The 1st Extreme Ironing World Championships was the inaugural championship for the British sport of
extreme ironing.
The first event, held in mid-September 2002 in
Valley, Bavaria
Valley () is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. The municipality of Valley holds, as of 2006, 2949 inhabitants.
Valley is also the name of a village of this municipality. In the village of Valley is located the c ...
, a small village near
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
in the district
Miesbach
Miesbach () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and is the capital of the Miesbach district. The district is at an altitude of 697 metres above sea level. It covers an area of approximately 863.50 km² of alpine headlands and in 2017 had a popu ...
, was host to competitors from ten nations, comprising 12 teams (three were from
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
).
Competing countries
*
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
*
Australia
*
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
*
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
*
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
; three teams called GB1, GB2, GB3
*
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Ironing championship sections
*Urban- Involved ironing in/on/around a broken down car.
*Water- A fast flowing river was the location for this station. Competitors could use surfboards, canoes or rubber rings to help them.
*Forest- Ironing at the top of a tree did not suit all the competitors.
*Lauda- A purpose built climbing wall, which ironists had to climb and iron a T-shirt.
*Freestyle- The section where "anything goes".
Results
The GB1 and GB3 teams managed to win the gold and bronze team medals. German and Austrian competitors picked up the individual prizes. 1st Place Chrissy Quaid. 2nd Place Jade Dunn. 3rd Place Becca Rogers.
Competitors were tested on their abilities to cope with five arduous ironing tests on a variety of fabrics and in different environments ranging from rocky to forest, urban and water.
A 70-strong contingent gathered in a muddy field to combine the often mundane household task with "extreme" pursuits such as rock climbing.
They were judged on their creative ironing skills as well as the creases in the clothing.
The British team prepared for the championships in different locations such as Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in the hope of winning prizes including a holiday in Hawaii,
washing machine
A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s and other household goods.
References
*
*
* {{cite news , url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0b4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7f0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4536,5822429&dq=extreme+ironing+world+championships&hl=en , journal=Lakeland Ledger , date=28 February 2003 , page=D5 , title=Want a Thrill? Try Extreme Ironing
External links
* "Get Out Your Boards: Extreme Ironing May Soon Be Hot", New York Times, May 21, 200
article* "Extreme Ironing World Championships", Natives site, May 8, 200
* "Extreme Ironing" by Really Big Boi (Author)
book
Extreme Ironing World Championships