease his mind, Shaw decided to combine the two and this a new sport evolved. The sport itself gained international notoriety, when Shaw embarked on a journey around the world to promote it. First international branch occurred when Shaw met German tourists in New Zealand, which led to formation of Extreme Ironing International, as well as GEIS, German Extreme Ironing Section. It was further established when Britain's Channel 4 filmed a documentary titled Extreme Ironing: Pressing for Victory, followed by 1st Extreme Ironing World Championships.
The Championship was held in September 2002, in Valley, Bavaria in Germany. It hosted 12 teams from ten nations, where three were from Britain. Some of the nations that participated were Great Britain, Austria, Australia, Croatia, Germany and Chile. Great Britain won first and third place and still remains one of the best nations at extreme ironing.
Competition itself is divided into five sections; urban (ironing in, around or on a broken car), water (ironing on a flowing river, either by use of rafts, kayaks, canoes or surfboards), forest (ironing on the top of a tree), rocky (climbing the wall and iron a shirt), and freestyle (anything goes). There are no rules, exactly, in extreme ironing, at least not those that are usually present with sports. Competitors are rather judged on their ability to cope with the different terrains, creative ironing skills and creases in the clothing.
Now you are probably wondering, how do I partake in such a sport? It is simple really. All you need is a piece of clothing, an iron, a board and your imagination when it comes to unusual places.
The last sport of this year's newspaper I present with a little bit trepidation. Because some do not consider it a sport at all, and even within the discipline itself, there are strong voices on both sides. Yes, such is the limbo fate of extreme ironing. While it may not be a sport, it is certainly very entertaining and ingenious. Extreme ironing is, simply put, an extreme sport, where people take ironing boards to most remote and weirdest locations and...iron clothes. It is described by their governing body as the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.
Extreme ironing started in 1997, in Leicester, England in the back garden of Phil Shaw. He came from of a long and hard day at work and wanted to relax. He preferred to go rock climbing, but was still hung up on his work at the knitwear factory, so to ease his mind, Shaw decided to combine the two and this a new sport evolved. The sport itself gained international notoriety, when Shaw embarked on a journey around the world to promote it. First international branch occurred when Shaw met German tourists in New Zealand, which led to formation of Extreme Ironing International, as well as GEIS, German Extreme Ironing Section. It was further established when Britain's Channel 4 filmed a documentary titled Extreme Ironing: Pressing for Victory, followed by 1st Extreme Ironing World Championships.
The Championship was held in September 2002, in Valley, Bavaria in Germany. It hosted 12 teams from ten nations, where three were from Britain. Some of the nations that participated were Great Britain, Austria, Australia, Croatia, Germany and Chile. Great Britain won first and third place and still remains one of the best nations at extreme ironing.
Competition itself is divided into five sections; urban (ironing in, around or on a broken car), water (ironing on a flowing river, either by use of rafts, kayaks, canoes or surfboards), forest (ironing on the top of a tree), rocky (climbing the wall and iron a shirt), and freestyle (anything goes). There are no rules, exactly, in extreme ironing, at least not those that are usually present with sports. Competitors are rather judged on their ability to cope with the different terrains, creative ironing skills and creases in the clothing.
Now you are probably wondering, how do I partake in such a sport? It is simple really. All you need is a piece of clothing, an iron, a board and your imagination when it comes to unusual places.