USA: Eccentric Brits take new crazy sport of extreme ironing to the States

Extreme ironing is a pressing issue for a group of Brits who're touring the U.S to promote the silly sport. Combine extreme sports with the humdrum housework activity of ironing, and what have you got? Extreme ironing of course. Already popular in Europe, a group of British extreme ironing enthusiasts are now pressing their case to bring the 'sport' to America. The U.S. holds a potentially huge new market not only for participants, but also new locations to demonstrate the skill of the sport. The trio, Phil Shaw (aka Steam), Matthew Patrick (aka Starch) and Penny Wilkinson (aka Short Fuse) have been demonstrating their skills in some of America's more challenging places, such as suspended in huge waterfall in South Dakota, or inside the caves of Mount Rushmore. But what exactly is it? "Extreme ironing is the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt" explains Phil Shaw as he demonstrated in front of New Yorkers in Times Square. The Briton from Leicester invented the sport in 1997 when, facing a huge pile of ironing, he decided to take it outside to enjoy the sunshine. One thing led to another and before Shaw knew it he was carting his ironing board with him on rock climbing trips. The silliness of the idea took off in counties like England, Germany, Austria, Japan and Australia, and in 2002 the first World Championship took place in Germany. Inventive participants ironed in some challenging positions, competing in categories like Water, Rocky, Forest and Freestyle. But up to now Americans have been unaware of the bizarre sport - and Shaw and his ironing friends decided that has to change - hence the Rowenta-sponsored U.S.A tour. Shaw said, "I think in Britain you've never really made it unless you've made it in America and we've got this sort of ideal that we'd like extreme ironing to be an Olympic sport so you know if we can raise the profile of it maybe we can achieve our objective." O.K, so they won't make it to this year's Olympics in Athens, but they are determined to iron out the creases to have it classified as a real sport. The U.S tour saw Steam, Starch and Short Fuse hanging off a tour bus in Boston and ironing amongst the bison in a South Dakota National Park. Their final stunt was to convince sceptical New Yorkers of the delights of extreme ironing. To do this the trio demonstrated the joys of ironing in the open air of Times Square. Some looked on confused, but others were clearly attracted to the idea, like Mark Urban who said, "I think its pretty cool, it's pretty funny." "I think it's very inventive" was Scott Konenig's take on it. Youngster Phil London was clearly enamoured by the idea, saying, "I think people in America should start doing this." But Jane Marshall wasn't sure, "It looks kind of silly right here." If Marshall thinks ironing in Times Square looks silly, she should have seen the trio ironing atop two kayaks on a Boston river. But the silliness is all part of the sport and the more bizarre the location, the better. Technically extreme ironing can be done anywhere, as long as it is outside, but as Patrick explains that can encompass almost anything. "People start of extreme ironing in their back gardens and very often take it on the combine it with whatever they do whether it's hill walking, cycling, shooting, fishing. mountain climbing, whatever," he said. Wilkinson said that because they are all rock-climbers, that's where most of their extreme ironing takes place, "We tend to combine our extreme ironing with climbing so we might climb up a pinnacle and then drag our iron and board up and then just iron on top of the pinnacle, or absail down and iron half way down a rock face." The rules of extreme ironing get a little fuzzy when it comes to just how well the ironing needs to be done. For Starch, Steam and Short Fuse a perfectly ironed shirt is just as important as the thrill of the climb. But for other participants that's perhaps not so important - like ironers who attempt the chore whilst balancing on rocks in white water rapids, or even divers who take their boards to the bottom of the ocean. A quirky story.

ITN Source | May 28, 2004

Tags:. .thrill. .suspended. .inventive. .invented. .unless