Extreme Ironing

I've tried out and experienced many kinds of competitive sports, but never have I tried Japan's extreme ironing sport. In a nutshell, this sport involves athletes perform ironing in "extreme" situations, such as on the top of a mountain - with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt!

From Japan Times:

People have been enjoying a wide variety of sports since at least the time of Ancient Greece. In the Athens 2004 Olympic Games alone, athletes competed in about 300 categories of 28 sports -- and the list seems to get longer every time.

In fact, that is hardly surprising, as a glance at my Webster's dictionary confirms. There, "sport" is defined as: "Any activity or experience that gives enjoyment or recreation; pastime; diversion."

So, reflecting the near-limitless scope of "sport," and humans' boundless imagination in pursuit of "recreation," another new -- though not yet Olympic -- sport has been invented and recently introduced in Japan. That sport is "extreme ironing."

In this activity combining outdoor exertion and ironing, athletes do ironing in "extreme" situations, such as on the top of a mountain, halfway down a cliff or even while bungee-jumping. Of course, in the mountaintop category, for example, they must first make their ascent while carrying an iron, an ironing board and shirts to be pressed. According to the Web site of the Extreme Ironing Bureau, the sport "is an outdoor activity that combines the danger and excitement of an 'extreme' sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt."

Link & Image: The Japan Times
Tags: Sport | Extreme Ironing | Extreme | Ironing