Extreme Ironing Hits The Box

The hot - sorry - new sport of Extreme Ironing is about to get even more exposure as it hits the google box next month with a specially commissioned documentary on Channel 4. Plus there's a steaming new web site as well.

Film-makers followed the 16-strong British team as they flattened the opposition in the team event at this year's inaugural world championship in Munich with the help of controversial sponsorship from ironing industry giants Rowenta.

If you follow the sport already - and let's face it, how many of us don't - you'll know the outcome of the event, but that doesn't detract from the frenzied excitement leading into the crunch encounter between the Rowenta GB Squad and teams from ten other nations including the well-organised Germans, flamboyant (eh?) Austrians and a single Chilean competitor.

"We've seen the preview tapes, and I must say, extreme ironing fans are in for a real treat," says Steam, arguably the Beckham of the sport. "There's specially shot footage of Starch and Iron Man Stumpy re-enacting the daredevil stunt that won 2001's picture competition, plus Basket abseiling off a water tower and Iron Matron showing how ironing really should be done."

Web Site Revamp

Check out www.extremeironing.com for more information. The site's just been relaunched in a new guise as the mouthpiece of the prestigious Extreme Ironing Bureau (EIB) and now enable ironing activisits worldwide to 'share their extreme ironing exploits online'. Inevitably as the sport grows, issues like drug abuse and gamesmanship will rear their ugly heads and we at OUTDOORSmagic welcome the establishment of the EIB as a positive step. Surely the B should stand for 'Board' though?