‘Extreme Ironing’ Is A Sport And There Are Championships Held
Last night I’m on Twitter, going back and forth with a friend of mine in Australia, and I see a post from the Gastonia Police Department. The post caught my attention because they posted a meme of the movie ‘Dodgeball’, which I love. Written above the meme was, ‘Planning on watching Extreme Ironing (yes, apparently it is a real sport, description is below) on ESPN 8 the “Ocho” after you get home tonight? If so, don’t forget to lock those car doors!’ I thought it was a joke, but NO! ‘Extreme Ironing’ is a real thing!
According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, (also a real thing), ‘Extreme Ironing’ is ‘the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt’. WTH?! Competitors or ‘ironists’ go to dangerous remote places with a board to do the ironing. The activities may include ironing underwater, on top of a mountain, in moving vehicles, in a canoe, in the middle of a busy street, while skiing, skydiving, or snowboarding.
Wikipedia says the sport was started by Tony Hiam in 1980. As the sport has grown, it’s gained international attention and there are World Championships. If you Google the sport, tons of pages pop up. Some groups like ‘Team Steam’ participate in the sport to raise money for charity, which is cool.
I remember when I was a teen, I’d iron my dad’s shirts for work with light starch. That was around 1985/1986. Never in a million years would I have thought ironing would be a sport!
