LA is the spiritual home of skateboarding. But it has come a long way from its past as “counterculture” and is now part of the Olympic games which return to Los Angeles in 2028. When Skateboard Hall of Fame inductee, Jaime Reyes started out in the 1980’ she was all alone in a man’s world. Her rise to the top of the sport was as much about her own personal success as it was about getting other girls to see what is possible.When we play a board game, we can get 5 or 6 friends around the board at the most but imagine playing your favourite game with 20,000 others. You need somewhere pretty big for that. So how about the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York? Brennan Lee Mulligan did just that with his version of the game Dungeons and Dragons. Simon Parker heads to Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing, to find out how the sport developed into an Olympic discipline. And we hear from Garrett McNamara of the who broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed officially judged to be 78ft.And how do you go about creating a new board game? Well Professor Mary Flanagan has a Games Lab at Stanford University to research board games! She explains the hidden messages in every one we play. Katie Smith provides the weekly brain teaser from the Women's Euros in SwitzerlandPhoto: (Original Caption) 2/16/1965-New York, NY-Alfred Hitchcock won't reveal the subject of his next movie, but he's obviously bored with the former friends who starred in his scare-film "The Birds." The maestro of mayhem was caught in the "ho hum" mood when he dropped in at the Rizzoli Bookstore on New York's Fifth Avenue, to check on the latest "Ghoulology." CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
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Wimbledon Wonders
Roger Taylor was the British tennis number one who fell out with his contemporaries while coming tantalisingly close to winning Wimbledon. He found himself engulfed in controversy through his defiance of the 1973 Wimbledon boycott, which almost tore his world apart. He tells us about his near Wimbledon misses and how he was a leading contender to replace Sean Connery as James Bond. Fifty years ago Arthur Ashe pulled off an amazing feat, upsetting the odds and becoming the first black man to win the Wimbledon Men's final when he beat fellow American Jimmy Connors - but it was not something he wanted to define his life. His fight to break down barriers around racial discrimination was closer to his heart - and apartheid South Africa became one of his battle grounds. Though his agent Donald Dell and tennis writer Richard Evans we tell the story of Ashe’s controversial visit to South Africa in 1973 and how a tennis academy in his name now thrives in Soweto. We meet Rufus the hawk who serves as Wimbledon's "chief pigeon deterrent," flying around the grounds each morning to scare away pigeons and other birds, ensuring they don't interfere with play or disrupt the spectators. He's been patrolling the skies at Wimbledon for 15 years. And new balls please ! 60,000 are used during the Championships each year. They are replaced every seven to nine games during matches to maintain optimal playing conditions. But are they really stored in a fridge? The head of balls Andy Chevalier reveals all. Plus the story of how a Wimbledon first round tie between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010 became the longest tennis match in history, stretching over three days.
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'W' stands for winner
Our guest this week prove 'W' stands for winners. We hear from Sir Bradley Wiggins, Lori Walton, Jim and Jeff Whitley and Sir Clyde Walcott.As the Tour de France begins we hear from Sir Bradley Wiggins, one of THE stars of the 2012 Olympics. Just a couple of weeks after becoming the first British rider to win the Tour de France, the home favourite won gold on the streets of London to claim his 5th Olympic title and 8th medal in total. Wiggins was a poster boy for cycling, with his popularity transcending the sport. The hip icon of Cool Britannia was knighted in 2013 as Great Britain basked in the glow of a successful London games. So news of his struggles since retirement came as a shock. As if it reminded us that he was after all human. Battles with the bottle caused him to lose his bearings, his business and his wife. What a relief then when Joel Hammer met him to see a fit, healthy and once again Lycra clad Wiggins.WALCOTT:
Exactly 75 years ago Sir Clyde Walcott and his teammates won a Test Match on English soil for the very first time. It cemented the West Indies as a force in international cricket and sparked wild celebrations among the newly arrived West Indian immigrant community. Sir Clyde Walcott scored a century in the gameWHITELY:
footballers Jim and Jeff Whitley both played in the Premier League for Manchester City. The Zambian born brothers played in midfield and whilst their football careers were interesting, it's what they did off the field that sets them apart. Jeff battled addiction to drinks and drugs that drove his career off the rails. He now works tirelessly helping other professionals to avoid the same mistakes as him. Older brother Jim path has been very different. When his playing days ended, he started a new career as a star of stage and screenWALTON:
