Latest extreme sport attracts global interest

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Latest spoof extreme sport attracts global interest

18 May 2001 - Extreme Ironing, the latest extreme sport that combines ironing with adrenalin sports, has attracted attention from around the world following the screening of a film about the sport shown at a Munich film festival in April. Extreme Ironing combines the thrill of an "extreme" sport, with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt, with participants ironing in unusual locations such as mountains, forests and lakes.

Since Extreme Ironing - The Movie was shown to a sell-out crowd of 700 festival goers, the sport's official websites, www.extremeironing.com and www.ironing.de, have had over 10,000 hits from as far afield as Costa Rica, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand. Extreme Ironing has featured in online news services Ananova and ESPN.com as well as being among the top ten sites for an Icelandic search engine, Tilveran.is

Extreme Ironing founder, Philip Shaw (27), who is known by the handle of Steam said: "It's fantastic that people around the world are enjoying extreme ironing. We have had people from places such as the US, Australia and Canada asking how to go about Extreme Ironing, and really as long as they are ironing somewhere they wouldn't normally iron, such as up a mountain, then it's Extreme Ironing. It's also important to ensure that people obey safety procedures by wearing goggles and using ropes where necessary. Ironing involves heat and we don't want people to get burnt or injured by their flex.

"The whole thing began as a bit of a joke really. It started with me ironing in the back garden, because the weather was good, and from then on we started Extreme Ironing," continued Steam. "I forgot about it really, but last year I explained it to some German backpackers who liked it so much they decided to make a film about it. I only knew they were serious when they came across to interview me. Now that the film has been made we'll be looking at getting it shown as widely as possible and making Extreme Ironing the fastest growing extreme sport in the world."

About Extreme Ironing Extreme Ironing was started in 1997 by Leicester man, Philip Shaw (Steam) as a parody of other extreme sports such as freestyle rock climbing and snowboarding. The Extreme Ironing movie was produced by Hot Crease and members of the German Extreme Ironing Section (GEIS) and will be subtitled for viewing in English speaking countries later this year. The website of the Extreme Ironing Bureau (EIB), www.extremeironing.com, was established in 2001, following the return of Steam from a worldwide Extreme Ironing tour, and is maintained by webmaster Starch and membership officer, Basket. For further information about Extreme Ironing visit the official website www.extremeironing.com or contact by emailing Steam@onebox.com ends...

steam@onebox.com

http//www.extremeironing.com

'an ironed shirt in hand is worth two in the basket'

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