Enthusiasts of ironing compete in Poznań, west-central Poland, for the main prize of the country's second championships in professional ironing.

Joanna Najfeld reports

Quality, time and style is what counts. Seventy four professional and amateur ironers, mostly but not exclusively from Poland, have competed in Poznań for the main prize of Poland's second championships in ironing. Because ironing is not just a mundane chore. It can be pleasure, sport and art, says Agnieszka Wieczorowska of the Strima company, which organizes the event: 'It's an art where you can even express yourself, your ideas, your feelings, and do that really very well. We wanted to show how ironing should be done and how it can be done when you use professional equipment. It is really important to use this kind of equipment and if you add your skills and abilities, the results are just incredible.'

In the first round, contestants had twelve minutes to press a shirt and a pair of trousers. In the finals they had to do one additional jacket too. Przemysław Stempin, who won the first edition of the championships two years ago says he loves his job: 'This kind of job was my choice. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't like it. What counts in this job is first of all skills, but you have to really like it too.'

But the competition is not restricted to professional ironers, says Agnieszka Wieczorowska: 'This event is open to everyone who wants to iron, who can iron, or who wants to learn how to iron in a professional manner.'

The judges, however, were all top notch professionals: 'Daniele Battistella was from Italy. He is the owner of a company which produces professional equipment. From our side there was Andrzej Andrysiak, a professional ironer with over ten years of experience. There was also Axel Bruckner, the branch personality, he knows everything about machines and equipment - not only about ironing but sewing as well. The last judge was vice president of Strima company, which organized the event and came up with the idea of organizing ironing championships in Poland.'

The main prize, ten thousand zloty, or four and a half thousand US dollars, went, like in the previous edition, to a man - Mariusz Wawrzynowicz - a professional ironer. The only woman to receive a prize, Zofia Przybyszewska, came third. A smaller competition was also held for journalists. Top prize went to Elwira Trzcielińska, who admitted she had ironed only eleven shirts in her entire life.