Bill Walton won two NBA titles before becoming one of the most recognisable faces on American television. To say he was a character is an understatement! He was cult hero. He also lent his voice a new World Service podcast. Sadly, Bill died before he could finish narrating the series. To mark the first anniversary of his death Joel Hammer has speaking to his wife Lori from their "hippy home" in Hawaii about how she marked a year since Bill's passing and why for Lori and the Walton family the podcast has become something very important.(PHOTO: Sir Bradley Wiggins in action on his way to setting a new UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome June 7, 2015 in London, England. CREDIT: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
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Colourblind
Climber Janja Garnbret is one of the best examples of how easy becoming an Olympic champion can look. In both Tokyo and Paris she seemingly effortlessly ascended her way to gold. They sit alongside her eight World Championships. At 26 she is still young enough to continue to dominate for some time. From her home Slovenia, where she is a mega star, she joined Katie Smith to talk about just how much effort goes into making the very difficult look like a walk in the park, what it felt like to become a two-time Olympic champion and body image.Some say silver is "first looser" and there is no doubt a bitter sweet feel to coming second, even if you are considered one of Africa's greatest Olympic sprinter. Sadly for him there no better person to speak about what it feel like to land a silver, he won four Olympic silvers. We hear from for Namibia's Frankie Fredricks on how it felt to never make it to gold.We meet the Bronze who is a born winner. This bronze is about to set off to defend her gold medal winning performance of four years ago, because this Bronze is England footballer Lucy Bronze. She is part of the England squad looking to defend their Women's Euro title in Switzerland. So if we cannot talk to Lucy about what it is like to finish with a bronze (and yes, we know she won bronze in 2015 at the World Cup) we might as well ask her about the secret to her success, and it turns out that is a small dog called Nala.It seems more than a bit unfair to have our final guest, our guess that fits the theme because it's the "no medal at all" section of the show. Not least because Justin Phongsavanh won Paralympic bronze in the javelin in Tokyo. But with a chance to compete in front of his home crowd at the Games of LA in 2028 his dream appears to have been ripped away from him. Justin has been explaining what has happened and how he is coping. He also tells us about one night in 2015 when his life changed forever.(Photo: Janja Garnbret of Slovenia competes during the women's lead climbing qualification of the Climbing World Cup 2023 in Innsbruck, Austria. Credit: Marco Kost/Getty Images)
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Play your cards right
Not by the Playbook comes from The Queen’s Club in London where Katie Smith is unboxing her pack of cards.British para standing tennis player Nicky Maxwell has always had a sporting ace up his sleeve, including now as President of the International Para Standing Tennis Association, but his life in sport hasn’t been without its challenges. The former Harvard University sprinter shares what life was like as a para athlete in the US collegiate system and his Paralympic ambitions for para standing tennis.The US queen of Mexico’s rodeo, Paola Pimienta tells us all about the Mexican tradition of charrería and its all-female synchronised team equestrian competition, escaramuza. It’s a traditional sport which can be adrenaline-fuelled, so what’s it like to take part and how has it helped Pimienta connect with her Mexican heritage?After former England cricketer David “Syd” Lawrence was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last year, it led to a race against time to tell his story in an autobiography. It’s a life which has seen Syd become the first English-born black cricketer to represent his country in 1988, before injury brought an end to his international career at age 28. He’s now been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. Cricket journalist Dean Wilson helped Syd put the book together and he talks about the process and Syd’s life both on and off the cricket pitch.Every pack of cards needs a Jack so hear the story behind Jack Nicklaus’ record sixth Masters win, plus there’s a spade on hand for trip to the farm which supplies strawberries to Wimbledon.Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Get in touch with us via email and use the hashtag #NBTP on social media.Image: Magician Jeff Thomas, Manager of Hollywood Magic on Hollywood Boulevard does some magic with deck of playing cards, November 12, 2001 in Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
Inspirational stories from around the world. Interviews with people defying the odds. Discover Not by the Playbook - the podcast which seeks out the most incredible stories from sportspeople and athletes. We bring you interviews with the sporting heroes who have achieved success in the face of seemingly impossible challenges.Formerly known as Sportshour, Not by the Playbook is brought to you by the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider.Tune in to hear from some of the most famous names in sport on subjects you've never heard them discuss before. You don't have to be an Olympic gold champion to have an extraordinary story – we also scour the globe for inspiring individuals who make a difference through sport.Whether you’re a football or soccer fan, tennis lover, golf aficionado or cricket addict, or even if you're not a sports fan at all, you’ll find inspiration in the stories of resilience, determination, and discipline. Expect insightful, honest, and thought-provoking conversations from people who live and breathe sport.Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
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